6 Greatest RPGs Like Pokémon

Published Oct 13, 2026, 5:01 PM EDT Tom Wilson is a Gaming Features Writer at Screen Rant. Over the past five years, Tom has worked as the Editor-in-Chief at The Game Crater, as a Staff Writer for GamingIntel, a List Writer at TheGamer, and, of course, as a Senior Writer at ScreenRant. Tom has experience writing reviews, guides, news, and features, and has been responsible for teams of writers, training them and editing their work. Tom graduated with a Masters in Multimedia Journalism, and has since gone on to build up his portfolio of games journalism work. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Pokémon is a truly incredible series, one that has managed to sustain a meteoric level of success despite leaving its core gameplay and identity largely intact. That isn't inherently a criticism, mind you; the familiarity one feels when playing through any of its standalone adventures provides a sense of safety that's perpetually welcoming and inviting. Simply put, you know what you're getting with Pokémon, and that's part of the deal; that's the expectation and the point. However, there are only so many Pokémon games, and eventually, even after multiple playthroughs of each, you're going to run out. We all need something new and exciting to play as we wait for the next mainline Pokémon game, and one would hope it'd be at least a little like it. Fortunately, there are a plethora of RPGs just like Pokémon, some that are exact copies and others that dare to dream a little bigger. Whether you're looking for a Pokémon clone to satiate your desire for more creature collecting, or a vision of what Pokémon could be like if Game Freak innovated a tad more, these are the RPGs for you. 6 Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection The Monster Hunter Stories series has always been good, but not great. It teetered on trying to be a faithful Monster Hunter entry, a game for a younger audience, a Pokémon clone, and more narrative-heavy than the mainline series. Unfortunately, the series never quite managed to juggle every aspect at once, faltering at the last hurdle in some regards while excelling in others. That lack of balance meant it could never quite be a great Pokémon alternative, even if they were fun. That is, of course, until Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection. It offers both the best version of a Monster Hunter Stories experience and a game that comes close to beating even the very best Pokémon game. Its stunning visuals and bombastic soundtrack elevate a gorgeously detailed world teeming with mechanics stripped straight from Monster Hunter; its combat is the perfect blend of Monster Hunter and Pokémon; its monsters are expertly designed and tantalizingly tameable; its story is compelling and as close as the series will ever get to being an emotionally charged JRPG. If you want a great RPG like Pokémon, Monster Hunter Stories 3 is the perfect pick. 5 Yo-Kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters Yo-Kai Watch never quite found the success Pokémon has enjoyed, at least in the West. It's a shame, as Yo-Kai Watch, in many respects, feels like a marked improvement over Pokémon, its real-world and later fantastical setting evoking the spirit realms and whimsical kingdoms of Studio Ghibli's films, its cast of characters proving to be far more memorable than any in a Pokémon game, owing to their continued presence across multiple games and actual personalities; its gameplay a little more involved and more intrinsically tied to the overarching narrative. Yo-Kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters isn't the greatest game in the series, but it is the best one that's actually accessible. The fourth entry, which many regard as the best, was only released in Japan, despite developer Level-5 stating it would be localized. Fortunately, while it isn't the best, Psychic Specters is incredible. It is the equivalent of Platinum or Emerald, a follow-up to the original two Yo-Kai Watch 2 versions that takes all of their content and adds to it a wealth of new quests, features, and much-needed quality-of-life improvements. Psychic Specters, with its gorgeous setting, stunning 3DS visuals that still hold up to this very day, and compelling narrative, is a must-play for fans of Pokémon, of Japanese mythology, JRPGs, or even just anime. It's a brilliant game, better than Pokémon in so many ways, different where it counts, and the same when it's necessary to copy. If you haven't already and can afford to, do yourself a favor and play Yo-Kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters. 4 Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince Dragon Quest Monsters, like the aforementioned Yo-Kai Watch and Monster Hunter Stories, has done its best to offer an alternative to Pokémon, yet has never quite seen its level of success. That isn't, of course, for lack of trying. The series has historically launched exclusively on Nintendo platforms in a bid to rival Pokémon, it has attempted to fill the gaps that Pokémon seems so hesitant to innovate upon (namely narrative), and it is a direct spin-off of a popular IP, with its entries even tying into some of the mainline Dragon Quest games. While it may not have garnered quite the commercial acclaim as Pokémon, its efforts to best it have resulted in a series that's as unique as it is excellent, with its best elements culminating in 2023's Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince. Serving as the most accessible entry in the series, The Dark Prince offers a huge roster of monsters to collect, a gripping narrative, a stunning, vibrant, and ever-changing world, and a wonderful soundtrack. The Dark Prince isn't perfect, but it is a great showcase of how traditional JRPG concepts can merge perfectly with Pokémon's tried and tested formula. 3 Cassette Beasts Cassette Beasts feels like the game that Game Freak could have made were it to continue with its pixel art style and grow the series alongside its audience. It's a deeply ambitious title, one with a mature narrative that deals with numerous adult themes and delivers an excellent spin on the traditional Pokémon formula in an open-world setting. Its 2.5D aesthetic ensures Cassette Beasts retains the detailed sprite work of the earlier Pokémon games while offering a more expansive setting for players to explore, a mix that showcases exactly why Game Freak shouldn't have moved away from the style. While Cassette Beasts certainly looks the part and its battle system feels very reminiscent of Pokémon's turn-based combat, it differs in a lot of crucial ways. Namely, Cassette Beasts features bosses and dungeons rather than gym battles; one records creatures instead of catching them; there's a fuse mechanic that lets you combine assorted creatures; and, of course, there's the aforementioned open-world. Cassette Beasts is certainly not without fault, but even with its handful of flaws, it is easily one of the best modern turn-based games and a terrific alternative to Pokémon. 2 Coromon Coromon is the most straightforward Pokémon clone on this list, but that shouldn't deter you from playing it. It adopts a very similar style to the earlier Pokémon games, features traditional turn-based battles, has you catch creatures as one would in Pokémon, and generally has the air of an excellent Pokémon ROM hack. For those looking for a truly 1:1 clone, this is maybe the closest you'll get outside of the Nexomon series. However, that isn't to say that Coromon doesn't have a few innovative tricks up its sleeve, and, indeed, this is what makes it such a compelling alternative. Much like Cassette Beasts, Coromon switches gym leaders for boss battles; it puts a greater emphasis on story much in the same way Pokémon Black and White did; it implements several quality-of-life improvements that make one wonder why Game Freak hasn't followed suit. Most importantly, it offers a whole new range of creatures to collect, all of which are gorgeously designed and mechanically interesting. 1 Digimon Story: Time Stranger Digimon Story: Time Stranger is, much like Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, the most recent entry in its respective series and its best. It pools together all of the greatest concepts and mechanics from across the series' history while tossing in a few ideas of its own to create something truly exceptional, especially for fans of Digimon. Much like the other entries in this list, Time Stranger showcases how good Pokémon could be were it to innovate, offering a superior experience in a number of ways, at least to those looking for a more complex experience. Digimon Story: Time Stranger's enormous roster will keep even the most dedicated fans busy for quite some time, as will the gripping narrative that is front and center of the whole experience. Its stunning visuals and dreamlike worlds make for excellent spaces to explore, and the combat feels like a significant step up from the more simplistic turn-based combat seen in Pokémon. Simply put, Digimon Story: Time Stranger offers an elevated version of Pokémon that may finally put to bed the argument of which of these two great series is better. Video Game(s) Pokemon Red and Blue, Pokemon Yellow, Pokemon Gold and Silver, Pokémon Crystal, Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, Pokemon Sapphire, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, Pokemon Platinum, Pokemon Black and White, Pokemon Black and White 2, Pokemon X and Y, Pokemon Sun and Moon, Pokemon Sword and Shield, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Pokemon Winds and Waves, Pokemon Legends Arceus, Pokemon Legends Z-A First Game Pokemon Red and Blue Created by Satoshi Taijiri, Ken Sugimori, Junichi Masuda TV Show(s) Pokémon First Film Pokemon: The First Movie First TV Show Pokémon