Anthropic AI/Pokemon CompanyA new large language model (LLM), or more simply, AI, called Claude, is attempting to beat Pokemon Red, and viewers are deep into the highs and lows of Claude’s run in the classic game.
Pokemon Red and Blue first came out in North America in 1998 but have been a favorite of Pokemon players ever since, despite how many new games have come out over the years.
Perhaps due to that replayability factor and the familiarity of it, Anthropic decided to use Claude – similar to their own version of ChatGPT – which is using a mix of text-based reasoning and image recognition to play through the popular video game.
In its earliest stages, in June 2024, Claude was a miserable Pokemon player: he frequently tried to run from Pokemon battles, which is impossible of course, finally writing a letter to formally request a reset of the game after getting stuck in a corner.
Huge Claude improvements
Later in 2024, in October, Claude finally managed to beat his rival and go past Pallet Town, a big step forward for the new player.
However, in 2025, Claude has made huge advancements. He was able to beat the first two Gym Leaders, Brock and Misty, before eventually being able to take on Lt. Surge too.
Now, Claude AI’s efforts are being livestreamed on Twitch for the world to see.
At the time of writing, there are 2000 people watching ClaudePlaysPokemon, hardstuck against a particular pesky Jigglypuff that keeps putting his Pokemon to sleep.
Earlier in the stream, it took Claude around five hours to get through Viridian Forest which anyone who has played the game will know is somewhat absurd.
While the AI is slow, there’s no denying it has come on leaps and bounds since the early days, and Anthropic will be working to make sure it becomes a formidable force in the Pokemon realm and becomes Pokemon Champion.
