Pokémon Go has taken the world by storm and even after the recent drop in player numbers, more people are glued to their phones than ever before. And it’s no surprise, I mean, Pokémon is one of the largest and most beloved game franchises ever, so it only makes sense. But what do you do when the Niantic servers are down or Pokémon Go just doesn’t hold your attention anymore? What other games are out there that could possibly entertain you as much as Pokémon Go? Here are 10 Pokémon Go alternatives to try next.
Brave Frontier
For those of you who like the RPG-lite elements of Pokémon Go that don’t require a lot of investment, Brave Frontier is currently the top mobile game I can recommend. That game features a good mix of solid team building and lite strategy. The general purpose is to gain characters to build a good enough team to survive all the story modes while adding more as you go and leveling up the ones you have along the way.
It limits you only by how much you want to play and it offers unlimited replayability for those extra-long waits at airports or car trips. Sure, you can pay to play, but everything you can buy can be earned by playing if you have enough time to grind it out. There are story missions with some unique and interesting characters, arena modes to test out your favorite teams, secret story missions with rare characters to add to your ranks, and new content added each week.
However, the most interesting feature of Brave Frontier is the AUTO button. This makes your team perform all the best possible moves available to them without you having to do a thing beyond some initial setup. This type of passive system allows you to game while also paying attention to the world around you.
Tales of Link
If your favorite aspect of Pokémon Go is collecting and assembling teams of your favorite characters to engage in battles, but you feel Go‘s battle system is lacking in strategy and depth, Tales of Link may be just what you are looking for. Based on Namco Bandai’s successful Tales Of series, Tales of Link is a character building game that allows you to create teams of your favorite Tales characters and run them through a brand new story mode. Characters from literally every Tales game appear here and they all have various types and abilities that can help round out your teams.
The basic gameplay revolves around a 3×3 grid of your characters that all have different shapes and colors under them. Match those shapes to each other by dragging your finger from one to the next and you create a link chain of attacks. There’s a considerable story mode with some interesting cutscenes and Namco Bandai constantly updates it each week with new side-story missions and larger dungeons that provide extra rewards. You can spend money to speed things along, but the game offers everything you need if you just play it through.
Final Fantasy Brave Exvius
Final Fantasy Brave Exvius is a recent game that is already quite popular. It’s actually based on the number one pick, Brave Frontier, with a few upgrades and changes by the creators at Gumi and A-Lim. Like Brave Frontier, you collect characters to fight on your side against enemies in the story modes, but this time you get to build teams of all your favorite Final Fantasy characters from throughout the series’ history.
The battle system is just like Brave Frontier, where you tap a character to make them do their action, but this game adds a wrinkle of swiping in different directions to choose different types of attacks. There’s also an overworld map where you can meet and speak to many NPCs to flesh out the story and game world. Spending money on things like additional characters is an option, but never a necessity. That’s one of the things that keep this game likable, along with a similar AUTO feature to Brave Frontier.
Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions
It’s hard to pick which Final Fantasy game is the best on mobile since most of them are now available on phones these days, but Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions is certainly one of the best. It’s the perfect blend of simplicity and strategy that can hold your attention, but not demand it at all times. Many series favorites appear here and the music will take you back as well. Tactics is a timeless strategy game that is honestly good no matter what platform you choose to play it on.
Mystic Messenger
Alright lovers and love-chasers, here’s one to whet your appetite for romance. Mystic Messenger is a game that takes place in a virtual chat room full of attractive guys. You engage in funny and often flirty conversations until each of the characters moves closer or further away from you romantically. Sure, it’s cutesy with bright colors and cliché anime designs (ones not too dissimilar to the designs of the trainers in Pokémon Go) , but these types of games definitely have a dedicated following. This silly game is the mobile equivalent of playing out a cheesy romance novel in all the best ways. You learn your favorite hunk’s passions and dark secrets until he inevitably falls head over heels for you! Mystic Messenger is a no-strings-attached game that requires very little from you in terms of gameplay, but rewards you with all kinds of feels if you‘re willing to play along.
Dead Space on iOS
What’s better than a shooting the limbs off of scary aliens flooding your way? I submit nothing! If you’re tired of collecting critters or playing cutesy games like Pokémon Go, then here’s one to change the pace into something a bit more adult-themed. Dead Space was a wondrous space horror game based on the movies Alien and Event Horizon where you were stranded on a ship with necrotic unknown creatures that can only be killed by dismemberment. Lucky for you, you’ve got a Line Gun that shoots literal lines of energy that do just the trick.
Dead Space on iOS is a fun little romp in the world of Dead Space that sends enemies your way at a super-fast pace. Your only goal is survival. You still get to explore the ship and scream like a little baby at all the jump-scares, but the majority of the game will be you, a long hallway, and whatever the hell that thing is that’s about to eat off your face!
Infinity Blade iOS
Why settle for a single swipe to catch Pokémon when you can use several swipes to swing your sword and get out some aggression in a good ol’ hack and slash game? Infinity Blade does that beautifully. Even years after its initial release, the game still features some of the best-looking graphics in mobile gaming. While visually the game may resemble a Final Fantasy game, Infinity Blade and its sequels play much more like Fruit Ninja. You’re constantly swiping across the screen to have your character slash at your enemies and dodge and parry their blows. It’s a great game to pass short amounts of time with which makes it perfectly suited to the mobile platform.
Batman Arkham Origins
Pokémon trainers have tons of items and gadgets at their disposal, including several types of Poke Balls, potions, and lures. But nobody has more gadgets at his disposal than The Dark Knight. Arkham Origins was a tie-in game that went along with the main console and PC release of Batman Arkham Origins. You play as Batman and you have one-on-one fights with the bad guys until you reach the bosses and you take them down too. The controls are simplistic and consist of just swiping in different directions quickly, similar to Infinity Blade, but the story is just as interesting as some of the main Batman Arkham games. Even if it’s not the most in-depth representation of the Dark Knight, Arkham Origins is still good at making you feel awesome in the Batsuit.
The King of Fighters-A 2012 (F)
If the hand-drawn aesthetics of manga and anime drew you into Pokémon or if you like fighting games, then this one is a must. For all you Android users, King of Fighters-A 2012 turns your phone into a literal gaming controller on the touch screen and allows you to play just like you were on a console. SNK’s notable hand-drawn graphics are on full display here and the fluidity matches that of the console versions as well. It’s rare that you get a decent port of a console fighter on a mobile device, but this one is actually quite accurate and fun. It’s the usual fast-paced fighting that SNK is known for complete with the considerable roster of characters that KoF always sports over their competition.
Yo-Kai Watch: Wibble Wobble
If Pokémon make you happy, then you should seriously consider anything Yo-Kai Watch. Unlike the animal-like Pokémon, Yo-kai are spirits that haunt, possess, or affect the world around us. Yo-Kai has a large list of critters just like Pokémon and collecting them all is just as much fun. Wibble Wobble lets you take those Yo-kai and play cute and fun mini games with them for as long as you’d like. The humor and absurd premise will keep you entertained for hours on end, and there’s no need to spend money either. Yo-Kai Watch: Wibble Wobble is the best thing for anyone looking for Pokémon Go alternatives or waiting for their next Pokémon fix.