Pokémon Lost? The #1 Most Popular Walking Fitness App in Taiwan Is This One: Cross-Industry Collaborations Spark Group Challenges, Missing Out Would Be a Shame

Commuting daily, taking a walk during lunch, or circling the park after work—what used to be simple steps for health have now transformed into daily quests like mushroom hunting, Pokémon catching, treasure hunting, point collecting, and redeeming rewards. Walking is no longer just exercise; it has become a new reason for many to socialize, play games, and accumulate points.

So, which walking fitness app has been most discussed by Taiwanese netizens over the past year? Is it the game-style apps that lure users outdoors with cute characters, map exploration, and community missions? Or is it the reward-based apps that let users earn points to offset spending or even cash out?

This ranking focuses on apps that 'make movement more enticing,' excluding pure fitness tools that only track steps, runs, or workout data without any game mechanics, tasks, points, or rewards.

Using舆情 analysis software 'KEYPO Big Data Key Engine,' DailyView by Network Temperature Gauge has compiled the top 10 walking fitness apps based on online buzz, revealing what users are talking about and what truly motivates people to walk a few extra steps—whether it's cuteness and fun or generous rewards.

Does your go-to walking, running, or fitness app make the list?

No. 10 TeamWalk Online Buzz: 188 mentions Key Mechanism: Users earn 'Dragon Balls' by recording steps, uploading health data, competing with friends (PK), and joining team challenges. These Dragon Balls can be redeemed for e-vouchers or gifts at the Dragon Ball Mall.

TeamWalk is a corporate wellness management app launched by Taiwan Life Insurance. It packages walking, check-ins, and team interactions into health missions that yield rewards. Users can track steps, calories, and sleep, and sync data from Google Health Connect, Fitbit, and Garmin.

By completing daily logins, consecutive check-ins, friend PKs, team competitions, or special flash missions, users accumulate 'Dragon Balls'—an in-app currency. These can be exchanged at the Dragon Ball Mall for e-vouchers from convenience stores, fast food chains, dessert shops, and electronics retailers. Past promotions included 100 Dragon Balls for a 50 TWD voucher and 1,000 for a 500 TWD voucher.

For users, TeamWalk’s incentive is straightforward: turning everyday commutes and colleague-organized walks into reward-earning tasks.

No. 10 TeamWalk (Image: Screenshot from official website)

No. 9 STEPN Online Buzz: 206 mentions Key Mechanism: Uses virtual sneakers paired with movement tracking to convert walking or running into token rewards—popularizing the 'Move-to-Earn' (move while earning) model.

When it comes to 'Move-to-Earn,' STEPN is the poster child of this fitness-earning trend. Launched in public beta in December 2021, it exploded globally in early 2022, introducing many to the idea that 'you can earn money by walking or running.'

Users must first own NFT (non-fungible token) virtual sneakers, then earn GST and GMT tokens by walking, jogging, or running. STEPN gained attention not only for merging fitness, gaming, and cryptocurrency earnings but also for attracting speculative players drawn by the promise of earning while moving—making it one of the hottest Web3 (decentralized web) fitness apps at its peak.

However, as the Move-to-Earn hype faded, so did STEPN’s appeal. With token prices fluctuating and returns declining, the payback period for investing in virtual sneakers lengthened, reducing the 'earn while moving' incentive. While a small core user base and community remain active, most no longer see it as a stable income source, but rather as a tool to encourage outdoor walking and running.

The company later launched related apps like STEPN GO to sustain interest, but overall scale hasn’t matched its heyday. Thus, STEPN in this ranking symbolizes the rise and fall of the 'fitness monetization' model—from the dream of earning while running to a return to health habits and niche communities.

No. 9 STEPN (Image: Screenshot from official website)

No. 8 Ingress Online Buzz: 418 mentions Key Mechanism: Players join one of two factions, physically moving to capture real-world landmarks as portals, create links, and control territories—competing for dominance on city maps.

If tracing the origins of Niantic’s location-based games, Ingress is often called the 'grandfather of map games' by players. Real-world landmarks, public art, temples, parks, and stations become game portals, requiring players to physically visit them to capture, attack, or establish connections.

Divided into two factions, players strategize routes, link portals, and expand controlled zones, turning real neighborhoods into invisible battlegrounds. Due to its emphasis on strategy, route planning, and teamwork, Ingress never reached the mass popularity of later games like Pokémon GO, but it cultivated a loyal, long-term player base.

Recent spikes in Ingress buzz, analyzed via the KEYPO Big Data Key Engine, are linked to the postcard feature in Pikmin Bloom. In Pikmin Bloom, postcards display photos of places users have visited—locations sourced from Niantic’s long-accumulated landmark database.

When Taiwanese users complained on social media that their postcards often showed electrical boxes, ordinary temples, or unattractive street scenes, one user joked on Threads: 'Though I don’t play Pikmin, I often see players complain that Taiwan’s postcards are just electrical boxes and ugly temples. This is all our (former) Ingress players’ fault.'

Indeed, early Ingress players had submitted countless everyday landmarks to increase portal density for easier gameplay. This historical context unexpectedly resurfaced, giving Ingress a quirky footnote in the postcard debate and adding depth to its presence on the buzz chart.

No. 8 Ingress (Image: Screenshot from official website)

No. 7 U-Sport Taipei Happy Movement Online Buzz: 821 mentions Key Mechanism: Taipei residents earn 'U-coins' by checking in at partner venues, participate in 'U-Walk Healthy 10,000 Steps' and team challenges, and use sports vouchers or U-coins to offset expenses at partner facilities.

For those who want to exercise but crave tangible rewards, U-Sport Taipei Happy Movement turns daily fitness into a point-collecting mission. Promoted by the Taipei City Sports Bureau, users can find partner venues via the app, scan their QR code after working out, and accumulate U-coins redeemable for entry fees, classes, rentals, memberships, or online courses.

The appeal isn’t character progression or quests—it’s turning 'going to the gym, court, or sports center today' into a rewarded action.

Beyond check-ins, the app offers U-Walk challenges, team competitions, lotteries, and sports vouchers. For example, the 2025 Sports Voucher program allows eligible Taipei residents to enter a lottery; winners receive 1,500 TWD in vouchers usable at partner venues.

Thus, its role in the ranking is clear: leveraging citizen benefits and real discounts to push people to walk and move more.

No. 7 U-Sport Taipei Happy Movement (Image: Screenshot from official website)

No. 6 FitBack Health Bar Online Buzz: 1,017 mentions Key Mechanism: Users complete health tasks (step count, sleep, heart rate, weight) via the Cathay Life app to earn 'task points,' exchangeable for 'Little Tree Points' or insurance premium discounts.

Walking isn’t just for points—it’s also tied to insurance and health management, a way for insurers to encourage policyholders to stay active and track health data. FitBack Health Bar is Cathay Life’s wellness program, integrated into their main app. Users join via the 'Health Bar' feature and sync data from smartphones, Apple Watch, Garmin, or Fitbit.

Beyond personal rewards, FitBack links walking to public good and sustainability. Cathay Life’s annual event 'Cathay Step for a Billion' runs from May 1 to June 30, 2026, challenging the public to collectively reach 12 billion steps. If successful, Cathay Life will donate 10 million TWD to support forest restoration in Hualien and marine conservation.

This allows users to feel their steps contribute not just to personal rewards but to environmental protection, adding a sense of social purpose to the app.

No. 6 FitBack Health Bar (Image: Screenshot from official website)

No. 5 LINE Walk & Fun Online Buzz: 2,201 mentions