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Following a vision of world peace thanks to Pokemon Go, it's beyond doubt that the creature-catching franchise is about as mainstream gaming titles around. The iconic Pikachu is just as famous as Mickey Mouse, if not more so. The ongoing excitement around card prices ensures near-daily Pokémon news stories. You'd be hard-pressed to find a pocket monster game that failed to move at least a few million copies. Remarkably, fan-made Pokémon games go viral annually.

Yet despite that pervasiveness and popularity, there are still Pokémon games that are totally underappreciated. These are titles that didn't get their fair shake, or were overshadowed by the hype of the core series. These are Pokémon games released on ill-fated consoles or online offerings, or were pioneering attempts onto new mediums. They're often also Pokémon games that probably would have blossomed if they had received follow-ups or contemporary re-releases. With these criteria in mind, this list will not be yet another reminder for Pokemon Conquest or the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series. We're pulling an Excadrill.

Nevertheless, you may already know about these Pokémon games. So, before adjusting your spectacles and typing 'Well,' let us just agree that these are Pokémon games for people with refined tastes, shall we?

Pokémon Ranch: The Chill Precursor

Too many Pokémon games emphasize the combat element of the series, and far too few of them focus on the ordinary aspects that would come with living with a companion. Admittedly, modern titles include minor mechanics like these in recent entries—players may pet, and feed your monsters in bases. But I am dying for a Pokémon game more in the vein of Nintendogs or The Sims.

My Pokémon Ranch (2008) for the Wii is not that game. The downloadable-only title is best seen as the precursor to Pokemon Home; that is, as a storage system to hold monsters from different games. Critical reception from its release said Ranch was a bad if not truly ugly game. It's not my goal to argue against these notions, but it behooves me to say Ranch might be the nearest we've come to a everyday life Pokémon game.

True to its title, the game is set on a ranch where your personal Miis—get this—simply hang out with your Pokémon pals. The activities with Pokémon were simple, and a significant part of the draw was watching what your monsters might do when not forced into cockfighting. In a just world, Pokémon Ranch would have been the beginning of a wonderful franchise built on the simple pleasures of coexisting with a small creature. However, because The Pokémon Company can charge a subscription for Pokémon Home now, it's likely we will never see a Pokémon Ranch game developed to its fullest potential. I'd say 'help us, Pokémon Pokopia!' but it's also known that the Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive is just as much a puzzler as it is a life simulation.

Ranch was released well before Stardew Valley kicked off the enduring trend of cozy games. It was before the rise of idle games, and the Let's Play popularization of watching games you aren't actively controlling. Many never realized that Ranch's proposal to watch your creatures as much as you interact with them wasn't to hide a shallow core. In actuality, Ranch's meticulous design was so extraordinary, a Twitch stream focused on broadcasting the game 24/7. The individual who operates the channel maintains that, after nearly two decades of experiencing the game, he still has not encountered everything that is in it. Recognition for Pokémon Ranch: no one knew what to do with you in 2008.

Pokémon Duel: The Strategic Tabletop Game Lost

Did you know that Pokémon once had an licensed board game with miniatures? Pokemon Duel was the 2016 effort to digitize the physical experience in a more accessible form. Duel was also, sadly, one of Pokémon's first ventures into the world of freemium phone games. Duel had the trappings of a gacha title where players could pay to win—and there was motivation to do so, given the slow progression for new figures.

All of these poor design choices obfuscated a sad truth: Pokémon Duel was an superb strategy game with Duel anymore. "Words cannot describe how much I adored and miss this game," one YouTube comment reads, years after Duel's servers were pulled. "Honestly I think this game was better than TCG Pocket in terms of complexity, accessibility, game design, and features in general," another commenter wrote. "I truly believe if it launched now people would be engaging with it more than GO and Pocket combined."

Regrettably, Duel's early release was plagued with server issues. Technical problems, alongside Duel's scummy monetization model, gave people little reason to come back. If, by some miracle, The Pokémon Company chose to resurrect this franchise, it's unclear things would play out differently. The unusual board structure made for a fantastic tactical experience for the handful of players who played Duel, but that playing field is also a intimidating visual mess.

Pokemon: Magikarp Jump: The Silly Gem

Wow, why don't more Pokémon games loosen up a little and have some fun? Magikarp Jump (2017) was a uncommon case of The Pokémon Company giving its blessing a game with a concept so absurd, it was verging on shitpost. And when we're dealing with a franchise where trainers venture forth with a team of ineffective monsters who literally can't do anything, I'm shocked we don't have more Pokémon games that laugh at themselves.

In Magikarp Jump, the player is tasked with breeding the ultimate version of the notorious fish. This isn't about a Magikarp that can win battles. These are 'Magikarp raised to enter contests to see who can jump the highest. I'm not a fan is how Magikarp Jump, like many phone games, requires the player to wait before they can improve their Magikarp further. But it is evident throughout the experience that the developers loved and understood the fan culture around Magikarp.

This was most apparent than in Jump's brutal random events, where your Magikarp was as likely to improve as it was to get eaten by a Pidgeotto. Beyond the clever dialogue, Magikarp Jump also experimented with other things one might wish the core series would do, like offering a diverse range of the same species of monster. It's understood it's not practical for any Pokémon game to have 30 different colorings and patterns for a roster of over a thousand creatures, as Magikarp Jump does... but one can dream.

Magikarp Jump was not a especially sophisticated or profound game, but the kernels of genius were there. Sharply written events with unpredictable results that forever alter how you can raise a pet also describe the excellent Mewgenics. It's worth noting: Mewgenics will likely be in the running when 2026 GOTY season rolls around.

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Given numerous mainline entries and spin-offs, chances are that I omitted that particular Pokémon game you absolutely adore but argue that not nearly enough people played. I know that some people look back on games like Pokemon Ranger or Pokémon Pinball fondly despite argu