What is a Party Challenge in Pokemon Go?

Scott Baird
A group playing Pokemon Go's Party Play mode

Pokemon Go has introduced Party Challenges, a feature included in the Party Play mode. So, here’s what it is and how you can earn special rewards.

Pokemon Go has a Party Play mode featuring Party Challenges for multiple players to attempt. Any group of trainers that can complete the challenges will unlock in-game rewards, but there is a slim window of time to complete them.

Party Play is a co-op feature in Pokemon Go, where a group of up to four players can work together. One of the main benefits of teaming up for Party Play is Party Power, a new bonus that can be used during Raid battles, making it much easier to take down those tricky Legendary Pokemon in the game.

Once a Party has been formed, there are some limitations about what each player can do. The biggest of these is that Party Play in Pokemon Go prevents Routes from being used, at least for now. This means that most of the activities in this mode are restricted to Raid battles and the Party Challenges.

Contents

Party Play mode group in Pokemon Go with phones

How To Create A Party In Pokemon Go

Each trainer needs to be level 15 or higher to access Party Play mode. A group can have a maximum of four members at once, and all avatars will be visible on the map for the duration of the Party Play attempt. The option to form or join a party will appear in the Trainer menu. Once a group is formed, everyone can attempt the Party Challenges.

How Party Challenges Work In Pokemon Go

Once a player has joined or formed a Party, each member will be presented a pop-up with a list of available Party Challenges. The player selects a Party Challenge, making it the active one they’re trying to complete.

Every group member contributes to the goal of each of their objectives, so if a Party Challenge involves catching a certain number of Pokemon, all Pokemon caught will add to the total. Completing each of the Party Challenges will reward the players with in-game items.

The Party Challenges that have appeared so far include completing Raids, spinning PokeStops, catching lots of Pokemon, and catching Pokemon of a certain type — all of which are fairly simple and should be easy enough for most groups to finish. If the time runs out, then incomplete Party Challenges will be wasted, as they cannot be attempted again in the next Party.

Pokemon Go Party Play group

Party Challenge Time Restrictions In Pokemon Go

There is one big restriction to attempting Party Challenges, as it bears mentioning that Pokemon Go only lets players spend an hour in Party Play mode. The same players can reform their Party afterward, but the tasks will be reset.

The time limit means that each Party must work harder to complete certain challenges, especially ones involving specific kinds of Pokemon. This makes things more exciting, as everyone has to work together to achieve their goals, but it’s also a pain for people on a tight schedule.

It’s unclear whether this time limit is a hardware limitation, a safety concern, or a temporary stopgap. This means that it could be lifted in the future or at least extended to give players a bit more time. Each Party has to hit their Party Challenges as soon as they become available or risk losing out.

Now you know about Party Challenges, check out the rest of our guides to become the ultimate Trainer in Pokemon Go:

Best Pokemon in Pokemon Go | All upcoming Spotlight Hours | Arlo counters guide | Cliff counters guide | Giovanni counters guide | Sierra counters guide | Grunt counters guide | How to catch a Ditto | What are Strange Eggs? | How to get Remote Raid Passes | Fastest way to get Best Buddy status | Pokemon Go catching tips | Pokemon Go promo codes