Pokémon GO Party Play soft lock issue reported after several consecutive Parties

Trainers, the Party Play feature has rolled out globally, and it brings both opportunities and limitations that you’ll want to keep in mind. First up, the soft lock issue. Players have found that you can form up to six parties with the same group of people. But be wary when hitting that seventh consecutive party, reports are coming in about a soft lock lasting an hour once you reach that point. Remember, each Party Play session is capped at one hour, so plan accordingly.

So what’s the lowdown during that precious hour of Party Play? Well, if you’re level 15 or above, you can either host or join a party, which can have up to four Trainers, including yourself. And yes, your friends’ avatars will be visible right there on your in-game map, making the gameplay experience feel more interactive and communal.

Upon forming your merry band, a pop-up will prompt you to choose a Party Challenge. Options span the gamut, from spinning PokéStops to engaging in raid battles and, of course, catching Pokémon. Another perk to keep an eye on is the Party Power bonus. This sweet deal doubles your next Charged Attack’s damage during raid battles. And guess what? The more friends you’ve got in your party, the faster your Party Power charges up.

If you’re the type who loves to keep track of stats, you’re in luck. Head over to the Party tab in your Trainer profile to check out your Activity Summary. It’s neatly organized into categories like Pokémon caught, Throws made, and more. This gives you a comprehensive view of your party’s performance metrics.

As for that soft lock issue, Niantic and Pokémon GO are aware of it. Their current advice? Try reinstalling the Pokémon GO app and rebooting your device to see if you can exit the Party Challenge page successfully. But remember, this feature is new, so brace yourselves for potential bugs and issues in the coming days. Always keep Niantic in the loop by reporting any problems you encounter.

Party feature causing problems in the middle of NZ spotlight hour @NianticHelp @PokemonGoApp I still need the shiny, but can't check anything 🤦‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/xbC0Ocjx4l

— Tagman50 (@LittleTag50) October 17, 2023

Thanks for flagging, Steve. Please reinstall Pokémon GO & see if you're able to exit the Party Challenge page successfully. Be sure to reboot your device before accessing the app again. If it continues, let's connect via DM. We've requested some details to take a closer look. ^LN

— Niantic Support (@NianticHelp) October 17, 2023

The Party Play feature is a work in progress, with its fair share of bugs waiting to be ironed out. Let’s hope Niantic addresses these issues sooner rather than later.

Glitched out twice like this now near end of party and lose 5-10 minutes where we can't do anything 😒

Seems like it has issues for 4 person as 2 person ones hadn't had issues

Also the walk 3km task isn't cumulative its 3 people x1km#PokemonGO pic.twitter.com/863FkDgGj8

— KiwiSteve007 (@Kiwisteve5) October 17, 2023

Have you taken the Party Play feature for a spin yet? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Share your experiences in the comments below.