Poke Survivor guide

Choose a partner, then choose your route

The starting quiz asks eight questions about how you approach an adventure. It suggests one of five partners; the result is a recommendation, not a restriction. Select Choose another to see the starting lineup before beginning.

Each partner starts with one move. The map is generated as you explore, and the camera follows you through a small visible area. You can keep travelling in any direction, but moving farther does not make the run easier: enemy waves grow stronger over time.

Compare the five starting partners and their opening moves.

Poke Survivor controls and automatic attacks

Your selected slot attacks automatically when a target is available and its cooldown is ready. Learning a second attack does not make every slot fire together. Check which slot is active after taking a new move.

Build around one useful attack first

Experience pickups fill the level bar. A level-up offers three rewards drawn from new moves, move upgrades, stat boosts and eligible move evolutions. You choose one. The run begins with one reroll; defeating a boss adds another.

Early upgrades to a move you are already using can be more useful than spreading your choices across inactive slots. If the horde is closing in, movement speed, cooldown reduction or recovery can help you keep an escape route. There is no universal best build: attack type, terrain and the current crowd all matter.

Move evolution improves an eligible attack. It does not automatically transform your partner into a new creature at a particular level. A move bond links attacks into one slot so they can fire together, freeing space for another choice.

Not every chest opens the same way

Breakable chests open when you damage them. They award coins and experience, with chances for healing, magnet pickups or equipment. Locked chests need you to stay close for roughly 3.5 seconds; stepping away makes the opening progress fall.

A locked chest can award coins, experience and tickets, with a chance of equipment. Avoid stopping beside one while enemies surround you. Make a loop to draw the crowd away, then return when you have enough space to stay still.

You can carry one equipment item at a time. Compare a new item with the one you have before replacing it. Chest drops and equipment bonuses are separate from the reward cards you select at a level-up.

The world keeps going. Your health does not.

Nearby map chunks are generated from the run seed and world coordinates. The visible area changes as you move. Forest, cave and volcanic environments can change the obstacles and terrain you encounter.

Water and sticky terrain can slow you down; lava, poison and other dangerous tiles can deal repeated damage. Some elemental types resist matching hazards. Traps can poison, slow or explode, so a tempting shortcut may cost more health than going around.

Altars provide temporary boosts, while springs can restore health. Their effects are opportunities rather than a guarantee of safety. Keep watching the crowd while collecting a reward.

Prepare for minutes 3, 6 and 9

The current illustrated build schedules three main bosses at 3, 6 and 9 minutes. Their order is chosen when the run begins. Read the warning zones, keep a route between obstacles and avoid standing still to collect rewards during a dangerous attack.

Bosses become more aggressive as their health falls. Defeating one provides run rewards, including coins, experience and equipment opportunities. Tickets are not guaranteed on every boss defeat.

Optional rift portals lead to timed encounters. They are a separate challenge from the three main bosses; enter when your attack and recovery are ready. Clearing the main bosses does not end the run: survival continues until you fall or leave.

Know what carries into the next run

Moves, level-up stat boosts and equipped items belong to the current run. Collection progress, currency and permanent upgrades can be retained through a local player profile. Guest play is temporary.

The local profile stays in the same browser on the same website. It does not sync between devices, and localhost saves do not transfer automatically to pokesurvivor.app. Clearing site storage can remove your progress. Online multiplayer and cloud leaderboards are not available in this release.

Read how local game data is stored.

Explore the game systems

Moves and evolutions · Type matchups and weather · Held items · Bosses and rifts · Achievements

Questions after your first run

Why did my new move stop firing?

Learning a move does not activate every slot. Select its slot with 1–4, or cycle with Q and E. A linked move bond is the exception: its attacks share one active slot.

Does choosing a different creature erase my upgrades?

Permanent upgrades belong to individual creatures. Selecting another partner changes which upgrades apply; it does not turn the previous partner’s upgrades into account-wide bonuses.

Can I use a creation of my own?

Player customization is planned. The current version uses the fixed original roster shown in the creature atlas.