The idea of using monsters to fight on the player’s behalf in a role-playing game was not started by the Pokemon franchise. However, the Pokemon franchise certainly took that concept to the next level by having the player catch and train the creatures they encounter along their journey.
To make this list, a game must allow the player to use creatures/entities to fight for them and also be collectible (in some way or another). The fighting does not have to be the traditional type — the creatures players collect must be used in a competition of some sort or be used in battle in some way. Some games have similar game mechanics, like the character from Final Fantasy 6 (Final Fantasy 3 in North America) named Gau who can “leap” onto enemies to learn one of their moves but does not allow the player to actually capture the enemy creatures. Here are ten games that play similarly to the games in the Pokemon series.
Updated October 22, 2024, by Hamza Haq: The massive cultural impact Pokemon had on the gaming industry and Nintendo’s famously cut-throat litigious practices, which make it nearly a death sentence to try and take inspiration from their formula for success, is a dichotomy that needs to be studied. If it weren’t so, it’s entirely possible that the monster-collecting sub-genre of gaming would be as massive as Soulslikes or Metroidvanias, if not more. That said, players looking to scratch the creature-collecting itch with something other than Pokemon will find some great options to sink the next 100 hours into.
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27 Monster Rancher
A Retro Monster Collecting Adventure
Monster Rancher
- Released
- November 24, 1997
- Developer(s)
- Tecmo
- Platform(s)
- PS1
- Genre(s)
- Life Simulation
The Monster Rancher series is a collection of roughly a dozen or so games where players take on the role of a breeder tasked with capturing, training, and battling with monsters in the same vein as Pokemon. The gameplay loop is addictive and engaging, and though the graphics are quite dated, there is a charm to it that’s undeniable.
The Monster Rancher series is quite retro at this point, with most of the games in the franchise being released between 1997 and 2003, and no signs of it returning any time soon. Luckily for fans, however, Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX is a soft remaster of the series available on PC (Steam), iOS, and Nintendo Switch. The DX version includes new tournaments, a leaderboard, new monsters to breed, a random battle mode, and many more improvements to the base game. The original Monster Rancher was released in 1997 and had a unique feature that allowed players to import new monsters from music CDs. Obviously, this method of obtaining new monsters is no longer viable today, which is why it has been replaced. Players can now get new monsters to breed by searching for CD titles in an in-game database.
26 Nights Of Azure
Summon Demons To Assist In Battle
- Release Date: March 2016
- Developer(s): Gust
- Platform(s): PS3, PS Vita, PS4, Windows
Instead of cute little animals and fearsome titans to summon in battle, in Nights of Azure, the player uses demons. During battle, the player can use SP to summon demons for assistance. These demons can perform a variety of actions; some of these actions give a buff to Arnice (the protagonist) or the party, while others simply assist her on the battlefield.
The player actively participates during battles in Night of Azure. The battles take place in 3D environments, and the player can summon demons during battle to suit their current needs. Arnice is armed, allowing the player to damage enemies, rather than wait for summoned creatures to win the fight.
25 Spectrobes
A Sci-Fi Creature Collecting Game From Disney
- Release Date: March 2007
- Developer(s): Jupiter
- Platform(s): Nintendo DS
Spectrobes was fairly well-received when it appeared on store shelves back in 2007 for the Nintendo DS. Most critics gave the game average scores, but the game sold well according to publisher Disney Interactive. Instead of a modern or fantasy setting, Spectrobes' setting is more sci-fi.
Instead of the static battle screens popular in JRPGs like Pokemon, Spectrobes' battles are in real-time. The player and their chosen creatures engage the enemy in a battle zone that limits movement. There are three games in the Spectrobes series, with the last being developed by Genki.
24 Fossil Fighters
Reassemble Fossils To Create New Creatures
- Release Date: August 2009
- Developer(s): Nintendo SPD, Red Entertainment, M2, Artdink
- Platform(s): Nintendo DS
Fossil Fighters is incredibly similar to Pokemon, but there are some differences - a few, anyway. Creatures in Fossil Fighters are collected as fossils at dig sites. The collection of bones is then reassembled to create Vivosaurs; which function much like Pokemon. Vivosaurs can be customized by using different fossil combinations.
The turn-based battles in this game also function much like those in the Pokemon games. The fire, water, earth, and air elements are used in the typical rock-paper-scissors fashion. Players can use up to three Vivosaurs in battle; one is upfront in the attack position, while the other two are in flanking support positions.
23 Monster Sanctuary
A Side-Scrolling Creature Collecting Game
Monster Sanctuary
If Pokemon was originally designed as a side-scroller, the result would have been very similar to Monster Sanctuary. Nearly every feature found in the Pokemon series is present in Monster Sanctuary. There are numerous creatures to catch and train, and the three-on-three battles are turn-based.
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There is a similar elemental system to Pokemon; fire beats water, water beats earth, and so on. One big difference from the Pokemon series is when improving one's monsters. A skill tree is used to select new skills, with some moves only being made available after selecting the skill above.
22 Starbound
Terrerria Meets Pokemon
Starbound
- Released
- July 22, 2016
- Developer(s)
- Chucklefish
- Publisher(s)
- Chucklefish
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Sandbox
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Starbound is an interesting game. At first glance, it resembles a Terraria clone and it kind of is, but at least it's a good Terraria clone. This game allows players to customize their own starship. With this starship, the player can visit alien worlds for missions, trading, or just to boldly go where no one has gone before.
On their travels, the player can capture alien creatures and tame them to act as Pokemon-like pets. Pets can also be purchased and unlocked by performing missions. Most of these pets have a special ability of some kind, even if it's just illuminating dark caves.
21 Cassette Beasts
A Different Take On The Pokemon Formula
Cassette Beasts
- Released
- April 26, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Bytten Studio
- Platform(s)
- PC, Switch, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Cassette Beasts is a relatively new addition to the monster-taming genre and stands out because of excellent execution and polish that’s rare to see outside of Pokemon. Instead of a Pokeball equivalent, players can ‘record’ monsters they encounter to ‘capture’ them. During battles, recorded monsters can be used by the protagonist and his party members by playing that specific Cassette tape, which allows them to transform into monsters themselves. Only the characters in the party level up, and since they can use any recorded monster, it allows the player to basically use every new shiny monster they recorded without having to grind them to match the team’s level, like in Pokemon.
Fighting is turn-based, exactly like Pokemon, but instead of just targeting the enemy weakness in a game of elemental rock-paper-scissors, players need to pay attention to how different moves interact with each other to affect terrain, which in turn changes how the battle plays out. In short, combat is a lot more involved in Cassette Beasts than in Pokemon, requiring much more forethought and reactionary thinking. The graphics are a mix of Octopath Traveler and Pokemon Black/White. The game plays out from a top-down perspective in the open world, with battles being a little more zoomed in for players to get a clearer picture.
20 Coromon
As Close As A Game Can Get (Legally) To Pokemon
Coromon
Coromon is clearly designed to lure in Pokemon players who have grown tired of Sword and Shield and want something similar but also new. This game could easily be mistaken for the Pokemon: Ruby and Sapphire games. There are 114 Coromon for the Pokemon to collect; though, as with Pokemon, many of the Coromon can be evolved into a stronger form.
This is one of the best new creature-collecting games. Coromon does almost everything well. It has bright, colorful 2D graphics with pleasing animations, great music, and sound effects, plenty of creatures to collect, and an engaging story. The only real common complaint about Coromon is that it requires a lot of grinding and makes grinding a little more of a hassle than necessary.
19 Slime Rancher 2
A First-Person Shooter With Creature Collecting
Slime Rancher 2
- Released
- September 23, 2025
- Developer(s)
- Monomi Park
- Publisher(s)
- Monomi Park
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PlayStation 5
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
Slime Rancher is not the typical creature-collecting game franchise. For starters, the game is played from a 1st-person perspective. This is, oddly, pretty rare for creature-collecting games that usually use a top-down or 3rd-person view. The player is free to explore the game world.
While exploring, the player can use their weapon to catch the various types of slimes. Slimes produce plot, which can be sold. The money can then be used to upgrade the player's equipment and base. Plort can also be fed to slimes; feeding a plort to a different type than that which produced it results in mutations.
18 Planet Centauri
A 2D Pokemon Clone With Several Biomes To Explore
Planet Centauri
- Released
- June 3, 2016
- Platform(s)
- Microsoft Windows, Linux, macOS
- Developer
- Permadeath
- Publisher
- Permadeath
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Indie Games, Action, Adventure
This is another game currently in early access on Steam. Planet Centauri is yet another Terraria clone. Starbound has earned a large, devoted following; time will tell if Planet Centauri will also become as beloved. The developer of Planet Centauri, Permadeath, is always introducing patches to fix problems and add new content.
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Planet Centauri gives the player several biomes to explore and has a monster-collecting game aspect. Each biome has different native monsters the player will encounter. By hitting these monsters with a soul gem, the player can trap them and use them as a companion in battle. These monsters can also gain levels and become more fearsome combatants.