What are the best games like Pokémon on PC? If you want to emulate the real thing on PC you probably can, but we wouldn't know anything about illegal activities like that. Honest. What we can do is recommend some excellent PC alternatives to scratch that creature collection itch. Let's face it: who doesn't enjoy a spell of kidnapping cute animals and forcing them to scrap, tooth and claw, now and again?
Despite our beloved format being the spiritual home of the turn-based combat that monster-collection adventure games to keep you going.
The best games like Pokémon for PC
Here are the best games like Pokémon on PC:
Beyond Galaxyland
Beyond Galaxyland might initially appear to have more in common with Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy than Pokémon, but once you get off-planet and start to explore other nearby celestial bodies, you soon discover there is more similarity to the turn-based monster fighting combat of the Pokémon series. You start off battling these creatures by yourselves, but get them down to a low enough health, and you can soon catch them and take them into future battles.
In this Pokémon-like space game, the monsters you collect vary from dinosaurs to rock-creatures, and almost anything you can imagine. Like Pokémon, they don't only have attack skills, but can also be used to heal and the rest of your galaxy-hopping team.
Palworld
You probably already knew this one was going to be on here. It may be in early access right now, but Steam record for the most played game at launch and, at the time of writing this entry, has an all-time peak of just over 2 million players.
So, what is Palworld? To say it's just Pokémon with guns is a bit misleading, as it turns out. Fans of the Ark series will find a lot of similarities, as the beginning is more like the start of every Palworld jobs. There's also a massive open world to explore, filled with treasure and new Pals to your team. With the latest Feybreak update, players can explore new climes, find new pals, and battle new bosses.
It can be difficult to know where to start, so to that end, we have a Palworld type chart explained.
Temtem
Game Freak's cherished creature catcher may unashamedly inspire this Poke-like, but it brings plenty of new ideas. The biggest difference you'll find here is a sense of challenge. Temtem swiftly brings it to your notice when your tamer rival thumps you in your opening battle. After that, you'll find going from town to town difficult as potions are expensive, so resource management comes into play.
Temtem's battle system is equally demanding of your attention. Each of your Tems has a stamina bar, strengths, and weaknesses, and fights are two-on-two. If you want to succeed in winning fights and making it to the next town, you'll need to have a full team of well-trained Tems. If you want something close to the Pokémon series, it's difficult to get much closer than this.
Slime Rancher 2
As Slime Rancher 2 slimes are available to gather and deposit in your slime farms, as well as many secrets to unearth in Rainbow Island's ruins and new gadgets to make for your home base. It may not have the same collection mechanics as a Pokémon game, but it's just as simple to pick up and play and is a relatively relaxing way to get into FPS games if you've not delved much into the genre.
World of Final Fantasy
This spin-off sees you explore the world of Grymoire, collecting Mirages – cute versions of classic Final Fantasy creatures. That mechanic reminds us of… something. Oh yeah, Pokémon. To wield your captured Mirages in battle, you have to organize them into strategic stacks, and here's where further similarities with Nintendo's series reveal themselves.
The stacking system in World of Final Fantasy is an utterly charming twist on Pokémon's battle formula, you see. And rediscovering all of your favorite Final Fantasy creatures in chibi form is simply adorable and more than reason enough to give this one a go.
Coromon
Coromon is as close to a Pokémon game as you'll get without playing a Rom hack. It shares a similar style to that of Pokémon's Game Boy Advance era but tries to shake things up by introducing players to a new set of monster types. It also introduces the idea of catching better variants of the same monster for better stat distribution overall.
Coromon follows similar story beats to your regular Pokémon game in many ways. However, unlike its inspiration, Coromon includes some popular game types to keep things fresh, including one similar to Nuzlocke challenges, where you can only catch one monster per route. If said monster faints, it's gone permanently. So, if you want a Pokémon clone with some replay value, you can't go wrong with this one.
Cassette Beasts
Cassette Beasts is a Pokémon game for adults. Not necessarily in of theme, but with an evolution of gameplay that would satisfy even the most hardened of Pokémon fans. Those of us who picked up Red and/or Blue on day one as a child may be a little burned out on the franchise as is, with the series rarely showing signs of maturing with its audience, instead hoping to capture the latest generation of youngsters.
In Cassette Beasts, you can battle the usual array of pocket-sized monsters, but instead of imprisoning them in a small sphere, you take their essence and store it on a cassette tape. You can use your Cassette Beasts (see? makes sense now, doesn't it) to do battle and even combine your beasts using the game's fusion tech, creating weird and wonderful combinations. Play this game, it's great.
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered
While the sequel is a bit too much of a curveball for recommending as a game like Pokémon, the original Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is more like it. This surprisingly difficult game also benefits from a glorious collaboration between RPG masters Level-5 and the legendary Studio Ghibli.
Battles feature a curious blend of real-time and turn-based combat mechanics, so it does take some getting used to if you're coming from the handheld Pokémon games. But the important part is that you fight alongside monsters you capture, befriend, and train, just like in Pokémon.
Ooblets
Ooblets is an indie adventure game directly inspired by Pokémon. The Double Fine-produced game will feature living plants, character customization, house-building, and a smattering of other fun and quirky activities. You plant seeds that blossom into baby Ooblets, and after leveling them up, you can have adorable dance battles with fellow Ooblet trainers. These are built on turn-based battles, type-effectiveness charts, and various other mechanics that are about as Pokémon as they come.
Farming and dance training are just the beginning, too. You can explore strange lands, talk to friendly neighbors, and indulge in the relaxing routines of town life. It's also so ridiculously cute you may be unable to stand it.
Moonstone Island
Part creature collector, part farming life sim, farming game that just so happens to let you catch 'em all simultaneously. Whether you're exploring its 100 different islands in search of new creatures, crops, or cuties to romance, there is a ton to do in-game.
The spirits you meet and befriend in Moonstone Island aren't just for show – they make excellent combat compadres, too. However, unlike Pokémon's input-based battle system, Moonstone Island makes excellent use of deckbuilding combat to introduce slick synergies between spirits. Each creature you tame – be it a mustachioed owl or a sunglass-sporting beach ball – comes with its own deck that you can build out, providing all sorts of tactical options when you're out exploring.
Monster Sanctuary
The team at Moi Rai Games has conjured up something special with the monster-taming Metroidvania game Monster Sanctuary. As a Monster Keeper, you'll get to collect, upgrade, and battle 111 distinct creatures. Yes, it doesn't quite match up to the 100s of Pokémon you can capture in Game Freak's games, but if anything, Monster Sanctuary makes better use of its more limited roster when it comes to providing rewarding team building.
Touting a combat structure that fans of traditional turn-based RPGs will instantly recognize, Monster Sanctuary urges you to switch up your teams, or else flounder as its difficulty ramps up. You'll also need to make use of your companions' talents when it comes to navigating certain obstacles – don't worry, you won't need HMs for those. As a result of this heavy focus on really getting to know the strengths of each monster, you'll have a deep appreciation for each one by the end of your playthrough.
Monster Hunter Stories 2
While most tend to focus on the Monster Hunter series' ARPG installments, JRPG game, Monster Hunter Stories 2 offers up an approachable entry point into Capcom's iconic franchise. While its story might not be particularly groundbreaking, its gameplay is a real treat.
As a rider (rather than a hunter), your job is to befriend 'monsties' that you can, well, ride into battle. Monster Hunter Stories 2's combat relies largely on a rock-paper-scissors mechanic, though there are all sorts of classic Monster Hunter elements involved, such as breaking a monstie's limb. Additionally, while you may be commanding your team for the most part, you'll also get your chance to shine while utilizing some seriously sweet weapons.
Research Story
Welcome to Shimmerbrook, a town that has recently experienced a small population boom as a result of rare flora and fauna popping up. Researchers such as yourself have relocated to the region to help map its unique ecology, which means collecting lots of adorable creatures (how terrible!)
Taking heavy design influence from Stardew Valley and the like, Research Story is a beautifully cozy farming sim that iterates on the genre with its unique research mechanic.
Can you play Pokémon games on PC?
Yes, there is one officially available Pokémon game on PC.
Pokémon Trading Card Game Live
We're not saying it's a classic, but it's an official Pokémon game that's officially available on PC. Battle against your rival Trainers in the free-to-play Pokémon Trading Card Game Live. While there is a wide range of popular online card game alternatives, the charming Pokémon artwork and the characters we all know and love make this one stand out from the pack. There used to be the Pokémon Trading Card Game Online service, but this has now been replaced by this new online tabletop game. You can learn more about Pokémon Trading Card Game Live via the official website.
Unfortunately, there is no official way to play any of the other Pokémon games on PC just yet. Nintendo loves its exclusives, and so for those Mario, Zelda, Animal Crossing, and Pokémon fans, you'll be waiting a very long time if they ever come to other platforms at all.
Those are all of the games like Pokemon on PC, and while it sucks that we'll likely not see the main series game appear officially on PCs for quite some time, plenty of other best PC games you can play right now.