Palworld rocked the world when it came into Early Access in 2024. It’s still in Early Access now, but it has plenty of fans across all of its supported platforms. The game is proving to be so popular that the developer, Pocketpair, announced a spinoff called Palworld: Palfarm, which looks more like a life sim.
Palworld is different from most monster-catching games as there is an open world, gunplay, crafting, farming, and more. For those interested in more games like this, there is the upcoming Digimon Story Time Stranger on October 2, and beyond that, there is even more to be excited about. These games all have some combination of monster catching, crafting, or open-world structures.
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Pokemon Pokopia
While You Wait For Palworld: Palfarm
Pokémon Pokopia
- Released
- March 5, 2026
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Life Simulation, Simulation
The Pokemon franchise is taking a page from Palworld and is making a spinoff purely dedicated to chilling out and raising a community via Pokemon Pokopia. As a Ditto who turns into a child, players can grow crops, build homes, and hang out with other Pokemon.
It also looks a lot like Minecraft, but it’s not known if Pokemon Pokopia will have combat or not. It’s also not known how big the world will be or if it will be randomly generated, but the game looks like a spinoff that Switch 2 fans will surely be looking forward to in 2026.
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection
Taming Monsties
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection
- Released
- March 13, 2026
WHERE TO PLAY
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection has had three trailers so far, and most have focused on story content, but it’s shaping up to be the biggest game in the Monster Hunter spinoff series so far. The latest trailer revealed the 2026 release date, March 13, and it will be coming to PC, PS5, Switch 2, and Xbox Series X/S.
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The first two games featured open-world segments wherein players could explore monster nests for eggs. Hatched eggs would become partners called Monsties that assisted players in turn-based battles. Based on footage so far, it seems like that gameplay loop is returning, along with new ideas like flight battles.
Aniimo
Master The Elements
Aniimo
- Released
- 2026
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Adventure, RPG, Creature Collector
Aniimo looks like the most exciting upcoming monster-catching game. It will feature an open world to explore in the air, on foot, on the sea, and perhaps even more ways. What’s even more interesting is that characters can link with the monsters, Aniimo, and digitally transform into them to explore or fight.
Aniimo can be caught by rolling them up like snow, or in the traditional manner. Battles can be fought as humans too, and it seems like Aniimo can even be used as weapons similar to Palworld. So far, the game has been announced for PC and Xbox systems, but there's no official word yet on when the game will arrive.
DokeV
What Happened To This One?
DokeV
- Developer(s)
- Pearl Abyss
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action, Adventure, Open-World
DokeV has been absent for quite some time. It first made the world sing when the teaser was released in 2019, and after some updates, there hasn’t been a big trailer since 2021. There is some good news now, though. This action-based monster-catching game, which looks like it will primarily take place in a city akin to Pokemon Legends: Z-A, is being developed by Pearl Abyss, which has also been working on Crimson Desert.
That game just got an official 2026 release date for March 19, meaning that after Crimson Desert ships, more DokeV news is sure to follow. Crimson Desert could also come out in 2026, but at the very least, hopefully Pearl Abyss can update fans on a release window and pinpoint some platforms.
Honkai: Nexus Anima
The Next HoYoverse Obsession
Honkai: Nexus Anima
- Developer(s)
- HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
WHERE TO PLAY
HoYoverse is a free-to-play company that needs no introduction, as they rule the marketplace with games like Honkai: Star Rail, Zenless Zone Zero, and Genshin Impact. Their next project, Honkai: Nexus Anima, looks like it has similar exploration elements to Genshin Impact, but the gameplay is much different.
While the creatures and humans can be controlled in the 3D world, the combat will switch to a top-down perspective, and it resembles auto-chess games. No release dates have been given yet, but it’s supposed to launch on PC and mobile devices.
Tomo: Endless Blue
Sail Random Islands
- Developer: Onibi
- Publisher: Onibi
- Planned Systems: PC
- Planned Release: TBA
Tomo: Endless Blue is one of the more interesting open-world games coming out, as the game will be procedurally generated, similar to Minecraft. Also, sailing will play a big factor in exploring, as players will sail between islands looking for monsters, called Tomo, and resources to collect.
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Combat looks action-based, and crafting can factor into battles like creating a brick wall to absorb blasts. There will be an offline mode, which more games should include, along with full multiplayer support. So far, the game looks like it will be launching on PC, and perhaps on more platforms later.
Voidling Bound
A Space Adventure
- Developer: Hatchery Games
- Publisher: Hatchery Games
- Planned Release: Q1 2026
- Planned Systems: PC
Voidling Bound looks just as interesting as Tomo: Endless Blue, as it will change how players interact with their monster pals. In this game, they’re called Voidlings, and players can collect samples while exploring the world and then update their lab database.
Once done, players can customize the traits and powers of Voidlings. The creatures look a lot like the aliens players could create in the Spore games, giving this space exploration game a real sci-fi twist compared to most monster-catching games that favor fantasy-based settings. There is a demo on Steam for those interested, and it looks like that is the main platform for now, with a vague release date of the first quarter of 2026.
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