Temtem
What might be the most ambitious Pokémon-like of all time, Temtem isn’t just another JRPG on the market — it’s an MMO you can play with friends in an interconnected world. It’s also the game that’s most similar to Pokémon on our list; it’s got breeding, shinies, and even IVs. If there’s a feature in Pokémon, it’s probably in Temtem too.
This game is still in Early Access on Steam, but it’s already a huge success. As similar as it is, there are some nice tweaks to the standard formula — all battles are two-on-two, so there’s even more strategy to the Temtems you’ll pick. You can have one Tem playing support, while the other fights. And breeding has been overhauled, with a unique fertility system — meaning you can’t just endlessly generate eggs from the same Temtem.
There’s a whole lot more to this game, but if you’re looking for a more social Pokémon, this is the best one yet.
Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth
Digimon is hardly new, but Cyber Sleuth is a fresh take on the long-running series, giving the franchise some Persona style, but still making it accessible for young players. You’ll swap around from the real-world to the digital-world, capturing creatures called Digimon and sending them out to battle.
Like Pokémon, Digimon can evolve into new forms — and like the Digimon anime some of us might nostalgically remember, there’s a lot more focus on story. The designs of Digimon tend to have a little more edge — you’ll find robo-dinosaurs and half-naked angels here, something Pokémon wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot Exeggutor.
Discover more of the best catch-and-collect games of all time on the next page.
