Best Digimon Games, Ranked – Investment Policy

Digimon first became popular in the late 1990s as virtual pets, similar to Tamagotchis. It quickly expanded into video games and an anime series. Most recently, in 2025, the game *Digimon Story: Time Stranger* was released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, and the anime *Digimon Beatbreak* premiered on October 5th. It’s clear Digimon remains a huge success around the world.

Even though Digimon has been around for over thirty years and has inspired many games, it hasn’t quite become a gaming icon like some other franchises. Bandai, the company behind Digimon, often experiments with different game types, but they’ve been finding success lately. So, here’s a list of the best Digimon games of all time, compiled by someone who fondly remembers playing the original three games on PlayStation and even the less-loved Digimon World 4.

Great Digimon Games That Never Made It Out Of Japan

Digimon games haven’t always been released in Western countries, and many never made it outside of Japan. Because of this, we can’t officially include those games in our coverage since most players won’t be able to play them as intended. But if you happen to know Japanese or find a way to play these Digimon titles, I highly recommend giving them a try!

Digimon World Re:Digitize Decode – A fantastic 3DS pet raiser and arguably the best example of this format. Shame none of its versions came to North America.
Digimon Adventure – A charming turn-based JRPG on the PSP that goes through the original anime season. Nothing too special, but enjoyable.
Digimon Story Lost Evolution – The successor to Dawn and Dusk on the Nintendo DS. No idea why it wasn’t brought over, and the same goes for Xros Wars Red and Blue.

6. Digimon World PS1 Trilogy

Digimon’s Early Days Were Confused, Messy, And Endearing

Let’s be honest, the original *Digimon World* games on PlayStation aren’t classics that revolutionized the monster-raising or turn-based RPG genres. It’s clear Bandai didn’t have a consistent vision for the series, resulting in three games that feel completely unrelated – calling them a trilogy is a stretch.

Digimon World is the most beloved nowadays, with its town-building and pet-training mechanics being revisited by quite a few subsequent games in the series. You start with an egg Digimon, and you have to train, feed, and potty-train them to hopefully get them to digivolve into something useful. In the meantime, you complete quests to convince Digimon to join your own. The game is equal parts fun and frustrating.
Digimon World 2 drops the pet-raising aspect and is purely a 3v3 turn-based JRPG, which would become a staple of the franchise later on. You join a team that must explore domains to defeat the Blood Knights, all the while growing your team through digivolution, trades, and DNA digivolutions. DW2 is exhausting, with each dungeon looking exactly the same and battles taking forever. *Sigh, it is one of my favorite childhood JRPGs, but I cannot really say it is good.
Digimon World 3 is, theoretically, the best of the trilogy, but it is also the most forgettable since it copies Pokemon a lot more than the other two games. For all their flaws, DW and DW2 do their own thing. DW3 is just a much worse take on the Pokemon concept, even though it is otherwise an OK RPG.

5. Digimon World Dawn & Dusk

The Addictive Digimon Grind (And The Early Days Of Something Great)

Although known as *Digimon World* in North America, *Dawn & Dusk* actually belongs to the *Digimon Story* series. This series began in 2006 and is still being released today, with the latest game being *Digimon Story: Time Stranger* in 2025. Many fans consider this particular branch of *Digimon* to be the strongest, and the newer games are especially well-regarded.

While it’s easy to focus on the newer *Cyber Sleuth* games, *Dusk & Dawn* are still strong and substantial RPGs with a lot to offer. The turn-based battles are particularly good, focusing on where your Digimon are positioned instead of simply who goes first. There are tons of Digimon to collect and train, but *Dusk & Dawn* requires a lot of repetitive grinding to level them up, and it’s really based on Digimon types. Trying to collect them all isn’t practical or rewarding, and the game can feel draining after a while.

4. Digimon World: Next Order

Digimon World Goes Modern Gen

Okay, so when *Digimon World: Next Order* first came out, a lot of us were a little thrown. We were all hyped after *Cyber Sleuth*, expecting another awesome RPG where you grind through dungeons. But *Next Order* was totally different! It’s more of a slow-paced creature-raising game – think *Pokemon*, but the battles happen automatically and it’s got a really chill, everyday kind of vibe. Digimon’s done these pet-raising sims before, but *Next Order* was the first one to actually come over here to the West since the original *Digimon World*, which was a big deal.

Overall, *Next World* feels a lot like a modern take on *Digimon World*. It offers many more ways to evolve your Digimon, a large, open-world environment to explore, improved graphics, and greater control over battles and your partner’s development. Whether you’ll enjoy it really depends on your preferences – it’s a game that will either captivate you or leave you uninterested. While I usually prefer traditional turn-based RPGs, I still spent a good 30 hours having fun with *Next World*.

3. Digimon Survive

A Story-Driven Digimon Video Game Epic

Bandai should be commended for being willing to experiment with the Digimon franchise, even if the results have been mixed. While it took a while for Digimon to consistently gain traction, especially in gaming, this willingness allowed for diverse titles like Digimon Survive, Digimon World: Next Order, and Digimon Story: Time Stranger to be released relatively close together. Of these, Digimon Survive was the most daring, and it differs significantly from other games in the series – arguably more so than anything since the early WonderSwan titles.

Though it has some battles, *Digimon Survive* is mostly a visual novel – a type of game that isn’t for everyone. The long conversations are interspersed with simple, turn-based combat, but there isn’t enough fighting to make the game worthwhile on its own. Luckily, *Digimon Survive* boasts the strongest story of any *Digimon* game, with well-developed characters facing a surprisingly scary situation. However, I’d only recommend it to people who already enjoy visual novels.

2. Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth + Hacker’s Memory

Digimon Produces One Of The Best Turn-Based JRPGs Of The 2010s

Even though Digimon games were consistently released, *Cyber Sleuth*, especially the enhanced PS4 version from 2016, really brought the series back into the spotlight in North America. The game builds on the foundation of *Digimon World 2*, offering dungeon exploration, 3-on-3 turn-based battles with backup Digimon, and a complex Digivolution system where planning is key to obtaining powerful Mega and Ultra forms. Players will spend a lot of time leveling up their Digimon – often using PlatinumNumemons for extra experience – while also completing missions for their detective boss.

Cyber Sleuth is a solid game. It doesn’t reach incredible heights, but it’s surprisingly satisfying, which is something Digimon games often struggle with. The story has its ups and downs, but includes some genuinely dark and interesting moments. There’s some grinding involved, but it’s manageable and enjoyable as you build your dream team from over 200 Digimon. While the dungeons can be repetitive and a bit plain – a consequence of the game originally being on the PS Vita – they’re not unattractive.

What’s really cool is that this game is massive, and it’s frequently sold with its predecessor, *Hacker’s Memory*, which is also fantastic. The two games are very similar, differing mainly in their storylines.

1. Digimon Story: Time Stranger

The Best Digimon Game And The Crown Jewel Of A Great Series

Okay, so it’s early days, but I’m really enjoying *Digimon Story: Time Stranger*! It feels like the developers took everything that worked well in the previous games and just polished it up. The story is grabbing me – the time travel element is cool, but what I really love is how much it focuses on the bond between a girl and her Digimon. It’s a pretty classic, fun Digimon plot, but that emotional connection adds a lot of heart and makes it really engaging.

The core 3v3 turn-based battles are back, but now you have more control thanks to a human agent who carries out attacks. Reserve Digimon play a bigger role, too. Plus, there are over 400 Digimon to collect, hatch, evolve, and even combine! Be warned – there’s a lot of stat-crunching involved, but it’s incredibly addictive.

2025-10-08 01:36