This Pokemon Survivor guide covers everything you need for your first runs. Pokemon Survivor is a free browser game where you play as a Pokemon: your moves fire on their own, hordes of wild Pokemon close in, and you stay alive for as long as you can.
Everything below is read from the game's own data files, checked on October 14, 2026. For controls and saving, see how to play Pokemon Survivor.
What Pokemon Survivor is
Pokemon Survivor, also written PokeSurvivor, is a fan game by jpter78 that runs in your browser on PC, tablet and phone. It mixes three genres: a bullet-heaven where attacks fire without you aiming, a roguelike where every run plays out differently, and a gacha where tickets you earn by playing unlock more of the 966 Pokemon.
It has no ads and no purchases. The maker only asks for voluntary donations to pay for the servers, and donating gives no advantage. It is a different game from Pokemon Survivor Burst, which is a separate download. If you came looking for redeem codes, read Pokemon Survivor codes first.
Pokemon Survivor guide: your first run, step by step
- Take the personality test. Eight questions recommend a partner from 29 starters. Press Choose another to see the full list; you can swap to any Pokemon you own later. The Pokemon Survivor starters guide shows which answers give which starter.
- Press Play and move. Use W, A, S, D or the arrow keys, or drag on a phone. Your Pokemon attacks on its own with the active move, so your job is to dodge and position. The full controls are in how to play Pokemon Survivor.
- Collect experience gems. Enemies drop them when they fall. Walk over them to level up.
- Pick one of three cards at every level. A card is a new move, an upgrade for a move you carry, or a boost for your Pokemon.
- Read the ground. Circles and lines that fill up are attacks about to land. Step out of them before they finish.
- Beat the bosses. One arrives at minutes 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15. See the bosses guide for their HP and attacks.
- Last until minute 30. The Judgment of Arceus starts there and ends every run.
- Spend your coins. A run pays out coins, which buy permanent upgrades for your Pokemon.
The run clock: what happens minute by minute
A Pokemon Survivor guide has to start from the clock, because every run follows the same one. Enemy health and damage also keep growing the longer you survive, so a pace that feels easy at minute 2 will not hold at minute 10.
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 0:00 | The run starts with the weakest wild Pokemon, base stat total 180 to 330. |
| 1:10 | Tier 2 of the wild Pokemon joins the mix, base stat total 300 to 405. |
| 1:15 | The first rift check. A rift is a portal to a legendary fight; see rifts. |
| 2:40 | Tier 3 of the wild Pokemon joins the mix, base stat total 385 to 465. |
| 3:00 | The first weather roll: an 18% chance, repeated once a minute while no weather is active. It brings sun, rain, sandstorm, snow or fog; see the weather guide. |
| 3:00 | Boss 1 arrives with 2,457 HP. |
| 4:20 | Tier 4 of the wild Pokemon joins the mix, base stat total 445 to 515. |
| 6:00 | Boss 2 arrives with 6,912 HP. |
| 6:20 | Tier 5 of the wild Pokemon joins the mix, base stat total 495 to 560. |
| 8:20 | Tier 6 of the wild Pokemon joins the mix, base stat total 530 to 620. |
| 9:00 | Boss 3 arrives with 14,364 HP. |
| 12:00 | Boss 4 arrives with 26,730 HP. |
| 15:00 | Boss 5 arrives with 54,000 HP. |
| 28:00 | Rift checks stop, two minutes before the Judgment. |
| 30:00 | The Judgment of Arceus begins. It cannot be beaten, so this is where a long run ends. |
Choosing level-up cards
Each level-up offers three different cards, drawn by weight. New-move cards only appear while one of your four move slots is free, so your first few levels are mostly about filling slots. After that you will see more upgrades and stat cards.
A move evolves when it reaches its top level and you have taken the stat card it needs at least once in that run. While a move waits, the cards that unlock it are weighted heavily, and once the condition is met the evolution card itself is always offered first, tagged with the move's name. The full list of conditions is in move evolution.
Two details save runs. The card pool stops offering new buff moves once you carry two of them, and two buffs for the same stat share one counter, so carrying both never beats the better one alone.
Held items are separate from cards: bosses drop them at random and you carry one at a time. The held items hub lists all 11 with their numbers, including Choice Scarf, Lucky Egg, Shell Bell and Rocky Helmet.
Coins, tickets and what to do between runs
A run pays coins for time survived, Pokemon defeated, bosses beaten and coins collected. Upgrades are bought for each Pokemon on its own, and there are 13 of them costing 40,000 coins per Pokemon in total, so pick a main before you spend.
Tickets come from playing: Pokemon you defeat, locked chests, bosses, rifts, missions and achievements. They are spent in the gacha, one banner per region. Tickets cannot be bought with real money.
Mistakes that end early runs
- Standing still. The official tips say to move in wide circles, which keeps the crowd trailing behind you instead of closing in from every side.
- Leaving healers and shield casters alive. A healer restores health to every enemy near it and a shielder wraps six of them in a shield, so they keep a whole group going while you hit the rest.
- Ignoring the weather. Sandstorm and snow wear down every Pokemon that is not immune, and rain or sun change how hard your moves hit.
- Walking into a rift at low health. If you lose the fight you return to the map with no prize and come back at 30% HP.
- Hunting for a code that does not exist. The game has no code system; see Pokemon Survivor codes.
Where to go next
That is the whole Pokemon Survivor guide for a first run. The pages that go deeper: Pokemon Survivor tips for habits, type chart for damage multipliers, bosses for the five boss fights, and rifts for the legendary portals. All of them are grouped on the guides page.
Pokemon Survivor guide FAQ
Is Pokemon Survivor free?
Yes. It is a non-profit fan game with no ads and no purchases. Voluntary donations only pay for the servers and the domain, and give no advantage in the game.
Which Pokemon should I start with?
Start with the partner the test recommends, or any starter you like. The best Pokemon in Pokemon Survivor page ranks all 966 by a transparent Stat Score, and the full tier list shows every tier.
How long is a run?
A full run before the Judgment of Arceus is 30 minutes, with a boss at minutes 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15. The Judgment has no time limit, so a run ends when you fall.
Where can I find a full Pokemon Survivor guide?
This page is the beginner guide. The guides page groups every other guide by topic: getting started, builds and mechanics, bosses and rifts, and gacha and progress.
What do I get when I fall?
Coins for the time you survived, the Pokemon you defeated and the bosses you beat. You spend them on the upgrades.