Buy 10 Games Like Pokemon on PC

Coromon is perhaps the most overt love letter to classic Pokémon you can find on PC, and it’s proud of it. Featuring turn-based battles, monster evolutions, and familiar mechanics like status effects and held items, this pixel-art RPG doesn’t just imitate the GBA era, it celebrates it. With a story-driven campaign and surprisingly deep team customisation, it captures that classic Saturday morning cartoon energy.

If you’re coming from FireRed or Emerald, Coromon will feel immediately familiar. Wild encounters? Check. Starter selection? Check. Strategic type matchups? Absolutely. It even includes Nuzlocke and Randomiser modes built-in, making it ideal for challenge runs.

That said, Coromon isn’t afraid to modernise where it counts. It’s got a sleeker interface, quality-of-life options like XP share customisation, and full keyboard/mouse support if you’re not using a controller. It’s the most Pokémon-like game on this list, but one that evolves the formula in smart, thoughtful ways.

Cassette Beasts takes Pokémon’s catch-and-battle loop and adds a clever fusion system, literally letting you combine any two beasts into a unique hybrid. All of this is wrapped in a charming, retro-futuristic world where battles are framed as mixtape recordings, lending the whole thing a rad ‘90s aesthetic and a sense of experimental fun.

Like Pokémon, it’s turn-based and has elemental types, complete with effectiveness charts and team synergy considerations. There’s a Pokédex-like recording logbook, a world to explore with NPC companions, and even evolution mechanics - albeit handled in its own quirky way. It also leans heavily into strategy, rewarding careful planning and combo-based setups.

But where Pokémon often plays it safe narratively, Cassette Beasts dives into multiverse weirdness, giving you a strange, shifting world to explore. Its tone is a touch more surreal, and the game structure isn’t just about collecting badges but rather uncovering layers of reality. Expect more narrative ambition and a lot more player freedom.

From the outside, Nexomon: Extinction looks like a straight Pokémon clone, and yes, it borrows a lot. But beneath the surface lies a genuinely witty, self-aware RPG with polished visuals and a sharper focus on storytelling. It feels like the kind of game a disillusioned Pokémon fan might make after wondering what a more daring version of the series could look like.

It boasts over 300 creatures to catch, each with unique designs, stats, and evolution paths. Battles are quick and satisfying, with stamina-based abilities and a traditional element system. You’ll be travelling across a fantasy world full of dangerous Nexomon, trainers, and even proper narrative stakes. The tone flits between comedic and surprisingly bleak in places.

Where Pokémon often dodges darker themes, Nexomon embraces them. Villains have real menace, and the plot doesn’t hold back on consequences. It also benefits from a tongue-in-cheek script that pokes fun at genre tropes. If you love Pokémon but wish it had a little more bite, this one’s for you.

Monster Sanctuary combines turn-based monster battles with side-scrolling Metroidvania exploration, creating something that feels like Pokémon meets Hollow Knight. You don’t just collect creatures, as they help you traverse the world, unlocking hidden areas and expanding your movement options as you grow your team.

The battle system is turn-based, but built around 3v3 team synergy and combo stacking. Each monster has a branching skill tree, allowing for specialised builds and deep party customisation. It’s got a more technical feel than traditional Pokémon, and that makes victory all the more satisfying.

What makes Monster Sanctuary stand apart is its structure. There are no random encounters. Instead, you see enemies in the world and can decide when to engage. It also leans into exploration and light puzzle-solving, creating a different rhythm to the gameplay. It's for Pokémon lovers who want more world interaction and a bit of platforming flair.

What if Pokémon had a fling with Stardew Valley? You’d get Moonstone Island, a whimsical blend of monster collecting, farming, and life simulation. You’re tasked with exploring a skybound archipelago, raising creatures, tending to crops, and building relationships with townsfolk, all in a gorgeous, cutsie art style.

Like Pokémon, you’ll capture and battle spirits across a wide world, with turn-based combat that’s easy to pick up and rewarding to master. Creature types, ability synergies, and evolving your team all play familiar roles, and there’s a real sense of bonding with your companions.

But unlike Pokémon, Moonstone Island splits its focus across multiple mechanics. You’re not just battling, you’re also fishing, crafting, and improving your home. It’s more relaxed and less linear, making it ideal for fans who want the companionship of monsters but also crave a sandbox to unwind in.

Capcom’s spin-off series trades the intensity of Monster Hunter’s real-time combat for a softer, more tactical turn-based RPG, and it works beautifully. In Monster Hunter Stories 2, you hatch and bond with monsters (Monsties), explore an expansive world, and tackle threats in traditional JRPG fashion.

It ticks several Pokémon boxes: you’re raising monsters, choosing your party, exploiting weaknesses, and diving into a rich world full of biomes and secrets. Battles are cinematic, with a rock-paper-scissors core and special kinship attacks. You’ll even find yourself hatching eggs, akin to Pokémon breeding mechanics.

What sets it apart is tone and world design. It’s grander in scope, with a more traditional hero’s journey narrative, a stronger focus on cinematic storytelling, and monsters that feel less like cute companions and more like majestic allies. With a meatier narrative and a larger, more epic-feeling adventure, everything's bigger here.

Ni No Kuni is a Studio Ghibli-flavoured RPG that offers some of the best creature collecting outside of Pokémon itself. With its heartwarming story, real-time battle system, and an art style lifted straight out of an anime film, it delivers magic and emotion in equal measure.

The familiar system is your gateway to Pokémon-style battles. You collect, train, and evolve monsters (familiars) to aid you in combat. They even take the frontline in battles while your human characters provide support, which should feel right at home to longtime Pokémon fans.

Ni No Kuni differs in combat pacing, leaning more on action and positioning than traditional turn-based structure. The story is also more emotional and cinematic, with a protagonist on a personal journey of loss and hope. For players who want a richer narrative alongside creature collection, this remaster is an essential pick. Plus, it's full of Studio Ghibli goodness.

Slime Rancher 2 doesn’t follow Pokémon’s footsteps directly, but it captures a similar joy in collecting, caring for, and observing strange little creatures. You’ll explore a colourful alien world, vacuum up sentient slimes, and raise them on your ever-growing ranch all in a soothing, first-person sandbox.

The Pokémon overlap comes through in variety and personality. Each slime has distinct traits, behaviours, and needs. Plus, combining them creates fascinating new breeds. It’s less about battling and more about discovery, resource management, and nurturing.

Where it deviates is in pacing and tone. There are no fights, no trainers, and no grand quest. Instead, it’s about curiosity, creativity, and chill vibes. If you regularly gravitated towards the Safari Zone or spent hours breeding and watching for subtle behaviours, this is a perfect detour.

In Research Story, you’re more scientist than trainer, but the goal is familiar: find creatures, befriend them, and document their behaviours. Think of it as Pokémon meets Stardew Valley, with a bigger emphasis on observation, interaction, and slow-paced bonding.

There are creatures to discover and tame, but also crops to grow, relationships to form, and a whole research journal to fill out. The game encourages you to study patterns, rather than just collect for collecting’s sake, offering a more relaxed and thoughtful approach to the genre.

With no conflict to speak of, it's quite distinct from Pokémon. There are no battles, no gyms, and no need to grind. Instead, you form bonds through feeding and environmental care. It’s about gentle progress, perfect for players who value calm over conquest.

We end on the most experimental of the bunch. Beyond Galaxyland is a vibrant, surreal space RPG where you collect bizarre aliens, explore fractured worlds, and immerse yourself in a playful blend of turn-based battles and existential oddities. It’s like if Pokémon got stuck in a dream after watching too much Adult Swim.

There are still echoes of Pokémon: you build a party, fight enemies using a turn-based system, and even evolve companions. But the execution is far weirder with offbeat humour, deep lore, and game systems that feel like they’re constantly shifting under your feet.

Where Pokémon offers structure, Galaxyland embraces chaos. It’s intentionally strange, designed for players who enjoy the genre but want to be surprised at every turn. For seasoned fans who think they’ve seen it all, this is the weird little gem worth taking a chance on.