The Pokémon franchise has seen numerous releases over the years. While the main series has always been a marquee part of nearly every portable Nintendo system, other games have expanded the world of Pokémon beyond that. From bigger budget releases of titles focusing on battles to wild and crazy deviations from the core series, Pokémon has gone a long way for fans looking for something unique and fun. Even for those who aren't too keen on the many generations of pocket monsters that have been continuously added with each new game, there's always something to catch their eye within the franchise.

Some Pokémon games have spun off into titles that are clever takes on the universe, showing everyone's favorite Pokémon characters through a different lens. They get away from the turn-based gym battles and random encounters in favor of something completely different. These kinds of spin-offs sometimes garner a following on their own, even turning into a series that takes advantage of how vast the Pokémon universe can be. Here are three of the best Pokémon spin-off games that every fan needs to play today, especially if you're a big Poke-fanatic.

3 Pokkén Tournament

Jump into the ring of battles

One thing that people love about the Pokémon series is the battles. Both the games and the many anime adaptations of the franchise have a major emphasis on the battles between trainers commanding their Pokémon to use attacks. But what if you controlled the Pokémon themselves in the battle actively and could use their attacks like a fighting game? That's the general setup of Pokkén Tournament, which puts players in the role of Pokémon in the ring, battling against one another. The game was originally released in Japanese arcades by Bandai Namco, and eventually made its way to the Nintendo Wii U in 2016. An updated version of the game, called Pokkén Tournament DX, was released for the Nintendo Switch, adding new playable characters and other balance tweaks.

Pokkén Tournament plays like a 3D fighter that switches between 3D and 2D camera angles, referred to as Field and Duel phases, which unlock different types of attacks for Pokémon to use. After selecting a Pokémon, battles are fought in rounds similar to most other fighting games, with the winner being the last one standing. Pokkén Tournament has Pokémon using powerful attacks that look flashy, including changing into their Mega Evolutions for big attacks. While the roster is nowhere near as big as some of the core games, there's a lot of representation from different generations of the series. In total, there are 23 different playable characters across all versions of the game.

The game includes versus modes on and offline, as well as a story mode that follows an original story involving Shadow Mewtwo. For anyone who really enjoys seeing battles from the series in a new way, Pokkén Tournament is something they should definitely pick up.

2 Detective Pikachu

Solving Poke-mysteries

One of the biggest mascots of all time is Pikachu from the Pokémon series. As soon as you see those yellow and black ears or those red-dotted cheeks with electricity, you'll immediately know who it is. But one game that really twisted up the view of Pikachu was a 3DS spin-off called Detective Pikachu. Unlike other games in the series, this is an adventure game that has a very strong focus on story. A young boy meets a Pikachu who can talk, and the two of them work together to solve mysteries. In Japan, the game was originally titled Great Detective Pikachu and was released two years prior to when it came out in North America.

The gameplay in Detective Pikachu involves extensive exploration and investigation of various locations. This is done to help Detective Pikachu find clues and discover information about the cases he works to solve. Along the way, the story has many humorous twists and turns, with Detective Pikachu following leads on his cases. Many different types of Pokémon make an appearance, including some legendary types that many fans will know well. The game was adapted into a live-action movie of the same name in 2019, with some differences from the narrative of the game. The movie starred Justice Smith and had Ryan Reynolds as the voice of Detective Pikachu. A sequel to the game was released in October 2023 for the Nintendo Switch and was titled Detective Pikachu Returns, which had a new story to follow.

1 Pokémon Snap

Getting the best shot

One of the best-known spin-offs to the Pokémon series is Pokémon Snap on the Nintendo 64. The game features many Pokémon types from the first generation of the series, which are Pokémon from the Kanto region featured in Pokémon Blue and Red. Originally, Pokémon Snap was set to release for the Nintendo 64DD, a disc drive add-on to the console that enabled various types of games to be played. However, this was changed after multiple delays to the N64's release, leading to the cartridge version everyone knows. Unlike other games in the series, Pokémon Snap gets away from battles and catching Pokémon, and instead focuses on capturing the exploits of Pokémon living in the wild. A sequel to the game was released for the Nintendo Switch called New Pokémon Snap, which featured new species of Pokémon to find and photograph.

In the story, Professor Oak reaches out to a photographer named Todd Snap to help with his research in a location called Pokémon Island. By using a multi-terrain vehicle called the Zero-One, Todd can capture images of Pokémon living on the island so that Professor Oak can use them to advance his research. With multiple environments present on the island, all types of Pokémon species can live there, allowing Todd to get a variety of images to give to Professor Oak. There are no bad guys like Team Rocket or anything with too much conflict going on here, just a light-hearted adventure that gives players the chance to observe Pokémon in their natural habitats.

The gameplay of Pokémon Snap on the N64 is mostly first-person on-rails movement as Todd moves throughout the island taking photos of different Pokémon. Players have to be quick to get shots of Pokémon that roam around freely, while also being clever enough to entice Pokémon to move around and get into view for a clear shot. Using items like Poke-Food and a Poke-Flute, Todd can attract curious Pokémon species for him to get pictures of. At the end of a trip through a given environment, the pictures can be given to and rated by Professor Oak, who gives points for how good they are. Having dynamic pictures can lead to high scores and unlock new items to help Todd on his travels.

Exploring the world of Pokémon

There are many kinds of interesting games released for the Pokémon franchise. Outside the core titles that continuously advance the series forward with new generations of Pokémon to catch, the spin-off games offer a different side of the Pokémon world. For some fans, these games are a nice change of pace from the many gym battles and misadventures that dominate most parts of the series. Whether you want to hang out and watch Pokémon roam freely or solve a mystery with an electric friend, there are a lot of games to browse through in the world of Pokémon.