PokeBonk unlock guide: challenge, then capture

Every PokeBonk unlock works in two steps: complete that Pokémon’s challenge, then catch it in a run. The game calls your playable roster the League. It has 79 families, one for each evolution line of the 151 Kanto Pokémon, and you start with one of three starters. When a challenge is complete, the game tells you the Pokémon will appear in your next run. Weaken it until it faints, get close, press E to throw a Poké Ball, and it joins your League. Shinies that appear on their own and Alphas caught with a Friend Ball do not count as an unlock. The full table for every family is below this guide; this page explains the rules behind it.

PokeBonk unlock step 1: pick your starter

The first time you play, the game asks you to choose your partner from Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle. That family becomes the first member of your League. The other two join later the same way as everyone else: complete their challenge (2 runs, win or lose) and capture them in a run. They are simply your first PokeBonk unlock targets.

PokeBonk unlock step 2: complete the challenge

Every family has a PokeBonk unlock challenge, and the Pokédex shows it for Pokémon you do not have yet: “Complete its challenge so it appears in a run.” Each challenge is one of a few kinds:

• Totals across all runs, such as a number of runs, KOs, Poké Balls opened or Ultimates cast. These fill up just by playing.
• Single-run goals, worded “in a single run”, such as reaching a level or poisoning a number of Pokémon in one run. These need a run built for that goal.
• Map goals, such as winning a region or defeating its guardians.
• League size. Rare and legendary families add a second or third condition: a minimum number of League members, from 15 up to 60 for Mewtwo.

When a challenge completes, you see “Challenge complete! It will appear in your next run for you to catch.”

PokeBonk unlock step 3: find the encounter

At most one PokeBonk unlock encounter happens per run. If more than one Pokémon is waiting, the game picks one of them at random, and it appears early in the run: about 50 to 120 seconds into the zone. A banner reads “A wild {name} appeared!” with a reminder to weaken it and capture it.

• It flees after 150 seconds if you do not catch it. Legendary Pokémon wait 240 seconds but are much tougher: the game multiplies their HP by 5 (against 0.8 for common ones), and they hit 1.5 times harder.
• Rare Pokémon have twice the HP of common and uncommon ones in these encounters.
• If it gets away, “It will appear again in another run”. The PokeBonk unlock is only delayed, not lost.

Mewtwo is the one PokeBonk unlock that works differently: it never comes up in this random pick. Once its challenges are done, “Mewtwo challenges you in zone 2 or 3 of your next run”.

PokeBonk unlock step 4: weaken it and throw the Poké Ball

1. Bring its HP down. When it faints, you have 10 seconds.
2. Get close and press E (the interact key; X on a controller).
3. The throw succeeds 55% of the time, plus up to 35% depending on the species’ catch rate, plus 20% for each throw that already failed, up to a 97% cap. A paralyzed, sleeping or frozen target adds 15%, within the same cap.
4. After a miss you get another 6 seconds. After three misses, it runs away.
5. If the 10 seconds pass without a throw, it recovers to 40% HP and runs.

When the capture works, the PokeBonk unlock is done: “{name} joins your League! You can now choose it at the start of a run.”

The Master Ball in your Bag makes your first capture of the run (Alpha or League) certain, and the Master Ball item found during a run also guarantees capture in Wild Encounters. Save them for a legendary PokeBonk unlock.

What does not count as a PokeBonk unlock

• Shinies. A shiny that appears on its own counts for your Shiny Collection, not as a normal catch, and does not make the Pokémon playable. You still need the challenge and a capture in its League encounter. If that encounter is a legendary that rolls shiny, the catch counts for both. After that, you can use the shiny look. See our shiny guide.
• Alphas with a Friend Ball. A fainted Alpha caught this way fights by your side for that run and gives a bonus for its type, but it does not join your League.
• Research. Defeating wild Pokémon adds research to their family, and cages, Alphas and bosses add more. A complete family lets you use its Pokémon as an avatar. That is a profile reward, not a PokeBonk unlock.

PokeBonk unlock tips

• Let totals run in the background. Challenges counted across all runs (runs, KOs, Poké Balls) finish while you work on another PokeBonk unlock.
• Plan single-run goals. Pick a Pokémon whose kit fits the target, such as a sleep or poison family for a sleep or poison count.
• Mew is the final PokeBonk unlock. Its challenge is to capture the other 78 League members.

The table below shows the PokeBonk unlock challenge for every family. The Pokédex lists every family and its Ultimates, and the controls guide lists every key if you play with custom bindings.