In a surprising discovery, Pokémon GO player Noize has reported encountering a series of strange visual glitches in the mobile game that bear an uncanny resemblance to the iconic MissingNo glitch from Pokémon Red and Blue.
According to Noize, several Pokémon encountered in the wild began appearing with severely distorted appearances. Reports include sprites with scrambled textures, incorrect proportions, and transparency errors — creating designs that appeared completely off from their intended forms.
“It honestly felt like meeting MissingNo again,” Noize commented, referring to the well-known glitch Pokémon from the original 1996 Game Boy titles.
A Nod to Pokémon’s Glitch History?
MissingNo, short for “Missing Number,” was a programming anomaly in Pokémon Red and Blue that players could encounter through a specific set of steps. The glitch became a legend in gaming history, causing corrupted graphics, odd effects, and even save file risks, yet beloved for its mystery and notoriety.
The similarities between the current Pokémon GO glitch and MissingNo have sparked nostalgia among longtime fans. While Pokémon GO has experienced bugs and visual issues in the past, the distorted models seen by Noize evoke memories of the early days of the franchise’s hidden secrets and unintended surprises.
Cause of the Glitch Still Unknown
As of now, Niantic has not issued any statements about the reported glitch or its potential cause. It remains unclear whether the issue stems from a recent software update, server-side errors, or device-specific rendering problems.
Players who experience similar glitches are encouraged to document them and submit reports to Niantic’s support channels. Noize also invites others who encounter similar issues to share screenshots and experiences to help determine how widespread the phenomenon may be.
With Pokémon’s long history of glitches turning into beloved pieces of franchise lore, some players have even speculated whether this could be an unintentional homage to the infamous MissingNo.
For now, the strange sightings remain an unexplained — yet nostalgic — reminder of Pokémon’s unpredictable charm.
