Yes, You Can Change Your Team in 'Pokémon GO' — but It'll Cost You

If you were one of the many people who played Pokémon GO at its start in 2016, you likely picked which team you were on based on the team's color or what teams your friends were picking. Team Valor is red and led by Candela, Team Mystic is blue and led by Blanche, and Team Instinct is yellow and led by Spark.

Your team is boldly displayed on your profile to all of your friends in Pokémon GO, making your choice obvious to all. That being said, it's also valid if you want to switch teams after all of these years. So is there a way to change teams?

Thankfully, Niantic has implemented a way to change what team you're on in Pokémon GO — but there are some caveats. Here's how to do it.

For years, every new generation of a Pokémon game features more than one title to choose from. While the base game in the different variations is the same, which title you choose will determine which exclusive Pokémon you're able to catch — and some were worried when picking their team in Pokémon GO that this same rule would apply.

Thankfully, there really isn't that much of a difference between the teams in Pokémon GO, and your choice does not impact the Pokémon you're able to find in the game.

The different team leaders will be the ones appraising your Pokémon, and each of them have different mannerisms in the game. But beyond that and the background color on your profile, there's no real strategy to choosing what team you decide to fight alongside in Pokémon GO.

Until 2019, players weren't able to change what team they were in — which makes sense, considering there's no real difference between the teams, meaning there's no reason behind switching. But if you've decided you simply cannot stay on your team any longer, Niantic has offered a way to change that decision.

To switch your team, you'll have to purchase the Team Medallion from the item shop. This will purchase 1,000 PokéCoins — a hefty price to pay for a single item in the game.

Since PokéCoins are only obtained for free by leaving your Pokémon in the gym, and there's a cap of 50 coins per day a trainer can earn, getting enough to switch teams will likely take you a while. You'll also have to forego purchasing other items, like incubators or additional storage, while you save up for the Team Medallion.

This means you'll likely have to spend real money to get the required number of PokéCoins to get the Team Medallion.

It'll cost $9.99 USD to purchase 1,200 PokéCoins. If you think the cost is worth it, then you should go ahead and buy the Team Medallion.

Unfortunately, you can only purchase this item once every 365 days. Whatever team you choose you'll have to stick with for a year — so be sure to choose wisely.