There were already some teasers that had surfaced recently, and now it’s also official: co-op multiplayer for Pokémon GO. Today, the new feature, known as “Party Play,” is being added to the game, which is now 7 years old.
Party Play will evolve over time and bring new options, but for now, the feature allows you to play together in groups and receive additional rewards, extra challenges, and more. For example, there’s a raid bonus that doubles the damage of Charged Attacks in PvE battles.
To play together as a party, you need to stay relatively close to each other in the real world. If you stray too far apart, you will drop out of the group.
A party can consist of two to four players and can be initiated by sharing a QR code. The host can then choose from a series of Party Challenges to give the group a goal, such as catching 50 Pokémon. A Party Play session can last for a maximum of one hour, although you can start a new session immediately afterward.