Best Pokemon Fan Games – Unofficial Fan Made Games

I f you can’t get enough of Pokemon games, you’re in the right place. Pokemon is usually a pretty console based franchise but on PC, there are a bunch of fan projects and unofficial ways to play Pokemon. This list notes some of best Pokemon fan games.

Rejuvenation – Ultimate Pokemon Spiritual Successor

Pokemon Rejuvenation is a heavily story based fan made Pokemon game created by the developers of Pokemon Reborn, another very popular Pokemon fan-game. Being a spiritual successor, you may want to play Reborn first, however Rejuvenation is a more well rounded experience, having learned from Reborn.

Like most fan games, the game is more difficult than your average mainline Pokemon game experience. EV training can be done via cards and specific EV training rooms. Entering each of these rooms also allows you to get the EV training braces for free when entering for use outside of the rooms.

In addition, bonus moves and a take on Pokemon Sword and Shield’s Raid dens allows players to fight and catch Shadow Pokemon. This is reminiscent of the Pokemon Colosseum and Gale of Darkness games.

In addition to Terrains from the main game, Fields are another variable to consider in battle. Terrains have layered effects over fields, but function very similarly, providing buffs / gameplay alterations. Fields are often implemented in gameplay/story to make set encounters more challenging.

Reborn – Most Well Known Among Best Pokemon Fan Games

We wouldn’t have a list of the best Pokémon fan games without Reborn making an appearance. Still a fantastic game in its own right, this more adult, darker take on Pokemon.

It features mutations and themes of loss of life. Running in the style of Gen 3 and featuring content up to Gen 7, Pokemon Reborn introduced the field effects also present in Rejuvenation, giving the boosts and negatives for certain move types. Reborn’s field effects are largely shown off in Gym battles, which, unlike the mainline games, have the leaders featuring a full team of 6. Eggs also have unique sprites to show the egg that they are for.

While players will likely run into some game overs in their battles, strong players will be able to set up full team sweeps on a good run. Most trainers lack “revenge killers” to prevent single Pokémon sweeps. A feature added into team building in Rejuvenation. Casual players will likely want to brush up their skills in competitive singles to get ready for some of the encounters. It took 10 years to complete, but the wait was well worth it.

Opalo – Best Pokemon Fan Games Translated

The Cowboy themed Pokemon fan game comes from the Spanish speaking fan game community. It features inbuilt Nuzlocke support as well as a randomizer mode for both normal and Nuzlocke runs.

The game features regional forms of existing Pokemon, much like Gen 7 and onwards approach to reimagining nostalgic favorites. The game does also feature its own cast of new Pokemon to accompany this new region and its airtight story.

Something noticeably absent from older fan games and older official games, the game features some mild customization options for skin color at the start of the game. With access to 2 new regions, 16 gyms and 928 available Pokemon, this fan game has plenty to offer players alongside older protagonists.

Uranium – Play Pokemon Online

Pokemon Uranium made the news previously for being such a labor of love. Which also put it in the crosshairs of the original IP owners. Official links disappeared, but the internet is the internet, so the game remained playable, and eventually went back under development separate from the original team to improve on the original without changing its identity.

It comes equipped with a fully custom set of new Fakemons (Fan made Pokemon) and its own UI. It features online play as well as mystery gift events similar to the mainline games and their official support.

The game also has official Nuzlocke support, allowing players to customize the Nuzlockes further with alternative rules that can be enabled and disabled. As this game does have Nuzlockes in mind, talking to NPCs does give some context clues on upcoming battles. Players that don’t want to rely on a guide should be able to play and still make successful runs if they’re thorough enough.

Unbound – For Fans of Higher Difficulty

Unbound is one of the more accessible Pokemon fan games. Running in the generation 3 engine, it features Pokemon up to Gen 7 and 4 difficulty levels. Normal, Difficult, Expert and Insane, which change the game mechanics in addition to level scaling. In Insane difficulty, as early as the 2nd Gym leader has access to Mega Evolutions.

Pokemon Unbound also features side quests called Missions, some of which are fetch quests, but thanks to a quest log, are easy to keep track of as you follow the main journey. The difference between the Dark and Normal versions of the story is that the cutscenes included are a tad darker, with some characters dying throughout the course of the game. The player character is fully customizable, down to their hair color.