The Pokémon Company revealed on July 6 a new trailer for Pokémon Sleep, the tracker app it first teased in 2019. The video, “How To Play Pokémon Sleep,” is likely the closest thing to a “gameplay” trailer we’re going to get, though it doesn’t include an official release date.
It only demonstrates, quite efficiently, how to use your thumbs to activate what is a mostly standard sleep tracker, aside from the Snorlax in it.
According to the introduction video The Pokémon Company showed during its March Pokémon Presents, Snorlax is the primary resident of the sleepy island the game takes place on because it is “the sleeping Pokémon.” Makes sense to me.
“Each week, you’ll partner with a Snorlax that will grow bigger over time,” the trailer voiceover informs. “As it grows, so will your chance of seeing rare sleep styles, especially if you get regular sleep.” These sleep styles, like a Slowpoke’s “Zonked Sleep” or a Diglett’s open-eyed “Aboveground Sleep,” add up in your Sleep Style Dex.
How to play Pokémon Sleep
But your most pressing goal as a player is to allow Snorlax to siphon your strength. Don’t get scared — it’s not as bad of a deal as it sounds.
You can feed Snorlax berries and prepare it drinks during the day, but the best way to grow your Snorlax is by getting a good night’s rest, which increases your “sleep score.” This score gets multiplied by Snorlax’s strength and determines its “Drowsy Power,” which, again, I recognise that that sounds ominous, but more Drowsy Power only means that more Pokémon may join you on the island, and you end up with more sleep styles in your Dex.
How to use the Pokémon Sleep tracker
That’s it for the “game” part of Pokémon Sleep; the rest of the app is a typical sleep tracker.
It records your bedtime, wake-up time, average duration of your sleep, and its characteristics. For example, “you might get a sense that you toss and turn a lot,” says the trailer voiceover, “like Togepi and its Rocking Sleep style. You can also listen to recordings of sounds you made in your sleep. If you’re having a noisy night, like Jigglypuff with its Singing Sleep, then you’ll know it.”
A Pokémon Company spokesperson told Kotaku in March that Pokémon Sleep acquires this information by using “the accelerometer sensor on your mobile device to track your movements to determine how long and deep you sleep,” but it will not integrate with any existing apps or devices. For best results, the trailer says, keep your phone facedown (with the screen on) and plugged in overnight. It should be on top of your bed, near your pillow, too.
After that, go to bed and hope to God that Snorlax doesn’t take you.
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