15 Must-Play Games Like Pokémon

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to explore an immersive fantasy world with a team of unique monsters at your side? What about battling tough opponents and defeating an evil team set on world domination? For millions of people across the globe, Pokémon has been providing this adventure since it launched in 1996. And with great success comes innovation, including a flood of games like Pokémon being created in the wake of the franchise’s success.

Below, we’ll take a look at some of the best Pokémon-like games you can play today, and a few to look forward to in the future. Whether you’re a fan of the classic formula or want a fresh take, there’s something here for you.

Best Games Like Pokémon at a Glance

Game	Rating	Platforms
Palworld	4.5/5 on Steam	Xbox, PlayStation, Windows, macOS
Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom	80/100 on Metacritic	Windows, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
Slime Rancher	81/100 on Metacritic	Windows, macOS, Linux, Xbox, PlayStation, Switch
Digimon World: Next Order	68/100 on Metacritic	PlayStation, Switch, Windows
Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince	72/100 on Metacritic	Windows, Android, iOS, Switch
Cassette Beasts	83/100 on Metacritic	Windows, Linux, Xbox, Switch, iOS, Android
Monster Sanctuary	74/100 on Metacritic	Switch, Xbox, PlayStation, Windows, Linux, macOS
Coromon	73/100 on Metacritic	Android, iOS, Switch, Windows, Linux, macOS
Temtem	73/100 on Metacritic	Windows, Switch, PlayStation, Xbox
Nexomon Extinction	71/100 on Metacritic	Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Switch, Xbox, PlayStation
Monster Hunter Stories 1 and 2	76/100 on Metacritic 81/100 on Metacritic	Android, iOS, Windows, PlayStation, Switch
World of Final Fantasy	77/100 on Metacritic	Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, Windows
Siralim Ultimate	9/10 on Steam	Windows, Linux, macOS, Switch, Android, iOS
Shin Megami Tensei	84/100 on Metacritic	Switch, PlayStation, Windows, Xbox
Monster Crown	62/100 on Metacritic	Windows, Linux, macOS, Switch, Xbox, PlayStation

Traditionally, core series Pokémon games are only available on handheld consoles. However, these Pokémon game alternatives are available on console and PC, giving you more ways to play monster collectors.

1. Palworld

Often called Pokémon with guns, 2024’s Palworld is a fairly new Pokémon-like game in that it offers an open world and many interesting ways to play. Play with friends and lean into the social aspects of gaming as you build a base, give your Pals guns, or race them in your own modified world.

While this isn’t an RPG title, there are plenty of ways to immerse in this world. This includes character customization and a survival system that helps each adventure with your Pals feel more realistic. Not to mention, you can also engage in thrilling PvP and PvE gameplay that ups the challenge factor of this title.

This popular title is only going to get bigger, so it might help to get in on the ground floor. It might even inspire games like Pokémon Go, if we’re lucky.

2. Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom

Have you ever wanted to fight alongside your Pokémon? In Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom, you control a party of characters you can battle with. You won’t fight alone, though — alongside your three party characters, you can have up to four Higgledies helping you in combat. 

Higgledies are small creatures that replace Familiars, which players of previous installments in the Ni no Kuni franchise may be familiar with. In this title, you can collect 100 Higgledies, each representing one of six main types: normal, water, fire, wind, light, and dark.

Alongside the adorable Higgledies, Ni no Kuni II offers a wide variety of gameplay options to enjoy. From linear quests to open-world exploration, you can spend dozens of hours uncovering the secrets of this world in one of the top games like Pokémon on PS5.

3. Slime Rancher

Pokémon meets farm life in this monster-taming title. In Slime Rancher, you play as Beatrix LeBeau, a rancher living on a distant planet.

Instead of focusing on combat, like in other Pokémon alternatives, this game focuses on discovering and learning more about slimes, the gelatinous inhabitants of this planet. This includes collecting slimes, feeding and raising them, and even creating slime hybrids.

While this game has an overall slice-of-life feel, you do need to be cautious of slimes known as Tarr. These aggressive slimes can eat your other slimes and deal damage to you. Thankfully, you can easily defeat these malevolent slimes by disintegrating them with fresh water.

4. Digimon World: Next Order

Digimon has long been one of the big games like Pokémon, and Next Order illustrates the most recent exploration of its gameplay and world. This story-driven experience has you take on the Machinedramon threat as you restore order, foster a relationship with your Digimon, and even build a town in which to live.

Similar to Pokémon, you can also choose from 10 different partner Digimon. Then, once you enter this game’s open world, there are over 200 Digimon to discover.

5. Temtem

If you’re anything like every Pokémon player ever, you’ve dreamed of the game extended into the landscape of MMORPGs. This is Temtem’s goal, dropping players into an active world within the stunning Airborne Archipelago. Temtem embraces t true social core of MMORPGs and understands the genre perfectly.

It’s not just about adventuring in Temtem: you’ll also follow an active story, build your house, and, of course, battle to see who’s best. Don’t worry if you go in solo either; Temtem still supports lone players while you search for friends among the game’s digital islands.

6. Monster Sanctuary

Monster Sanctuary adds a twist on pet-collecting gameplay as a new Pokémon-like game that spreads its wings into the Metroidvania genre. 

With pixel graphics reminiscent of early Pokémon titles, this 2D platformer offers an enormous world to explore and plenty of monsters to discover.

While the battles in Monster Sanctuary still operate with turn-based strategy rules, traversal is handled with an expertly crafted platformer system. You’ll unlock paths as you gain new monsters, create effective combos, and explore the skill trees to make your team the best of the best in one of the finest Pokémon-like games on Steam.

7. World of Final Fantasy

The dynamics and challenges of Final Fantasy combine with the monster-collecting themes of Pokémon in this 2016 title. World of Final Fantasy launches you headfirst into the fantastical world of Grymoire.

As you tiptoe the line between safe zones and puzzle-filled dungeons, you can encounter befriendable monsters known as Mirages. Not only can Mirages lend a hand in battle, which uses an ATB system, but they’re also essential to progressing through the navigable world, like by using them as mounts.

The Best Games Like Pokémon Available on Mobile

Have you ever wanted to take the joys of monster collecting on the go? These games like Pokémon are available on Android and/or iOS, letting you take the fun with you. Plus, many of these titles are available on other platforms as well.

Discover the best mobile games like Pokémon below.

8. Cassette Beasts

Cassette Beasts was released in April 2023 and quickly revealed itself as a contender for the best game similar to Pokémon. Also one of the best RPGs, Cassette Beasts takes place in the third person as you capture and battle monsters on a quest to return home.

To capture the beasts, you’ll use your cassette player, which also functions as the menu system both in and out of battle. As the name suggests, Cassette Beasts adopts a kind of analog tech aesthetic, bolstered by charming graphics that mimic the old overworld designs of previous Pokémon generations.

Still, Cassette Beasts finds a unique voice as one of the best Pokémon like games on Xbox to play in 2025.

9. Coromon

Coromon is more traditional in its steps to create a new game like Pokémon, and it succeeds in its efforts. Here, you’ll don the shoes of a Battle Researcher as you uncover a mysterious threat to the world, find the perfect squad, and witness some astoundingly beautiful 2D graphics.

When playing Coromon we couldn’t help but think that if Pokémon kept to its 2D roots, this is probably how the games would look today. There’s a lot to love in this one, including a randomizer mode to keep replays fresh. Plus, it’s part of a greater franchise if you enjoy the single-player content Coromon provides.

Players who prefer tablet systems can also download Coromon from Google Play or the App Store since this title finds itself among the Pokémon-like mobile games lineup.

10. Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is the seventh installment in the Dragon Quest Monsters franchise. It was first released in 2023 but only for Switch — it later became available for other platforms in late 2024. This monster-taming RPG offers single- and multiplayer support, making it a great option for Pokémon fans wanting a similar game to play with friends.

One unique feature of The Dark Prince is its season cycle. As you progress through the game, time passes and the seasons change, which alters the environment around you. This then impacts the type of monsters available.

11. Nexomon: Extinction

Don’t let the name fool you — Nexomon Extinction is a bright and cheerful game similar to Pokémon with a wealth of positive aspects. Built on a cell-shaded 3D look, this genuinely funny game is a simpler take on the formula that, nonetheless, still manages to captivate.

With over 300 monsters spread across nine elemental types, exploration and turn-based combat in this game is equally fun and challenging. 

While it might not be one of the more realistic games, Nexomon: Extinction is still easily one of the best-looking and fun games like Pokémon on Steam today. Plus it’s among the greatest Pokemon-like games for iOS.

12. Monster Hunter Stories 1 and 2

Originally released for the 3DS and Switch, respectively, Monster Hunter Stories 1 and 2 have come to PC with all their fantastic gameplay intact. These titles have you take the sneaky approach of stealing eggs which, while ethically questionable, probably makes the beasts you capture easier to domesticate.

You’ll also fight alongside your buddies in this game, with each taking RPG roles to make up the greater party. In all, this title is a fantastic entry that you don’t need to be a Monster Hunter fan to enjoy.

13. Siralim Ultimate

Pokémon meets medieval in this 2D RPG. This game is known for its depth, with over 1,200 creatures to discover and collect, procedurally generated dungeons, and a challenging storyline that can require some grinding. 

Instead of evolving your monsters in this game, a key component of Pokémon titles, you can fuse them together to create a new hybrid monster. This helps you craft the perfect team for your needs, making navigating the endless dungeons available equally a test of skill and a practice of trial and error.

14. Shin Megami Tensei

First released in 1987, Megami Tensei didn’t start as a monster collector like the not-yet-released Pokémon franchise. Instead, its early games focused on RPG and dungeon crawler elements. 

However, with the release of Shin Megami Tensei V in 2021, we’ve seen this game grow into a great Pokémon alternative, balancing the RPG themes of its previous installments with monster collecting. In Shin Megami Tensei V, dive headfirst into the post-apocalyptic realm of Da’at and run, dash, and slash your way into greatness alongside a wide variety of collectible demons.

15. Monster Crown

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a Pokémon professor? Monster Crown includes turn-based combat, but much of this game focuses instead on breeding and collecting monsters. While there are only 200 base monsters to discover, through the game’s breeding mechanics, you can uncover over 1,000 different monsters.

This title also takes its RPG genre to heart, as the decisions you make as you progress through the story can alter its ending and the post-game.

Upcoming Pokémon Games

There are dozens of games like Pokémon to discover, giving you new worlds to explore and new monsters to befriend. However, while these titles can be a great way to spend your free time, there are also some new additions to the Pokémon franchise planned for release.

There is also an online trading card game for Pokémon, Pokemon TCG Live, with regular updates if you’re interested in experiencing Pokémon games in a new way. This game brings the fun of the original Pokémon tabletop to desktop and mobile.

Here are some of the upcoming games in the Pokémon franchise to watch for in the next few years.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A (2025)

First announced in February 2024, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is set to release in late 2025. Following a similar structure as 2022’s Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Z-A sees the player back in Lumiose City, Kalos, for a new adventure.

You can choose from three previous starter Pokémon before exploring Lumiose City as it undergoes a redevelopment plan, creating a city where Pokémon and humans coexist. This title also strays away from Pokémon’s traditional turn-based combat, instead opting for a real-time combat system that takes into account your positioning and timing.

Pokémon Gen 10 (2026)

Pokémon Legends: Z-A isn’t the only game in this franchise to keep an eye out for. Although there aren’t any official details available yet, many fans are speculating that a new core series Pokémon game will be released next year, coinciding with the company’s 30th anniversary.

Games Like Pokemon FAQ

Monster taming and collecting games have been popular for decades, with a variety of games like Pokémon to play. Below, discover answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about games like Pokémon.

What Is the New Game People Call “Pokemon With Guns?”

Have you heard people mentioning a game like “Pokémon with guns”? If so, then you might have heard people discussing Palworld — a game like Pokémon that also introduces different weapons like bows, handguns, rifles, and even rocket launchers.

Are There Any Free Games Similar to Pokemon?

If you’re looking for a game like Pokémon that’s free, one of the top choices is Pokémon Unite, a multiplayer mobile game. This Pokémon Company-published title is completely free to play, and it blends familiar Pokémon with MOBA gameplay.

Which Games Like Pokémon Have the Most Creatures To Collect?

Most of the games like Pokémon on our list have at least 100 new creatures to capture and tame. However, Siralim Ultimate and Monster Crown both offer over 1,000 monsters.

Looking for New RPGs Similar to Pokémon?

A beloved Japanese game, Pokémon took the world by storm with its release, and it has only continued to grow since 1996. A household name in the genre of monster taming and collecting, it’s no surprise that millions of people around the world have picked up at least one title in this franchise.

Whether you’re looking for your next RPG virtual monster-collecting adventure or patiently awaiting the next Pokémon release, there are hundreds of similar titles to explore. Alongside our curation of the best games like Pokémon, discover your next must-play game and dive into a new journey today.