In the wake of a taste of global harmony courtesy of Pokemon Go, it's undeniable that the monster collecting franchise stands as one of the most ubiquitous video games in existence. Pikachu is every bit as famous as Mickey Mouse, if not more so. The ongoing excitement surrounding card prices ensures near-daily Pokemon news stories. You'd be hard-pressed to find a Pokémon game that failed to move at least a couple million copies. Remarkably, unofficial Pokémon games go viral every year.
Yet despite that pervasiveness and popularity, some Pokémon games that are totally overlooked. These represent games that failed to receive their fair shake, or were buried under the hype of the mainline series. They're Pokémon games released on doomed platforms or services, or were early forays onto different formats. Frequently, they are Pokémon games that might have blossomed if they had received sequels or contemporary re-releases. Considering these factors, this list will not be just one more recommendation for Pokémon Conquest or the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series. We're pulling an Excadrill.
Nevertheless, these might be these Pokémon games. Therefore, prior to rearranging your glasses and typing 'Actually,' we can all acknowledge that these are Pokémon games for people with refined tastes, shall we?
Pokémon Ranch: The Cozy Precursor
Too many Pokémon games emphasize the battling element of the series, and far too few of them focus on the everyday realities that would come with living with a pet. Sure, there are minor mechanics like these in recent entries—you can pet, and feed your monsters in bases. But I am longing for a Pokémon game more in the style of Nintendogs or The Sims.
My Pokemon Ranch (2008) for the Wii isn't it. The digital-only title is most accurately viewed as the precursor to Pokemon Home; that is, as a storage system to store monsters from different games. Critical reception from its launch said Ranch was a poor if not truly ugly game. I'm not here to argue against these notions, but it compels me to say Ranch might be the closest we've ever gotten to a everyday life Pokémon game.
As the name suggests, the game takes place on a ranch where your personal Miis—imagine this—just relax with your Pokémon pals. The interactions with Pokémon were basic, and a lot of the draw was observing what your monsters might do when not forced into battle. In a just world, Pokémon Ranch would have been the beginning of a beautiful franchise built on the simple pleasures of coexisting with a small creature. However, because The Pokémon Company can charge a subscription for Pokémon Home now, it's likely we will not get a Pokémon Ranch game realized to its fullest potential. I'd say 'save us, Pokémon Pokopia!' but it's also known that the upcoming Switch exclusive is as much a puzzler as it is a life sim.
Ranch was released well before Stardew Valley kicked off the lasting craze of cozy games. It was prior to the rise of idle games, and the video playthrough normalization of watching games you aren't actively controlling. Most people never understood that Ranch's concept to observe your critters as much as you interact with them wasn't to hide a lack of substance. In truth, Ranch's attention to detail was so remarkable, there's a live stream dedicated to running the game 24/7. The individual who operates the channel states that, after almost twenty years of playing the game, he still has not encountered everything that is in it. Justice for Pokémon Ranch: nobody knew what to do with you in 2008.
Pokemon Duel: The Tactical Tabletop Game Gone
Are you aware that Pokémon once had an licensed board game with action figures? Pokémon Duel was the 2016 effort to adapt the physical experience in a more accessible format. Duel was also, sadly, one of Pokémon's first ventures into the world of free-to-play phone games. Duel had the hallmarks of a gacha title where players could spend for advantage—and there was motivation to do so, given the lengthy grind for new pieces.
These poor design choices obfuscated a sad truth: Pokémon Duel was an superb strategy game with Duel anymore. "Words cannot describe how much I adored and miss this game," one YouTube comment states, seven years after Duel's servers were shut down. "Honestly I think this game was better than TCG Pocket in terms of depth, approachability, design, and features in general," another commenter declared. "I am convinced if it launched now people would be engaging with it more than GO and Pocket combined."
Regrettably, Duel's initial launch was plagued with server issues. Technical problems, alongside Duel's scummy monetization model, gave people little reason to come back. If, by some miracle, The Pokémon Company decided to revive this franchise, I'm still not certain things would play out differently. The unique game board made for a fantastic strategic challenge for the handful of players who played Duel, but that board is also a daunting visual mess.
Pokemon: Magikarp Jump: The Absurd Experiment
Wow, why don't more Pokémon games loosen up a little and have some fun? Magikarp Jump (2017) was a uncommon case of The Pokémon Company approving a game with a premise so silly, it was verging on shitpost. And when we're dealing with a franchise where trainers go out with a full belt of useless monsters who literally can't do anything, it's surprising we don't have more Pokémon games that poke fun at themselves.
Within Magikarp Jump, the player is tasked with raising the ultimate version of the notorious fish. This isn't about a Magikarp that can kick your butt. These are 'Magikarp raised to enter contests to see who can jump the highest. One drawback is how Magikarp Jump, like many phone games, requires the player to wait before they can train their Magikarp further. But it is clear throughout the experience that Select Button loved and understood the community love around Magikarp.
Nowhere was this more evident than in Jump's brutal random occurrences, where your Magikarp was just as likely to improve as it was to get snatched by a Pidgeotto. Beyond the clever dialogue, Magikarp Jump also experimented with other things one might wish the core series would do, like offering a wide variety of the same species of monster. I know it's not practical for any Pokémon game to have 30 different variations for a compendium of over a thousand creatures, as Magikarp Jump does... but we can hope.
Magikarp Jump was not a especially sophisticated or deep game, but the seeds of brilliance were there. Witty events with outrageous outcomes that forever alter how you can raise a pet also describe the excellent Mewgenics. It's worth noting: Mewgenics will likely be in the conversation when 2026 GOTY season rolls around.
With numerous mainline entries and spin-offs, it's probable that I omitted that one Pokémon game you totally love but argue that not nearly enough people played. It's acknowledged that some people look back on games like Pokemon Ranger or Pokemon Pinball fondly despite argu
