I don’t know how gyms are created, and I tried to create one by placing two PokéStops close together, but they only accepted one and turned the other into something for another game.Can anyone help me? I don’t really understand the cell system or how cells are created.
Welcome!! We can definitely help you understand
Not all PoIs show up in game - there are rules about how things show up.
- Power spots can show up anywhere as long as they’re over 22m away from a stop or gym. There could be lots of eligible power spots in an area and they rotate
- Stops can show up when they’re the only stop within a small “cell” - a little rectangle on the map
- Gyms are made based on how many stops and gyms are in a larger rectangle.
I will try to find a good link to explain cells 
here it is:
https://pokemongohub.net/post/article/comprehensive-guide-s2-cells-pokemon-go/
Welcome to the forums 
This phrasing is unhelpful. It actually means something more like this: “This wayspot won’t appear as a pokestop or gym in Pokemon Go because an existing pokestop/gym already occupies this area, but there might be other Niantic games that make use of this wayspot.”
Basically, there are inclusion rules that Pokemon Go applies to try to ensure that a small area doesn’t become overloaded with stops. It is still possible to get pokestops close together, but this is limited by these inclusion rules. A side effect is that sometimes in a less populated area, wayspots are still blocked by these inclusion rules, as happened here.
If the wayspots are objects that had no choice of location (e.g., bench, sign, noticeboard), then it doesn’t matter - you couldn’t have done things any differently.
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We cant go without posting this
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Don’t try to mis-place wayspots to manipulate the game though, that is considered abuse.
As said by others, understanding cells is the key to understand how gyms are created. You don’t have much control over which submissions become gyms, but in a L14 cell with two Pokestops one will become a gym.
In addition, if you are adding a lot of wayspots from an unexplored area consider which order you want to submit them. For example, if you have a church and a church noticeboard (both potentially eligible) then submit the church first and either wait to submit the noticeboard or put it on hold, that way you’ll get the “better” wayspot of the church if they are too close. When applied over a larger L14 cell, starting with the “better” submissions first gives you more chance of a “better” gym.
Honestly I don’t worry at all about the cells, I just submit what I see. Sometimes the gym will turn up somewhere surprising..
I recently created the one in the middle of the three PokéStops and the other one further away near the beginning of the photo.
Gym creation depends on S2 cells. We can’t tell anything about the cells from a game screenshot. If you would like us to show you the cell lines involved, you can leave a set of gps coordinates.
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We can’t tell from a screenshot like this, you need a special mapping tool to check, and it’s out of date now.
What were you going to nominate in that space?
The S2 side of the Wayfarer is a pathway to many nominations some consider to be ineligible.
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Alr… Let’s see… I intend to create a gym. I first tried liking photos from the Pokémon Go app, getting 5 likes from an old PokéStop that was a church. Then, I tried adding more to make them create one, but it still doesn’t happen. The cell system really confuses me because I don’t know how to accurately request the creation of gyms.
You don’t actually get to request a gym or a stop. We just have to submit things at the location they exist. Some will be used by the game to become a stop or gym, some might be a power spot, and some might be nothing at all.
I definitely find the cell stuff to be a lot to get my head around. Luckily we don’t need to, we can submit just fine without it. I rarely check cells stuff at all
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You can’t request a gym. Gyms are created once you hit a pokestop threshold within a level 14 cell.
Gyms are determined by L14 S2 cells.
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If you are happy to do so please pass the GPS Co-ordinates for the area.
Unfortunately the Map we have is out of date so does not show anything added since may 2025 but we would be able to show you where the cells are.
Just Remember: You should always nominate in the “Real World” location. Trying to locate incorrectly just to get something in to the game is classed as Abuse and could cause warnings / sanctions on all accounts (wayfarer + games).
The cells can come in handy when a waypoint has more than 1 correct location (example, Football Pitch should be located behind the Goal but you can chose which Goal).
Once it is located in a correct location you should not attempt to move it just for game reasons, this is also classed as Abuse.
Good luck.
Here are my contact details. If you think I can do anything, let me know and I won’t hesitate to act. Thank you for your cooperation and to everyone who attended. Coordinates: 36.741752,-4.432789
Note: The data on this map has not updated since May 2025.
The Red pin is the Co-ordinates you passed.
The Smaller (Light Green) cells can only have 1 Stop or Gym.
The Larger (dark Green) cell determines how many will be Gyms.
- 2 Occupied Cells = 1 Gym
- 6 Occupied Cells = 2 Gyms
- 20 Occupied Cells = 3 Gyms
The co-ords you passed are in a cell that already has a waypoint “Iglesia Evangélica Filadelfia” so assuming the map data is still correct your nomination will not appear as Stop or Gym.
In this example there are 11 occupied cells so would expect 2 Gyms.
Your nomination may…
- become a Powerspot (Dynamax / Gigantamax) depending on its proximity to other waypoints.
- replace the existing waypoint if that is removed for legitimate reasons. ***
- be used in other Scopely games.
***Do Not attempt to get a legitimate wayspot removed just to get yours on to the map. This is seen as Abuse and can lead to suspension / bans of all accounts (Wayfarer, Pokemon Go and any other Scopely games).
Okey, Now I understand, so analyzing all the PokéStops around and the large Cell, it wouldn’t be entirely possible to create a gym using any of those as a possibility right?.
As stated several times this map stopped updating in May 2025 but assuming nothing has changed since…
- You would need to add 9 new waypoints in to the “empty” small cells which would create a 3rd Gym.
In regards to which will become a Gym Niantic as not confirmed but…
- Previously the decision was made depending on which Stop had the most “Photo Votes”.
- Their has been many comments that this may no longer be the case and it seems to be random.
- 3rd option is that it is a mix of them both.
- There are other rules such as “Sponsored” and “Showcase” stops will not become a Gym.
Hope this helps.
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