Best Digimon Games For Newcomers To The Franchise, Ranked

Summary

• Digimon games vary greatly from longtime rival Pokemon, with unique mechanics, genres, and storylines.
• Digimon World Championship is a good starting point for newcomers due to its virtual pet simulator gameplay.
• Digimon World 3 offers a Pokemon-like experience with technology and nature fusion, perfect for newbies.

When Digimon is brought into conservation, everyone brands it as a Pokemon-esque franchise, but underneath the barebone similarities is a franchise that is vastly different from the pocket monsters in every sense. The franchise has expanded itself into various different mediums, including video games, but unlike Pokemon, Digimon games vary a great deal.

From the genre and mechanics involved to the storyline, getting into the world of Digimon is a rough path — especially if a newcomer decides to experience Digimon through video games. However, it is not like it is entirely impossible to enjoy Digimon games as a newcomer. With enough said, this list details the best Digimon games for newcomers to the franchise to help them have the best experience in the fascinating world of Digimon.

7

Digimon World Championship

Getting Used To The Unique Aspects Of Digimon

Saying Digimon World Championship is a newcomer-friendly game would be partially wrong, but it doesn’t mean newcomers cannot start their journey in this franchise from this title. Though a bit dated, Digimon World Championship is a different game in its own right. Instead of playing as an RPG, world championship is more similar to a virtual pet simulator.

The game involves the player hunting, raising, and leveling up the Digimons. Being a pet simulator, the majority of the time spent by players is on their Digifarms overlooking the growth of their Digimons. Taking care of a Digimon is a time-intensive task, and players need to do everything correctly if they want proper growth for their Digimons. The combat of the game plays like an auto battler, which gives more emphasis on the raising part as this is the part where the training pays off.

The game is not particularly engaging or complicated, but the reason why it is mentioned on this list is that the game can be used by newcomers, in particular, to have a good understanding of Digimons, Digivolutions and virtual pet mechanics like feeding, cleaning, training, dying, and rebirth.

6

Digimon World DS

One Can Not Go Wrong With A Classic

When talking about what could be the best place for a newcomer to start a video game series, there cannot be a better general answer than the first title of the series. This applies to the Digimon games as well, and the Digimon World DS is a stellar choice to begin one’s adventure in this world.

Digimon World DS is a short game, which means players can complete it rather quickly as they learn the basics of the franchise and get used to the mechanics of the game. The dungeons are not very complex in the game either, making it a beginner-friendly game. However, this is where the good part ends. One thing this game does pretty badly is the grind. With a high enemy encounter rate and tedious journeys back and forth to complete quests, things for players become rather annoying. The game also has its fair share of bugs that may frustrate players when encountered. Despite these issues, the core gameplay loop remains engaging. While the player would need to consult a guide to get all the basics, it is not that bad of an entry point to start an adventure in a digital world.

Playing the DS version of Digimon World is recommended for beginners as it is easier and more streamlined when compared with the PS1 version.

5

Digimon World 3

The Grind Is Well Worth It

Digimons stepped into the video gaming dimension from the Digimon World series. The series consists of plenty of titles, but despite being named under the same umbrella, each game in the world series barely shares any resemblance with the others. If the first game in the world series is a virtual pet simulator, then the second game is a turn-based dungeon crawler, and the fourth one is a top-down hack and slash.

Of all the games in the world series featuring different types of gameplay, the game that fits the best for a youngling in the world of digital monsters would be Digimon World 3. The simplest reason for this game to be on this list is because it is the only Digimon game that shares a sharp resemblance with the Pokemon games.

Digimon World 3 stands out as the most beloved entry in the World series — not simply for its Pokemon-inspired mechanics, but for the unique fusion of technology and nature within its world. With creative concepts, charming visuals, and a story full of twists, it continues to hold up as a solid title even today. The game doesn’t spoon-feed players and expects them to learn things through trial and error on their own. At times, it can feel unnecessarily padded, making progression a bit tedious. However, for newcomers willing to put in some time and effort along with following a guide while playing would pay off, almost as if they are Digivolving alongside their partners.

When playing Digimon World 3, try to play the EU version instead of the US version of the game. The US version doesn’t have some end-game content.

4

Digimon World: Next Order

A Good Place To Get Familiar With Digimons

A sequel to the 2000 Playstation 1 hit, Digimon World: Next Order is a love letter to the first Digimon World on a modern console. While one might think that a sequel as an entry point for a newcomer is weird, the game takes place in an alternate timeline after the events of the first game, making it more of an indirect sequel, giving enough room for newcomers to begin their journey.

Featuring modern visuals that appeal to contemporary audiences, Digimon World: Next Order draws closer to the franchise’s roots rather than following the path set by newer titles like Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth. Instead of being a traditional JRPG, the game focuses on Digimon’s virtual pet mechanics as it requires players to do more than just battle, as they care for their Digimon’s well-being and manage their life cycle.

While this caretaking system can somewhat discourage newcomers, the beginner mode and the dash feature help players to finish the game swiftly and with ease, as it does a good job at preparing players to get into relatively harder games to get into with its fun and challenging gameplay.

3

Digimon Rumble Arena 2

For People Craving Some Action

Digimon is a versatile franchise that can not be confined to a single video game genre. It has successfully taken the form of turn-based RPGs, card games, mobile gachas, and more. For newcomers stepping into the world of Digimon, the Rumble Arena titles — falling under the fighting game genre — is a good starting point for newcomers. Rumble Arena games are best suited for players familiar with the mechanics of a platform fighter, but players who enjoy fast-paced action will have a fun time playing the game as they are introduced to the diverse cast of Digimon.

Digimon Rumble Arena 2 is a Smash Bros-style fighting game starring the iconic cast of Digimons, each coming with their own unique movesets. Newcomers to the franchise who are familiar with the controls of Smash Bros-like games can have a good time while playing it. While the game is a bit dated, and with the bare bones of a story mode, it succeeds in delivering the thrill of Digimon battles. The game is at its best when players sit down to play it in PvP against other players as they shout out their attack names at the top of their lungs every time a move is executed.

2

Digimon Survive

An Acquired Taste

One of the most recent Digimon games on this list is Digimon Survive, a hybrid visual novel with tactical RPG elements set in the world of Digital monsters. In the classic Digimon style, the story of Survive is a standalone one, making it a good game for fresh faces. Following the classic Digimon trope, Survive tells a dark tale about friendship and survival with plenty of twists and drama to maintain the player’s curiosity till the end.

The game, for most of its part, plays like a visual novel, and the player’s choices can lead to different endings for the game. For the remaining half of the game, Digimon Survive plays something similar to Final Fantasy Tactics-style gameplay. While the combat of the game isn’t fleshed out on the gameplay side, the story side of the game shines brightly. However, the game, despite being newcomer-friendly, isn’t meant for everyone — especially for an audience who despises reading in a video game for the majority of the time. But, if one does not find a robust narrative a hindrance, Digimon Survive is definitely a good spot for a greenhorn.

1

Digimon Story Cyber Slueth: Complete Edition

The Best Way To Begin Digimon Journey

For a newcomer who hasn’t tapped into the Digimon franchise, Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Complete Edition is the best game to start their adventure. Featuring two full games, Cyber Sleuth and Hacker’s Memory, in the complete edition, despite being a part of the Digimon story series, it has a self-contained story, making it the best starting point, especially for people who are not familiar with the franchise.

Playing as a silent character, players investigate different cases as they converge together, unfolding an event transcending the human and the digital world. While everything starts on a rather light note, things turn dark rather quickly in Cyber Sleuth in a classic Digimon fashion. Players thinking of a childish story with lighthearted elements would be surprised by the content of the game as time passes by.

The main story and side quests of the game are engaging as they seamlessly integrate with the battle system and narrative of the game, creating an immersive environment that allows hours of fun gameplay. In terms of the core mechanics of the franchise, Cyber Sleuth does a good job at exposing a new system to beginners in the franchise. The game presents a smooth difficulty curve that keeps the game engaging but not overwhelming.

With a diverse roster of Digimons with their vast skill trees, there is plenty of room for experimentation as players figure out the perfect team composition for themselves. With all being said, Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Complete Edition remains a great Digimon game, especially for beginners, and the fact that it delivers two great Digimon games makes it an excellent onboarding to the franchise.