How to play

Type a button in chat. The real game presses it. Everyone plays the same game.

1 · Open the streamTwitch Kick YouTube
2 · Type a buttonupab Add a number to repeat: up 5
3 · You're playingNo sign-up. You get a partner Pokémon and a point for every message.

Run #5 · 16,461 presses · 224 trainers · next random shiny at 250 followers (232 now)

Pressing right now

The stage is empty. Type a to take the spotlight.

Game buttons

updownleftrightWalk one tile. Short forms u, d, l and r work too.
up 5Walk several tiles in one message, up to 20. If something blocks the way, chat shows how far you got (UP 3/5).
abTalk, confirm, cancel, pick a move.
a 3Press A or B several times in one message, up to 9.
startselectOpen the menu. START can fire at most once every 15 seconds so the menu doesn't get spammed open.
ltrtThe L and R shoulder buttons.
shoes onshoes offTurn running shoes on or off for everyone.

Chat commands

!catchDuring a wild battle, add that Pokémon to your own Pokédex on your trainer page. Works every time, once per wild Pokémon, and doesn't touch the game.
!tradeSwap your partner Pokémon for a new random one (once every 5 minutes, with a small shiny chance).
!bug <what broke>Report a problem. It goes straight to #bug-reports in the Discord.
!discordGet the Discord invite link in chat.

The rules

One game, every platform

Twitch, Kick and YouTube chat all press the same game. No sign-up.

Everyone Plays Pokémon is one save file of Pokémon Heart & Soul, a fan-made Game Boy Advance remake of Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver with all 16 Johto and Kanto gym badges, played live 24/7 by whoever is in chat. Twitch, Kick and YouTube chat all control the same game at the same time, and no platform counts more than another.

Every valid command is pressed in the game in the order it arrives. There is no sign-up: if you can type in one of the three chats, you are playing.

Points and the leaderboard

Every message with a command is one point. "up 20" counts the same as "up".

Every chat message that contains a game command scores exactly one point, no matter how many tiles or presses it asks for. "up 20" and "up" are both one point, so nobody can farm the leaderboard with big numbers.

The leaderboard ranks trainers by points for the current run. Each trainer has a passport page at everyoneplayspokemon.com/trainer/<name> with their points, rank, partner Pokémon, play streak and scrapbook.

Your partner Pokémon

Your first message gives you a random Pokémon. Type !trade to swap it.

The first time you chat you are given a random partner Pokémon. It stands next to your name on the stream, the leaderboard and your passport.

Type !trade to swap it for a new random one. You can trade once every 5 minutes, and every trade has a small chance of a shiny.

The final press

When chat catches, evolves or wins a badge, the last A press gets the credit.

When chat catches a Pokémon, evolves one, earns a badge, gets a shiny, claims a follower reward or enters the Hall of Fame, the stream credits the trainer who made the final press: the last A press in the two minutes before it happened (or, if nobody pressed A, the most recent press). The three most active other trainers in that window are credited as the crew.

The moment is announced on stream and in the Discord #highlights channel with a screenshot, and it is saved to the scrapbook on every credited trainer's passport.

Play streaks

Play on days in a row to grow your streak. Miss a day and it resets.

Playing on a day counts toward your streak. Play on consecutive days (Pacific time) to grow it; miss a day and it starts again at 1. Your passport shows your current streak, your best streak and your total days played, and the stream welcomes you back with them.

Follower rewards

Every 50 combined followers arms a random shiny. Milestones put items in the bag.

18 more follows → random shiny

101 Master Ball
201 Revive
301 Master Ball
403 Rare Candies
651 Revive
755 Rare Candies
901 Master Ball
1251 Revive
1751 Revive

Follows on Twitch, Kick and YouTube are added together. Every 50 combined followers (50, 100, 150…) arms a random shiny: the next wild Pokémon chat meets will be shiny.

On the way up, chat also earned these one-time items, delivered straight into the game's bag:

Fainting and whiting out

Nothing is lost. If everyone faints, chat goes back to the Pokémon Center.

Fainted Pokémon are not lost. If the whole party faints, chat whites out and returns to the last Pokémon Center, just like the real game.

If the game ever gets stuck in one spot, the stream unsticks itself automatically. When nobody is playing, the game simply waits for chat.

Discord

Discord is for talking, polls and highlights. It never controls the game.

The Discord (everyoneplayspokemon.com/discord) is for talking, not playing: no game input comes from Discord.

It has a live status card, #highlights with every final press, a daily "Who's that Pokémon?" poll, pick'em polls before big gym and rival battles, and slash commands like /status, /team, /leaderboard and /trainer.

Each Monday the top 3 Twitch and Kick trainers of the week get the Champion role until the next Monday. Link your Discord from your passport to receive it.

Chat rules

Be kind, no spam, keep it family friendly.

Keep it fun for everyone:

Be kind. No harassment, hate or slurs.
No spam or self-promotion.
Keep it family friendly.
Fan project: not affiliated with Nintendo, Game Freak or The Pokémon Company.

Questions

What is Everyone Plays Pokémon?

Everyone Plays Pokémon is a live 24/7 stream where chat plays one shared game of Pokémon Heart & Soul, a fan-made Game Boy Advance remake of Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver with all 16 Johto and Kanto gym badges. Commands typed in Twitch, Kick or YouTube chat go straight to the game, and all three chats control the same save file.

How do I play Everyone Plays Pokémon?

Open the stream on Twitch, Kick or YouTube and type a command in chat: up, down, left, right, a, b, start or select (u, d, l, r work too). "up 5" walks up to 20 tiles, "a 3" presses A up to 9 times, and "shoes on" turns on running shoes. No sign-up is needed beyond a chat account.

How are points scored?

Each chat message with a game command is worth exactly one point, however many presses or tiles it asks for. The leaderboard ranks trainers by points for the current run.

What is the final press?

When chat catches, evolves, earns a badge, finds a shiny or enters the Hall of Fame, the trainer who made the last A press in the two minutes before it gets credit. The moment is announced on stream and saved to their passport scrapbook.

What do followers unlock?

Follower counts from Twitch, Kick and YouTube are combined. Every 50 combined followers makes the next wild Pokémon shiny, and earlier milestones delivered Master Balls, Revives and Rare Candies straight into the game.

What does the !trade command do?

!trade swaps your partner Pokémon, the sprite shown next to your name, for a new random one. It has a 5-minute cooldown per person and a small chance of a shiny.

Where can I watch Everyone Plays Pokémon?

Live on Twitch (twitch.tv/everyoneplayspokemon), Kick (kick.com/everyoneplayspokemon) and YouTube (youtube.com/@everyoneplayspokemon). It is the same game on all three.

Is Everyone Plays Pokémon really live 24/7?

Yes. The stream runs around the clock with no schedule. When nobody is typing, the game waits for chat.

What happens if the Pokémon faint?

Fainted Pokémon are not lost. If the whole party faints, chat whites out and goes back to the last Pokémon Center, like the real game.

Is there a Discord?

Yes, at everyoneplayspokemon.com/discord (or type !discord in chat). It's for talking, highlights, daily Who's that Pokémon polls and bug reports, not for playing. The top 3 Twitch and Kick trainers each week get the Champion role. Type !bug and a description in stream chat to report a problem.

Is Everyone Plays Pokémon affiliated with Nintendo?

No. It's a fan-made community project and is not affiliated with Nintendo, Game Freak or The Pokémon Company.

Last updated November 3, 2026.