The massive multiplayer role playing game Ingress is taking over the world. With its quick gameplay and deep backstory, Ingress has racked up over 5 million downloads on Google Play alone. It’s sure to be the must have app this fall.

In Ingress, portals of XM, or exotic matter, have sprung up in the known world. The XM is a sort of mind control agent, shaping thoughts and ideas of nearby humans. The player picks a side; either the Enlightened or the Resistance. The Enlightened are working to increase XM levels in the world, choosing to believe they will uplift humanity for a higher purpose. While the Resistance is fighting to preserve humanity and rid earth of exotic matter.

Ingress, designed by Niantic Labs, runs on Google maps, giving it a unique international play experience. Players can travel worldwide and continue to fight for their faction, claiming a few portals at a time till entire cities are run by one faction.

Game play consists of traveling to portals within your community; a sort of video game geocaching. The app is a map, tracking your position in the known world. Portals are situated at sites of historical or architectural significance, such as churches and statues. Blue portals are controlled by the resistance, green by the enlightened, and white are unclaimed. Once in range of a portal, hacking is possible. This is how players acquire new items and gain access to portals. The goal is to claim as many portals for your side as possible, allowing your faction to conquer larger and larger areas, and eventually control the world.

But gameplay extends far beyond the app itself. Real life meet up’s are common within this gaming community. From big cities to college campuses, this app is bringing people together. Players are rewarded for working together for their faction. The game, which launched at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con, has a dedicated following worldwide.

Most meet up’s occur during anomalies, or periods of unusually high XM levels. Factions meet up to gain control over clusters of XM portals. Niantic employees even participate in anomaly events, moderating point distribution and awarding badges to top players.

Overall, the app based game could be a fun family game for car trips, or for the single gamer looking to meet friends. This versatile, augmented reality game is claiming new agents every day, so what side will you fight for?