PokeSurvivor Guide: Moves, Evolutions & Co-op

PokeSurvivor is a free Pokémon fan game that borrows the structure of Vampire Survivors and runs entirely in a browser at pokesurvivor.com. You pick a partner, move through an endless map, and let the partner's moves fire automatically at waves of wild Pokémon. It is developed by JPTER78 and is not affiliated with Nintendo, Game Freak or The Pokémon Company. The official site warns against paid copycat sites; the game is free at pokesurvivor.com.

Partners, moves and evolutions

A run starts with a partner choice and a small set of moves. You hold up to four moves and can swap which one is active; the partner attacks automatically while you concentrate on movement. Level-ups offer three cards, mixing new moves and upgrades, with one reroll available per run by default. A damage move reaches level 5, then takes its upgrade card, and a golden evolution card can appear. Community documentation puts the roster at 64 moves across 59 evolution lines, with 59 of the 64 able to evolve, and the collection at 966 Pokémon across nine regions.

Not every move deals damage. Harden, Agility, Swords Dance and Aqua Ring are stat-only; leaving one as your active move stops the partner from attacking. That is the most common beginner mistake in the game.

Bosses, rifts and type matchups

A normal run schedules bosses at roughly minutes 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15. Rifts open for about 45 seconds and lead to legendary encounters; after beating a legendary, the bond system lets you fuse up to four moves so they fire together from one slot. At minute 30, Arceus appears in the Ruins of Judgment as an unwinnable, accelerating chase: the goal is survival, not a kill.

Type effectiveness is simplified compared with the main series. Super-effective hits deal about 1.6x and resisted hits about 0.6x, and weather can shift those numbers. Keep at least one reliable damage type, and do not build an entire run around a move that half the map resists.

Co-op with friends

PokeSurvivor supports up to four players online through room codes. The host creates a room, shares the code, and friends join from the Friends panel. Each player uses the Pokémon unlocked on their own account, while coins and pickups collected during the run are shared by the team. PC and mobile browsers can play together. There are no official dedicated servers, so expect disconnects and lag; an ad-blocker can also interfere.

Reading the tier list

The companion wiki at pokesurvivors.org/tier-list/ ranks all 966 partners with a weighted score: damage 45%, bulk and HP 25%, speed 15%, and move pool 15%, then sorts them into S (top 5%), A (next 15%), B (30%), C (30%) and D (bottom 20%). Gacha rarity is shown separately and is not part of the combat score, and the wiki also keeps a separate starter tier list for the 29 free personality-test starters. It is unofficial and not affiliated with the game or The Pokémon Company, so treat it as a method rather than a frozen top 10. Judge a partner by survivability, clear speed, evolution access and co-op role rather than by a single letter; a partner that is excellent solo can be less useful in a four-player room, and a patch can move a low-ranked pick up quickly.

First run advice

Focus on two or three moves instead of filling every slot, prioritize a move you can evolve, and keep moving in a wide circle rather than backing into a corner. Use the reroll on a level-up that offers no damage or evolution path. Unlock new partners steadily; the collection is part of the long-term progression.

Start here

Open pokesurvivor.com, finish the partner selection, and play one run with a single damage move plus one defensive option. Learn the movement rhythm before chasing evolutions, then try a friend's room code once you have a partner you are comfortable with.