The Challenge Pays More Than a Normal Day
A normal day of friendship gives 1 point from one interaction. The Weekly Friendship Challenge, completed through party play on Mondays at 4pm Pacific, grants 8 friendship points on the day you finish it. That is the equivalent of eight days of gift opening compressed into one session (Eurogamer, 2026).
It also raises your Lucky Friends odds. A normal day gives one roll at the Lucky Friends chance. Challenge completion day gives two rolls, doubling that day's shot at the guaranteed Lucky trade status (Niantic Help Center, 2026).
What the Challenge Asks You to Do
The challenge runs once per week and uses party play, a group mode for up to four players. Matchmaking was added in January 2026, so you no longer need three real life friends online at once. Tandemaus encounters are part of the reward track, giving you a Pokemon that evolves into a three member family (Polygon, 2026).
The tasks are light: open gifts, send gifts, spin stops, and complete a short party play session. The point is to pull you back once a week and keep multiple friendships warm at the same time (Eurogamer, 2026).
The 8 point reward is best valued against the remote trade refill, not the initial climb. Eight points is nearly 9 percent of the 90 point post trade segment. One challenge per week turns a 90 day wait into roughly 11 weeks, and that ignores the second Lucky Friends roll you also bank.
When It Is Not Worth Your Time
If you have no Forever Friends goal and no Best Friends you are trying to push, the challenge is just free items and a Tandemaus. The friendship math only matters if you are climbing toward 180 points or refilling after a remote trade. Casual players still benefit from the items, but the point bonus is the real prize for trade focused accounts (Pokemon GO Hub, 2025).
Frequently Asked Questions
How many friendship points does the challenge give?
8 points on the day you complete it, plus 2 Lucky Friends rolls instead of 1 (Niantic Help Center, 2026).
What time does it run?
Mondays at 4pm Pacific. Matchmaking lets you fill a party without friends present (Polygon, 2026).
Does it work for any friend?
It applies to the friends you interact with during the challenge window, so you can push several friendships at once (Eurogamer, 2026).
Is Tandemaus the only reward?
No. You also get items and the friendship point boost. Tandemaus is the headline encounter, not the whole reward (Polygon, 2026).
Final Thought
For anyone chasing Forever Friends or refilling a remote trade bar, the Weekly Challenge is the single biggest free friendship source in the game. Eight points and a second Lucky roll every Monday is math you cannot get from gifts alone. Show up each week and the 90 point refill shrinks from three months to under twelve weeks.