The Best Pokémon Clones of All Time

The Pokémon series didn’t invent the monster-catching and battling genre with the likes of Shin Megami Tensei before it, but it popularized it. Its inception in 1996 led to numerous copycats and knockoffs wishing to capitalize on some of the success of this series. 

The best Pokémon clones take inspiration from Game Freak’s beloved franchise and put their spin on it. These games may have some commonalities in adorable monsters and perhaps even turn-based battles. Still, the best Pokémon clones offer the right mix of great creature designs, awesome gameplay, solid content, and much more.

Players who love Pokémon but want something different should check these games out.  

1. Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Complete Edition

This collection stands out as the best set of Digimon games in existence. The pack comes with games with the right mix of memorable characters, meaningful writing, and an overload of hundreds of Digimon. The turn-based combat makes grinding and evolving or devolving the Digimon nonstop fun. 

2. Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin

Anyone who wants a Pokémon-like game but not from Game Freak and still with a high 3D budget should check out this title. It looks stunning on the Nintendo Switch and contains a massive, varied world to explore with creatures to tame. The best part about the game remains the creatures, which are existing Monster Hunter beasts like Rathalos turned into less intimidating variants for a more fun-loving aesthetic.

3. Pokémon Uranium

This Pokémon fan game, or ROM hack, may have the franchise’s name in its title, but it feels like its own thing. It has unique fan-crafted Pokémon, for the most part, instead of taking classic creatures from Game Freak’s catalog. It feels like the best fan game out there, coming as close as possible to the quality of a proper Pokémon title. 

4. Coromon

This 2D indie game offers the premier Pokémon-like old-school gameplay but in a modern format. Its creatures and environments pop with color, while new additions to gameplay, like the stamina system, make it even more challenging. The fantastic creature designs make it a must-play for nostalgic fans of Pokémon.

5. TemTem

This indie MMORPG takes cutesy monsters and lets players explore a vast 3D world alongside other players. It has a massive focus on double battles and exploration, which makes its constant multiplayer aspects even better. 

6. Palworld

This bizarre game takes the survival mechanics of titles like ARK and mixes them with creatures resembling Pokémon. Players enslave these pals to work for them on farms and in factories and fight for them. Its controversial but quite fun gameplay made it an instant global phenomenon. 

7. Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince

This spin-off of the core Dragon Quest series lets players collect classic monsters like slimes and saber cubs to then battle against others in a story about a prince on a path of revenge. It may not look or play perfect, but its hundreds of unforgettable monsters make up for that. 

8. Persona 3 Reload

This long-awaited remake of the third mainline game in this beloved Atlus series may stem from Shin Megami Tensei, but its focus on teenagers collecting and fusing monstrous Personas gives off some serious Pokémon vibes but with a dark storyline. It feels like the most modern and accessible way to check out this surprising turn-based game. 

9. Loomian Legacy (Roblox)

Roblox has a plethora of game experiences for players to check out for free, but the best Pokémon clone on the platform remains this particular experience. It feels like a classic monster-collecting adventure but in 3D. It has excellent routes, towns, and a gym-like system. Better yet, it has many more starters than Pokémon for a solid overall monster selection. 

10. World of Final Fantasy

The Final Fantasy franchise has some of the richest and deepest turn-based combat in gaming outside Pokémon. This entry feels a bit more accessible, especially with the welcome addition of recruiting memorable monsters and characters from across the series, like Chocobos.  

11. Nexomon Extinction 

This second game in this series improves upon much of the gameplay and workings of the original. It has a beautiful and colorful style to its world that makes it fun to explore the varied 2D landscapes and dungeons. It doesn’t offer anything new to this genre but it feels like a solid clone nonetheless. 

12. Persona 5 Royal

The crown jewel of the turn-based JRPG genre remains this masterpiece of a title. It has the franchise's best overall gameplay and characters, with speedy movement and tons of content to explore. Its daily life system keeps players busy for hours while offering the Pokémon-like marathon of collecting and fusing Persona partners. 

13. Ooblets

This Pokémon-like clone feels like one of the coziest and most relaxing games on this list. It has a cutesy art style and focuses on aggression-free dance battles rather than fights to death or unconsciousness. It also throws in some solid farming sim mechanics, similar to games like Stardew Valley. 

14. Monster Crown

This game takes the older stylings of the first couple of generations of Pokémon and puts a heavy emphasis on fusion. This unique mechanic elevates the creature designs and expands the player’s time with the game and its sinister plot. 

15. Persona 4 Golden

The fourth mainline game in this Atlus series, like the others around it, all work well for those looking to scratch that Pokémon itch. This particular game excels at its soundtrack, plus a surprisingly hilarious story with funny characters, which contrasts with the murder mystery premise. 

16. Cassette Beasts

The fascinating blend of 2D creature designs with a 3D world works to the credit of this beloved indie Pokémon-like game. It has some issues in the gameplay department, but it makes up for that in its aesthetic and creatures. 

17. Pokémon Revolution Online

Though this game features the usual Pokémon fans know and love, it doesn’t come from Game Freak. In fact, it offers a fanmade MMORPG unlike anything else. Many of the regions from past games exist here, along with the ability to collect and battle with friends with 2D sprites. 

18. Yokai Watch 4

Yokai Watch remains one of the most egregious examples of trying to copy the Pokémon design and philosophy without much change. The fourth game, in particular, has extraordinary artwork, creature designs, and fast-paced combat, if players don’t mind its Japanese-only release. 

19. Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

This game stands out because of the stunning result players get when developer Level-5 mixes the Studio Ghibli-style with Pokémon. The result is a whimsical fantasy world to explore and collect monsters in, alongside a mature and shocking story about grief and death. 

20. Soul Hackers 2

Atlus may have a new sub-series in its Shin Megami Tensei and Persona franchises with this sequel to a cult classic game from the 1990s. The modern sequel has a gorgeous cyberpunk style mixed with the demon partners from the other Atlus games in a sleek combat system. 

21. Sujimon League (Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth)

This massive side mode within the also excellent eighth mainline entry in this series has an entire collection of hundreds of NPC enemies to collect and battle in turn-based combat. It doesn’t hide its inspiration, even taking the Elite Four and badges from the Pokémon series. 

22. Bugsnax

This satirical and goofy game has a surprising story, which gets only better over time — a quality that makes it stand out among Pokémon clones. It follows an explorer who goes to a mysterious region to investigate someone's disappearance. They explore the area and collect the titular Bugsnax with their bizarre mashups of animals and food items along the way. 

23. Disc Creatures

This particular indie monster-catching title takes massive inspiration from the first generation of Pokémon games, and it works out well. It has a pretty basic art style and creature selection, but this simplicity works to its favor with a lovable trip down memory lane. 

24. EvoCreo

Plenty of free mobile games exist that take inspiration from Pokémon in their style and designs, but almost none feel worth playing. This game remains the exception with its high-quality 2D artwork, great turn-based gameplay, and creature designs.