Creature collector and monster taming games are having a bit of a resurgence again, and not just in the nostalgic, Pokémon inspired or fan game sense. A new wave of upcoming titles is pushing the genre in bigger and more unique directions, blending creature collecting with the open world exploration we’ve all been waiting for, real time combat, even social multiplayer elements. These games aren’t just about filling out a dex anymore, they’re about inhabiting a world alongside your creatures, bonding with them, and using their abilities to meaningfully change how you play.
Whether you’re craving a classic pixel art style game or a visually ambitious game with 3D graphics, the next generation of creature collectors is shaping up to be very exciting.
Below, I’m highlighting some of the most interesting upcoming creature collector games that you should absolutely be keeping on your radar (and adding to your wishlist!).
1. Aniimo
Aniimo is an upcoming free-to-play open world creature catching game set to release in 2026 on Xbox, PC, and mobile. In the world of Idyll, players explore diverse environments teeming with magical creatures called Aniimo, each with unique abilities. The core gameplay loop blends creature capture with real time battles, exploration, and discovery. Aniimo spawn based on weather, time of day, and location, giving each encounter variety and surprise. The twining mechanic lets players fuse with their Aniimo to take on their abilities to explore and puzzle solve in unique ways.
Beyond collecting and battling, Aniimo offers social and competitive elements. Players can visit a shared hub to meet other Pathfinders, engage in PvP, co-op challenges, and build out their base with farming and customization features. The game emphasizes the dynamic open world with fluid movement like gliding and diving, and promises cross-platform multiplayer so friends can play together regardless of device.
Tomo: Endless Blue is an upcoming open world monster-taming action RPG set in a vast realm known as the Endless Blue, where players explore procedurally generated islands and villages filled with mysterious creatures called Tomo. In this voxel style world, you can befriend and battle alongside Tomo companions, each with unique elemental abilities that influence combat and daily activities like farming, crafting, and cooking. The world combines sandbox creativity with RPG progression, letting you construct vehicles and contraptions using physics-based blocks to aid exploration and problem-solving.
3. Fera Knight
Fera Knight is an upcoming story-driven monster taming adventure with social sim elements, set in a troubled medieval fantasy world where you play as a disgraced knight aiming to restore his honor by capturing and raising creatures called Fera. You can capture and train more than 50 unique Fera, each with distinct abilities and roles like damage, tank, or support, and engage in turn based battles where defeated Fera are permanently lost, adding high stakes to every fight. The game features handcrafted 2D pixel art, a rich narrative, and a world filled with characters you can befriend (or antagonize) including over 15 townsfolk and multiple romance options. Players explore the world, interact with NPCs on their own schedules, and participate in festivals and daily life activities that enrich the experience beyond combat.
Palworld: Palfarm is an upcoming creature-collecting farming and life simulation spin-off from Palworld, shifting the series’ focus from survival chaos to a cozy farming life. Set on the Palpagos Islands, players build and manage their ideal farm alongside the mysterious creatures known as Pals, each of which contributes to daily tasks like sowing seeds, watering crops, harvesting fields, and crafting goods with their unique abilities. Beyond fieldwork, Palfarm blends social elements like daily conversations and gift giving with residents and Pals, offering the chance to deepen bonds and unlock narrative moments while tending to seasonal changes.
Pokémon: Pokopia is an upcoming cozy life simulation spin-off in the Pokémon franchise that drops players into a world reclaimed by nature where they’ll literally build a Pokémon paradise from scratch. Scheduled for release on March 5, 2026 exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2, you play as a Ditto that has transformed into a human-like form, tasked with restoring a barren island into a thriving habitat for Pokémon. You’ll gather materials, craft furniture and tools, till soil to grow crops, and create homes and habitats that attract different Pokémon back to your town. The game blends familiar Pokémon elements with laid-back activities like landscaping, gardening, and crafting, in a style reminiscent of Animal Crossing and building sims.
Tamer Town is an upcoming creature collecting city-builder hybrid where you don’t just catch and train monsters, you build an entire thriving town around them. Players can collect and raise over 130 unique creatures called Mokiton, each with elemental traits, personalities, and evolution paths, and use them not only in battles but also as active members of your settlement’s workforce and community. Building and managing neighborhoods involves designing production chains, assigning Mokitons to jobs that match their strengths, optimizing resource generation, and boosting your city’s reputation by keeping both tamers and Mokitons happy and productive.
Elestrals Awakened is an upcoming 2.5D pixel art creature-collecting RPG that’s quickly become one of the most talked about indie projects coming to both Steam and Nintendo Switch with a planned late 2027 release. Heavily inspired by classic monster taming games like Pokémon, the game invites players into a mythic world filled with over 100 collectible spirits called Elestrals, each tied to elemental forces and steeped in lore drawn from Greek mythology. The adventure blends exploration, story, and strategic turn-based battles as you capture, train, and evolve your Elestrals while uncovering a larger narrative shaped by gods, titans, and ancient prophecies.
Honkai: Nexus Anima is an upcoming creature-collector adventure strategy game from HoYoverse, the developer behind hits like Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail. Unlike their previous action RPGs, Nexus Anima blends creature collecting with strategic, auto battler style combat. Players can explore fractured worlds populated by mystical companions called Anima, each embodying thematic concepts like Love, Light, War, and Memory. You recruit and bond with these Anima as you progress through a narrative that begins with your character escaping imprisonment and venturing across varied realms to uncover mysteries and restore balance.
Monster Lab Simulator is an upcoming creature-creation and lab management sim launching into Early Access on February 13, 2026 where you step into the shoes of a scientist running your own monster research facility. Players collect mysterious essences and eggs to synthesize and hatch unique monsters (called Fulus), uncovering unexpected combinations as they experiment with genetics and evolve their creations. Once hatched, your monsters can be trained, orb’d for collection, and entered into turn-based battles to test their strength and earn rewards.
10. Fae & Fauna
Fae & Fauna is an upcoming open world creature collector RPG where you step into a magical world full of adorable companions called Faeons and embark on adventures as a research student at Saltwick Academy. In this cozy fantasy journey, you’ll explore the islands of Lunora, collect and battle with your Faeon team against dangers in the wild, and complete quests that push you deeper into the story and world. The game blends classic exploration and creature-collecting with RPG progression and customization.
