Pokemon Go gyms are updated and back online - the gym under construction phase is over

Guide by Alex Donaldson Assistant Editor

Published on June 22, 2017

This is more than just a new way of fighting in gyms.

Update as of June 22 at 10pm British Summertime: Gyms are now appearing back online worldwide. If your local gyms aren't yet up, they will be in the coming hours - act fast and go get your Pokemon into those coveted gym spots!

Pokemon Go gyms under construction - gym revamps, badges, raid battles and more in the latest update

There's a lot currently going on in the world of Pokemon Go. If you're not the type of player who follows along the updates and changes to the game through Pokemon Go's media channels or through the very comprehensive coverage here on VG247 (how could you? Tut tut), you may have missed the current Summer Update shenanigans - and you may have just logged in to discover that 'gyms are under construction'. But... what's going on?

Nintendo, The Pokemon Company and Niantic aren't sleeping on the success of Pokemon Go. While fans of more traditional Pokemon have Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon and a new Pokemon entry for the Switch to look forward to, fans of Pokemon's phoenomenon mobile hit also have plenty to do. These new first updates for year two of the game are sounding more significant all the time.

Yesterday we reported that Pokemon Go's gym rework was beginning, and there's no time wasted here. Now, the first part of this major update to Pokemon Go is rolling out worldwide, adjusting how gyms play and what players can do at them.

This update introduces a few new concepts including Pokestop-style item-giving functionality at gyms, a revamped gym attack and defense system, gym badges and a Pokemon demotivation mechanic.

Niantic has also confirmed the contents of the next update: multiplayer co-operative raid battles against mega-powerful Pokemon that you can then catch - a sure fire place for legendary Pokemon such as Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres to start showing up.

We've got all the details listed in an easy-to-digest format below - so have at it!

Pokemon Go Gym rework: what's new in gyms today

Pokemon Go's developers aren't wasting any time. On Monday 19 June the company began shutting down the in-game gyms across the Pokemon Go world - and they'll should begin reopening quite quickly, with revamped, rebuilt gyms gradually rolling out worldwide to all players. Here's what'll be new in the revamped gyms when you head to one:

Gyms will have a 'spinnable photo disc', much like a PokeStop, and spinning this disc or hitting it with a press of the button on your Pokemon Go Plus will give you 'unique items' - though Niantic hasn't confirmed what these items will be.

Gyms will now also distribute 'Gym Badges' as in classic Pokemon games. These badges are not only mementos of your gym related play but also level up to earn better rewards and bonus items when you visit gyms.

Gyms will now feature six permanent defender Pokemon slots that players of the current controlling team can fill with Pokemon of their choice. Pokemon will be fought in the order they're added to the gym rather than CP order.

Gym Defender Pokemon will be impacted by the new motivation system. Over time Pokemon will become demovitvated, which reduces their Combat Power (CP). This will make it easier for well-fortified gyms to eventually fall, but friendly players can boost and restore a Pokemon's motivation by feeding it berries.

When will Pokemon Go Gyms be back?

As of the latest update to this page, Pokemon Go Gyms will have been out of action and under construction for several days. Based on the comments of Pokemon Go developer Niantic we don't anticipate that gyms will remain disabled for too long - Niantic's statements make it sound as though the plan is for there to be very little gap between closing gyms and beginning rolling out the update.

The latest Pokemon Trainer Club newsletter sent out by Niantic tells players to "Get ready for a new revamped gym experience, cooperative fun with raid battles and more - coming to Pokemon Go in early July!"

We know that not all of the update will roll out together - so with any luck, gyms will return at some point before the end of June and then Pokemon Go's new raid battle system will appear afterwards, in early July. Niantic has made clear this Pokemon Go update's new features will roll out in a generally staggered fashion. This means that yes, you might hear about people in other areas having their gyms come back online from construction before yours, so sit tight.

Once all the gyms are enabled once again, Niantic will begin its next phase of the great Pokemon Go Update - raid battles. Below, we detail what that involves...

Pokemon Go Update: Raid Battles & more coming soon - including legendary Pokemon

While the gym update detailed above is pretty significant in itself, Niantic aren't done with that alone. There's more to come to Pokemon Go, and these updates are even more significant too. Here's what to expect in the coming weeks once the gym-related dust has settled...

Raid Battles will let trainers team up to fight extremely powerful 'raid boss' Pokemon. These are timed in-game events that'll temporarily replace a regular gym for a limited time.

Players from any gym team can bury the hatchet and team up to fight raid bosses together - it's a chance to temporarily bury the hatchet with your red, blue or yellow rivals.

Beating raid bosses will reward you special new items - plus the ability to catch the raid boss Pokemon. It's pretty much a cert that this is how some of those missing legendary Pokemon will show up and become catchable in the game - via raid boss battles..

Friends can create private raid groups via friend code system. This is very Nintendo indeed - the influence rages on! Hopefully it's easier than on your average Nintendo platform.