Google Gemini Crashes With Pokémon, Simulates Panic

Google discovered something unexpected about the Gemini 2.5 Pro : when it plays Pokémon , it goes into meltdown. And when that happens, its reasoning skills go out the window.

Gemini loses lucidity while playing Pokémon

In its latest report , Google explains that Gemini 2.5 Pro shows signs of panic when its Pokémon are about to be defeated. This doesn’t mean the AI ​​feels emotions, of course. But the behavior perfectly mimics that of a person under stress. It makes hasty and bad decisions, stops following effective strategies, and becomes confused.

For months now, two independent developers have been creating Twitch channels called “ Gemini Plays Pokémon ” and “ Claude Plays Pokémon .” Anyone can tune in and watch in real time as these AIs try to complete a 25-year-old children’s game. The interesting thing is that you can see their reasoning process . It’s like reading a machine’s thoughts. The results are curious. It takes Gemini hundreds of hours to complete what a child would do in much less time.

Claude from Anthropic is no exception…

Anthropic's Claude has been even stranger. At one point, he realized that when Pokémon run out of energy, they return to a Pokémon Center. Stuck in the cave of Mt. Moon, Claude thought that if he intentionally knocked out all of his Pokémon, he would be teleported to the Pokémon Center in the next town. Unfortunately, that's not how it works. When all of your Pokémon die, you return to the last Pokémon Center you visited, not the closest one geographically. Viewers watched in horror as the AI ​​seemed to be acting “suicidally.”

Gemini ’s “panic” has become so obvious that even Twitch users have noticed. The AI ​​suddenly stops using certain tools at its disposal and its performance visibly deteriorates. It’s a behavior that happens often enough that it’s become a recognizable phenomenon for those watching the stream.

Why is it useful to test AI with video games?

Despite these issues, there are areas where AI beats humans. The Gemini 2.5 Pro can solve boulder puzzles with impressive accuracy.

Studying how AIs play video games may seem like a waste of time, but it actually reveals a lot about how these models work. Traditional benchmarks often say little about the true capabilities of AI. Seeing Gemini strutting his stuff over Pokémon shows that even the most advanced AIs can develop unpredictable and even human-like behaviors!