Daily Red is a free fan-made Pokémon challenge. You get one battle a day against Red, the champion-level trainer waiting on Mt. Silver, using a random team of six level 100 Pokémon. Everyone gets the same team on the same day, so results can be compared like Wordle scores. This guide covers the rules, Red’s team, how the team is generated and the two different versions of the game that outlets are describing.
Quick Facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name | Daily Red |
| Type | Free, unofficial fan project |
| Core idea | One battle per day vs. Red on Mt. Silver |
| Your team | Six random level 100 Pokémon, same for all players that day |
| Red’s team | Fixed: Pikachu, Espeon, Snorlax, Venusaur, Charizard, Blastoise |
| Reset | Midnight in your local time zone |
| Original creator | AmoiBuilds (per Retro Dodo and the project’s GitHub) |
| Base game (original) | Pokémon FireRed engine, run in the browser |
| Official status | Not affiliated with Nintendo, Creatures Inc., Game Freak or The Pokémon Company |
Two Versions, One Name
Coverage mixes two things, which is why articles seem to contradict each other.
| Original project | daily-red.com | |
|---|---|---|
| Who | AmoiBuilds on GitHub | Separate site, creator not named |
| What it runs | FireRed engine compiled into a GBA ROM, played through an emulator in the browser | Its own browser battle engine |
| Setup | Build from source (about 10 to 15 minutes per Retro Dodo) | None; open the website |
| Account | None | None |
| Practice mode | ?seed=1234 practice run, nothing saved |
Unlimited practice runs |
| Mentioned by | Retro Dodo, GitHub | Vice, Dexerto |
The daily-red.com site states it is not the open-source GitHub project and that its teams and battles may differ. The GitHub repository was archived by its owner on October 11, 2026 and is read-only. It holds only patches and site code, with no ROM and no copy of the game.
Rules
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Battles per day | One official battle that counts toward your streak |
| Practice | Unlimited, does not affect stats (daily-red.com) |
| Win condition | Knock out all six of Red’s Pokémon |
| Lead choice | You choose your lead on daily-red.com |
| Actions | Pick a move or switch Pokémon |
| Counts as played | Once Red’s battle starts; leaving mid-battle counts as a loss in the original project |
| Quitting mid-battle on daily-red.com | The battle waits for you |
| Soft reset | Disabled in the original project’s daily mode |
| Tracked stats | Played, win %, win streak, day streak |
| Sharing | Spoiler-free results grid |
| Saved where | Browser localStorage, so it does not carry across devices or browsers |
Red’s Team
Red’s team is the same every day and is modeled on his Mt. Silver team from HeartGold and SoulSilver.
| Slot | Pokémon | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (always leads) | Pikachu | Electric | |
| 2 | Espeon | Psychic | |
| 3 | Snorlax | Normal | |
| 4 | Venusaur | Grass / Poison | |
| 5 | Charizard | Fire / Flying | |
| 6 | Blastoise | Water |
All six are level 100 with perfect IVs, held items and EV spreads. The original project puts the team’s base stat total at 2,954 and adapts the moves to Gen 3.
How The Daily Team Is Built (Original Project)
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Pokémon per team | 6 different Pokémon from Generations 1 to 3 |
| Combined base stat total | At least 2,700 |
| Legendary roll | 1 in 8 chance; when it hits, exactly one legendary or mythical is included |
| Level | 100 |
| IVs | 25 to 31 |
| Moves | Up to 4 from level-up and TM/HM moves; at least one damaging move guaranteed |
| Held items | Battle items plus type boosters matching the Pokémon’s attacks |
| Bag items | None |
| Seed | Hash of today’s date in your local time zone |
Balance estimate from the author: a typical team has about 96% of Red’s stats, and roughly 1 in 25 teams is stronger than Red.
How To Play On daily-red.com
- Open the site in your browser. JavaScript must be on.
- Check the day’s six Pokémon and their items.
- Pick your lead before the battle starts.
- Fight Red turn by turn using moves or switches.
- Copy your result grid when the battle ends, win or lose.
- Come back after local midnight for the next team.
Type Matchups Against Red’s Team
These tips come from the daily-red.com page.
| Red’s Pokémon | What works | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Pikachu (always the opener) | Lead with a Ground type | Ground types are immune to Electric moves |
| Charizard | Rock moves | Fire/Flying is 4x weak to Rock |
| Snorlax | Physical attacks, Fighting moves | Its Defense is much lower than its HP and Special Defense |
| Espeon | Dark, Ghost or Bug moves | Super effective against Psychic |
Switching costs a turn, but it can keep a key attacker alive.
Running The Original Project Yourself
| Requirement (macOS) | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tools | Xcode Command Line Tools, Node.js 18+, git |
| Download size | About 1 GB of toolchain, installed once |
| Build steps | Setup script, fetch the decompilation, fetch vendor files, build, then serve locally |
| Local address | localhost:8080 |
| Tested on | macOS with Chrome only |
Retro Dodo says the build needed terminal work and was not easy for average players, and that the developer chose not to simplify it. It also advises checking any download for malware. Only use code from the developer’s own repository, and note that the repository does not include a ROM.
Known Limitations (Original Project)
| Limitation | Detail |
|---|---|
| Running shoes and bike | Disabled on the summit |
| Stats | Stored in localStorage; not synced and can be edited |
| Time zones | Teams change at each player’s local midnight |
| Audio | May need a key press or tap before it starts |
| Testing | Only tested on macOS with Chrome |
| L/R buttons | Still open FireRed’s normal help |
Source Differences To Note
| Point | Retro Dodo | GitHub / Vice / Dexerto |
|---|---|---|
| Whose team is random | Says Red’s team is random (Gen 1 to 3) and your Pokémon get random moves | Your team is random; Red’s team is fixed |
| Clock | Says the game checks your device clock; setting it forward 24 hours bypasses the lock | Daily seed uses your local date |
| Creator | AmoiBuilds, “entirely vibe-coded” | Vice does not name a creator |
The GitHub repository is the primary source for how the original works, so its description of a fixed Red and random player team is used here.
FAQ
Is Daily Red official? No. It is an unofficial fan project.
Do I need to download anything? Not for daily-red.com. The original project must be built from source.
Can I play more than once a day? Only in practice mode, which does not count.
Do I need an account? No.
Will my streak sync between phone and PC? No. It lives in each browser.
What does the creator say about it? AmoiBuilds described it as entirely vibe-coded, made first for himself.