Start a daily battle
- Open the game and select Play today's battle. Keep the page open while the game loads.
- Click inside the game, or select Use keyboard, so your controls reach the game.
- Press Enter to open the menu. Choose Pokémon to inspect your team's moves and change the party order.
- Close the menu, walk north up the stairs, and face RED. Press X to talk to him and continue through the dialogue.
- Defeat all six of RED's Pokémon. Your daily result is recorded in this browser.
Take your time before talking to RED. Exploring the summit and inspecting your team do not use your daily battle. Once the battle starts, leaving or refreshing counts as a loss when you return.
Keyboard and touch controls
| Action | Keyboard | Touch |
|---|---|---|
| Walk or move the menu cursor | Arrow keys | Direction pad |
| Talk, confirm, advance dialogue | X | A |
| Back or cancel | Z | B |
| Open the game menu | Enter | Start |
| Select | Right Shift | Select |
On a phone or tablet, the direction pad and A/B buttons sit below the game. You can slide your finger across the direction pad to change direction. Use the sound button to mute or unmute. Full screen is available when your browser supports it.
If your keyboard is typing into the date picker or activating a page button, click the game or select Use keyboard before continuing.
Inspect the team before committing
Every calendar date starts with six level 100 Pokémon from Generations I–III. Your species, moves, held items, and stats matter together: a familiar Pokémon may have a very different moveset from the one you expect.
- Check all six summaries. Read the actual moves and held items. Do not assume a Pokémon has its usual attack.
- Choose a lead. In the Pokémon menu, use Switch to move your preferred opener into the first slot. RED starts with Pikachu.
- Save a response for later. Think about which teammate can handle each of RED's six Pokémon before spending a valuable attacker early.
- Look at support moves. Status effects, recovery, and stat changes can create opportunities when direct damage is not enough.
Everyone using this version on the same calendar date receives the same initial team. You can still choose your own party order and decisions.
The battle rules that matter
Daily Red uses the Pokémon FireRed battle engine. The battle is six against six, with Generation III moves, abilities, and type rules. RED's team stays fixed while your starting team changes each day.
- Set battle style: you do not get a free switch after one of RED's Pokémon faints.
- No bag items: you cannot use a stock of potions or revives. The held items on your Pokémon still matter.
- Switching takes a turn: consider the incoming attack before changing Pokémon.
- Physical and special depend on move type: Generation III predates the later split that assigns a category to each individual move.
- Luck is part of the battle: misses, critical hits, and other effects can change the outcome. A fixed starting team does not guarantee a fixed result or a winning route.
Daily resets, practice, and your record
A new daily challenge unlocks at midnight in your device's local time zone. Players in different time zones can reach the next calendar date at different moments. The countdown on the game page follows your local clock.
For another attempt, use the date picker beneath the game and select Play this date. Practice starts with that date's initial team and does not add wins, losses, or streaks to your daily record. Reopen the same practice date to start with the same first team again; continuing into another practice battle can deal a new team.
Your wins, losses, win streak, and days played are saved in this browser. A missed day breaks a streak. Clearing site data, switching browsers, or playing on another device gives you a separate record. There is no account or cloud save.
If something goes wrong
- The game is still loading: wait for the initial download. If an error appears, use Try again. A recent browser with WebAssembly support is required.
- Controls are not responding: click the game or Use keyboard. On touch screens, use the visible buttons instead of the keyboard instructions.
- No sound: check Mute, your device volume, and the browser tab's sound setting. A click or keypress may be needed before the browser allows audio.
- Your record disappeared: check that you are using the same browser and site address. Private sessions and storage settings can prevent records from lasting.
Still stuck? Send a bug report with your browser, device, challenge date, and what happened.