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A few months ago I decided to rank every single mainline Pokémon game on Switch, and it turned out to be a monumental task, despite only having 5 games to rank.
Do you know how many spin-off games there are on Switch 1 and 2? Too many!
Luckily for me, a lot of them are terrible, and there isn’t much to say about them apart from stating the obvious.
But there are some amazing ones worthy of your time, and I’ll be gushing about them as much as I can!
With this said, let’s dive in to this ranking and discover the Best Pokémon Spin-off games on Nintendo Switch 1 and 2:
The games I refuse to play
12. Detective Pikachu Returns
I’m starting off the list with a game I won’t touch with a 10-foot pole: Detective Pikachu Returns.
As a movie, Detective Pikachu worked really well, and it was one of the last films I managed to see before Covid hit. I remember being so excited afterward that I bought and played Detective Pikachu on the Nintendo 3DS.
It was a very lackluster experience, to be honest… to the point of not being able to finish the game.
Looking at the sequel, it doesn’t seem much better; everything seems underwhelming for a Switch title, and maybe I would’ve given it the benefit of the doubt if it was a 3DS game. From the trailers I can clearly see the game struggling, and the gameplay seems as easy and unappealing as the previous title.
It’s the only game on this list I have not played, and I refuse to. And this is coming from someone who played a bit of Balan Wonderworld a few days ago.
11. Pokémon Friends
Pokémon Friends is the newest spin-off in the franchise, and it’s fun in small bursts. Puzzles start easy but ramp up the difficulty the further you go.
Too bad I refuse to play it on the Nintendo Switch, because unlike the mobile version, there isn’t a free-to-play version.
The game costs $9.99, with 2 additional packs that cost 17.99 each! There is no way I am spending almost $46 just to play a Pokémon puzzle that is free on mobile, even with limitations.
The games I played, but you shouldn’t.
10. Pokémon Quest
I’m going to be very brief here.
This is the most useless and grindiest Pokémon game I have ever played in my life.
As with all predatory F2P games, it’s fun when you start, but you’ll soon realize this game only exists to suck your wallet.
Please avoid it at all costs; it’s not worth it. There isn’t a single mechanic in this game that I can view as fun.
Careful with the Micro Transactions
The next 2 games aren’t bad, but their Free-To-Play nature makes them rely too much on microtransactions, making them feel very predatory.
9. Pokémon Café Remix
Pokémon Café Remix is a fun and cozy puzzle game that you can pick up and play without much commitment.
In this game you run a café where you prepare meals by solving puzzles, and of course, your Pokémon helpers are there for you.
Just like any other F2P game, your progression will start to slow down, and you’ll feel obligated to reach far into your pockets.
And this has to be lucrative in some way, because Pokémon Café Remix has been around since 2018, and there’s no word of a shutdown notice so far.
Although with the release of Pokémon Friends, another puzzle game, it might be reaching the end of its lifespan.
8. Pokémon Unite
While Pokémon Unite has fun core gameplay, its predatory microtransactions don’t allow me to place it further in the list.
You can argue that you can play this game without spending a single dime, but every time I load this game, it feels like I just entered a casino. There are shiny things and vibrant colors everywhere that are tempting me to spend my money.
Which is a shame, because I love MOBAs, and I played it a lot during a few months and had a lot of fun. But these days it’s harder to recommend games of this nature, especially when they’re marketed at a child audience.
And please keep in mind, if one day the servers shut down, there goes all the money you’ve invested.
The games you can try, but why even bother?
7. Pokémon Stadium 1 and 2
I own Pokémon Stadium 1 and 2 for the Nintendo 64, and the whole point of the game is being able to play through them with Pokémon you’ve caught and raised from the Game Boy games.
This is impossible with the current Nintendo Switch Online, so you will be forced to play with rental teams.
Although both games are fun to play, I feel it’s almost pointless to do so in their current state.
Maybe one day they’ll add GB games on NSO so we can have the full experience, until then, these games are in a limbo for me.
6. Pókemon Puzzle League
I didn’t know this game existed until it dropped on NSO, and it’s as good as Pokémon Puzzle Challenge for the Game Boy Color, although it doesn’t have the same charm for me since I’m a major fan of the art style of the Game Boy game. I’m just a sucker for that pixel art.
In Pokémon Puzzle League, you’ll be able to go through the story of the anime, where you’ll eventually beat all the gyms and even the Pokémon League. There are some other modes you can try, like Marathon and Endless Mode, or even Puzzle University, where you can have fun tackling several puzzles.
But thanks to the NSO, you can play against your friends, and things can get pretty intense since you’ll discover there’s a lot of depth to this puzzle, and I have barely touched the surface!
After the success of games like Tetris 99, I would feel Pokémon puzzle games would be a great fit for this genre, and it’s something I’m hoping to see one day!
It would definitely be much better than the other F2P options we’ve seen so far…
5. Pokémon TCG
There isn’t a single bad Pokémon game released on Game Boy, and that applies to spin-offs like Pokémon TCG.
The game parallels the mainline games on Game Boy, although on a much smaller scale.
There isn’t a major region you can explore with Pokémon roaming around, and instead you choose where to go from a minimap.
Instead of 8 gyms, you have 8 dojos to conquer, and doing so will reward you with a badge that you’ll need to enter the league for a chance to battle against the grand masters.
Through your journey, if you can call it that, you can battle and rebattle players as many times as needed to get cards and expand your deck of cards, and it’s easy to get overpowered early on and beat the game easily.
But it’s not the NPCs you must worry about. Because of NSO, you can connect and play with other players! Matches are far from balanced, but it’s a lot of fun.
It’s been years since I played this game, and it’s amazing how much charm it still holds. From the OST to the nostalgic card designs. It’s definitely a game I can completely recommend for any Pokémon fan.
And Pokémon Company, where’s Pokémon TCG 3? Can you please make instead of the pack simulator we got for mobile?
Thank you.
4. Pokémon Snap
Pokémon Snap is a special game to me since it was the first game I got for the Nintendo 64. In fact, I got the Special Pikachu Edition bundled with Pokémon Snap on Christmas, and it contributed to a very memorable and nostalgic holiday.
Pokémon Snap is a rail shooter disguised as a photography game. You can take pictures of every Pokémon you see and use apples, a Pester Ball, and the Poké Flute to interact with them.
Depending on the Pokémon and item you use, you might be able to trigger special poses, like the surfing Pikachu in the first level. Or even trigger an evolution by throwing a Charmeleon into a pit of molten lava, which blew my mind as a young child, seeing a Charizard erupt from the pit.
Finishing a course doesn’t always mean you can advance to the next one, though. There are certain secret interactions you must perform to unlock them.
For example, to unlock the Volcano course, you need to throw an apple to an Electrodode at the end of the Power Plant stage, triggering an explosion that will open a path to the volcano.
It took me forever to figure these things out as a kid, meaning I spent weeks playing it before I could finally see the end credits and photograph every single Pokémon available.
It’s a fantastic game that still holds up to this day, and if you have a couple of hours to spare, I fully recommend it, if not just for hearing Prof. Oak’s lovely voice.
Interlude
The top 3 are all full-fledged games released for the Nintendo Switch, so in terms of graphical quality and modern gameplay, they are way ahead of any previous game on this list.
Starting with:
3. Pokémon Tournament DX
Placing this one anywhere on the list was so difficult for me.
It was probably the fighting game I had the most fun learning combos and playing online in recent years. Matches are short, and every input you do counts; mindless mashing will not work. Unless you’re a Braxien player…
The roster, despite being small, is filled with unique Pokémon, each with their fighting style and moveset. Learning one Pokémon doesn’t mean you’ll be able to pick up and play with another. Even Mewtwo and Shadow Mewtwo play entirely differently, despite looking identical.
Although I love it for these reasons, I need to be objective, and everything outside the online mode is a desert.
There’s a story mode, but it’s very bland and filled with uninspiring battles.
It’s great for a beginner to get the hang of the game, but it’s not a mode you’ll have fun with for hours.
I can still wholeheartedly recommend it, though. It’s 2025, and I still managed to find people playing online, which is amazing!
There’s also a supportive community in Discord, ready to help anyone who wants to improve!
So, despite what most people say, go play Pokken Tournament DX; as long as there’s a group of people ready to play, a game never dies.
2. New Pokémon Snap
As I mentioned, Pokémon Snap is my favorite game on the Nintendo 64, and hearing that a sequel was coming got me very excited.
Everything looked amazing in the trailers, from the beautiful graphics and the vast variety of Pokémon to the unique actions each Pokémon had.
But after playing it for a couple of hours, I came to realize it wasn’t the sequel I was hoping for...
And there were mainly two reasons for this.
They completely removed the Pokémon Evolutions I mentioned before, and these were the most memorable moments from the original Pokémon Snap. The Yumia Orb can make Pokémon behave differently, but it will never be as cool as throwing Charmelon into a lava pit and seeing it emerge as a Charizard.
Also, New Pokémon Snap has you replay courses several times to level them up to unlock other courses, and I’m not a fan of that. It’s not like in the original, where you’d replay stages to explore your surroundings and find a hidden path to progress.
Despite all of this, recently I’ve been playing it a lot before sleep, and now I can appreciate it much more for what it is instead of making a direct comparison to Pokémon Snap.
Now that I have most courses unlocked, I’m definitely enjoying it more, and even after 30 hours, I’m still finding new behaviors in Pokémon from courses I’ve played a few times before. And this is only possible due to the sheer amount of detail and care the devs placed on this game.
Some of these environments are breathtaking, and seeing Pokémon roam around minding their own business really makes the course feel alive.
New Pokémon Snap offers a very cozy and polished experience, and that’s why it deserves the number 2 spot on this list.
1. Mystery Dungeon Games
Mystery Dungeon is the best spin-off from the Pokémon franchise, and I’ll die on that hill.
Well, you can make an argument for Pokémon Conquest, but it’s the only one we got, so…
There are 2 Pokémon Mystery Games available on Switch. One is Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team on NSO, and the other is the remake of said game, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon DX.
Both are fantastic, but if I had to pick one for the number 1 spot, I’d give it to the remake solely due to the amount of quality-of-life changes added. If you’ve played the original, you’ll know how difficult it was to recruit a Pokémon at times. In DX you’ll constantly have a full party of 8 Pokémon following you around in the dungeon. And now, some of these Pokémon can even be shiny!
Although the GBA title has that pixel art aesthetic that is difficult to beat, it’s also a bit more challenging.
But, if you’re not familiar with these games, let me break them down a bit.
You play as a human who was whisked away to the Pokémon world for unknown reasons. There you befriend several of these Pokémon and even create a rescue team dedicated to saving Pokémon in need of help.
Your main goal is to find a way to return to your world, but in the process you’ll enter numerous dungeons filled with traps and wild Pokémon.
After defeating these wild Pokémon, you might get the chance to add them to your Rescue Team, and you’ll want to gather as many as possible since Pokémon have different skills for different situations.
Although it might not seem like it, there are some turn-based mechanics in Mystery Dungeon. Every time you make a move, enemies move as well. Using an item or even attacking will also count as a turn. So, sometimes it’s better to stop and think before getting surrounded and potentially fainting.
If you faint in a dungeon, you’ll have to restart from the first floor again, or in the case of Mystery Dungeon DX, pray that someone rescues you and returns your lost items.
Dying in the early dungeons is no big deal since they are small, but dying on the 99th floor of dungeons truly shatters your will.
The main difficulty of these games isn’t even the powerful Pokémon or traps; it’s being able to manage your Pokémon’s hunger and moves, in my opinion. The journey to the top is much more challenging than the legendary Pokémon waiting at the end.
But what truly makes these games the best Pokémon spin-offs on the Nintendo Switch?
I admit that the gameplay can be annoying at times, especially if you don’t like games where you need to manage hunger levels. But experimenting with different Pokémon Abilities and tearing through a dungeon with raw skill feels so good! And it can be something as simple as having a Groudon with Drought and a Blaziken spamming Heat Wave.
And then, there’s the story that is truly the heart of the game. Being able to carry more emotional depth than most mainline Pokémon games, it’s the main reason why I’m dying for a new Mystery Dungeon game, even if it’s another remake!
So, if you’ve never played a Pokémon Mystery Dungeon game, do it now because they are the best Pokémon spin-off on the Nintendo Switch.
The Best Pokémon Spin-off Games on Nintendo Switch 1 and 2?
Ranking these is difficult, and it takes a lot of time, so I appreciate anyone who reads it or even skims it.
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