The Nuzlocke challenge was created by artist Nick Franco in 2010. The rules are simple but transform Pokémon into a completely different experience.
You may only catch the first Pokémon you encounter on each route or area. If it faints or flees, you get nothing from that area.
If a Pokémon faints in battle, it is considered permanently dead. You must release it or box it forever.
You must give every Pokémon a nickname. This creates emotional attachment and makes losses hit harder.
If your first encounter on a route is a Pokémon species you have already caught, you may skip it and try for a different one. This prevents your team from being filled with duplicates and adds more variety to your run.
If you encounter a shiny Pokémon, you may catch it regardless of whether it is your first encounter on that route. Shinies are rare enough that most players agree this exception is fair.
You cannot level your Pokémon above the next gym leader's highest Pokémon level. This prevents overleveling and keeps boss battles challenging. For example, if the next gym leader's ace is level 25, none of your Pokémon can exceed level 25.
Change the battle style to "Set" instead of "Switch" in the game options. This means you do not get a free switch when you knock out an opponent's Pokémon, making battles significantly harder.
You cannot use items like Potions or Revives during battle. You can only use what your Pokémon hold. This is a common rule in Hardcore Nuzlockes.
A Hardcore Nuzlocke combines all of the above into the ultimate challenge. The full ruleset is typically:
Every Pokémon you catch must immediately be Wonder Traded. You play the run with whatever random Pokémon you receive in return.
Two players play simultaneously. Pokémon caught on the same route are "linked" — if one dies, both die. This adds a cooperative element to the challenge.
Your Pokémon are paired into couples. In battle, you can only switch between partners within the same pair. If one partner dies, the other must be released too.
Play a randomized ROM where wild encounters, trainer teams, and sometimes even abilities and types are shuffled. Combined with Nuzlocke rules, this creates completely unpredictable runs.
Ready to start your Nuzlocke? Track your encounters with our free tool.
Open Nuzlocke Tracker