The smartphone game, in which people search the real world with their phones for monsters called Pokemon and battle them at ''gyms'' at local landmarks, was launched last week and has probably been downloaded by thousands of Dunedin people since then.
Players battled outside the Allied Press building, in Lower Stuart St, with the "gym'' at the site changing hands between opposing teams multiple times in the early afternoon.
At the Dunedin Botanic Garden duck pond, people were catching Psyducks yesterday afternoon and people were still hunting for the creatures after dark in the area around the Octagon.
About 10.15pm, roughly 40 people were gathered in Bath St to catch Pokemon.
The game's surge in popularity has sparked concern about distracted players injuring themselves. A Dunedin user of social media app YikYak said they slipped on black ice while playing it.
Police issued a warning on Facebook for players to "choose safety'' while playing.
"We'd like players of the new Pokemon Go game to watch out for real-world hazards while using their phones to hunt Pokemon around our communities.
"Never use your phone while driving, don't step into the road without looking, watch out for others - particularly if they've got their noses buried in their phones,'' the message reads.
University of Otago students Charlotte Morgan and Russell Benington said the game was wildly popular at the university.
Mr Benington reckoned more than half the city's students were playing.
Being able to catch and see Pokemon in the real world fulfilled a childhood fantasy for fans of the franchise, he said.
"When we were little kids we all wanted to be [main character] Ash Ketchum and catch Pokemon.''
There was also a social element, with friendly competition between the three teams which battle for supremacy.
It involved exercising, which was a point of difference from other games, Ms Morgan said.
Fellow student Jordan Belshan (18), who was looking for Pokemon in the botanic garden after finishing lectures for the day, had paid the price for his inattention.
"I've tripped over a few times actually, just not looking around,'' Mr Belshan said.
