Fan made Pokemon games are independently-conceived works of art, built upon the fundamentals of the Pokemon universe. But even as they take inspiration from the franchise, they also spice things up with entirely unique storylines, abilities, game mechanics, and even Pokemon types. These picks serve as a testament to the creative potential of amateur gamers and developers and help to preserve the heritage of the decades-old video game franchise in the modern-day. Let’s take a look at some of the best home-brewed Pokemon games for you to enjoy.
What Is Pokemon?
Pokemon is one of the most popular and globally-recognizable media franchises to come from Japan. The media franchise has been around for over a quarter of a decade, spanning multiple anime series, movies, and eight different generations of main series games under its belt.
Storyline
Pokemon centers on a fictional world where humans co-exist with adorable magical creatures called Pokemon. Different species of Pokemon have different abilities and temperaments, and they can evolve and gain new abilities across generation lines.
Most games position the player into the role of a Pokemon Trainer, whose main objective is to catch, train, and battle Pokemon. With the help of a small handheld device called the Pokedex, your mission is to catch all available Pokemon to complete the Pokemon database.
Creation
A Japanese developer named Satoshi Tajiri created the first-ever Pokemon game back in 1996. The game centers around a fictional universe with magical creatures called Pokemon, and Tajiri cited his childhood experiences catching and collecting insects as his inspiration for the game.
Commercial Performance
The video game series has sold over 380 million units of video games from all over the world, and this spans multiple generations of the game. This makes it one of history’s top five best-selling video game franchises, along with Mario Kart, Tetris, and Call of Duty. The series’ anime adaptation also earned the distinction of being the most successful anime adaptation of all time.
The Future of Pokemon
Even now, the franchise is showing no signs of slowing down. They’ve recently announced plans to release remakes of the Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl video games. The company is also exploring completely fresh territory with the release of Pokemon Arceus, the very first open-world RPG version of the game, and the hyper-interactive, augmented-reality (AR)-fueled Pokemon Go.
Nintendo has also announced the development of a rather strange yet interesting sleep-tracking and gaming app called Pokemon Sleep. While the app’s exact functions remain unclear, it will reportedly track your sleeping patterns while catching Pokemon on an automatic mode while you are doing so.
The Rise of Fan Made Pokemon Games
Pokemon developers Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures have released a large number of Pokemon games throughout the years. But in general, they only release an average of one game per year. For the majority of hardcore fans of the franchise, one game per year is simply not enough, and most fans are left wanting in between releases.
Luckily for the franchise, a good portion of their fans just happen to be aspiring or professional game developers. Together, these creators have come up with a wide selection of fan made Pokemon games for you to play. Additionally, the majority of creators used RPG Maker XP and Pokemon Essentials to create these games.
It’s important to note that Nintendo does not approve of these fan made Pokemon games and has the right to take them down. However, the company doesn’t appear to be actively seeking to pull down fan made games, and fan bases are trying to keep these games available online.
15 Best Fan-Made Pokemon Games to Play on PC
Whether you are a huge fan of the Pokemon series or simply curious about the twists and turns that fan made Pokemon games have to offer, there are a variety of options you can try. let’s take a closer Let’s have a look at some of the best fan made Pokemon games to offer you nostalgic memories from your childhood.
1.Pokemon Karma
Pokemon Uranium is a fan made game created with the RPG Maker XP and released in 2016. Nintendo originally removed the game from its website and its gaming server. Nonetheless, a dedicated fan base continues to work to keep the game alive and available.
Set in the brand-new Tandor region, the game puts you into the shoes of a Pokemon trainer. Your task is to battle and conquer other Pokemon and their trainers across a variety of sectors in the region.
The game has an entirely unique environment for you to explore. You can also collect up to 200 Pokemon types, 160 of which are fan-made. Aside from the traditional story game, the game also allows you to trade Pokemon with others and a new system for battling Pokemon.
2. Pokemon Fairies
Pokemon Fairies is an adorable auto battler game and one of the best fanmade Pokemon games. The game gets its name from its character designs, as you will be playing with adorable, anthropomorphic creatures. While you won’t do battles or capture creatures, you will be solving puzzles and crafting items.
In Fairyland, the fairies are busy preparing for an enormous feast with fairy music, food, and games. Unfortunately, things do not go as planned as the evil fairy Imogen and her Impidimp team sabotage the preparations. It is then up to you and your partner fairy to save the day.
3. Pokemon Psyduck Version
Pokemon Psyduck is another fan made Pokemon game. It focuses on the Pokemon character Psyduck, a yellow duck with psychic powers constantly besotted with headaches. Psyduck’s psychic abilities grow along with his headaches, and you need to watch out!
4. Pokemon Emerald Kaizo
Pokemon Emerald Kaizo is another game that closely follows the original and is one of the best fan made Pokemon games. The game is a much more difficult version of the Pokemon Emerald game, originally released in 2004.
The game follows the same characters, storyline, and progression mechanics as the original game. The only exception that the battle mechanics are more challenging and enemy responses more deadly. Some of the Pokemon’s moves have also been altered for the game, but most modifications are only minor.
5. Pokemon Bushido
Pokemon Bushido is another excellently crafted, turn-based, fan made Pokemon game would be. Developed using the RPG Maker XP, the game offers an interesting twist to the original storyline. It makes use of 4th Generation-style graphics and Pokemon from Generation 8.
In the game, you are the son of the Royal Samurai, and you’ve just finished your training to become a Kenshi (Pokemon catcher). However, after participating in an initiation tournament, the game unexpectedly draws you into an alternate universe, into a small town called Aisha.
As you try to make your way home, you must challenge various Kenshi clans and defeat the evil Akui clan responsible for creating Shadow Pokemon. You will also meet the protectors of the Aisha region, known as the “Three Katanas,” and uncover their stories.
6. Pokemon Dark Rising
Pokemon Dark Rising is a fan made Pokemon game created by DarkRisingGirl and her team of amateur developers back in 2012. The game gained popularity through the fanbase of the Pokemon FireRed video game. The game gained some level of popularity to the point where the developers created several iterations of the game since its release.
In the game, you play as a Pokemon Trainer tasked with saving the Pokemon and humans in your dream. Thereafter, you discover that your best friend Pete has the same dream, and together you must find a way to catch all Pokemon to save them from the disasters occurring all over the Core Region.
7. Pokemon FireRed
Pokemon FireRed is a remake of the original Pokemon FireRed game and one of the best fan made Pokemon games based on the earlier generations of Pokemon. It has the same storyline as the original, except that the game mechanics are much more difficult.
Similar to the original storyline, you get to play as a child living in the Pallet Town in the Kanto region. After wandering alone in a grassy area, Professor Oak enlists your help completing the Pokedex, an encyclopedia of Pokemon-related information.
8. Pokemon Infinite Fusion
Pokemon Infinite Fusion is another unique Pokemon experience brought to us by other Pokemon fans, and the game is based on the Pokemon Fusion generator.
Similar to the original game, Infinite Fusion takes place in a world where a virus has proliferated. This allows Pokemon to mutate and fuse with each other. Professor Oak sends you on a mission to catch and battle as many Pokemon as you can in order to complete the information required in the Pokedex.
9. Pokemon Reborn
As entertaining as it is to play games that are almost entirely based on the originals, some games go beyond the clichés and create their own storylines from the ground up. One such game is the Pokemon Reborn, and a developer named Amethyst created the game using RPG Maker XP and Pokemon Essentials.
You will play as a Pokemon trainer exploring the crumbling world of Reborn city. It is your task to regain the glory of the city by battling against a variety of gym leaders to earn badges. The game features mostly Generation 7 Pokemon, and there are 807 Pokemon in total for you to catch and train.
10. Pokemon 3D
Pokemon 3D is the first fan-made Generation 7 game, and one of the best fan made Pokemon games that you can play. Subsequently, the game tries to combine strategy elements from the highly popular Minecraft series with the auto battling elements of Pokemon.
The developers situate the game for nearly two years after the events of Pokemon Emerald. Trainers Matthew and Emerald arrive at a laboratory to choose their starter Pokemon. Soon, the pair encounter Team Tsunami, whose objective is to take over Pokemon and replace them with machines. With this in mind, your objective is to stop the team before it is too late.
The game features the most iconic Pokemon and locations across all generations. The game essentially transforms the 2D environment of the Pokemon Gold and Silver versions into a more modern and visually-appealing 3D environment.
11. Pokemon Light Platinum
Pokemon Light Platinum is one of the best fan based Pokemon games. Moreover, it’s one of the few games to bring legendary Pokemon from across multiple generations into a single battlefield.
The game takes place in the new fictional town of Zhery, with an entirely fresh storyline, rivals, and challenges for you to face. Additionally, the game allows you to square off against Pokemon types that belong to different generations. The game also includes a Pokemon World Championship where you can battle with the very best Pokemon.
12. Pokemon Godra
Pokemon Godra is another highly creative auto-battler game and one of the best fan made Pokemon games. This game tests the possibilities of a free-to-play environment in contrast to the often structured environment of the Pokemon universe.
Like most games whose titles are defined by their locations, developers situate this gam within the fictional city of Godra. Unlike most Pokemon games with a single, structured storyline, this game lets you choose between two game maps. Depending on the game map you select, you may get a structured or unstructured storyline. The game also allows you to select jobs to take along the way so that you won’t be stuck with just being a trainer.
13. Pokemon Insurgence
Pokemon Insurgence is another one of the best fan made Pokemon games for you to play. It offers a fresh take on the traditional plot of the franchise as well as gaming mechanics. Not to mention, it brings back the concept of mega evolutions into a 2D setting.
Pokemon Insurgence is one of the few to delve into much darker and more serious topics, especially pertaining to cults. The game also switches up the core mechanics, so instead of battling trainers to earn badges, you battle other heroes to earn the right to fight the cults.
14. Pokemon Phoenix Rising
Pokemon Pheonix Rising is a Japanese role-playing game, and one of the best fan made Pokemon games available online. The game introduces a more episodic approach and more focus on the RPG elements of gameplay than the original storyline.
The plot centers on the new, fictional world of the Hathorne region, where oracles maintained peace and prosperity for centuries. A so-called royal family unexpectedly shows up, threatening to convert the region into a land of chaos and warfare.
15. Pokemon Radical Red
Pokemon Radical Red is another modern reimagining of a classic Pokemon game, the Pokemon Fire Red. Fans of the original game would know that the game is on the easier side of the difficulty scale. So this game tries to experiment with a more difficult version of the original.
The game has the same basic foundations as the original, with the same plot and mechanics. However, these games also feature new abilities and re-balanced stats. Additionally, the game gives you access to more legendary Pokemon and the option to trade Pokemon and re-battle gym leaders you’ve already defeated.
Final Thoughts on the Best Fan Made Pokemon Games For You to Play on PC
This concludes our compilation of the best fan made Pokemon games for anyone looking for a fresh take on the original games. So far, these games excel at creating new experiences and possibilities within the Pokemon universe. They do this either by modifying existing games or creating entirely new stories. If there is any doubt as to the popularity of the franchise, these games attest to the enduring appeal of the franchise through all these years. Moreover, while most games could use better visuals, they are a rare glimpse into amateur creators’ collective imagination and potential.
It’s important to note that nearly all items on this list are playable in singleplayer mode. However, you may enjoy games that are more social in nature, and this is what co-op games are for. Here is a list of the best co-op games similar to “It Takes Two” to enjoy at home.
Now that you have access to a wide variety of games, the next logical step would be to learn how to download games for PC and console.
