The Best Games Like Pokemon To Scratch That Monster Taming Itch

Jason Coles
·6 min read


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Are you looking for the best games like Pokemon? With a new Pokemon game about to release there are going to be a lot of players bitten by the monster-taming craze. However, while Pokemon might be one of the most popular franchises about catching and raising cute little creatures, it’s not the only one, and arguably, it’s not even the best one.

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There’s a whole world of games out there waiting for you to find them, run around in the grass near them, weaken them, and then convince them to join your cause. Alright, that’s probably not how people buy games, but there are some truly excellent games that are like Pokemon but, ultimately, a lot easier to play because they’re not stuck on the Nintendo Switch.

The Best Games Like Pokemon

Digimon Cyber Sleuth: Complete Edition

Best Overall

Digmon might be the natural rival to Pokemon, at least for some people, but in our opinion, Digimon truly are the champions. While it’s been a little while since we’ve gotten a classic Digimon game, Cyber Sleuth is a truly standout monster collecting game, and it has a very in-depth story too.

Not only is this a fantastic game for people who like to put a lot of love and care into their monsters, but the complete edition actually comes with two games, which means even more gameplay. Grab this if you can, and you’ll have a blast.


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World of Final Fantasy Maxima

Runner-Up

World of Final Fantasy Maxima takes all of the wonderful monsters from the Final Fantasy series, makes them adorable, and then lets you stack them on top of each other. You play as a pair of siblings with a deeply messed up past who are trying to save the world.

To do this, you’ll need to keep catching new monsters, training them, and then figuring out how to stack them on each other to create powerful teams that can’t be toppled. It’s an incredibly fun game to play with some fairly easy-to-grasp gameplay that makes it good for beginners, and also some incredibly hard challenges for more hardcore players.


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Siralim Ultimate

Most Technical

If your idea of the perfect Pokemon game is one that you should play while looking at a spreadsheet, then Siralim Ultimate is for you. This game has you trying to save the world while fusing monsters together to create powerhouses unique to your party.

There are loads of stats to juggle, 1,000s of monsters to try out, and a potential unending endgame too. Plus, if you’re the kind of person that likes gaming on the go, Siralim Ultimate is also available on mobile phones.


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Temtem

Best Multiplayer

Temtem was in Early Access for what has felt like several decades, but the full release is available now, and you can hop into this modern monster-taming game properly. Temtem is a more online experience than most are used to, but that means you can actually play it with friends if you want to.

Everything you’d expect from one of the best games like Pokemon is here, but the type matchups are all different, and you’ll need to be prepared for a lot more 2v2 fights. The art style is cute too, which always helps.


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Monster Crown

Most Adult

Monster Crown asks “what if Pokemon was just really, really messed up and dark.” This old-school-looking game has you trying to restore balance to Crown Island by hunting, taming, and most importantly breeding your critters to make them as strong as possible.

This game doesn’t shy away from some of the darker things that could happen in a world like this though. It’s a little edgy at times, but the gameplay is exquisite, and it’s also available on most platforms which is always a good thing.


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Monster Sanctuary

Most Interesting Twist

Monster Sanctuary has a fairly standard story, but it makes itself completely revolutionary in how it plays. While battles are turn-based, there’s a twist on it by having combos be relevant. Whichever creature goes last on your team will have their damage or healing boosted depending on how many hits you’ve landed so far.

Not only that, but you explore this world side-on as a Metroidvania. That means you get new abilities that help you double-jump or burn down obstacles as you go. It’s a really interesting take on monster-taming, and it’s excellent.


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Coromon

Best Classic Option

Coromon only came out in 2022, but it very quickly cemented itself as being the kind of Pokemon game that fans just hadn’t had in a long time. It’s got puzzles galore, adventures all over the place, and some really cool settings to make it more replayable too.

It helps that the monster design is wonderfully diverse, and it also adds a few more layrs onto combat to make things feel a bit more involved. If you’re looking for a game like Pokemon that feels both deeply committed to the formula and also kind of revolutionary, then this is it.


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Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin

Best Spin-Off

Monster Hunter is a series all about killing gigantic beasts and turning them into an incredibly over-the-top weapon, or a really nice belt. Monster Hunter Stories is a bit friendlier, and casts you as a Rider, a person who befriends and controls monsters known as Monsties.

There’s a huge amount of complexity when it comes to how you build your team and breed different Monsties, but at its core, it’s just a very bombastic monster-taming game. It helps a lot if you’re a fan of the main series, but it’s not essential.


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Slime Rancher 2

Most Unusual

Alright look, Slime Rancher 2 doesn’t have you battling your little critters, but it does have you vacuum them up, and that’s similar? While this is technically in Early Access at the moment, it already feels like a feature-complete game.

You take control of Beatrix LaBeau as she adventures around Rainbow Island to discover more ruins, ancient technology, and most importantly, loads of slimes. You then have to use those slimes to help you farm, breed them into weird combinations, and just generally look after them too.


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Persona 5 Royal

Best For JRPG Fans

Finally, one of the best games like Pokemon is Persona 5 Royal. While not a traditional monster-catching game, Persona 5 Royal has you taking control of a group of teenagers who want to save the world by changing villainous hearts.

You do this by fighting off a bevvy of different demons, catching them, and then fusing them into more powerful demons. It’s also got a dating system in it, and while that’s not for everyone, some people are going to get very into it.


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