Highlights

• Persona 5 Royal is considered the best entry in the Persona series, offering dungeon-crawling, monster-taming, and catchy tunes.
• Dragon Quest 5 features a unique gameplay mechanic of decking out a wagon full of monsters, setting it apart from other Dragon Quest games.
• While not a conventional monster-catching game, Monster Hunter World and its expansion, as well as Monster Hunter Stories 2, offer players the ability to collect and raise monsters for battle.

Pokemon might be the most famous name in monster-taming games, maybe even one of the most famous names in all gaming. After all, the franchise includes dozens of games, a card game, many TV series, manga, and so much more. However, franchises like Pokemon and Digimon aren't the only ones where people can tame, collect, and team up with all sorts of creatures. People who have played video games for two or three decades will remember classic titles that originally launched on platforms as old as the SNES.

What makes a monster-taming game memorable? Is it the character design, the combat, an active or passive playstyle, or simply nostalgia over time? Luckily for fans, Metacritic took out the guesswork when it comes to rating the games.

Updated October 15, 2023 by Mark Sammut: While they do not come out often, when they do, monster-catching games tend to be exciting. What are the sub-genre's best-ever offerings?

Disclaimer: For games that are on multiple platforms and therefore have multiple Metacritic listings, we'll only be using their highest score (regardless of platform) as a metric. Also, only the highest-rated game per franchise (so, not multiple Persona games).

1 Persona 5 Royal

Those who enjoy monster-taming games are always on the lookout for excellent JRPGs and Dungeon Crawlers as well, and the Persona games have always scratched that itch. Persona 5, not to be confused with its Strikers counterpart (which is still well-liked but not quite as universally), is perhaps the best entry in the long-standing series.

Persona 5 is a great release for those who enjoy dungeon-crawling, monster-taming, and some of the catchiest tunes, all with some slice-of-life elements tossed into the mix. Personas can be caught, used in battle, and upgraded into more intense versions by fusing them with others, a mechanic similar to "evolving" in many other monster-taming titles.

Additionally, the Persona series has made a habit of releasing their game and then coming out with a more expansive release of the game somewhere down the road that adds more to the overall experience. Persona 4 had this with Persona 4: Golden and now Persona 5 has Persona 5: Royal. Royal is just Persona 5 but better in just about every single way, which includes new additions to the story that somehow make it even darker and more mature. Lots of quality-of-life changes, new characters, tons of new story elements, and even new mechanics easily explain why Royal ranks slightly above the base game.

2 Dragon Quest 5: Hand Of The Heavenly Bride

Curiously, though this game originally came out on the Nintendo DS in 2009, the iOS version of the game has the higher score on Metacritic with a whopping 90 overall.

This RPG title is the second of the Zenithian Trilogy that was originally released on the SNES in 1992. Though it features a basic JRPG setup, gameplay includes decking out a wagon full of unique monsters, which is different from most of the other Dragon Quest games where players have a party of human or human-like companions to deck out instead.

Players will enjoy classic turn-based combat, an orchestrated soundtrack, beautiful 16-bit graphics, and a whole host of iconic Dragon Quest monsters and beloved mascots to befriend.

3 Monster Hunter World (As Well As Rise & Stories 2)

In recent years, the Monster Hunter franchise has absolutely returned to where it rightfully belongs at the forefront of gaming. Despite the incredible Metacritic score of 90 for Monster Hunter World and the equally impressive score of 90 for its Iceborne expansion, another game in the series that actually better fits the monster-taming criteria is Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, with a Metascore of 81. This sequel game, along with its predecessor, allows players to collect and hatch eggs, create teams, raise monsters, chain combo attacks, and even ride their pets around. The game also features a historic "rock, paper, scissors" combat system.

Not only that but even their most recent release (at the time of writing this) Monster Hunter Rise takes what they learned from MHW and makes the gameplay a bit more snappy overall. Not only that, but players have all kinds of classic and brand-new monsters to hunt in this game as well. Rise has a score of 88 on the Nintendo Switch, landing it right in the middle between Monster Hunter Stories (both 1 and 2) and Monster Hunter World.

Monster Hunter World is not a conventional monster-catching game, but a variant of the mechanic is included.

4 Pokemon Y

Pokemon is the definitive monster-catching franchise, and it is not even close. While the series has produced a few underwhelming releases over its decades-long run, most of the entries are good-to-great, especially the older ones.

As the first few generations debuted before Metacritic was a thing, they don't have a presence on the aggregate site; however, most of the latter projects land somewhere in the 80s. Pokemon X and Y can be slightly divisive since they brought a few changes to the formula, but they are overall considered as representing the license at its peak.

5 Monster Rancher 1 (& The Entire Series)

Monster Rancher embraced technology in a unique way in that the actual 'lore' of the games said that every CD has a monster inside it. Also called Monster Farm in Japan, the franchise includes many games and an anime TV series. But the original game was released for the PS1 in 1997.

It bridged the digital and the real worlds in a unique, visceral way. Monster designs were original and compelling and players could breed them, too. Players could raise monsters for tournament fighting but needed support to perform at their best. It also had players combing through their library of Playstation games, trying all of them to see what monsters were unique to each one.

The first game in the series maintains a Metascore of 86, and it is the highest-regarded entry. However, the Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX compilation is a good modern pick for mobile, PC, and Switch users.

6 Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch Remastered

Level-5 developed this game for the PS3 to be released in 2011 in Japan and in 2013 in Western regions. The remaster was released for Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Windows PCs in 2019. And, surprisingly, many fans have called it the best way to experience the game.

The game owes its fantastic Metacritic score of 86 to its beautiful and nostalgic animation style thanks to the hands of the masters in the industry as Studio Ghibli. The Ni No Kuni series as a whole delivers a relaxing, traditional RPG experience sure to bring a smile to the faces of new players and Pokemon veterans alike.

The second game, Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom, somehow manages to improve upon the already mind-blowing visuals of the first game, and it also adds to the gameplay systems as well. While fans of both games do say that the first title excels in combat difficulty and story while the second game excels in visuals and mechanics, both are absolutely deserving of their scores of 86 and 84 respectively.

7 Humanity – 85

Out of everything on this list, Humanity is probably the weirdest inclusion and the one that most loosely fits the definition of a 'creature collecting' game. In this game, instead of collecting monsters or creatures, players are collecting and guiding humans as a small ethereal Shiba Inu.

And, instead of obtaining new creatures with new abilities, players slowly obtain more commands to give their humans that help solve the expertly crafted puzzles each level (whether developer or fan-made) possesses. This is a game that absolutely works as a recommendation for that niche group of people who love both puzzle games and monster-taming games, and the critics seem to agree as they gave it a respectable Metascore of 85

8 Viva Pinata, Trouble In Paradise, & Pocket Paradise

Viva Pinata merges monster-taming, resource management, and a sim game all into one intuitive and fun experience. Though it was released in 2006 for the Xbox 360, it still maintains a Metascore of 84.

The game was a bit ahead of its time with hundreds of customizable elements. Players needed to foster a garden ecosystem in real time to attract other pinata species. The game included more than 60 species with infinite ways for players to design their gardens and bring in new pinatas.

Not only that, but almost no one is aware that there are multiple Viva Pinata games, and three of them have equally favorable scores to the original. The 'sequel' of sorts that introduces co-op play, Viva Pinata: Trouble In Paradise, has a score of 82 while the handheld game, Pocket Paradise, is at exactly the same level, also with a score of 82.

9 Shin Megami Tensei 5

Atlus' mainline Megami Tensei series has not quite managed to reach the same critical heights as Persona, although the games have a hardcore fanbase who hold them in very high esteem. An argument could be made that Nocturne or Apocalypse represents the dark urban fantasy series at its best, but SMT 5 is also fantastic.

Hard-as-nails combat and a finely-tuned demon-negotiation system serve as SMT's cornerstones, and the fifth entry has perfected them. The story and exploration can leave something to be desired, though.

10 Cassette Beasts

Cassette Beasts is one of those games that, from the outset, know that everyone playing it is going to be constantly comparing the game to something like Pokemon. And, instead of constantly biting back on that comparison or trying to 'fight it', Casette Beasts is fine with the comparisons as it constantly surprises the player with all the ways the game separates or improves upon the tried-and-true Pokemon mechanics.

Things like the way the Partner characters are written, the creepier and foreboding story with actual consequences, or even the Fusion mechanic are all huge divergences from typical monster-taming game staples, and they all work well. Plus, as with any creature collect-a-thon game, the designs of the creatures are a huge part of the appeal. Thankfully, with over 120+ designs for these Cassette Beasts (not including all the meticulously designed Fusions), most of them are amazing designs, leading to this being one of the best recommendations on here for fans of the monster-taming genre with a Metascore of 84. Additionally, this is also a game on Xbox Game Pass' ever-expanding lineup, making it even more accessible than a lot of other titles on here.

11 Monster Sanctuary

Those who are looking for something a bit more difficult than the other entries on this list may want to check out Monster Sanctuary, a Metroidvania/Monster-taming hybrid that features some great elements from each genre.

This indie release has gained a lot of positive buzz from fans, even if it didn't seem to sway "proper critics" in the same manner with its 80 overall Metascore. At the end of the day, Monster Sanctuary is a fantastic release with a lot to offer fans of platformers and monster-battling games.

12 Yo-Kai Watch: Wibble Wobble & The Entire Yo-Kai Watch Series

Level-5 (makers of Ni No Kuni) also created this series that features yokai (AKA spirits) from Japanese folklore. Despite being an iOS title, Yo-Kai Watch Wibble Wobble has the highest Metascore of any game in the series with an 83. However, it is more of a puzzle game than a monster-taming one.

Fans looking for a more traditional monster-taming game should pick up Yo-Kai Watch 3, which has an 80 for its Metascore. These games focus on battling, befriending, and helping the Yo-Kai in a very similar way to Pokemon, but with just enough mechanical and systematic changes to give it its own very recognizable and unique identity.

13 World Of Final Fantasy Maxima

Somewhere between Kingdom Hearts, Pokemon, and Final Fantasy lies the World of Final Fantasy Maxima game. It was released in 2018 for all 4 major platforms (Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC) having originally come out in 2016. The game features Champions who tame Mirages (monsters) mixed in with classic JRPG writing.

The game features floating islands that are settings from past Final Fantasy games. It also features many characters from past games like Quistis Trepe (FFVIII), Terra Brandford (FFVI), and Vivi (FFIX). It is a wonderful experience for new players and a trip down memory lane for long-time fans of the franchise. Though let's be honest, with all the references in the FF7 remakes (across the timelines), the absurd number of references and homages throughout the FF14 MMORPG quests, and of course, with Maxima, Final Fantasy fans spend more time reminiscing on the classic games than they do experience the new content. Well, at least that was the case until the release of Final Fantasy 16, as FF fans are now swimming in tons of new content to play around with.

14 Slime Rancher & Slime Rancher 2

Slime Rancher puts players in the shoes of Beatrix LeBeau -- a young rancher traveling to the Far, Far Range. She wants to wrangle some slimes and make some money in the region a thousand lightyears from Earth. Developer Monomi Park has supported the super-cozy indie title with dozens upon dozens of free updates. The dual slime collector and farming sim were even named "Best Simulation Game” by Game Informer in 2017.

Players can discover new slimes, create new gadgets with Slime Science, and explore all the regions of the Far, Far Range. Plus, for a game all about collecting different types of slime balls, Slime Rancher, which has an 81 on Metacritic, has one of the most rabid fanbases of all time ready to go up to bat for their indie darling at any moment.

Now the second game, Slime Rancher 2, technically doesn't qualify to be on here given that it's an Early Access game and as such doesn't have a Metascore yet. But, considering that the overall consensus in the Steam reviews is that it improves upon basically everything in the first game, it should at least be mentioned.

15 Nexomon: Extinction

Nexomon are the monsters in Nexomon: Extinction and there are more than 300 of them to encounter. The tyrant Nexomon seeks dominion over monsters and people. So a guild of tamers must journey to restore balance to the world. This, of course, includes capturing, taming, and training a team of Nexomon. This game, released in late 2020 for all major platforms, ticks every box for a great monster-taming game. It has unique monster designs, colorful graphics, cute monsters, and addictive gameplay.

This one, despite one of the lower overall scores on here at 80, might be the best recommendation for someone who just wants a game eerily close to Pokemon yet different enough to feel 'new'.

16 Patch Quest

Patch Quest is yet another roguelike game to add to the pile of (what feels like) thousands of other roguelikes. But, unlike all the others, Patch Quest manages to combine the bullet hell, roguelike, and monster-taming subgenres all into one fantastic product with a Metascore of 80 that players can choose to experience alone or with their friends in co-op.

This game, at first, might look simplistic and a bit visually 'hectic' but that's not at all what the game is once players understand the mechanics of it. Patch Quest manages to make each and every 'playable' creature in the game feel unique, feel worth upgrading, and also make players feel remorse for giving them up to switch to a different one. It's not the most mechanically deep game, but it's not trying to be, and it'll absolutely scratch that monster-taming itch for anyone who gives it a try.

17 Temtem

Moving on to probably one of the more ambitious entries on here, Temtem. Temtem is a game that was in early access since early 2020 and was fully realized and released as a complete product in September 2022. That said, the years spent in early access obviously did a lot because the game is an incredibly completely monster-taming MMORPG.

Players can simply complete the single-player campaign if they so choose. Or, alternatively, they can join a co-op playthrough of the surprisingly difficult story with their friend. And, as another choice, they can even focus on the cosmetic parts of the online experience such as home customization. Temtem has a ton to offer players as it separates itself from the Pokemon comparison in a ton of different ways, and is ultimately a success story.

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