How to Create a Battle Party in Pokémon GO

To create a battle party in Pokémon GO, tap the Main Menu button (the Poké Ball) on the map, tap Battle, and open the Party tab at the top of the screen. If your Trainer level is below 10, tap Pokémon instead of Battle, then tap Party. Fill a party with Pokémon, and the next time you enter a battle, swipe left over the recommended party to pick the one you built.

The steps are the same on iPhone and Android because everything happens inside the Pokémon GO app. They are based on the current Pokémon GO Help Center articles, checked in October 2026.

What a battle party is

A battle party is a saved group of your own Pokémon that you can select quickly before a fight, so you do not have to pick each Pokémon again every time. The Help Center describes battle parties as groups of three or six Pokémon for Gym, Raid, or Trainer Battles.

A battle party is not the same thing as Party Play. Party Play is a separate feature where a host and one to three other nearby Trainers play together. It is started from your Trainer Profile, not from the Battle screen. If you were looking for that feature, skip to the Party Play section near the end of this guide.

Before you start

• Check your Trainer level. The Battle button in the Main Menu appears at level 10 and above. Below level 10, the Party tab is reached through the Pokémon button instead.
• Have enough Pokémon. You need at least three for a Trainer Battle party and up to six for a Gym or Raid party.
• Know which battle you are preparing for. Trainer Battle parties are tied to a League, and each League has a Combat Power (CP) limit. CP is the number shown above each Pokémon that measures the strength of its attacks.
• Update the app. Button positions and labels can change between versions, so install the latest version of Pokémon GO if something in this guide looks different on your phone.

How to create a battle party (level 10 and above)

1. Open Pokémon GO and wait for the map to load. Niantic calls this screen the Map View.
2. Tap the Main Menu button, the Poké Ball at the bottom of the map.
3. Tap Battle. The Battle screen opens. This is also where GO Battle League, Nearby Battle, and Training are found.
4. Tap the Party tab at the top of the screen. Your saved parties are listed here.
5. Pick the kind of party you want to build, such as a League party for Trainer Battles or a party for Gyms and Raids, and add a new party if the list has no empty one.
6. Tap an empty slot in the party, then tap the Pokémon you want in that slot. Repeat until the party is full: three Pokémon for a Trainer Battle party, six for Gyms and Raids.
7. Leave the Party tab when you are finished. The party stays in the list for later.

Steps 1 to 4 come straight from Niantic’s Creating Battle Parties page. That page does not describe the buttons inside the Party tab, so the exact look of the add button and the empty slots may differ slightly on your phone. Other guides describe a plus button for adding a party and an option to give the party a name. If the app offers a name field, a short label such as the League or the raid boss the party is meant for makes it easier to find later.

How to create a battle party below level 10

Newer accounts do not have the Battle button yet, so the route is one tap different.

1. From the Map View, tap the Main Menu button.
2. Tap Pokémon. Your Pokémon collection opens.
3. Tap the Party tab at the top of the screen.
4. Add Pokémon to a party the same way as in the section above.

Once you reach level 10, look for your parties under Main Menu > Battle > Party instead.

How many Pokémon each kind of party holds

The size of a party depends on the battle it is used for. These numbers come from the Help Center articles for each battle type.

Battle type	Party size	Rules to know
Trainer Battles (friends and nearby Trainers)	3 Pokémon	Each Pokémon must fit the CP limit of the League you choose.
GO Battle League	3 Pokémon	Level 10 and above only. No two Pokémon of the same species.
Team GO Rocket battles	3 Pokémon	Level 8 and above. These work similarly to Trainer Battles.
Gym Battles	Up to 6 Pokémon	The game recommends six, and you can swap in a saved party.
Raid Battles	6 Pokémon	Chosen in the raid lobby after you use a Raid Pass.

League CP limits for Trainer Battle parties

Leagues keep battles fair by capping the CP of every Pokémon in the party. Niantic’s Battling Other Trainers guide lists three:

• Great League: no Pokémon above 1,500 CP.
• Ultra League: no Pokémon above 2,500 CP. It unlocks when you own at least three Pokémon above 1,500 CP.
• Master League: no CP limit. It unlocks when you own at least three Pokémon above 2,500 CP.

A Pokémon that is over the limit cannot be used in that League, so build a separate party for each League you play. For a worked example, see how to build a Great League team.

How to use your battle party in a battle

Creating a party does not start a battle. You choose the party on the screen that appears just before the fight.

1. Join a battle. For example, tap Battle at a Gym, enter a raid lobby, challenge a friend, or start a GO Battle League match.
2. Look at the party the game offers. Pokémon GO automatically recommends Pokémon, or shows the party you used last time.
3. Swipe left over that recommended or previously used party. Each swipe shows the next eligible party you saved.
4. Stop on the party you want, then start the battle. In a raid with more than two participants, tap Ready once your party is final.

To confirm it worked, check that the Pokémon shown on the pre-battle screen are the ones you put in the party. Only eligible parties are offered, so expect a raid to show your six-Pokémon parties and a Trainer Battle to show three-Pokémon parties.

How to change or undo a battle party

A battle party is only a saved shortcut. Adding a Pokémon to a party does not move, change, or use up that Pokémon, and you can still pick a different group on the pre-battle screen whenever you like.

To change a party, go back to the Party tab, tap the slot you want to change, and choose a different Pokémon. The Help Center does not list separate steps for renaming or deleting a party, so look for those options on the party itself in the Party tab.

Be careful with one related action: transferring a Pokémon to the Professor removes it from your collection for good, which also takes it out of any party. Check your parties before you transfer several Legendary Pokémon at once.

Tips for building a stronger party

• Mix types. The Help Center’s Type Effectiveness in Battle article recommends a strategic combination of types, so one opponent cannot beat your whole party with a single attack type.
• Plan your switches. In Trainer Battles you can switch Pokémon mid-fight, so include a partner that resists the attacks your lead Pokémon is weak to.
• Use matching attack types. An attack gets a power boost when its type matches the Pokémon using it.
• Build raid parties around the boss. For raids and Gyms, fill the party with Pokémon whose attacks are strong against the opponent’s type.
• Heal before you fight. Fainted Pokémon need a Revive and damaged ones need a Potion. Both are under Main Menu > Items.
• Label your picks. You can rename Pokémon with short tags so the right ones are quick to find when you fill a slot.
• Practice for free. Battle Training against a Team Leader does not damage your Pokémon, so it is a safe way to try a new party. It is under Main Menu > Battle > Training.

Troubleshooting

There is no Battle button in the Main Menu

Your Trainer level is below 10. Tap Pokémon in the Main Menu and then the Party tab. The Battle button and GO Battle League become available at level 10.

My party does not appear before a battle

Swipe left over the recommended party, more than once if needed. If the party still does not show, it is probably not eligible for that battle: wrong size, a different League, or a Pokémon over the League’s CP limit. A Pokémon that is fainted or currently defending a Gym may also be unavailable until it is revived or returns to you. If the game keeps alerting you about a defender that is getting weak, see how to turn off low motivation notifications in Pokémon GO.

I cannot add a Pokémon to a League party

Check its CP against the League limit: 1,500 for Great League and 2,500 for Ultra League. For GO Battle League, also check that you have not already added another Pokémon of the same species.

Ultra League or Master League is locked

Ultra League needs at least three Pokémon above 1,500 CP in your collection. Master League needs at least three above 2,500 CP.

I cannot battle friends at all

Friend battles depend on a setting and, for child accounts, on a parent or guardian turning on multiplayer features. See how to turn battle challenges with friends on or off.

Looking for Party Play instead?

If you wanted to form a group with other players, that is Party Play. According to Niantic’s Hosting a Party page, you tap your Trainer Profile on the map, tap the Party tab in the top right, and tap Create. Other Trainers then have up to 15 minutes to scan your QR Code or enter your Party Code. Everyone has to stay physically near the host, and a party lasts up to three hours. Child accounts are not able to host a party.

Frequently asked questions

How many Pokémon are in a battle party?

Three or six. Trainer Battles, GO Battle League, and Team GO Rocket battles use three Pokémon. Gym Battles and Raid Battles use up to six.

Can I use the same party for raids and Trainer Battles?

No. Raid and Gym parties hold six Pokémon and Trainer Battle parties hold three, so build a separate party for each.

How many battle parties can I save?

The Help Center does not state a limit. Community guides report a cap of several parties per category, so if you cannot add another, edit a party you no longer use.

Can I use two of the same Pokémon in one party?

Not in GO Battle League. Niantic’s GO Battle League page says you cannot use two or more of the same species in a GO Battle League party. The Help Center does not list that rule for raids or Gym Battles.

Do I have to use a battle party?

No. Pokémon GO always recommends a group before a battle, and you can start with that or customize it on the spot. A saved party simply saves time when you fight the same kind of battle often.

Which party is used against Team GO Rocket?

You select a party of three Pokémon, because Team GO Rocket battles work similarly to Trainer Battles. If you are preparing for Rocket Leaders, see how Rocket Radars work and how to unequip one.

Next step

Build one three-Pokémon Great League party and one six-Pokémon raid party, then try the first in Battle Training. After a few matches, you can see how many battles you have won in Pokémon GO.