Released in France on July 18, 2023 on iOS and Android, Pokémon Sleep turns sleep into a game. Developed by SELECT BUTTON and The Pokémon Works, it tracks your nights, with your phone placed near the pillow, and translates them into Pokémon that come to sleep next to Snorlax. An original, soothing idea that makes you want to go to bed on time, but that demands consistency.
Sleep to play
Professor Neroli studies the sleep of Pokémon. Thanks to a synchronizer, your sleep is linked to Snorlax’s: every night of at least 90 minutes is scored out of 100, based on duration and the depth of the sleep stages (dozing, snoozing, slumbering). The result becomes Drowsy Power, which attracts Pokémon around Snorlax, each in a sleep style to photograph for the Sleepdex. There are hundreds of them.
During the day, cooking for Snorlax
When you wake up, you feed the Pokémon that came to sleep with Poké Biscuits to win their friendship and recruit them. During the day, these helper Pokémon gather Berries and ingredients to feed Snorlax and prepare dishes for it: curry, salads, desserts. The bigger Snorlax gets, the stronger the next night’s Drowsy Power. Each week, you change islands. See getting started.
The limits
The game is very slow by nature: one night, one session. You have to stick with it every day to progress, and the appeal rests mostly on collecting. In-app purchases and the premium pass speed up progress, without being essential. Finally, putting your phone on the bed doesn’t appeal to everyone; the Pokémon GO Plus + and certain smartwatches offer an alternative.
Our verdict
A game apart, gentle and clever, for anyone who wants to bring Pokémon into their nights. It rewards patience more than skill.
What we like
- An original idea that motivates you to sleep well
- Hundreds of sleep styles to collect
- Daily management richer than it looks
- Free and soothing
What we like less
- Very slow progression, one night at a time
- Appeal mostly based on collecting
- The phone next to the pillow
