Halloween Challenge 2026 ​
The Halloween Challenge runs from October 16 until October 31, 2026. It has three stages: find three hidden cards, create a character based on them, and catch ghosts. Everyone who takes part gets the Black Cat profile theme, and the top three places win CHI.
How do I join? ​
The first time you open the app after the Halloween update, a pop-up asks whether you want to take part in the Halloween Challenge. Tap yes to join.
Your answer is final. If you decline, you cannot join later, and if you join, you cannot leave. Read the pop-up before you answer.
Where do I find the challenge? ​
On mobile: open the side bar menu and tap Halloween 26, just above Home.
On web: click Halloween 26 in the top navigation bar.
The challenge page holds all the details: the rules, the cards you have found so far, your progress through the three stages and the rewards.
Stage 1: Find the three cards ​
The whole app is decorated for Halloween: ghosts, spider webs, bugs, lanterns, cats and more. Every decoration can be tapped, but only one of them hides a card, and it looks exactly like the others. Tap decorations anywhere in the app until you find it. Some decorations just say "Boo" when tapped. That means nothing; keep looking.
When you find the card, a "You found me" card opens. You can read it right away or later on the challenge page. After you find a card there is a 30-minute cooldown: no decoration hides a card during that time, so there is no point tapping through the app until it passes.
A few things to know:
- You need three cards in total. Each card holds one requirement for the character you will create in Stage 2.
- Everyone gets different requirements, so nobody can copy another player's cards.
- The decorations refresh when you reopen the app, enter a chat or move to another page.
Once you have all three cards, Stage 2 unlocks.
Stage 2: Create your challenge character ​
Create a new character the normal way. Before saving, the app asks whether this character is for the Halloween Challenge. Say yes.
Only one character can be your challenge entry, so make it the one you want judged. Once submitted, the character is read-only until the Ghost Catch window closes.
The usual pre-save check gets one extra step: the app compares your character with the three requirements from your cards. If it matches, the character is saved and Stage 3 unlocks. If it does not, the app tells you what to change, and you can fix it and try again.
The last moment to submit your character is October 30, 2026, 00:00 UTC.
Stage 3: The ghost hunt (Ghost Catch) ​
Ghost Catch does not start when you finish your character. It runs in a fixed window:
| UTC | |
|---|---|
| Ghost Catch opens | October 29, 2026, 12:00 |
| Last moment to submit your character (Stage 2) | October 30, 2026, 00:00 |
| Ghost Catch closes | October 31, 2026, 18:00 |
The Halloween page shows these dates in UTC. Convert them to your own time zone.
Your personal moment ​
When your character is accepted, the app picks a random moment for you inside the window, between the opening on October 29 at 12:00 UTC and October 31 at 07:12 UTC. That moment is fixed and never changes. Until it comes, the Halloween page shows Stage 3 as waiting, with the window dates.
Everyone gets at least 10 hours between their moment and the close of the window.
How the game appears ​
When your moment comes and you are on the Home screen, the Ghost Catch invitation appears. It will not interrupt you while you are typing, in a chat or inside a pop-up. You press Start yourself. You can postpone once, by 10 minutes or by 1 hour.
If the app is closed at your moment, nothing is lost. The game stays ready for you and appears the next time you open the app on the Home screen, any time before the window closes on October 31 at 18:00 UTC.
You also get a heads-up when your moment arrives. If you use the AICHIKI app on your phone with notifications allowed, you receive a push notification; tapping it opens the Home screen where the game is waiting. If push is off, or you use AICHIKI in a browser, you receive one email with an "Open AICHIKI" button instead. A note also appears under the bell icon in the app.
How the game works ​
After a 10-second countdown, ghosts appear and disappear across your screen for 60 seconds. Tap as many as you can.
You get one attempt, but an interrupted game waits for you. If you switch apps, lose your connection, press pause or stop tapping for 4 seconds, the game pauses and keeps your score and your remaining time. When you come back, press Continue: a fresh 10-second countdown runs, then play resumes where it stopped. The first time the game pauses because you stopped tapping, it hands you back the last 3 seconds. Ghosts that were on screen when the game paused no longer count.
You can continue a paused game until the window closes on October 31 at 18:00 UTC. After that a paused game cannot be resumed, and if you never started one, Stage 3 counts as missed.
What you earn ​
Every full ten ghosts caught earns 10 CHI:
- 20 ghosts give 20 CHI
- 19 ghosts give 10 CHI
- Fewer than 10 ghosts give nothing
The CHI is added to your balance and appears in your CHI History as "Halloween Challenge mini game". Your exact ghost count, not the rounded one, goes into the ranking.
How are the winners chosen? ​
Every challenge character is scored on how well it matches its three cards and how well it is made. The characters are scored by one person on the AICHIKI team, not by the moderator team, so moderators can take part in the challenge too.
Your character's points are added to the number of ghosts you caught. The three highest totals win.
What are the prizes? ​
- Everyone who takes part: the Black Cat profile theme
- 1st place: 1,000 CHI
- 2nd place: 500 CHI
- 3rd place: 250 CHI
Winners are announced on October 31 or November 1.
Do I have to do everything in one day? ​
No. Each stage unlocks when you finish the one before, and you can take your time between them. There are two fixed deadlines: your character must be submitted by October 30, 2026, 00:00 UTC, and the ghost hunt must be played before the window closes on October 31, 2026, 18:00 UTC. If you want to be among the first finishers, the app records when you complete each stage.
Still Need Help? ​
If a decoration will not open, your character fails the check and you do not understand why, or the ghost hunt did not appear during the window, feel free to contact our support team.