Pokémon Go was set for a monumental week, with an eagerly awaited level cap increase on the horizon. However, things have gotten off to a rocky start, to say the least.
Just this morning, the game rolled out its very first Weekly Challenge. This new feature was designed to encourage teamwork, asking groups of four players to catch 500 creatures together for special rewards. Yet, within mere hours of its launch, the challenge was abruptly pulled. Why? Players who completed the task quickly found their games “bricked” and completely unresponsive.
Even with the challenge disabled, affected players are still unable to log in, indicating a more significant underlying issue that needs immediate attention. This critical bug emerges less than 48 hours before Pokémon Go’s massive level 80 update is scheduled to go live, prompting serious concerns among fans about a potential delay.
Niantic Support quickly acknowledged the problem in a recent statement on X, confirming they had temporarily disabled the Weekly Challenge. They noted they were “aware of an issue where some users are unable to close the Weekly Challenge completion popup, preventing them from continuing gameplay.” The developer promised an update soon.
On the popular Pokémon fan Reddit community, TheSilphRoad, players who successfully finished the Weekly Challenge reported being “completely locked out” of their game. They explained that even after restarting, the completion screen for the challenge persistently reappeared, blocking all other gameplay. One user, Gerkenator, mentioned, “I tried opening the game on an old Android tablet and was able to dismiss the page with the Android back button. However it returns every time open the game.”
Others have tried drastic measures like deleting and reinstalling the app, but to no avail. As Klecktacular humorously put it, “They really said Pokémon Go Do Something Else.”
As the developer races to investigate and fix this game-breaking bug, fans are increasingly worried about the impending level update, set for Wednesday, October 15. This long-anticipated update is slated to rebalance XP across the entire game and, for the first time in five years, raise the level cap from 50 to 80. It promises new leveling challenges and rewards, along with adjustments to existing player levels for a smoother progression curve, with many expected to advance automatically.
However, with less than two days left and an urgent fix needed for the Weekly Challenge, it remains uncertain if the significant XP update will launch as planned. “This bodes totally well for the level update coming this week,” quipped aznknight613, while Brock_Hard_Canuck added, “Meanwhile, the level 80 updates arrives in NZ in like… 27 hours…”
We’ll continue to monitor the situation closely and provide updates as they become available.