A player’s active party can hold six Pokémon in the main Pokémon games.
The six-Pokémon party limit is a core rule of the series’ role-playing game structure. Players can catch many more Pokémon, but only six are carried as the active team at one time. Extra Pokémon are sent to storage boxes, where they can later be selected for a party.
The limit creates a meaningful team-building challenge. Trainers must choose a manageable group with different types, moves, abilities, and roles instead of bringing every captured Pokémon into a battle. A full party also leaves room for substitutions when a matchup is unfavorable.
The number six is separate from the number of Pokémon a player may own overall. Storage capacity has changed substantially across generations, but the active party rule has remained a recognizable constant of the main series.