🚀 Getting Started
Welcome to Pokémon Battle Arena by PokéPapi! Here's what you'll see when you first arrive:
Enter a Trainer Name — Type your name in the text field at the top. This is required to play any game, and will appear on leaderboards.
Choose a Game Mode — Pick from the game mode cards below: ❤️ Who's Your Favorite ❓ Who's That Pokémon 📖 Dex Entry 🎨 Draw Duel ⚔️ Battle Sim
Pick Solo or Multiplayer — Use the tabs at the top: Solo Host Join
Start the Game! — Hit the Start Game button. That's it!
💡 Tip
Your trainer name is saved automatically. When you come back, it remembers you!
🌙 Dark / Light Mode
The site defaults to Dark Mode for all new visitors. You can toggle between dark and light mode at any time.
Where to Find It
Look for the 🌙 button in the top-right corner of the screen, right next to the profile/sign-in button. It's always visible no matter what screen you're on.
- 🌙 = Currently in Dark Mode — click to switch to Light
- ☀️ = Currently in Light Mode — click to switch to Dark
Your preference is saved permanently in your browser.
👤 Your Account
Creating an account unlocks friends, game invites, match history, achievements, and leaderboard tracking.
Sign In / Register
Click the Sign In button in the top-right corner. You'll see options to either log in or create a new account.
- Username — Your unique identity (used for login)
- Display Name — What other players see
- Email — Optional, for password recovery
- Password — Keep it secure!
ℹ️ Note
You can play without an account! But you'll miss out on friends, invites, and achievements.
⚙️ Profile & Friends
Once signed in, the top-right button shows your name. Click it to open the Profile Panel.
Profile Tab 👤 Profile
- Avatar Pokémon — Pick any of the 1025 Pokémon as your avatar. It shows next to your name.
- Display Name — Change what other players see.
- Email — Update your email address.
- Change Password — Update your password (requires current password).
- Sign Out — Log out of your account.
Friends Tab 👥 Friends
- Search & Add — Type a username to search and send a friend request.
- Pending Requests — Accept or reject incoming friend requests.
- Friends List — See who's online (green dot), who's offline, and remove friends.
💡 Tip
Friends who are online can be invited to join your game directly from the multiplayer lobby!
❤️ Who's Your Favorite
Two Pokémon appear side by side. Pick the one you like more! Repeat for multiple rounds.
How It Works
Two Pokémon cards appear with their names, images, and types.
Click/tap the one you prefer. There's no wrong answer!
After all rounds, you'll see a summary of your favorites — and how they compare on the Fan Favorites leaderboard.
Multiplayer Twist
In multiplayer, you predict which Pokémon your friend will pick after making your own choice. Bonus points for correct predictions! Prediction results do NOT count toward the leaderboard — only your own favorites do.
❓ Who's That Pokémon
The classic guessing game! A silhouette of a Pokémon appears and you must identify it.
Difficulty Levels
- Easy — 4 multiple-choice buttons appear immediately. Pick the right one!
- Medium — You start by typing your guess. After a few seconds, multiple-choice options appear as a fallback. Bonus points for typing before choices show!
- Max — Type-only. No multiple choice. You must spell the Pokémon's name correctly (case-insensitive, close-enough matching).
Scoring
- Base: +1 point for a correct answer
- Speed Bonus: Answer within 5 seconds = +3, within 10s = +2, within 20s = +1
- Streak Bonus: 3+ correct in a row = +1, 5+ = +2
- Typed Bonus (Medium): Type the answer before choices appear = +2
📖 Guess the Dex Entry
A real Pokédex entry is shown with the Pokémon's name blanked out. You must guess which Pokémon it describes!
How It Works
A Pokédex description appears on a stylized card. Every mention of the Pokémon's name (and its evolutions) is masked with _____.
Pick the correct Pokémon from the 4 multiple-choice options below.
Score points for correct answers. Speed matters!
💡 Tip
Pay attention to keywords like type descriptions, habitat, and abilities. They're your best clues!
🎨 Draw Duel
A Pokémon is assigned to you. Draw it! Then your opponent guesses what you drew. Then swap roles.
Drawing Tools
- Brush — Draw with adjustable size, opacity, and hardness
- Eraser — Remove strokes
- Color Picker — Choose any color
- Layers — Add multiple layers, change blend modes, adjust opacity per layer
- Undo / Redo — Fix mistakes
- Focus Mode — Fullscreen drawing canvas with dark UI for maximum space
Guessing Phase
When your opponent finishes drawing, their artwork appears. Type or pick from 4 choices what Pokémon they drew.
⚔️ Battle Sim
A turn-based Pokémon battle! You and your opponent each get 3 random Pokémon and battle it out.
How it Works
Each player gets 3 random Pokémon with real stats, types, and moves from PokeAPI.
On your turn, choose a Move to attack or Switch to a different Pokémon.
Damage is calculated based on types, stats, and move power. Type advantages matter!
When all 3 of one player's Pokémon faint, the other wins!
Power Tiers
Pokémon are grouped into 4 tiers to keep battles fair. Each team gets a mix of tiers so no one gets all legendaries.
💡 Tip
Battle Sim works in both Solo (vs AI) and Multiplayer (vs a friend). In solo mode, the AI picks moves automatically!
🌐 Multiplayer
All games (except Battle Sim which requires it) can be played solo or with friends!
How to Start a Multiplayer Game
Click the Host tab on the setup screen.
Configure your game options and click Start Lobby.
A Room Code appears (e.g., ABC123). Share this code with your friend!
Your friend clicks the Join tab, enters the code, and clicks Join Room.
Once connected, the host starts the game!
Invite a Friend (Account Required)
If you're logged in and have friends added, you'll see an Invite Friend button in the lobby. Click it to send a real-time notification to any online friend — they'll get a popup to join instantly!
🎯 Themes & Options
Customize which Pokémon appear in your games!
Theme Tabs
- National Dex / Region — All Pokémon or filter by specific generation (Kanto, Johto, etc.)
- Legendary / Starters — Only Legendary Pokémon or only Starters
- Type — Filter by Pokémon type (Fire, Water, Grass, etc.) with official type icons
- Color — Filter by Pokémon color (Red, Blue, Green, etc.)
Other Options
- Number of Rounds — Choose how many rounds per game
- Difficulty — For WTP: Easy, Medium, or Max
- Shiny Mode — See shiny Pokémon sprites! Options: Off, Random, All
- Art Style — official-artwork or home-style sprites
💡 Tip
Click Save as Default to remember your favorite settings!
💬 Quick Chat
During multiplayer games, you can send pre-made messages to your opponent!
Look for the 💬 button in the game header during any multiplayer match. Click it to see categories:
- Friendly — 🍀 Good luck! · 👍 Nice pick! · 🎮 Good game! · 👏 Well played!
- Competitive — 🧠 I knew it! · 😱 No way! · 😎 Too easy! · 💪 Bring it on!
- Reaction — 🤩 Wow! · 😂 Haha! · 🙈 Oops! · 🔥 So cool! · 👻 Spooky!
Messages appear as floating bubbles on your opponent's screen!
🏆 Leaderboard
The leaderboard tracks the top players and top-picked Pokémon across all games.
Leaderboard Tabs
- Fan Favorites — The most-picked Pokémon across all Who's Your Favorite games
- WTP Trainers — Top scorers in Who's That Pokémon
- Dex Quiz — Top scorers in Guess the Dex Entry
Top 3 players get medal badges: 🥇 Gold, 🥈 Silver, 🥉 Bronze
🔊 Sound Settings
Control game sounds with the 🔊 Sound: High button in the bottom-right corner.
Click it to cycle through 3 modes:
- 🔊 High — All sounds at full volume (Pokémon cries, UI effects)
- 🔉 Low — Reduced volume
- 🔇 Off — All sounds muted
🐛 Bug Reports
Found a bug? Help us fix it!
Click the 🐛 button in the bottom-left corner of the screen. A form will pop up where you can:
- Enter Your Name
- Describe the Bug — What happened? What did you expect?
- List Steps to Reproduce (optional)
- Select the Area / Screen where the bug occurred
Hit Submit Bug Report and we'll look into it. Thank you for helping make the game better! 🙏