PokéBonk Co-op: Matchmaking, Team Survival & Pause

Source check: v0.8.46 · 2026-10-25

PokéBonk co-op supports two to four account holders in Classic or Team Survival. Use a public match, a friend's invitation or a room code. Choose the mode before planning the run: Classic advances through zones, while Team Survival ranks how long the team lasts.

Updated November 1, 2026, with the official v0.8.84–0.8.86 announcements. The room and Classic rescue baseline was traced in v0.8.46; newer announced changes are identified below. Access and maintenance messages in your own game take precedence.

Find a match or join friends

Open the original game, sign in and select Co-op. Since v0.8.73, guests need an account; use Save to account on the guest you want to keep.
For public matchmaking, select Find a match, then mode, duo/trio/squad, map and difficulty where applicable. Use Any where offered to broaden the search; matching prefers your region.
To play with friends, create a room or join with its code, invitation or shared link. Enable Find teammates in a friends' room to fill free seats.
Choose your own League partner and look, check the team's unlock requirements, and choose Bag items in the lobby if the selected mode permits them. They are consumed when the run starts.
The room leader, shown by a crown, chooses the destination and starts once the group is ready. After the run, the team returns to its room.

v0.8.85 public matchmaking: the leader has 30 seconds to start; players can vote to remove an absent leader, and Find a match avoids rooms with an absent leader. Refreshing in the lobby returns the player to the same room. The patch reports trying direct connections before using a relay, matching mainland China players with one another, and counting co-op toward clan missions. The prior v0.8.80 60-second rule is historical; follow the current room timer. Official notes.

The earlier v0.8.74 announcement described a 90-second inactivity rule. That is not the current ready-team start countdown; follow the room's displayed timer. The separately announced idle solo search limit is 3 minutes. Current patch notes.

Classic and Team Survival

Mode	Objective and recovery
Classic	Advance through zones and guardians. The traced Classic rescue flow gives a downed teammate a 60-second window: stand nearby and hold the interaction control, desktop default E. Gather standing players at the portal to advance.
Team Survival	Added in v0.8.68: an escalating horde and a shared Boss every 4 minutes. Fallen teammates return when the team defeats the next Boss. Team rankings compare survival time.

In Team Survival, Bill's Machine becomes usable again 11 minutes after use, according to v0.8.72. Do not apply Classic's portal progression or win condition to a Survival record.

Choose partners whose roles you understand, keep escape routes open and avoid stacking everyone's incoming pressure in one spot. Our tier list evaluates solo League progression; it is not a tested co-op ranking.

Upgrade protection and team pause

The latest v0.8.77 upgrade bubble is a limited reserve: 45 seconds initially, 15 seconds added per level, a 90-second cap, and gradual replenishment. Refresh, Banish and Skip no longer consume the whole reserve at once. When protection runs out, choosing upgrades does not guarantee safety. This replaces v0.8.73's earlier 5-second-per-level rule.

Press P, or select Ask the team to pause. The run stops only after everyone agrees. The team shares 5 minutes of pause time per run and resumes when everyone votes to continue. Opening your own menu is different from obtaining an agreed team pause.

Signals and combat visibility

Hold G to open the signal wheel; tap it to mark where you are looking. The wheel includes calls for the Boss, portal, help and danger. The announced controller shortcut is L3; check your bindings for the active context.

H hides or shows attacks and damage numbers. Since v0.8.77 this choice lasts only for the current run; v0.8.78 adds a persistent warning while attacks are hidden. Check this before interpreting invisible effects as an attack failure. Teammate effects can also be simplified in graphics settings.

Looks challenges and fallen teammates

Since v0.8.60, most Looks objectives count in co-op: a victory means a team win, while action counters still check the individual player. Hit-limit challenges remain solo only. Use the challenge checklist for form and action requirements.

v0.8.77 fixes fainted teammates continuing to deal damage and adds automatic reconnection after a dropped connection. These fixes are not reasons to plan a build around attacking while downed. Co-op runs cannot use Save and quit; see the save guide for supported solo modes.

Room and connection problems

Message or symptom	Next check
Guest cannot enter	Preserve that guest with Save to account, then sign in.
Map or difficulty locked	Choose a destination unlocked by the group, or complete the missing progression.
Maintenance or access restriction	Follow the current game's message; repeatedly recreating rooms will not change eligibility.
Old version, pending or blocked connection	Update all clients and follow the room's connection diagnostic.
Empty public room or return to a room just left	Check that all clients have the v0.8.77–78 fixes, then use the current search flow.

Friends facilitate invitations; Clans have separate missions and season progression. Neither automatically creates a shared battle. Compare modes before choosing the next session.

Rejected runs and leaderboard review

v0.8.79 fixes unfair co-op rejections when the window was covered or another display was used, Team Survival's “Inconsistent bosses” rejection, and saved runs finished just after resuming. Update the client before repeating those symptoms. The same release reports restored affected runs, not a guarantee that every missing result is recovered.

v0.8.84 supersedes v0.8.82's pre-display review: the developer says flagged runs and the best map/Global records now enter the leaderboard immediately and are reviewed afterward; only confirmed cheating results are removed. If a result is missing or a review notice remains, preserve the result and check the game's current message or mailbox. This announcement is not a completed leaderboard test. Official notes.

Sources and checks

The official v0.8.63–78 patch history and v0.8.78 UI dictionary were read on October 29. The original Classic room/rescue paths retain their v0.8.46 source. Save restrictions were checked in the v0.8.78 client. This is inert-source inspection, not a completed multiplayer run or a test of account access. See methodology.

October 31 follow-up: v0.8.79–v0.8.83 announcements and current help were read in the official patch history, client and English UI. This checks the stated changes, not a completed co-op run, app installation, record review or new balance test. Older numeric snapshots keep their stated editions.

Frequently asked questions

Can guests play co-op?

Since v0.8.73 co-op requires an account. Preserve the guest you want with Save to account before signing in.

Does opening my menu pause the team?

No. Team pause requires everyone’s agreement and shares a five-minute reserve per run. Upgrade protection is a separate limited reserve, starting at 45 seconds and capped at 90.

How do fallen players return in Team Survival?

The v0.8.68 announcement says fallen teammates return when the team defeats the next shared Boss; a Boss appears every four minutes.

Why did a public-room leader change?

v0.8.85 announces a 30-second start limit and a team vote to remove an absent leader. Follow the room’s current timer.