Best Monster Taming Games for PS5 & PS4

Why it's here: The best place to start. You play a Rider, hatch monsters called Monsties from eggs, ride them across the map and fight beside them in turn-based battles, with a story built around a Rathalos egg that could hatch into something dangerous. It is rated E10+, scores 4.48 from 3,050 PS Store ratings and is included with PS Plus Extra. The catch is that the PlayStation release is the PS4 version, played on PS5 through backward compatibility. Start here.

Why it's here: The story pick. Oliver's journey to bring his mother back is told through animation storyboarded by Studio Ghibli and a score by Joe Hisaishi, and the creatures you recruit, called familiars, fight alongside the party. At 4.7 from 3,100 PS Store ratings it is one of the best-rated games here. It is a remaster of an older PS3 game on PS4, so expect a slower, more traditional RPG pace than the newer picks. Play it for the story.

Why it's here: The closest thing to Pokemon on PlayStation. You leave an orphanage, pick a starter and set out to trap and tame 381 Nexomon across nine elemental types, in animated turn-based battles against tamers and roaming Tyrants. It scores 4.72 from 1,700 PS Store ratings, second only to Vengeance here. The trade-off is scale: this is a 2D indie RPG, not a big-budget production, and defeated tamers come back stronger as you progress. Buy it if you miss Pokemon.

Why it's here: The open-world pick, and the only one here built on survival crafting. Pals you catch are put to work mining, farming and running factories while you build, and you can ride them on land, sea and air. Players are overwhelmingly positive about the loop of catching, building and crafting, but reviews flag performance issues and a balance that is harder on solo players. Rated Teen, 4.61 from 23,124 ratings. Best with friends on a shared server.

Why it's here: The hard end of the genre. Instead of catching monsters you negotiate with demons, recruit them and fuse them into stronger ones, and every fight in the press-turn system punishes autopilot. Reviews are overwhelmingly positive about the combat and the depth of demon customisation; the consistent knock is a minimal story and thin characters. Rated M, 4.74 from 5,063 ratings, the highest on this list. Pick it if you want a challenge, not if you are buying for a child.

Why it's here: The newest and biggest Digimon game, with over 450 Digimon to collect, raise and evolve for turn-based battles across the human world and the Digital World. Players praise its deep evolution system and its visuals, but sentiment is mixed overall: the story is called convoluted and slow, and the price and paid DLC draw complaints. Only 21 PS Store ratings so far, at 4.38. Buy it if you love Digimon; newcomers should start elsewhere.

Why it's here: The most playful take on the formula. You capture and evolve monsters from across the Final Fantasy series, then stack them on top of each other into towers that change their stats and skills in battle. The chibi art suits younger players, and it scores 4.68 from 5,700 PS Store ratings. It is a 2016 PS4 game, so it looks its age next to newer picks. A good choice for a Final Fantasy fan or a family.

Why it's here: The genre crossover. Monster Sanctuary is a metroidvania where the 111 monsters you hatch and train also unlock new routes, letting you fly, ride and break through obstacles, and each one has its own skill tree for turn-based fights. It scores 4.72 from 866 PS Store ratings, second only to Vengeance here, and adds online PvP plus optional randomizer modes for repeat runs. It is a 2D indie game on PS4. Pick it if you want exploration as much as collecting.

Why it's here: The gentlest pick, with no battles at all. As Beatrix LeBeau you collect new slimes on Rainbow Island, feed them, sell their plorts and spend the money upgrading your vacpack and a glass conservatory ranch. It is the most relaxed game here and rated E10+, with a 4.68 from 3,400 PS Store ratings. It is a first-person ranching game rather than an RPG, so anyone after turn-based battles should look higher up. Ideal for younger players.

Why it's here: The classic demon-recruiting RPG, remastered. A normal day in Tokyo ends in an apocalypse, and you build a team of demons to survive a war between gods and demons, with choices that decide how the world is reborn. The remaster adds easier difficulty settings and a suspend save, and it scores 4.72 from 2,100 PS Store ratings. It is still described by its own store page as infamously punishing and is rated M. Play it after Vengeance if you want more.

Why it's here: A darker Digimon story in a near-future Tokyo where hackers use Digimon to commit crimes. You play Keisuke Amazawa, framed and forced into cyberspace to clear his name, and you scan, raise, train and battle 320 Digimon in classic turn-based fights. It is the lowest-rated game on this list at 4.09 from 6,100 PS Store ratings, and it fills in the backstory of the original Cyber Sleuth. For Digimon fans who want more of the series.

Why it's here: The first Monster Hunter Stories, re-released with full Japanese and English voice acting. Like its sequel, you raise monsters rather than hunting them, bond with them as a Monster Rider and face a spreading Black Blight across the world. It scores 4.39 from 2,002 PS Store ratings, below the sequel, and is included with PS Plus Extra, so subscribers can try the series for nothing extra. Play it before the sequel if you want the full story.

Why it's here: The original ranching game on PS4, and still a gentle way in. You collect colorful slimes, grow crops and expand your ranch on the Far, Far Range. Players are overwhelmingly positive about its charm and relaxing loop, while some find it repetitive over time and the exploration confusing to navigate. It scores 4.53 from 25,000 PS Store ratings, the most-rated game here. Start with the sequel unless you want the full story from the beginning.

Why it's here: The raising sim. Instead of collecting hundreds of creatures, you raise two Digimon partners at once, train them and recruit others to rebuild a Digital World overrun by Machinedramon, with an AI battle system that leans on your bond with each partner. It is rated E10+ and scores 4.35 from 3,500 PS Store ratings. Its pace is slower and less battle-focused than the Digimon Story games. Pick it if training a partner appeals more than building a big team.

Why it's here: The first Nexomon, and a straightforward catch-and-evolve RPG. Pick one of seven starters, then catch, train and evolve over 300 Nexomon across ten regions, using seven elemental types in 2D turn-based battles against tamers and champions. It scores 4.55 from 823 PS Store ratings. Extinction is bigger and rates higher, so this one is for players who finish the sequel and want more of the same. A cheap second helping.