PokéSurvivor co-op desync: stuck on upgrades or the start menu

Guide updated November 5, 2026

If level-up cards closed before you chose, the original October 20 fix reopens them so the team can continue. A friend still in the menu after Start is a different reported symptom; that fix does not establish its resolution. First compare what the host and guest actually see.

Rooms, friends and delayed status

In this original snapshot, room signalling always uses WebSocket; the old local RTDB room switch is no longer a supported fallback. WebRTC/TURN and the existing host queue are separate and retain their combat behaviour. Friends and invitations now refresh through the original service rather than direct database subscriptions. Typical polling is about 9.6–14.4 seconds in menus and 36–54 seconds while playing, with network delays possible; hidden pages skip periodic requests and refresh when visible again.

The received friend entries initially have offline/not-playing status and an empty room. That badge is not reliable proof that a friend cannot join in this snapshot: try an invitation or a known room and allow a refresh. Invitations expire after three minutes; repeating the same invitation within 20 seconds is suppressed. Actions can also refresh the list. Nickname/profile updates retain a six-hour interval and 800 ms debounce, with a ten-minute profile cache; a profile rate-limit gap waits the returned seconds (five by default) plus 0.2 seconds. These are client timing rules, not delivery guarantees.

Room transport: default and optional paths

Original 6b2b3547e5 now uses the WebSocket room service by default; an explicit rtdb transport selection retains the older realtime-database path. This supersedes 1c249c541c, where WebSocket rooms required an explicit vps selection. There is no new ordinary Settings switch. The room service handles creation, joining, membership and signalling; WebRTC combat messages and damage formulas remain separate. Requests time out after 8 seconds. Reconnect waits are 1, 2, 4, 8 seconds, then at most 15 seconds, with rejoining and possible host-room recreation. A replaced connection (close code 4002) ends that session without a reconnect loop. Missing, started/closed and full-room errors still apply, with at most 4 players. If an invitation fails, check that everyone uses the same original version and ask the host to recreate the room/invite. This does not claim that the embedded version has changed.

Which stage is stuck?

A room that never connects needs invitation/network checks. This page covers a room that connects but stops progressing, or a match in which the two players see different states.

Scroll sideways to read every column.

Symptom	What it means for this check
No connected room	Use the connection guide first.
Cards closed without a choice	The October 20 fix reopens the selection.
Guest stays in menu after Start	Record this separately; the card fix does not prove a Start fix.

Room never connects: invitations and networks

Compare both screens before restarting

Name the host and guest. Check whether both are in the same room and whether either is still choosing a level-up card, item or Bond.
Keep the host tab active. Co-op can pause for choices or an inactive/stalled host; a visible choice is not by itself a desync.
If the selection reopens, finish the outstanding choice and check that both players return to combat. Do not call it recovered while one is still in the menu.
If it remains stuck, note both screens and the last action. Outside the run, load the same original release before another attempt; reloading is not an established way to resume the current run.

The October 20 fix has a precise scope

Players in the original Discord’s #chat-español and #feedback reported fast choices, closed cards and one player left in a menu on October 20. The original changelog specifically says cards that closed before a choice now reopen, releasing teammates who were waiting. It does not say that every desync, rapid Start problem or frozen session is fixed.

These rules describe the original game at pokesurvivor.com in the linked October 20 source revision. The independently hosted community edition has its own release; do not assume that the same fixes or timings are installed there.

When only co-op move effects look wrong

The same original release fixes guest Ominous Wind, Sand Tomb and Whirlpool pulls. Mist Ball’s evolved projectile direction is also fixed, but that is not confirmation that the separately reported co-op slow is fixed. Compare host versus guest and ordinary enemies versus bosses: bosses normally receive only 25% of vortex pull.

Still stuck? Keep the report specific

Include the game domain and release marker, devices/browsers, host and guest roles, room status, the last card or Start action, and what each player sees. This separates a repeat of the fixed card issue from a different fault. Do not clear browser data or replace an account to diagnose a session pause; that does not repair synchronization and can remove local progress.

Game data & sources

The linked game files show where these stats, costs and rules come from. Updates to the game may change them.

Data version: d567c6da

Data version →