Pokémon Connections for Beginners: How the Daily Grouping Puzzle Works

What Is Pokémon Connections?

Pokémon Connections is a free daily puzzle game built for Pokémon fans. Each day at midnight UTC, a brand-new puzzle goes live for every player around the world. The setup is simple: you're given 16 Pokémon and asked to sort them into four hidden categories of four. The catch? You have no idea what those categories are until you start experimenting.

It's a fan-made game, not affiliated with Nintendo, The Pokémon Company, or The New York Times — but it borrows the familiar "Connections" format and gives it a Pokémon twist that spans all nine generations of the franchise.

The Core Setup: 16 Pokémon, Four Groups

Every daily puzzle presents you with a grid of 16 Pokémon. Your job is to find four groups of four that share something in common. Those common threads can be anything: evolutionary lines, types, colors, habitats, move names, or even more obscure trivia that only a dedicated Pokédex reader would spot.

You have unlimited attempts, so there's no penalty for guessing wrong — but you'll want to be thoughtful about your choices, because some Pokémon will seem like they belong in more than one group. That's by design.

How to Play: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough

Look at the full grid. Before you tap anything, scan all 16 Pokémon and note any obvious connections you can spot.
Select four Pokémon you believe share a common trait.
Submit your guess. If you're right, that group locks in and the remaining grid shrinks.
Keep going until all four groups are solved.

The game gives you instant feedback on each guess, so you can learn as you play. Wrong guesses don't cost you anything — just try again with a different combination.

The Color-Coded Difficulty System

Each solved group is assigned a color that reflects how tricky it was to find:

Yellow — the easiest group, usually the most obvious connection
Green — a bit more challenging
Blue — harder still, often requiring deeper Pokémon knowledge
Purple — the trickiest group, and frequently loaded with decoys

The site notes that purple groups "often have decoys" — Pokémon that look like they fit but are actually part of a different group. As a beginner, don't be discouraged if the purple group is the last one you crack. That's expected.

The Daily Reset: Midnight UTC

The Daily puzzle resets at midnight UTC, and it's the same puzzle for every player worldwide. That means you can compare results with friends, and everyone is working from the same grid on the same day.

If you miss a day, your streak breaks — so if you're aiming for consistency, make it a habit to check in daily. There's also an Unlimited mode that lets you practice as much as you like without waiting for the next daily reset. It's a great way to sharpen your skills before tackling the real thing.

Optional Sign-In: What It Does (and Doesn't Do)

Signing in is completely optional. If you choose to sign in with Google, the game uses only your basic account information to create or connect your trainer account. That gives you:

Progress synced across devices
Your trainer level and profile
Streak tracking
Leaderboard results

The site is explicit that it does not store Google access or refresh tokens, and it does not use your Google data for advertising. If you'd rather play without an account, you can — you just won't have your progress saved across devices.

Leaderboards and Trainer Level

For those who like a little competition, the weekly leaderboard runs Monday to Sunday, and your Classic puzzle wins count toward it. There are also Streak and Level boards that reward consistency and XP. Every player receives a consecutive position, and results are checked server-side to keep things fair.

Tips for Your First Few Puzzles

Start with yellow. The easiest group is usually findable at a glance — evolutionary families, same-type clusters, or obvious visual similarities.
Don't rush the purple group. It's meant to be hard. Save it for last if you can.
Use Unlimited mode to practice recognizing patterns without the pressure of a daily streak.
Expect decoys. Some Pokémon are placed specifically to mislead you. If a group feels "too perfect," double-check whether those Pokémon might belong elsewhere.

Pokémon Connections is a gentle daily brain teaser for anyone who loves the franchise — and with unlimited attempts, there's no way to lose, only to keep trying until you solve it.