Best Mobile Games Like Pokemon

Pokemon is a cultural juggernaut with its adorable critters and addiction-inducing slogan: ‘Gotta Catch ‘Em All.’ Capturing a loyal worldwide fanbase, Pokemon is the highest-grossing media franchise of all time, beating out the likes of Star Wars and Mickey Mouse.

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With all that lucrative merchandising opportunity, it’s bound to spawn a clone or two, and with the mobile gaming market being a wild west of mechanic-copying bedlam, it’s no surprise to find more than a few there.

9

Rick And Morty: Pocket Mortys

Self-Aware Parody

Systems

Released

January 13, 2016

Publisher(s)

Adult Swim Games

One of the most recognizable games on this list, Rick and Morty: Pocket Mortys is based on the popular animated series, and fans should already know what to expect — satire with a healthy dose of fourth wall breaking.

Players take control of a Rick collecting Mortys from across the multiverse and battling them with other Ricks. It’s amusing for a while, and fans of the show will surely get a kick out of it, but as a parody by design, the joke eventually wears thin, and the mechanics are ultimately left lacking.

8

Monster Masters

Stadium Battles

• Platforms: Android, IOS (EX)
• Developers: LanParty Games
• Released: 2020

Monster Masters emphasizes battling similar to the Pokemon Stadium series as opposed to the wider collecting and raising of monsters elements. Players have access to a collection of monsters they can form into pre-set teams to do battle with other players.

Stats and move sets can be altered in-between battles as monsters level up, with a whole range of cosmetics, unlockables, and loot boxes to keep players engaged. Battles essentially work on the cooldown system popular with mobile games, with more powerful attacks taking longer to charge. It’s a neat and addictive system that’s great for short bursts of gameplay.

7

EvoCreo

Stacked Roster

• Platforms: Android, IOS, Ouya
• Developers: ilmfinity
• Released: 2015

One of the earlier examples of a mobile Pokemon-style game, EvoCreo does show its age a little compared to the other offerings in the app store. The format sticks closely to the older Pokemon games, and it can become repetitive, lacking the signature charm of its inspiration.

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Where EvoCreo does stand out is in the battle system, particularly when equipping moves. There’s an impressive pool of moves broken into normal, elite, and healing, with each Creo having a combination of all three. There’s also a large roster of Creo to capture, producing a high ceiling for players looking to max out their teams with the best synergies.

6

Coromon

Old School Revival

RPG

Indie Games

Adventure

Strategy

Systems

Released

March 31, 2022

OpenCritic Rating

Fair

Coromon pays homage to the original look and feel of those classic Pokemon games. For fans looking to recapture that nostalgia without simply doing another run-through of Pokemon HeartGold or SoulSilver, Coromon is a great option.

The main difference is the difficulty, which has been notably scaled up from Pokemon’s more accessible brand. Gyms are replaced with boss fights that offer a real challenge in the form of overpowered team-wiping monsters more akin to other JRPGs like Final Fantasy. The hardest difficulty setting is also essentially a Nuzlocke run for seasoned veterans seeking even more challenge.

5

Beastie Bay

Trailblazer

• Platforms: Android, IOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
• Developers: Kairosoft
• Released: 2012

What many would consider the original mobile clone, it’s a testament to the quality of Beastie Bay that it is still being discussed over a decade later. Few mobile games enjoy that longevity, with deluxe editions being subsequently ported to home consoles.

It’s distinct among its peers as it blends elements of city building and resource management. As players explore to expand their city, they encounter monsters in turn-based battles that can later be added to their party and leveled up in a continuous loop.

4

Nexomon: Extinction

Next Gen Classic

• Platforms: Android, IOS, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
• Developers: VEWO INTERACTIVE INC., PQube
• Released: 2020

Nexomon and its subsequent sequel Nexomon: Extinction successfully modernized the classic Pokemon formula in a way even the mainline games struggled to before making the leap into full 3D home console releases. The art style is stunning, and the world is full of color and life.

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Adopting the top-down format but allowing players free exploration beyond a few mission-critical locations, the game successfully scales the challenge to match the player’s current level, allowing them to forge their own path to collect and raise their favorite Nexmon.

3

Siralim Ultimate

Dark Fantasy Alternative

Systems

Released

December 3, 2021

Developer(s)

Thylacine Studios

Publisher(s)

Thylacine Studios

Siralim Ultimate takes a decidedly more mature approach than most to the gameplay and character design, using elements from traditional fantasy dungeon crawlers. That will immediately endear it to certain fans, but underneath that is an incredibly robust and well-written adventure.

For starters, players belong to a certain class that grants them access to certain abilities and buffs — as well as deciding their starting monster. Each monster also has a class and race, dispensing with the traditional elemental-based advantages in favor of equipable items that allow for greater variety in builds for a player’s favorite monsters.

2

Cassette Beasts

Monster Training Remastered

Systems

Released

April 26, 2023

Developer(s)

Bytten Studio

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

Cassette Beasts was originally released on consoles and PC, with a mobile port launched at the start of 2025, meaning it took a different route than most to this list. The developers took full advantage of the additional scope afforded to craft a critically acclaimed indie hit.

Cassette Beasts has a lot of heart and character, offering its own clear identity with an emphasis on music — and that theme is littered throughout, with move sets represented by stickers on tapes and remasters instead of evolutions. Players record monsters throughout the world and transform into them in battle alongside their companion.

1

Monster Hunter Stories

Enormous RPG

It may not be the optimal way to experience Monster Hunter Stories, but the originally 3DS exclusive is now available on Android and IOS. What is there to say? It’s a full Monster Hunter title with a revamped combat scheme that features raising and training the iconic monsters from across the series.

It does come with a hefty price tag for a mobile game, but there are literally 50 hours of story gameplay and dozens more hours of exploration, so it does justify it. It’s a really novel take on the Monster Hunter games, and it combines some of the series’ signature crafting to level up the player character alongside companion monsters.

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