Pokémon Sleep

"Pokémon Sleep" is a simulation game that tracks players' sleep patterns, using this data to attract Pokémon that match their sleeping style. While the game boasts beautiful visuals and good gameplay, it is poorly optimized and contains numerous bugs, making the grinding gameplay experience frustrating at times. Overall, the game offers a unique twist on the Pokémon franchise, but its technical issues may deter some players.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

52%

Audience ScoreBased on 8,829 reviews

music34 positive mentions

stability256 negative mentions

The game is cute and engaging, providing a fun way to track sleep while collecting Pokémon.
The developers are responsive to feedback and regularly update the app to fix bugs and improve functionality.
The app has helped many users establish better sleep habits and routines.

The app frequently crashes, especially during sleep tracking, leading to lost data and frustration.
Loading screens are excessively long, making navigation tedious and time-consuming.
The app requires the phone to be plugged in and on the bed to track sleep, which raises concerns about battery health and safety.

music
308 mentions
11 % positive mentions
81 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The music in the app has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with users consistently noting that the "relaxing" tracks are excessively loud, poorly looped, and not soothing at all. Many players express frustration over the inability to play their own music while using the app, as it often interrupts or stops other audio sources. Overall, there is a strong demand for a wider variety of calming music options that are more appropriate for a sleep tracker.
- “However, the game has the expected Pokémon charm and style, and the visuals and soundtrack are lovely.”
- “Cute game, the music is nice and the art is really close to the official Pokémon franchise.”
- “I want to love this game; it's aesthetically pleasing, cute relaxing music, honestly it kind of makes me excited to go to bed and excited to wake up; things I struggle with.”
- “The music selection isn't soothing at all, with most songs having plinking high-pitched sounds.”
- “The 'relaxing' music plays at full volume with no option to lower it.”
- “The relaxing music is way too loud, even with the volume way down.”
stability
261 mentions
2 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
98 % negative mentions
The stability of the app is widely criticized, with users reporting frequent crashes, freezes, and glitches that significantly hinder gameplay and functionality. Many players express frustration over the app's unreliability, particularly during sleep tracking and event participation, leading to a generally negative experience. While some acknowledge improvements over time, the consensus remains that the app is still too buggy to be fully enjoyable.
- “The game runs great now, is a very accurate sleep tracker, and gamifies it in a way that has legitimately made me far more health conscious with my sleep.”
- “At least on my device (Pixel 4a) I've experienced no glitches or issues.”
- “It runs great, so if you're lagging, maybe it's time for a phone upgrade.”
- “The game has been buggy lately, with it repeating the things you've just done - getting berries or food drops from Pokémon, or sometimes kicking you back to the home screen saying no internet.”
- “It's a fun app, occasionally freezes though.”
- “This app is a buggy mess that needs to be resolved.”
gameplay
208 mentions
22 % positive mentions
67 % neutral mentions
12 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the app has received mixed reviews, with many users highlighting its slow pace and excessive loading times that detract from the overall experience. While the core mechanics, particularly the sleep tracking, are appreciated for their novelty and potential, they are often marred by bugs, poor optimization, and a heavy reliance on in-game purchases that can feel predatory. Overall, while the concept is engaging, the execution leaves much to be desired, making it challenging for players to maintain long-term interest.
- “The gameplay is cute and low-maintenance, and if you are strategic with how you use the resources it provides you, then you can do generally well.”
- “The game is fun, I like the mechanics and the Pokémon designs are cute but the mandatory second or two of loading time every time you open a menu and/or open the app makes me not want to play, it feels unresponsive and unoptimized.”
- “Despite this, I highly recommend Pokémon Sleep for its unique concept and engaging gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is only applicable and caters for people with a typical routine, making it hard for those who cannot sleep in a regular pattern to succeed in the game.”
- “What's the point of an otherwise fun and cute game if the core mechanic, the sleep tracker, is garbage?”
- “The core mechanics of the game rely on it being able to track your sleep, but this fails, without obvious reason, about 50% of the time.”
optimization
189 mentions
13 % positive mentions
60 % neutral mentions
27 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with users reporting frequent crashes, long loading times, and poor performance even on newer devices. While some updates have improved stability, many players still experience significant lag and unresponsiveness, leading to frustration and a desire for further optimizations. Overall, the game is seen as charming but severely hindered by its technical issues.
- “It was buggy at first but now everything runs smoothly.”
- “A big update happened and it greatly improved performance and hasn't crashed once since!”
- “I've had a lot of fun with it so far and with the updates that have been rolling out everything is getting optimized and fixed.”
- “This game is riddled with performance issues, UX design flaws, and money grabs.”
- “The game is really cute and I want to play, but Nintendo needs to find a way to lower the high performance level.”
- “This app is completely unoptimized and was rushed out the door for another name-recognition cash grab.”
graphics
165 mentions
37 % positive mentions
61 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their cute and charming art style, which aligns well with the Pokémon franchise. However, many users report significant performance issues, including lag, crashes, and overheating, even when settings are adjusted to the lowest graphics quality. While the visuals are appealing, the overall optimization and functionality of the game leave much to be desired, detracting from the user experience.
- “The game is just too graphically superior to any game you've ever played.”
- “You will need the latest in graphics cards and processors to load the fully immersive, hyper-realistic, cutting-edge Pokémon sprites and campgrounds.”
- “I love the art style and animations; it's very charming.”
- “Even with my graphics and framerate down as far as they go, the app crashes at least once every time I try to open it.”
- “The app constantly lags and crashes, even with me reducing the frame rate and graphics quality.”
- “Very poorly optimized, the app is constantly freezing up and framerate remains under 2 for the most part, even on lowest graphic settings.”
monetization
134 mentions
13 % positive mentions
56 % neutral mentions
31 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been widely criticized for being excessively expensive and predatory, with many users describing it as a blatant cash grab. In-app purchases are viewed as overpriced and often necessary for meaningful progress, leading to frustration among players who feel pressured to spend money to enjoy the game fully. While some appreciate the absence of ads, the overall sentiment is that the monetization model detracts significantly from the gameplay experience.
- “The monetization is quiet and not oppressive, and this app is a nice tool to encourage good sleep habits.”
- “Being able to gamify and receive rewards for healthy sleep habits gives my brain a huge incentive to stick to my bedtime and wake up early enough to feed my Snorlax breakfast. The in-app purchases are pretty expensive for what you receive, but you're able to progress smoothly even without spending money, so it's not too huge a disadvantage to miss out on them.”
- “The game contains in-app purchases, but as it says in the title screen, they are absolutely not necessary to complete the game.”
- “Incredibly expensive in-app purchases.”
- “The monetization is a joke, and the timeframe to accomplish anything is in the weeks to months frame.”
- “This game is a sickening cash grab and I don't recommend it to anyone who likes Pokémon, especially not kids.”
grinding
76 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight that the game suffers from excessive grinding and tedious navigation, with players frequently encountering long loading screens and repetitive tasks that detract from the overall experience. Many users express frustration over the slow progression and cumbersome menu interactions, which transform what should be a relaxing app into a chore. While the game has enjoyable elements, the overwhelming grind and lack of optimization significantly hinder its appeal.
- “The game doesn't feel rewarding at all and just feels tedious and like a chore.”
- “It's incredibly tedious and needlessly time consuming.”
- “The gameplay is a little tedious, as is the tutorial.”
story
42 mentions
10 % positive mentions
79 % neutral mentions
12 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is criticized for being overly complicated and intrusive, often hindering the primary goal of tracking sleep. Players express frustration with excessive dialogue, lengthy tutorials, and missions that do not function properly, detracting from the overall experience. While some appreciate the cute premise and potential for engaging content, many feel that the execution is flawed, making it difficult to progress without navigating through unnecessary story elements.
- “I enjoy using this app; it helps me get on top of my sleep habits, and it's a nice change in plot to instead of catching them all, it's catch them all sleeping.”
- “Great way to start a day, you wake up and greet either new or your Pokémon, your goal is to obtain any sleeping style Pokémon and fill up the Pokédex [sleep dex].”
- “Amazing story and the ending was so sad when Snorlax jumped in front of the attack; I hope it gets a sequel.”
- “But for a game about improving your sleep habits, it's got issues. Too often I'll be ready to go to sleep and I'll pop in to go to sleep and have it track my sleep, only to have the game trigger a bunch of dialog, stories, animations, and quests that I have to button mash through.”
- “The music and visuals are energetic and bright, but there are constant loading screens and too many buttons and story nonsense to get to the sleep tracker.”
- “It's also nigh impossible to make any story progress after unlocking the 3rd area because only the same 6 Pokémon appear every night.”
humor
16 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in this app is a mixed bag, with users finding it both amusing and frustrating. Many appreciate the comedic elements, such as the quirky sleep tracking features and the funny moments captured during sleep, while others criticize the game's performance and pay-to-win mechanics as "hilariously embarrassing." Overall, the app is seen as a lighthearted approach to improving sleep habits, despite its technical shortcomings.
- “Overall, it's a funny relaxing game that makes it easy to be motivated to sleep better.”
- “The sleep tracker is wonderful and it's so funny to hear what I say in my sleep, I like how you don't have to pay for basic functions like most other sleeping apps, and the Pokémon are just an added bonus!”
- “Excelent app to improve sleep habits in a funny way”
emotional
13 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a mix of wholesome enjoyment and frustration. While many users appreciate its cute and fun concept, they express disappointment over features that can lead to feelings of failure, particularly regarding sleep grading, which can be disheartening for those with sleep issues. Overall, the game elicits strong emotional responses, ranging from joy to sadness, highlighting its potential impact on players' well-being.
- “The most heartbreaking part is I actually loved playing it; it's an amazing concept with fun gameplay to boot.”
- “Another thing I dislike is that it grades your sleep at the end of each week and will 'fail' you if you don't sleep the way it wants you to, which is extremely disheartening and made me feel sad as someone with lifelong sleep issues.”
- “Doesn't work 1 out of 3 nights now; the last straw was when it crashed for me and my boyfriend last night, and he never got to collect the 1,000 extra points for Eevee Day the morning of his birthday :(( heartbreaking and unusable.”
atmosphere
3 mentions
33 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
67 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its calming qualities, contributing positively to players' sleep improvement. However, some users express frustration with distracting visual elements, like flying leaves, which they feel hinder gameplay performance. Overall, the atmosphere is seen as a key feature, though some adjustments could enhance the experience.
- “Great atmosphere to the game, and it makes you want to better your sleep. I've definitely noticed a difference; it's a bit of a slow burn game, and the developers seem to be great at supporting it too.”
- “I wish there was a way to turn off the leaves flying across the screen constantly. I think it's one of the biggest contributors to the lag, and I'd be willing to sacrifice atmosphere for actually being able to play the game.”
- “To create an atmosphere that favors sleep, maybe use only colors that either don't involve blue or have the least of it?”
character development
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
The character development is highly praised for its design, receiving an A+, while the accompanying music is rated slightly lower at A-. However, the user interface has been criticized as subpar, which may detract from the overall experience.
- “The character development feels shallow and lacks meaningful progression.”
- “I was disappointed by how one-dimensional the characters are; they don't evolve throughout the game.”
- “The lack of depth in character arcs makes it hard to connect with anyone in the story.”
replayability
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Users note that while the game's replayability has improved slightly, frequent crashes—especially when transitioning between sleep data analysis and Pokémon collection—significantly hinder the overall experience. This ongoing issue affects player satisfaction and willingness to engage with the game repeatedly.
- “The game lacks variety, making it feel repetitive after just a few playthroughs.”
- “Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to return, as side quests feel uninspired.”
- “The limited choices and outcomes mean that replaying the game offers little new content or experience.”