Pokémon GO is now rewarding you for playing together from afar with friends

Pokémon GO has always focused on local co-op play. Even though there are now options like remote raids to play together from a distance, the emphasis is still on the personal component, as the director of Pokémon GO explained in summer. Nevertheless, there will now be a new way to perform an activity with friends and be rewarded for it. This applies to both local friends and friends who live far away from you.

When is the feature coming? The weekly challenges are a new feature that will be introduced in Pokémon GO on Monday, October 13, 2025, at 3:00 AM. You will find it in the “Groups” tab, which will replace the current “Team” tab. Click on your avatar’s image on the map to find the new tab.

How does it work? Every Monday at 2:00 AM, you will have the opportunity to complete a new weekly challenge. You have 7 days to complete the challenge together with up to 3 friends. The friends in your group do not need to be local.

If you have a group, you must complete a task together. As an example of such a task, the official blog post on pokemongo.com has shown “Spin 250 PokéStops or Gyms” so far.

You can only belong to one group at a time. Additionally, you can only complete one weekly challenge per week.

What rewards are there? If you and your group complete a weekly challenge, the following rewards await you:additional progress in friendship level

20,000 experience points

6,000 stardust

If you do not complete the challenge, you will still receive some stardust.

Group Finder: It has also been announced that a group finder for the weekly challenges will be made available in the game by the end of the year. You can use this to find group members for the challenges with whom you are not yet friends.