"Not travelled the full Route distance": Players frustrated with Pokemon GO Routes bug

Pokemon GO is no stranger to bugs and glitches. Despite releasing nearly eight years ago as of June 2024, the mobile title still seems to get a new game-breaking bug with every update. Recently, players on the Silph Road subreddit have been reporting a strange issue with Routes that have stopped them from receiving their full value.

This is a big issue since Routes already take a long time depending on the distance. Their rewards and the potential of obtaining Zygarde Cells are the reasons why trainers bother with them in the first place.

One player, who goes by u/JowgenITP on Reddit, shared their experience with a screenshot, questioning the error message they received:

"Not travelled the full Route distance"?"

"Not travelled the full Route distance"? byu/JowgenITP inTheSilphRoad

As seen in this post, u/JowgenITP walked the full distance of the Route in addition to another 51 meters. Despite completing the full path, the player was not able to redeem the full reward, with the game telling them that they reached the endpoint of the Route but did not travel the complete distance. Afterwards, the screen prompted them to go back and complete the full Route.

While this may seem like a player issue at first, many other users have shared similar stories in the comments below the post, cementing it as a glitch to the Routes mechanic.

Comment byu/JowgenITP from discussion inTheSilphRoad

This may be an issue just with the user interface of Pokemon GO rather than the Routes themselves.

Redditor Colourofsleep88 reported that they did not notice a decrease in the quality of the items they received despite the title stating that they did not complete the game. However, they added that they do not really pay attention to the premium rewards for completing Routes.

Zygarde Cells see to be the ain draw for Routes in Pokemon GO (Image via Reddit)

Another big draw is the Zygarde Cells in Pokemon GO, which are available when a player activates and walks along a Route. These items are used to power up Zygarde, whom trainers can find in its 10% Forme, where it takes a dog-like appearance rather than the serpent most players associate with the Legendary.

Commenters under the post did not say whether this issue affects these Zygarde Cells, so the glitch is relatively minor for a large portion of the community. Nevertheless, this is something that should not be present in the game, especially for a feature as new as Routes.

Comment byu/JowgenITP from discussion inTheSilphRoad

From comments on the original post, it may be safe to assume that the glitch may be due to Pokemon GO being too picky with how it detects players' location among Routes.

From trainers' experiences, it sounds like a Route will not count as completed if they do not follow it exactly as it is seen in the game.

---

Are Routes worth completing in Pokemon GO?

Routes are still the only way to get Zygarde Cells in Pokemon GO, so players should still do them whenever they can (Image via Niantic)

While the ultimate rewards for Routes may be glitched, this feature is still the only way players can collect Zygarde Cells.

Completed Zygarde is one of the best Ground-type Pocket Monsters in Pokemon GO's Master League right now, so Routes are still worth participating in if players are interested in competitive PvP.