AsPokemonfans have grown up with the franchise, one of the biggest complaints is that the modern games are too easy.Pokemonveterans are no longer satisfied by the single-player campaigns' difficulty, as their trainer abilities far exceed the challenge the games present.
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Some of these players look to the competitive scene to get their challenge, but others desire a challenging single-player experience. Oftenspin-off titlesjust 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 August 03, 2025, 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.
15Unevolved Run - Ready Your Everstones
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 considereda second-stage evolution.
14Giftlocke - Put Those Pokeballs Away
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.
13Solo Run - Stick To Your Starter
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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.
12Nuzlocke - The Basic Challenge
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.
11Randomiser - Every Pokemon Is A Surprise
While randomizing aPokemongame 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, severalfan gameshave 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.
10Egglocke - Everything’s A Surprise
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.
9Monotype - Become A Specialist
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 attempt to create a team that balances secondarytype combinationsto 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.
8Quadlocke - Type Choices
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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 limitedmove 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.
7Speedrun - Pick Up The Pace
A great challenge run for just about any game;Pokemonhas a lively speedrunning scene. While doing this in aPokemongame 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.
6Wonderlocke/Surpriselocke - Trying Your Luck
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.
