- GPT-5 completed Pokémon Red in just 6,470 steps
- That’s almost a third of the time it took ChatGPT-o3
- AI is going to try and complete the sequel, Pokémon Crystal next
There’s a new champion – for now – in the contest to be the fastest AI to complete the original Pokémon Red video game, with ChatGPT-5 completely eclipsing its rivals.
GPT-5, the latest model from OpenAI, took just 6,470 steps to complete the 1998 Game Boy classic, eclipsing the previous record of 18,184 steps by ChatGPT-o3.
If it’s hard to comprehend how many steps the main character, Red, had to make to defeat the Elite Four – 6,470 equates to around seven days of gameplay, compared to over 15 days for o3, the next best Pokémon model.
It’s a stark contrast to earlier this year, when Gemini 2.5 and Claude 3.7 Sonnet were in a race to even get to the end of the game, let alone do so in a fast time.
Now, just a few months later, AI models are able to complete these classic games faster and faster – and they’re only going to improve.
Earlier this year, Anthropic used Pokémon as a benchmark to showcase the prowess of its latest Claude model. The company combined it with a YouTube video in which developers discussed why GameFreak’s iconic franchise was the perfect way to assess an AI model’s problem-solving capabilities.
All of AI’s attempts to complete Pokémon have been livestreamed on platforms like Twitch, where channels like GPT_Plays_Pokemon have regular viewers and subscribers.
Having destroyed the previous record time for completing Pokémon Red, GPT-5 is now going to take on the sequel, Pokémon Crystal. The game, which was released in 2000, has double the amount of content to conquer, as you can venture back to the world of Kanto following your adventure in the Johto region.
Gotta train ’em all!
GPT-5’s Pokémon Red journey highlights a tactic young kids have used in the game for years: leveling up one Pokémon and neglecting the other five creatures in your party.
In the Reddit thread highlighting the AI model’s accomplishment, the top comment from u/Ok_Business84 reads, “Learned that sticking to one Pokémon and hard tanking everybody is the easier way.”
After nearly 30 years, I finally feel like my younger self has been validated. Back in 1999, I completed Pokémon Yellow with an overpowered Pikachu, and nothing else to show for it.
It would be cool to see GPT-5 play Pokémon less like 6-year-old me, and more like an accomplished player, building a varied team of creatures that can take on any battle in the game. This run feels like the AI brute-forced its way to victory, and while it achieved the goal it set out to achieve, it’s not entirely viable in a regular playthrough.
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john-anthony.disotto@futurenet.com (John-Anthony Disotto)
