11. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX (Switch)

A beautiful game with potentially hundreds of hours of gameplay, there's still no getting away from the fact that this is an ageing GBA title at its core. The dungeon-crawling genre has evolved over the years to try and make things feel less repetitive, and while Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX does add some features to modernise the process a bit, they tend to fall flat. It's still fun in bursts, it just gets samey after a while.

10. Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia (DS)

Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia, like its predecessor, takes a while to get going and the gameplay can get repetitive, but there's a variety of attacks to learn to deal with that helps to keep things interesting; if you like collecting Pokémon, tracking them down will keep you busy.

Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube840k

The tweak to the capture process puts an end to the sometimes frustrating failures of the previous game, but it does lessen the challenge somewhat. Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia is an enjoyable game — if you like the first, then you'll like this one even more.

9. Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon (3DS)

If you're a Pokémon or Mystery Dungeon fan, you'll find a lot to love in Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon — the amount of things to do is staggering and the new form of recruitment through missions makes for a streamlined means of achieving the goal of catching 'em all.

We'd recommend this to those of you who don't mind a lot of grinding in RPGs, as there's plenty to enjoy here if you can push on through the copious amounts of padding. Repetition is present in nearly every aspect and makes for an experience that can sometimes feel like a chore rather than entertainment. If that doesn't sound up your alley it may be best to pass. There's no shortage of Pokémon games, right?

8. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team (DS)

There's a lot to keep you occupied in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team. Whilst some missions can feel the same as others, there's some good action, a decent story and plenty of fun to be had here. And while we enjoyed this entry on the DS, that useful second screen comes at the cost of a smaller main screen compared to the GBA counterpart.

There are also touchscreen controls that work well whether you are using them for menu navigation or opting to play the whole game with a stylus. All in all, Blue Rescue Team isn't the best PMD game, but it is a solid one.

7. Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness (GCN)

The follow-up to Pokémon Colosseum, Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness released in 2005 and had you catching Shadow 'mon and 'purifying' them.

Using the GBA-GC link cable, it was possible to connect any of the Game Boy Advance mainline entries to XD for battling and trading and, although it didn't change things significantly from its predecessor, it still provided a decent 3D Pokémon experience before the mainline games went into the third dimension.

6. Pokémon Snap (N64)

Sitting in a vehicle moving along a set path as you take photographs might not seem like much fun, but Pokémon Snap quickly proves to be a highly enjoyable, if short-lived, experience.

The quest to find a few more Pokémon or score better to open up new stages or get a useful item keeps you engaged for the game's brief duration and the variety of creatures and their actions keeps things interesting when replaying stages. There are only 63 Pokémon to find, and it can be cleared very quickly, but there's plenty of opportunity for new and improved (or funnier) photos with each playthrough.

The Switch sequel may have far eclipsed this one, but Pokémon Snap's inhabitants will surely bring a smile to your face.

5. New Pokémon Snap (Switch)

If, like us, you've been waiting a significant chunk of your life for a sequel to Pokémon Snap, then you're in luck; New Pokémon Snap brings back almost everything that made the original special and fleshes it out into a much more elaborate game.

This is something you can sink some serious time into and while there are some minor frustrations and pacing issues in the story, playing freely at your own pace is a pure joy. The original has gone down in history possibly as Pokémon's greatest spin-off, and it may have been dethroned.

4. Pokémon Stadium 2 (N64)

The original Pokémon Stadium was fine, but Pokémon Stadium 2 expanded the concept of a 3D companion cartridge to play alongside the mainline Game Boy games.

It included Pokémon from both the Johto and Kanto regions and offered some juicy extras if you owned the Game Boy entries (we pity whoever had a Pokémon Stadium game without owning Blue, Red, Yellow, Gold, or Silver!).

Only in the soundtrack department did it arguably not live up to its predecessor, but otherwise this felt like the 'proper' execution of the concept.

3. Pokémon Conquest (DS)

Pokémon Conquest is a game that no one asked for, but many will enjoy. Blending the world of Pokémon with the tactics of Koei Tecmo's (well, Tecmo Koei back in 2012) Nobunaga's Ambition, fans of either series will be drawn in by the familiar and will learn to love what’s new.

This does just about everything right, though there are shortcomings: more Pokémon being included would have helped, as would a deeper story – Pokémon Black and White showed that the monster-catching series is capable of telling a story with some heft to it.

These are little more than nicks in the armour, though. Pokémon Conquest absolutely stands with Pokémon Snap and Pokémon Puzzle League as one of the best spin-offs the franchise has seen.

2. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time / Darkness (DS)

This pair of Pokémon games from Chunsoft were sequels to Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team, games which (unusually) straddled the GBA and DS respectively, using the latter's GBA cartridge slot to interface between the two.

Both Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness were DS-only and brought along all the Gen IV Pokémon. The game sees you transformed into a Pocket Monster at the beginning and, of course, you'll need both versions if you want to catch 'em all. And two years later the enhanced Explorers of Sky would arrive with added 'mons, dungeons, and features.

These games' repetitive gameplay isn't everyone's cup of tea, but if you're after dungeon crawling with added cuteness from your favourite franchise critters, it doesn't get much better than this.

1. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky (DS)

The customary 'enhanced' third version of Chunsoft's Explorers of Time / Darkness pair, the meat of the gameplay in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky is found in constantly retreading through material and mechanics, so your mileage will vary and depend entirely upon how much you enjoy grinding in RPGs. If you don't like dungeon crawlers, probably best avoid dungeon crawlers, no?

The great story and charming presentation make this an enjoyable franchise spin-off and, provided you're not the type of player to be put off by a little repetition, this is a deep, fun, colourful adventure featuring everyone's favourite critters.

Well... that's a lot! Plenty to get lost in. No catching necessary, either.

Best Pokémon Spin-Off Games FAQs

Can't tell your snaps from your stadiums? Let's put our Psychic types to the test and answer some questions.

What Pokémon Spin-Offs are on Switch?

Quite a few, thankfully! The Switch isn't just home to the mainline series, after all. You can find all of these on the hybrid console:

  • Detective Pikachu Returns
  • New Pokémon Snap
  • Pokémon Café ReMix
  • Pokémon Friends
  • Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX
  • Pokémon Quest
  • Pokkén Tournament DX
  • Pokémon Unite

Pokémon Champions, a brand new battle-focused spin-off, is also coming to Switch (and mobile) at some point in 2026. This looks to be pretty similar to Stadium, and will be compatible with Pokémon Home, too.

If you have Nintendo Switch Online, then you also have access to these titles:

  • Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team (GBA - Expansion Pack required)
  • Pokémon Snap (N64 - Expansion Pack required)
  • Pokémon Stadium (N64 - Expansion Pack required)
  • Pokémon Stadium 2 (N64 - Expansion Pack required)
  • Pokémon Trading Card Game (Game Boy)

What is the best Mystery Dungeon game?

According to you folks, the best Mystery Dungeon game is also the best Pokémon spin-off ever — Explorers of Sky. This one's only available on DS, so unless you have a DS or 3DS to hand, you won't be able to play it.

Is Pokémon Colosseum on Switch?

Not on Switch 1 but if you're rocking a Switch 2, you'll be able to play both Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness via the Nintendo Classics GameCube app at some point in the future.

Both games have been announced, although their Switch 2 release is still TBA.

How can I change the ranking?

We asked you folks to rate all of the Pokémon spin-offs that you've played, and this list is the result of your scores - but remember, if you're not happy with the results, you can rate your favourites at any time and influence the ranking, even now.

Based on each game's User Rating, this updates in real time, so search for the Pokémon spin-off you're after in the bar below.