The "Pokémon GO!" release date will be happening this year. What is still unknown, though, is when exactly it will be.

Christian Daily reported that the "Pokémon GO!" release date is expected to happen early this 2016. The beta program in Japan has been scheduled this month. The Pokémon Company and Niantic Labs have announced the field test.

The "Pokémon GO!" beta field test will be for local Japanese players only. Players who want to join will need to have an iOS or Android device and a Google account. Niantic has hinted at the possibility of other countries getting a beta run for the game, though.

"The 'Pokémon GO!' field test program will give users the opportunity to share early feedback and help improve the 'Pokémon GO' experience," Niantic announced on their website.

"Please stay tuned for information about expansion of the field test to other markets. Thank you for your interest in 'Pokémon GO!'"

Last year, YHM reported that The Pokémon Company has announced that the "Pokémon GO!" release date will be in 2016. The game has been in development for approximately three years now.

The highly-anticipated augmented reality game will have players catch, trade and battle with others in arenas found in the real world. It is believed that the upcoming "Pokémon GO!" release could revolutionize how Pokémon games are played.

Meanwhile, the upcoming "Pokémon" game may have a microtransaction system. The Bitbag reported that one Redditor speculated on how the system would function for "Pokémon GO!"

Redditor IamNeko noted that "Ingress," Niantic's other augmented reality game, has "a decent model for microtransactions." The developers may be planning to use the same system for "GO!"

"According to the user, 'Pokémon GO!' players may be required to drop money to keep their Pokémon character active," the publication wrote. "It is also possible that a pay-to-win system will be introduced in 'Pokémon GO.'"