Pokémon is a fantastic serial, 1 whose core concept has remained largely unchanged for two decades: the role player is challenged to take hold of a winning team of Pokémon, train them hard and fight for glory and fame. Overachieving players can embark on the staggering quest of obtaining all of the Pokémon found in each game. Considering the latest games in the series --Pokémon Ultra Sunday & Moon-- have a whopping 800+ Pokémon, it'south a hefty feat of patience and dedication.

For some truly committed players, yet, the petty tasks of winning the game and catching 'em all is small-scale potatoes. To brand the game more heady or more challenging, some players will adopt sure sets of rules and restrictions for their playthroughs. Hither are some of the all-time challenges for players looking to dive dorsum into these classic games.

Updated by Benjamin Baker March 7thursday 2020: As more and more players are showtime to finish their Pokémon Sword & Shield runs it seems many are wanting to dive back in and try playing a different way. While the original list of fan-made challenge runs covered many of the more than popular ways to play Pokémon games at that place are some harder challenges that are gaining attention and deserve a place on this listing. So here are some more challenges to increase the difficulty of the game that may make your next playthrough a lilliputian more interesting.

15 No Damage

This particular challenge is gaining some attending thanks to a streamer named Smallant1 who managed to vanquish the unabridged game of Pokémon Platinum without any of his Pokémon taking any damage. It'south an impressive feat, and many are wondering if it can be replicated in the other games.

This blazon of challenge definitely isn't for the faint of center, simply if yous're willing to suffer a staggering number of resets and dedicate yourself to absurd amounts of grinding this could be how you tackle your next playthrough.

14 Never Faint

This is a much more forgiving version of the No Damage challenge, and i many players already try to implement in their standard playthroughs. The idea is to never let any of your Pokémon faint at all, or you must restart the game.

This is entirely viable if you ensure your Pokémon are properly leveled, never get up against enemies with bonuses confronting their type, and yous have lots of items that heal and remove condition effects like poison or burn.

13 Speedrun

Speedrunning has a defended and passionate community of players who've found means to push the games to their absolute limit to beat games in record fourth dimension. There are two camps of speedrunners, those who don't mind utilizing glitches or exploits institute in the game and those who refuse to use them.

Whichever campsite you belong to, there are a number of YouTube channels, websites, forums, and social media communities that can help you lot get started or give you lot tips. Alternatively you could always just challenge yourself to beat the game faster than you lot have before.

12 Simply Walk It Off

This is a challenge that goes by many names, but the general idea is that yous cannot heal your Pokémon nether any circumstances. Generally, this ways you can't use healing centers or potions, but it can become as strict as preventing Pokémon from healing each other or using things similar Leftovers.

The idea is to create a strong team that doesn't demand to heal, tin can heal themselves, or depends on having a lot of backups in storage for when your Pokémon inevitably faint. A recommended gear up of restrictions is that each Pokémon is responsible for their own wellness via moves or items like Leftovers, no tertiary party can heal them.

11 Generational

This is a fun claiming that gets you to either commit to the new Pokémon in the game or rely upon old classics. If you're playing a Generation IV game, for instance, y'all can only use Pokémon introduced in Generation Four.

Alternatively, you could restrict yourself to Pokémon from Generation 2 when playing a Generation 4 game, though this should just be attempted if the game supports older generations and you tin exercise some trading.

ten The Clones Claiming

No, y'all're (probably) not using Ditto for this one. The Clones claiming has you use a random number generator to pick which of the 800+ Pokémon (or however many are in the series entry you lot're playing) you're going to employ in the game. They're the simply Pokémon y'all can employ in your squad.

It'southward an interesting challenge, equally the game becomes much easier or harder depending on the Pokémon yous roll. If y'all curlicue a 445, for instance, you become to have a team of Garchomps to utilise (watch out for Ice-types, though), but roll a 10 and you have the monumental chore of beating the game with zero just a team of Caterpies.

9 The Unevolved Challenge

This challenge seems crude at first. The rules state that you're allowed to catch whichever Pokémon y'all want, simply you tin merely ever use the base of operations version of that 'mon. This means your Charmander can never go a Charizard or any of the Mega versions.

It sounds harsh, but if you consider that many powerful Pokémon in the game don't have evolutions (Ho-Oh and Lugia for example), it'southward still possible to create a beastly team. Some players even prefer this challenge, simply because information technology removes the hassle of having to determine the all-time level to evolve Pokémon in order to become the best stats and movesets.

eight The Roleplay Challenge

This challenge can be either really fun or really abrasive, depending on who you option. It has you choose a character from either the games or the Tv set series and build a team based on what they used. If you lot pick Reddish from Pokemon Heart Gold& Soul Silver, for instance,you lot can roll with a Pikachu, Venasaur, Charizard, Blastoise, Lapras and a Snorlax, a classic team that would perform very well in any of the games.

On the flipside, if y'all choice Poké Kid Meghan (the Pikachu cosplayer in the Sunyshore Urban center Pokémon Gym in Pokémon Diamond & Pearl), you'll be playing the game with a team of 4 Pikachu.

seven The Evil Pokémon Claiming

via Funnyjunk

The Evil Pokémon challenge has players going into boxing with the creepiest, darkest, slimiest Pokémon around. Typically, this means the team volition be fabricated of Bug, Poisonous substance, Dark, and Ghost-types, though exceptions are made if the Pokémon in question is creepy plenty.

While you can't be outright evil in these kid-friendly games, there'south something satisfying about imaging the look of horror on an opponent'southward face when your team is made of Pokémon like Gengar, Muk, Banette, Yamask, Mimikyu, and Giratina (to name merely a few diabolical examples).

6 The Monotype Challenge

In the Monotype claiming, players are tasked with imitating gym leaders and restricting themselves to a single Pokémon type. A mutual add-on is being express to single-blazon Pokémon merely, though this tin be very hard in some of the older games likePokémon Blue & Red (which have only three Dragon-types).

It can be challenging to enter a gym devoted to H2o Pokémon when you lot're working with Burn-types, merely it introduces some fun creativity y'all wouldn't get to use otherwise.

v The Catchless Challenge

One of the more difficult (and more than popular) ways to play is the Catchless challenge. Aye, this means yous are not allowed to catch a Pokémon nether any circumstances. At first, this can sound almost impossible but remember: over the form of any game in the series, the player is given a number of diverse Pokémon for diverse reasons.

The real difficulty of this challenge lies at the showtime of the game. Gift Pokémon don't tend to come along until afterwards, requiring the role player to beat a skillful chunk of the action before getting any real chance to expand their squad. It's a fun way to play that yet gives admission to some stiff Pokémon.

4 The Unmarried Claiming

Players volition get a sense of taste of this in the beginning of a Catchless challenge, just the Single challenge dials the difficult up further: y'all're not allowed to utilize another Pokémon, ever. Typically, this ways yous are restricted to your starter Pokémon, although some variations accept you incorporate the randomness of the Clone challenge (whichever Pokémon you lot gyre is the one and only 'monday you lot can use).

Playing the game with merely a Froakie (which evolves into an adaptable Greninja) or even starting out randomly with a Mewtwo isn't so bad. It's when y'all're stuck with a Pikachu or a random Slaking that this claiming becomes rough.

3 The Scramble Challenge

via Deviantart

This challenge requires players to get assistance from other Pokémon fans. Going on forums, sites, or fundamental groups in social media, players volition announce that they're going on a Scramble run of a Pokémon game. Information technology's then up to the customs to decide the Pokémon that will be used.

There are guidelines in identify to brand sure all Pokémon chosen are actually usable and give the role player a chance at winning the game. Depending on the group, players could finish up with a really fun team, or they could exist lumbered with a barely functional team that requires immense grinding to become battle-set. What'south inside this Poké Ball (created by DeviantArt user Lucid-Grayness)? That depends.

2 The Nuzlocke Claiming

Probably the well-nigh famous challenge ever created by the Pokémon community, the Nuzlocke claiming is designed to develop bonds betwixt the player and their Pokémon. The player is merely permitted to catch the first Pokémon they find in a new area (with exceptions made for duplicates). Moreover, if a Pokémon faints, information technology'south considered dead and may no longer be used.

Many players have been surprised by how emotionally fastened they become to their Pokémon during a Nuzlocke run. It rekindles some of those babyhood emotions that came with playing the Pokémon games for the first time, and the risk of permadeath gives the game higher stakes. Later all, the loss of a cardinal Pokémon could be devastating for the player'south chances.

1 The Shiny Collection Challenge

Past far the most time consuming and tedious of all the challenges, the Shiny Collection challenge has players finding and catching the shiny versions of all the Pokémon in the various games. Generation I games are off the table (shiny Pokémon didn't be dorsum and then) and some tin't be caught without using cheats, similar Mew in Generation Ii.

For all the other games, players must exert incredible effort, tapping into bottom-known tactics like shiny Ditto breeding in Generation Two, chaining in Generation Four and soft-reseting when encountering legendaries (until a shiny version appears). Even with these advantages and rarity buffs, it'south still a gargantuan endeavor that requires incredible patience and dedication.

Next: Pokemon: Every Legendary From Weakest To Most Powerful, Officially Ranked