10 games like Pokemon for the discerning trainer

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The best games like Pokemon can take you on all sorts of adventures that capture the same kind of spirit as Nintendo's beloved RPG series. Whether you enjoy the creature collecting aspect, or battling with a party, there are all manner of great games out there that will scratch the same itch.

We've seen lots of Pokemon entries over the console generations, with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet being the latest big installment. And with new games coming our way all the time, this list is here to help you wait it out for the likes of the upcoming Pokemon Legends Z-A.

The series' success over the years has naturally inspired a lot of Pokemon-likes that draw on the RPG's mechanics or formula. While some are closer to clones, others put their own playful, creative spins on creature-collecting and battling. From open-world experiences with companion creatures to adventure alongside, to experiences with turn-based battles, and much more, read on below as we take you through our pick of the best games like Pokemon around so you can dive right into something fresh after you've caught 'em all.

1. Temtem

Developer: Crema
Available on: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch

Temtem is basically Pokemon, the MMO. It's still in Early Access, but there's more than enough to give us a taste of life exploring Omninesia’s floating islands, catching Temtems, and battling other players. Like Pokemon it's all about trapping, training, and competing with your team of adorable creatures, ultimately taking on the Archipelago's eight tough dojo trainers. It's a chance for PC players to catch the creature-collecting bug and another outlet for anyone who has already mastered Pokemon, with the addition of real people running around the world for extra combat opportunities. The game is getting updates all the time, with new events, new missions, new cosmetics, new Temtem, and more added on a regular basis.

2. Palworld

Developer: Pocketpair
Available on: PC, Xbox Series X/S

It's all too easy to compare Palworld to Pokemon. The open-world survival game from developer Pocketpair shares similarities with some of the later Pokemon games, only you can wield various weapons in combat, and have the creatures known as Pals not only fight alongside you, they can also lend you a hand in various ways.  From helping you craft structures to providing resources, you can also put them to work tending to your farm or factory.

3. Ooblets

Developer: Glumberland
Available on: Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC

Ooblets is a little game where you grow and collect tiny, adorable creatures called Ooblets. These little beasts will tag along behind you as you explore the world of Oob, and can be used in dance battles against other Ooblet collectors. With farming elements, Animal Crossing-esque home designing, a whole host of characters to befriend, and help, Ooblets has a little bit of everything. It's still in early access, but there are new updates and additions regularly, making this a little adorable idyll to escape to on the regular.

4.  World of Final Fantasy Maxima

Developer: Square Enix
Available on: PC, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch

World of Final Fantasy has a lot of similarities to the classic Pokemon RPGs we know and love. You follow the journey of twins Lann and Reynn who are suffering from amnesia and don’t remember anything about their past. They are greeted by a mysterious woman who tells them they are Mirage keepers in the land of Gymoire. Mirages are monsters not unlike Pokemon who the twins can capture and train to fight for them.

The land is inhabited by chibi-like people known as Lilikins, which is why everyone looks like cutesy Final Fantasy characters. The twins go through a portal to Gymoire to help battle against the Bahamutian Army who seek to destroy it. As they journey across the lands, they encounter other Final Fantasy characters who belong to different factions. Originally released in 2016, World of Final Fantasy got a bit of an update and re-release with Maxima in 2018. The upgraded version adds even more Mirages to encounter, and more well-known Final Fantasy characters to meet, including Noctis, Lightening, and Yuna.

5. Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin

Developer: Capcom
Available on: PC, Nintendo Switch

The second instalment in the Monster Hunter Stories series is a great adventure to step into if you're looking for something to play after Pokemon. After setting out from your home of Hakolo Island to become a Rider, you find yourself swept up in a journey that sees you bond with friendly monsters known as Monsties. The monsters you befriend will become your loyal companions that join your party not unlike Pokemon, and many different kinds of Monsties can be found throughout the world. You can hatch Monsties from eggs that can be found in dens and raise them to join your adventures. While the first game is a great place to start on the 3DS, the follow-up is easy to get into if you haven't done played its predecessor.

6. Cassette Beasts

Developer: Bytten Studio
Available on: PC, Xbox Series X/S, Switch

Cassette Beasts is sure to make any Pokemon fan's heart soar. Alongside its charming pixelated art style that feels like a throwback to the classic handheld Pokemon games, it also features turn-based battles and plenty of creatures to collect. While there are similarities, Cassette Beasts stands out in its own unique way thanks to its fun, musically-infused concept that sees you record beasts to cassette tapes and combine the powers of beasts to transform them.

7. Slime Rancher

Developer: Monomi Park
Available on: PC, Xbox One, PS4

In Slime Rancher you’ve still gotta catch ‘em all, it’s just a bit more... well, slimy. As rancher Beatrix LeBeau, you explore the lands with your trusty vacpack. The objective is to capture different kinds of cute slimes you can find bouncing around the lands by sucking them up. You then plop the happy little blobs into your ranch and feed them until they drop plorts - slime droppings that act as the game’s currency. There’s a whole variety of different slimes that each have their own Plorts worth different values.

Slimes will also evolve and grow, so if a pink slime eats a different kind of slime’s plort, they’ll evolve and turn into a unique slime. If you think about it, it works in a similar way to exposing, say, Eevee, to a certain type of evolution stone. By experimenting with plorts and slimes, you can create your very own special slimes and discover a whole host of different variants to rake in the big bucks. But beware, some slimes will attack you, and if you create too many you’ll be bombarded and be the cause of your very own adorable death trap.

8.  Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon: Every Buddy!

Developer: h.a.n.d
Available on: PS4, Nintendo Switch

The latest in the Mystery Dungeon series, you play as a Chocobo and his pal Cid who are treasure hunters journeying through dungeons in order to help the town of Lostime. The townspeople have lost their memories thanks to the Bell of Oblivion that causes them to forget every time it rings. As the lovable Final Fantasy bird and his buddy, you have to recover their memories and restore what was once lost. Each person's memory is locked in different dungeons which are randomly generated, so you never know what traps or challenges await you. The dungeons and battles aren’t too dissimilar to those you find in Pokemon RPGs. As you traverse through the dungeons you’ll encounter various monsters who you can befriend using the buddy system. The monsters will then fight with you in the dungeons and help ease your way through some tough battles. Pokemon has already popped up in this long-running series, with the latest version being Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon on the 3DS back in 2016, so if you enjoyed that, you'll love this just as much.

9.  Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth

Developer: h.a.n.d
Available on: PC, PS4

Although we’ve already included a Digimon title in our list, Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth is worth a mention because of how different it is to Digimon World: Next Order. Instead of being limited to just two Digimon and solely focusing on raising them, you have a unlimited amount of different Digimon to train and fight with you as you progress through a proper story.

There's no real-time fighting in this one either - Sleuth’s turn-based system is closer to the fighting style in Pokemon. While Next Order took place in a green open-world, the story of Cyber Sleuth takes place in EDEN, a digital cyberspace that's predominantly used by hackers. You play as an amateur hacker who joins the digital community and gets granted the ability to tame Digimon and battle with them. But things take a turn when EDEN gets infected by a virus that affects all its users. You start out with a choice of one of three starter Digimon just like you do in Pokemon, and you can also capture others as you journey through the digital world to find the source of the virus.

10. Monster Sanctuary

Developer: moi rai games
Available on: PC, Switch, PS4, Xbox One

Starting its life as a Kickstarter project, Monster Sanctuary has come a long way and is definitely worth your time. Like Pokemon, you create teams of monsters to take on wild monsters, and like Pokemon Yellow back in the day (or the more recent Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee titles), you can have one of your party follow on behind you. These followers though, embody the traversal elements originally captured by the HMs in the Pokemon series. It's not quite the same, but it does add an interesting distinction for Monster Sanctuary. It's also a beautiful, side-scrolling 2D pixel art adventure, which helps offer something a little different for Pokemon fans.

Looking to discover more great games? Why not check out our pick of the best RPGs you can play right now.