Pokémon · Pokémon Red

AI plays Pokémon Red: can AI beat it?

Pokémon Red is the game that started the “AI plays Pokémon” trend: Anthropic's Claude Plays Pokémon stream runs on Red.

3 records and 1 tracked run or leaderboard for Pokémon Red only. Nothing on this page is compared with other games. How we verify.

Can AI beat Pokémon Red?

Yes. GPT-5: became Champion of Pokémon Red in 161h57m (6,470 steps, 8 badges) (creator-reported, Aug 14, 2025). That run used a vision-only setup (harness: Codex App Server + custom tools; inputs: vision-only; human assistance: not disclosed). Claude: our tracked Claude Plays Pokémon run (ClaudePlaysPokemon: Red (Claude Opus 4.7)) has the status paused. Claude Opus 4.7's Pokémon Red run came back online on May 14, 2026. The channel has not streamed since mid-May. We don't have a reviewed record of Claude finishing Red yet. If you have evidence, submit it.

Records

Pokémon Red records
Model	Achievement	Run config	Status	Date
Jev	Jev beats Pokémon Red in 37h 40m with a guided, open-source harness Last verified: not independently verified · Last checked: Oct 18, 2026 How was this run measured? Model Jev Game Pokémon Red Project Jev Plays Pokémon Red (jev-pokemon) Harness jev-pokemon (open source): RAM reader, A* pathfinding, menu handling, story-milestone guide, loop protection Inputs option lists with facts built from RAM (map, party, battle, on-screen text) Tools A* pathfinding, milestone checkpoints Assistance built-in walkthrough of story objectives; automatic checkpoint reloads when stuck Budget about $1.65 of Jev usage (creator-reported) Verification Creator-reported Stated on the creator's page and README; code is public but we have not rerun it. Evidence Creator's project page: run stats (creator) Creator's code and README (open source) (creator) GIGAZINE write-up (Sep 28, 2026) (secondary) Unknown exact Hall of Fame date (stream ran Sep 25–26, 2026); number of checkpoint reloads used; public VOD link Dates evidence dated Sep 28, 2026 Recorded published Sep 28, 2026 · discovered by AI vs Games Oct 18, 2026 Changes Historical record. Nothing to update unless the source changes. Permanent link · Submit a correction · JSON	jev-pokemon (open source): RAM reader, A* pathfinding, menu handling, story-milestone guide, loop protection option lists with facts built from RAM (map, party, battle, on-screen text)	Creator-reported source	Sep 28, 2026
Jev Jev + Claude Opus 5 harness builder	Jev enters the Pokémon Red Hall of Fame with Claude Opus 5 rebuilding its options live Last verified: not independently verified · Last checked: Oct 18, 2026 How was this run measured? Model Jev · agent: Jev + Claude Opus 5 harness builder Game Pokémon Red Project Jev plays Pokémon Red (Standard Agents) Harness Standard Agents harness, rebuilt live by Claude Opus 5 (474 changelog entries) Inputs option lists with facts built from game state (no screen) Tools harness pathing and menu handling; Claude Opus 5 edits the options Assistance heavy: LLM coach editing options live, viewer tips used, developer oversight Budget not disclosed Verification Creator-reported Stated on the creator's project page and covered by Tom's Hardware; not independently checked by us. Evidence Creator's project page: Hall of Fame on September 23, 2026 (creator) Creator's Reddit post (Sep 18, 2026): harness built in real time by Opus 5 (creator) Tom's Hardware: Jev beat Pokémon Red, but Claude Opus 5 coached it (secondary) Unknown total play time; number of Jev decisions; cost; exact ROM version; run start date (creator's Reddit post on Sep 18 shows it already had 4 badges) Dates achieved Sep 23, 2026 · evidence dated Sep 27, 2026 Recorded published Sep 27, 2026 · discovered by AI vs Games Oct 18, 2026 Changes Historical record. Nothing to update unless the source changes. Permanent link · Submit a correction · JSON	Standard Agents harness, rebuilt live by Claude Opus 5 (474 changelog entries) option lists with facts built from game state (no screen)	Creator-reported source	Sep 23, 2026
GPT-5	Became Champion of Pokémon Red in 161h57m (6,470 steps, 8 badges) Last verified: not independently verified · Last checked: Oct 18, 2026 How was this run measured? Model GPT-5 Game Pokémon Red Project GPT Plays Pokémon Harness Codex App Server + custom tools Inputs vision-only Tools custom tools (not itemised) Assistance not disclosed Budget not disclosed Verification Creator-reported Self-reported entry; we have not checked it against VODs. Evidence BenchmarkList: Pokémon Autonomous Completion (self-reported) (secondary) Dates achieved Aug 14, 2025 · evidence dated Aug 14, 2025 Recorded published Aug 14, 2025 · discovered by AI vs Games Oct 17, 2026 Changes Historical record. Nothing to update unless the source changes. Permanent link · Submit a correction · JSON	Codex App Server + custom tools vision-only	Creator-reported source	Aug 14, 2025

Run history

Aug 14, 2025
GPT-5: Became Champion of Pokémon Red in 161h57m (6,470 steps, 8 badges) Creator-reported
Sep 23, 2026
Jev: Jev enters the Pokémon Red Hall of Fame with Claude Opus 5 rebuilding its options live Creator-reported
Sep 28, 2026
Jev: Jev beats Pokémon Red in 37h 40m with a guided, open-source harness Creator-reported

Tracked runs & leaderboards

PAUSED · Pokémon Red

ClaudePlaysPokemon: Red (Claude Opus 4.7)

Claude Opus 4.7's Pokémon Red run came back online on May 14, 2026. The channel has not streamed since mid-May.

Watch at the source: Twitch channel · Community subreddit

Last checked: Oct 18, 2026

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