As Pokemon fans have grown up with the franchise, one of the biggest complaints is that the modern games are too easy. Pokemon veterans are no longer satisfied by the single-player campaigns' difficulty, as their trainer abilities far exceed the challenge the games present.
Some of these players look to the competitive scene to get their challenge, but others desire a challenging single-player experience. Often spin-off titles just don't cut it, so over the years, the community has banded together to develop new challenge runs they can try for a difficult experience. All of these challenges have different gimmicks, so there's bound to be one out there to suit any fan's needs.
Updated December 19, 2022, by Rain Egan: With the release of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, veteran players may be looking for additional challenges to the games' three storylines. While there's certainly no shortage of things to do in Paldea, the open world and generally unstructured gameplay have been unsettling for some fans of classic Pokemon. As ever, the Pokemon community has tried-and-tested solutions in the form of challenge runs. Challenge runs add structure and difficulty to the game, and make for a great challenge for players that have already completed the main story. They also make for interesting streams and Let's Play series, giving viewers something specific to get invested in.
15 Unevolved Run - Ready Your Everstones
- Pokemon are not allowed to evolve.
- The player may only catch first stages of Pokemon with evolutions.
- If a Pokemon has an official baby Pokemon (i.e. Pichu is the official baby of Pikachu), the first-stage Pokemon (in this case, Pikachu) is not permitted.
- Pokemon with no evolutions are acceptable (i.e. Lapras).
A variation on the monotype challenge run, an unevolved run is just what it says on the tin. Only the first stage of a Pokemon is allowed, and it's not allowed to evolve. A baby Pokemon is one that is a pre-evolution of an existing Pokemon, usually available only through breeding. While these Pokemon can't always be caught out in the wild, their 'parent' Pokemon is excluded from this challenge run, as it is considered a second-stage evolution.
14 Giftlocke - Put Those Pokeballs Away
- The player is only allowed to obtain Pokemon via paying in-game money, through NPC trade, hatched from an egg, or as a gift/bought from an NPC.
Giftlocke is a difficult challenge run that doesn't permit the player to catch a single Pokemon. While this challenge allows players to save money on Pokeballs, the benefits just about end there. There are several variations on this challenge to suit different games and play styles, so players are free to experiment and choose the one that best suits them.
13 Solo Run - Stick To Your Starter
- Only one Pokemon directly participates in every battle.
- This Pokemon can be a starter, hacked, or traded in.
- Said Pokemon is not given an unfair advantage in battle by other members of the party.
This Pokemon challenge is geared toward veterans looking for an extreme challenge. As the name suggests, this is a Pokemon challenge run where the player is only allowed to use a single Pokemon in battle. Others may be used for HMs, but nothing that gives an unfair advantage to the primary Pokemon. This could be the starter Pokemon, or the run could be combined with a randomizer to make the game more interesting.
12 Nuzlocke - The Basic Challenge
- When a Pokemon faints, it "dies" and cannot be used anymore.
- Players can only catch the first Pokemon they encounter in an area. If they fail to catch it, they may not try again.
- Must play with the "Set" battle style.
- All caught Pokemon must be nicknamed.
The basis for almost all other types of challenges, the Nuzlocke imposes simple restrictions on players to create a more challenging experience. This is a basic ruleset, and almost all other challenges include these rules as a part of their makeup. This makes Pokemon a limited resource and could give players a team of creatures they wouldn't normally use.
11 Randomiser - Every Pokemon Is A Surprise
- Every encounterable Pokemon in the game is randomized.
While randomizing a Pokemon game makes for an interesting experience on its own, this is actually a fantastic modifier to attach to any other challenge. Doing this takes a bit of know-how, as to do it to an official game requires either Homebrewing a console or installing an Emulator. However, several fan games have this as a built-in option. The craziness of encountering a Mewtwo as a Starter or the champion's signature Pokemon replaced with a Magikarp is always a blast.
10 Egglocke - Everything's A Surprise
- Nuzlocke Rules.
- Either use software to generate or get friends to trade lots of eggs into the game.
- For each Pokemon caught in the wild, swap it with a randomly picked egg out of the PC box.
- Hatch it. Whatever comes out is the new team member.
One of the more fiddly ones to set up, but Egglockes can make for unique playthroughs. Generating eggs is fine enough, but getting them from friends or online communities is a lot more fun due to the complete surprise of what each egg contains. Some will no doubt be trolls that give garbage Pokemon, while others will hold something amazing. It means that every Pokemon will not only have the story of how the player used it but also of who it came from.
9 Monotype - Become A Specialist
- Nuzlocke rules.
- Players may only use Pokemon of a single type.
- This type can be determined beforehand or by the first Pokemon players encounter.
The challenge of this type of run becomes immediately obvious, as players will be extremely vulnerable to that type's weaknesses. This will force trainers to consider deeper levels of strategy to defeat trainers they have a disadvantage against. They must try to create a team that balances secondary type combinations to give them the best chance. Additionally, the difficulty can be adjusted depending on what type is picked. For example, picking Water-type gives access to a whopping 144 Pokemon, while picking Ice-type gives just 51.
8 Quadlocke - Type Choices
- Nuzlocke rules.
- Players may only use Pokemon of 4 types.
- Types are determined by the first 4 Pokemon players catch.
- Either type from dual-type Pokemon can be chosen.
A Quadlocke expands on the concept of a Monotype run. Rather than being limited to just one type, players will have access to four types over the course of the game. As such, players will have to get the most out of their Pokemon's limited move sets. This is great when combined with a randomizer, as it gives players a wider variety in their teams while still giving enough of a restriction to be challenging.
7 Speedrun - Pick Up The Pace
- Start the timer when pushing start on the game.
- Stop the timer when the Hall of Fame screen appears.
- Go fast.
A great challenge run for just about any game; Pokemon has a lively speedrunning scene. While doing this in a Pokemon game may seem like a simple premise at first, the strategies the speedrunning community has developed are complex and require a lot of know-how to do well with. Thankfully, the community has plenty of resources online for players who wish to attempt a world record.
6 Wonderlocke/Surpriselocke - Trying Your Luck
- Nuzlocke Rules.
- Every Pokemon caught must be Wonder Traded/Surprise Traded.
- Only possible in Generation 6 or later.
In this system, trainers choose a Pokemon to give away, they are then connected with a random partner who has done the same, and they trade Pokemon. This means that, depending on who players get to trade with, they could get just about anything. Players may get something rubbish someone caught on Route 1, but they might get a Level 100 Shiny. It's a thrilling experience to see what players get.
5 Roleplay - Be Your Favourite Character
- Pick a trainer or type of trainer from Pokemon media.
- Players may only use Pokemon from that trainer's team.
Both the games and the anime have created plenty of endearing characters over the years. Players always start with a blank slate, though. This is nice because it means they can form whatever kind of team they like, but sometimes being their favorite character is more fun. Be it Ash, a Champion, or Evil Team, making sure only to use their Pokemon can give a fun insight into how they grew as a trainer.
4 Wedlocke - 'Til Death Do Us Part
- Nuzlocke rules.
- Pokemon must be caught in pairs.
- Each Pokemon must be assigned a partner.
- In every battle, Pokemon can only be switched out to their partner.
Forming these pairings requires some tough decision-making and strategy. Do players pair Pokemon that cover each other's weaknesses? Or do they pair Pokemon of similar strengths to destroy the battles where their strengths lie? It's a tough balance to make and will truly test a player's understanding of battle mechanics.
3 Soul Link - Co-op Pokemon
- Two players each play their own version of the same game.
- Nuzlocke rules.
- If one player fails to catch a Pokemon in an area, both players' encounters are failed.
- Players' Pokemon caught in the same area are partners.
- A Pokemon can only be in the party or active in battle if their partner is too.
- When a Pokemon "dies" so does their partner.
This run takes a similar form to a Wedlocke, except it's designed for two people to play together, making it a great challenge if players have friends or partners to play Pokemon with. With each Pokemon being paired, there is a great need for communication and joint strategy. Partnered Pokemon may have wildly different type advantages and disadvantages, so balances will have to be made between what each player needs at any one time.
2 Shinylocke - In For The Long Haul
- Nuzlocke rules.
- Pokemon can only be caught if they are Shiny.
This is a challenge that combines Pokemon challenge runs with another Pokemon-based hobby, Shiny Hunting. One of the simplest rulesets, a Shinylocke is like a regular Nuzlocke, but players are only allowed to capture fantastic-looking Shiny Pokemon. This is a run that will take players a considerable amount of time to complete, as every new encounter means initiating a new shiny hunt without access to some of the best shiny hunting methods, but seeing a Hall of Fame full of Shiny Pokemon makes it worth it.
1 Ironman - One Life, No Turning Back
- If the player's team gets wiped, they must delete their save file and start again.
Another challenge that can be tried in other games, and sometimes referred to as a "Permadeath" challenge, the Ironman Challenge is one of the ultimate gaming challenges. This is tough normally, but when combined with Nuzlocke rules, it can be one of the most punishing out there. Every loss matters so much more because it puts players one step closer to the end of their adventure and introduces a real punishment for failure. If a player completes a run like this, they can easily be considered one of the best.