Given Palworld's recent breakout success, there's clearly a lot of interest in this sort of game. Monster taming. Creature capturing. Beast catching. Demon recruiting. Spirit handling. Whatever you call it, the genre has extended beyond simple turn-based fighting mechanics from several decades ago. Not all of these are as action or survival-focused as Palworld, but the genre is so expansive that you may end up discovering new monsters, characters, and games from our list. Below, we've assembled a list of games you should check out if you're looking for something like Palworld or Pokemon to play next.
Cassette Beasts
Available on: Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Cassette Beasts is charming, pleasant, and has an underlying horror that just grabs you when you see it. This is what would happen if we had technological monstrosities taking over the real world, though this time on the remote island of New Wirral. All of the creatures have unique designs, types, and evolved forms more reminiscent of technology and appliances. A couple of hours into the game, one wondrous combat mechanic unlocks in fusion, which allows you to fuse two monsters together in a battle. This is only temporary for that turn-based fight, but it showcases such imaginatively striking combinations with your favorite beasts. With local co-op multiplayer, two players choose three beasts they each can direct, and the collaborative team effort of finding hidden areas together is a constant joy. The game oozes with creativity and the nightmarish stylistic aesthetic on certain bosses work as an incredible foil to the already adorable pixel art style the game showcases.
Chocobo Mystery Dungeon: Every Buddy
Available on: Switch, PS4
This cutesy classically styled roguelike starring the Final Fantasy mascot may not immediately seem Pokemon-like, and in many ways, it isn't. But what it lacks in specific mechanics it makes up for with that same collecting spirit. As Chocobo explores dungeons, they'll find tons of other notable Final Fantasy monsters and creatures and bring them aboard as buddies--hence the name, "Every Buddy." Half the fun of Pokemon is finding a variety of creatures to recruit into your party, and Chocobo Mystery Dungeon: Every Buddy scratches that same itch with the familiar faces of Final Fantasy.
Coromon
Available on: Switch, PC, iOS
Coromon is decidedly retro, with a pixel-based art style that looks to emulate the earliest days of the Pokemon series. It's one of the most faithful Pokemon-likes around, letting you collect, train, and battle more than 100 creatures with elemental skills. Within that framework it does have some unique twists, like a stamina system that defines your combat actions and a flexible difficulty system that lets you customize the game to your own comfort level, including an easy mode that lets you just experience the story, and even a randomizer feature to mix up your experience. If you like the core ideas of Pokemon but want to see it riffed on, this is a good pick.
Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Complete Edition
Available on: Switch, PC
Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth is always the first recommendation for diving into the prolific digital monster series. Cyber Sleuth is very different from the prolific Digimon World series, which is more known as breeding or training Digimon, and instead focuses on 3v3 turn-based combat as a cyber detective or hacker. The Complete Edition includes more than 300 Digimon, all of the game's DLC (including the Hacker's Memory story), and quality-of-life changes. Put simply, Cyber Sleuth is Digimon meets Persona. Being able to fuse your Digimon to create a monstrous trio to solve the digital mysteries in the game's intriguing narrative is an excellent first journey into this franchise.
Digimon World: Next Order
Available on: Switch, PS4, PC
Unlike Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth, Digimon World: Next Order is more akin to training, breeding, and having Digimon fight in an enclosed 3D space. This is actually a direct sequel to the original Digimon World on PlayStation story-wise. You start off by choosing two different Digimon among 10 choices who join you on your journey into the digital world. The game features an expansive overworld, allowing you to choose how to tackle the game's exploration. When engaging in battles in the overworld, you are on the sidelines cheering on your Digimon to fight. You can dictate your Digimon's overall approach, like going all in or using a balanced approach and improving your Digimon. Depending on praising or scolding your Digimon, specific Digivolution paths open. You'll be tasked with feeding them, having them sleep routinely, training them, having them poop in the right places, and praising them after each battle. Rinse and repeat with different approaches. If you are looking for more of the lifestyle simulation aspects of a Digimon game, Next Order is definitely a good bet for a Tamagotchi or Virtual Pet lover.
Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince
Available on: Switch
The creature-capture mechanics of the Dragon Quest series go way back--even before the Pokemon series, with the mechanics starting in Dragon Quest V, where monsters can sometimes join the party after defeat. Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince was released in early December 2023 with little fanfare, but it reinvigorates the Monsters spin-off by having you play as the antagonist of Dragon Quest IV and featuring a season-shifting system that keeps locales feeling fresh. The season will change every 15 to 25 minutes and opens up exclusive monsters to catch and fight, but it also can impact exploration. Can't go somewhere because of a body of water? Winter will occur eventually and allow you to walk on the newly formed ice to uncover secrets. Playing as the antagonist from Dragon Quest IV allows the game to recontextualize what you already know by subverting the motivations, directions, and choices of an RPG lead--it works as a strong companion piece to IV's story, but you do not need to play IV to engage in The Dark Prince's story.
Monster Crown
Available on: Switch, Xbox One, PS4, PC
Monster Crown is another relatively faithful Pokemon-like game, but it's made for Pokemon fans who have grown into adults. The story and creature designs are darker than a traditional Pokemon game, the cute pixelated art style belies some fairly serious themes. The traditional monster collecting hooks are still there, though, with more than 200 creatures to collect and evolve. You can even battle and trade online.
Monster Hunter Stories/Stories 2
MH Stories available on: 3DS, iOS, Android | MH Stories 2 available on: Switch, PC
The Monster Hunter series isn't very Pokemon-like at all, considering in Pokemon they aren't known for skinning and wearing the creatures. The more family-friendly spin-off Monster Hunter Stories, though, is much more about raising and forming bonds with creatures in a more traditional RPG structure. Mechanically the battle system works very differently than a traditional Pokemon game, with a slightly more action-oriented structure and a different elemental structure for weaknesses. But it scratches the itch of collecting monsters, especially if you have an affinity for Monster Hunter designs. Who doesn't want to befriend a Rathalos? Both Monster Hunter Stories games are solid, but Monster Hunter Stories 2 is better in almost every way, and doesn't require much knowledge of the first game.
Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX
Available on: Switch, PC, iOS
The Monster Rancher series holds a special place in many players' hearts with Monster Rancher 1 & 2, which consist of training your monsters so you can have them battle and compete in tournaments to win prizes and glory, and to reach an S-rank. This recently released collection combines the first two games from PlayStation 1 with quality-of-life changes such as speeding up training with its High-Speed Mode, online functionality to battle other players and almost 30 new monsters that were originally exclusive to different regions. It's part port, part remaster. Being able to speed up monster training animations with the improved visuals allows players from two decades ago to relive their favorite battles and helps expedite the game's main mechanics for both old and new players alike.
Monster Sanctuary
Available on: Switch, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC
And now for something completely different. Monster Sanctuary doesn't resemble Pokemon mechanically at all--it's much more of a traditional platforming action side-scroller. But it does fulfill the fantasy of taming wild beasts and using them to traverse the world in a way that's much more active than Pokemon. As you build your array of beasts and level them up you can use them in combat, to reach new heights, and to ride on. It's as if the core concepts of Pokemon were interpreted in a completely different way, which is a very neat trick if you're up for something unique.
Moonstone Island
Available on: PC (Switch TBA)
Moonstone Island combines farming simulation, creature capturing, lifestyle simulator, and turn-based card game mechanics. This adorable monster-tamer game mixes in farming alongside crafting mechanics similar to Stardew Valley with leveling, training, evolving, and card-battling wild enemies. Being able to customize the cards each of your Spirits provides allows distinctive choice in handling encounters. You can easily spend hours on one activity, be it exploring, farming, crafting, and/or battling. Moonstone Island has more than 100 islands to discover with secrets abound and seasonal DLC to customize the environment however you would like--don't forget to romance the characters you interact with, as well.
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
Available on: Switch, PS4, PC, Xbox Series X|S
Ni no Kuni has become a franchise in its own right, but whereas the sequel and mobile game are more styled as action-RPGs, the first game released in the West is very clearly inspired by the Pokemon series. The combat system revolves around capturing and taming a host of creatures called "Familiars," and then using them in battle with still other creatures. While the monster designs are not quite as imaginative and varied as Pokemon, the Studio Ghibli-inspired art style and dreamlike story are a captivating change of pace. And while the languid pace may have been hard to play on its original PlayStation 3 release, it's been ported to just about everything, including Nintendo Switch--just in case you prefer your Pokemon-likes to be portable.
Nexomon / Nexomon Extinction
Available on: Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Nexomon is another traditional Pokemon-like, with a bright colorful art style and a huge wealth of 300 or so monsters to collect and battle. This one mixes in some light resource collecting and crafting with elemental shards, and the art style is very anime-inspired. Nexomon Extinction, the more recent sequel, throws you right into the action with massive dragon tyrants wreaking havoc, but it's still very easy to jump into the Tamer's Guild and get started. And if you've always wanted more starter options, Nexomon makes a point of giving you tons to choose from instead of just the traditional Fire-Grass-Water trinity. Both games are available on Nintendo Switch.
Ooblets
Available on: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch
Ooblets is not entirely Pokemon-like, given its eccentric mixture of genres and influences. But somewhere in this quirky blend is definitely some Pokemon DNA. In Ooblets, you capture and do battle with a variety of little captured creatures. The pool is smaller than a Pokemon game, but they're differentiated well and the game isn't intending to blow you away with sheer variety. Instead each one feels like a sweet little cozy creation, with names like Dumbirb and Wigglewip. And rather than a typical one-on-one Pokemon battle, your creatures take part in non-violent dance battles. That sense of infectious goofiness permeates the whole experience, giving it a friendly feel. And once you've captured your creatures, you can assign them to help with small tasks or to tend to your growing garden, where you harvest food for sale or other Ooblets to add to your collection.
Shin Megami Tensei V
Available on: Switch
With Persona having exploded in popularity and producing many games and spin-offs, it can be easy to forget the Atlus franchise from which it spun off: Shin Megami Tensei. Rather than having human party members and social links with story beats throughout, Shin Megami Tensei V focuses on combat and has you roaming a large apocalyptic wasteland, fighting hardened monsters that will not hesitate to kill you. Sometimes, the best option to win over these monsters is to speak to them--or to give them your precious items or money. SMT V is punishing with each decision in its turn-based combat where the miss of an attack may end with a game over. But there is a real reward and sense of satisfaction in making it out of each fight. Fusing with a supernatural being to become a new entity may seem out of the ordinary, but the magnificence in taking in this open world, sliding on the sands, and grabbing items from abandoned vending machines makes for a refreshing change of pace. The mix of Eastern/Western religious iconography/philosophy and themes make SMT V a cynical but darkly surreal standout in the creature-capture genre.
Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster
Available on: PC, PS4, Switch
Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster upscales one of the most beloved SMT games from the PlayStation 2 era. In SMT III you play as the Demi-Fiend, a part demon and part human who sets out in this post-apocalyptic world to respond positively, in agreement, or reject the philosophical questions given by characters that will determine one of six different endings. The original version was brutally difficult, but this remaster adds a Merciful option that allows for an easier experience. Just like the 2004 version the West got, Dante from the Devil May Cry series returns and is recruitable alongside Raidou from the Devil Summoner series for Western audiences. It's one of the more unforgiving creature-capture games, but it is a recommended entry point to the main Shin Megami Tensei games, especially with its easier difficulty option this time around.
Disclosure: GameSpot and Fanatical are both owned by Fandom.
Temtem
Available on: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
If you're at all interested in Pokemon-likes, you've almost definitely already heard of Temtem, which released its full version in September 2022. Indie studio Crema aims to continue building the monster-collecting MMO, and with ongoing updates alongside seasonal rewards, Temtem looks like it will have years of content for players to plunge into. While lots of these games are loving homages, Temtem is aiming to be the pivotal creature-capture MMO.
World of Final Fantasy Maxima
Available on: Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PC
World of Final Fantasy is a cute chibi RPG with a unique monster-stacking mechanic. Each character comes has its own size class, and you manage the combat by piling them on top of each other. That may not sound very Pokemon-like, but like Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon, Square Enix makes the most of its long history of iconic monster designs. You might do battle with a Moogle, Behemoth, Carbuncle, and a little adorable Sephiroth all in different positions. The mechanic plays into the unique battle system for something unlike anything else, but great for scratching that collecting itch with creature designs you already know and love.
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