The monster-taming genre is pretty well-known thanks to big franchises like Pokemon and Digimon. After all, bringing those who would otherwise be your enemy onto your side and fighting fire with fire is a fun concept.
Every game has its own take on how to capture, strengthen, and use the creatures you encounter in battles or out in the wild. But some have perfected the system — or at least gotten close to it. Since monster-taming mechanics can be a little repetitive, it's imperative to make sure things stay interesting, and these games do that well.
7 Temtem
If you've ever wanted to try a game like Pokemon as an MMORPG, you should definitely give Temtem a shot. It takes place on a vibrant floating Archipelago where many cute and colorful creatures called Temtem roam. Your goal is to beat eight Dojo leaders and defeat the evil Clan Belsoto while collecting as many Temtem as you can.
Instead of NPCs, the world is mostly filled with other players whom you can fight with or against in turn-based battles. Temtem have 12 different types, and attacks they're resistant or weak to depend on their type. You can get Temtem by weakening and capturing wild ones in battle or by breeding them yourself. Temtem also have different traits they can learn for battles, making even the same kind of Temtem potentially unique if you get it again.
6 Siralim Ultimate
By the developer's own words, Siralim Ultimate is like a crossover between Pokemon and Diablo. You play as the ruler of Siralim who's about to be betrayed by the king of Nex, an allied kingdom. Your job is to gather as many creatures as you can to win the war against Nex and keep your kingdom safe.
Siralim Ultimate has over 1,000 creatures to capture, each one having a unique trait that helps them in battle. You can have them in your party by defeating or fusing them. Fusion combines two creatures you have to make a unique offspring that inherits both the stats and looks of the parents. That makes the customization potential humongous. Take these creatures into randomly generated Realms and engage in turn-based battles until your army is strong enough to win the war.
5 Nexomon: Extinction
If you're into the more old school style of monster taming with 2D graphics, Nexomon: Extinction offers that in the best way. A type of Nexomon called Tyrants want to take over the world and render all other living beings extinct. You get to join the Tamer's guild and help stop them from fulfilling their goal.
There are almost 400 Nexomon for you to tame, and they can evolve into more powerful versions. You fight and capture them in the wild, but you can also fight other tamers and even Tyrant Nexomon. Every Nexomon is one of nine types, and you have to figure out what moves do or don't work against them. Environments are quite diverse, and their properties can affect your Nexomon. You can also give your Nexomon different Cores that increase their stats, allowing you to make their strengths even stronger or cover for their weaknesses.
4 Persona 5 Royal
While Persona 5 Royal's focus isn't necessarily monster taming, it's still a core mechanic you need to utilize if you want to have the best Personas. The game is heavily story-focused and revolves around a group of Phantom Thieves who make it their mission to change the hearts of corrupt adults. Your enemies are Shadows, but they don't have to be your enemies.
You can negotiate with them and bring them to your side as a Persona by choosing the correct dialogue options. What they like to hear depends on their personality, which you always need to keep in mind. You can also fuse new Personas by combining two or more Personas you already own, and even sacrifice unneeded Personas to strengthen other ones. Every Persona also has a particular trait that can help if you use them in battle. Seeing how much you can fill the Compendium is part of the fun.
3 Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX
Monster Rancher and Monster Rancher 2 were originally launched during the original PlayStation days. But, luckily, you can get them as a bundle on Steam, and they come with some QOL improvements! If you want to try out classic monster-taming games, these two are a must. There's no huge story in them; it's just about you breeding and taming monsters to win tournaments.
You can get monsters in a way that's completely unique from any other game: typing music CD titles or artists into a database. You can also combine two monsters to make a new one. After that, you need to train and take care of your monster for it to grow stronger and win tournaments. How you treat it determines its loyalty, which affects how well it listens to you in tournaments. So make sure to feed them when they're hungry, reduce their stress, and praise or scold them within reason.
2 Coromon
Coromon is a charming 2D pixelated game where you're a Battle Researcher who catches wild Coromon and trains them for a living. But in this world, there are powerful Titans, and an evil organization wants to use their essence for their own malicious goals. You have to travel all over and gather the Titans' essence before this organization can.
While Coromon's battle system is similar to most other turn-based monster taming ones, including having different elements and traits, it also includes a stamina system. This raises the stakes and makes you really have to think about your next move. When their health is low enough, or they're inflicted with a status ailment, you can catch wild Coromon with Spinners. Once they're yours, you can even change their colors to suit your taste.
1 Disc Creatures
Disc Creatures was purposely made as an homage to some of the oldest monster-taming games, so it may hit you with a bit of nostalgia. It was also created by a single Japanese developer, making its quality even more impressive. You play as a Disc Ranger who goes around catching, fusing, and training the creatures who cohabitate with humans. You may just discover some secrets along the way.
There are 200 creatures in the game, and they all have their own personalities. Also, each creature has a unique skill tree to unlock and level up. So the amount of creatures isn't there just for quantity; it's obvious that all of them have had love and care put into them from the developer. The battles are three versus three, adding an interesting challenge that other monster taming games typically wouldn't have.