Pokemon GO has quickly become a mobile gaming phenomenon, but there's still room for improvement. Here are five ways Niantic can make Pokemon GO even better.

Many people thought Pokemon GO was going to be a hit, but few could have predicted just how much of a phenomenon it would become in such a short amount of time. Since it launched last week, Pokemon GO has become one of the most popular mobile games, causing Nintendo's shares to soar, and making the game one of the most discussed topics on social media.

Developer Niantic has captured lightning in a bottle, and if it plays its cards right, it could maintain its spot at the top of the mobile charts. However, to keep players engaged for the long term, Niantic will have to keep Pokemon GO updated with new features and content. To that end, Game Rant has compiled a list of five things in particular Niantic could implement to make Pokemon GO an even better experience for its legions of dedicated players.

5 1. Pokemon Trading

Since trading Pokemon has always been a key feature for Pokemon games, it was somewhat surprising to see Pokemon GO launch without it. Perhaps developer Niantic is still trying to decide how trading will work in Pokemon GO, and whether it will require players to be in close proximity to each other, or if trading will be possible over the Internet. In any case, we know that Pokemon trading is already in the works for Pokemon GO in some form, so hopefully Niantic can offer details soon.

4 2. Battling Other Trainers

Even dedicated fans could admit that one area where Pokemon GO is lacking is with its battles. As it stands, battles can only take place at gyms, and those battles consist of one human player fighting an AI-controlled Pokemon. While battling Pokemon seems like an afterthought in Pokemon GO, it would still be nice for Niantic to expand on that feature for those that enjoy it. The most obvious way this could be accomplished is by allowing players to battle one another with their team of Pokemon, just as they are able to do in other Pokemon games.

3 3. World Events

In the Pokemon GO announcement trailer, it was teased that special world events would take place, encouraging players to congregate in one location to work towards a specific goal. The example in the trailer saw legendary Pokemon Mewtwo spawn, and asked players in Times Square to defeat him within a time limit. We imagine that this will be the primary method that players capture legendary Pokemon, so hopefully we hear concrete news on world events soon.

2 4. Elite Four

In the core Pokemon games, one of the greatest challenges a Pokemon trainer faces is the grueling final battle against the Elite Four. There's no Elite Four equivalent in Pokemon GO just yet, but if added in a future update, it could give players more incentive to level up their Pokemon, as defeating them would presumably bring with it special rewards.

1 5. Sub-Teams

Upon reaching level 5 and battling at a gym, players are asked to join one of three teams:  Team Valor (Red), Team Mystic (Blue), or Team Instinct (Yellow). While this system is fine and makes for good competition when teams attempt to control gyms in different towns, it could still be improved with sub-teams. By having sub-teams, players could could form groups with the people that they are actually playing Pokemon GO with, chat with one another, and basically operate as clans do in other games.

Pokemon GO is still in its early days, and so it's likely that it will be updated numerous times over the coming years. These five suggestions could make Pokemon GO an even better experience to help ensure the game maintains its popularity, so hopefully Niantic implements some of these features in the many Pokemon GO updates to come.

What do you want to see added to Pokemon GO? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Pokemon GO is available now for iOS and Android mobile devices.