4 Pokemon crossovers Nintendo isn’t brave enough to make – and 1 they might be
The Pokemon Company / NintendoFor a franchise so famous around the world, Pokemon has very rarely dipped its toes into other franchises or games. Here are 5 dream Pokemon crossovers that we’re just dying to see.
Have you ever seen two of your favorite gaming worlds collide? Whether it’s an official collab or a piece of spectacular fan art, seeing two massive games or pop culture franchises combined is an exciting experience as a gamer. As Pokemon fans, we can’t think of another franchise more ripe for collaboration.
Here, we’ve gathered our top picks for Pokemon crossovers that we’re just dying to see, using some artwork from talented community members as our inspiration. It’s important to highlight that none of these have been confirmed or even rumored – it’s just wishful thinking on our part.
Pokemon x Animal Crossing
Fans of cozy gaming, this one’s for you – and it’s the most likely crossover on our list, too. A mash-up between Animal Crossing and Pokemon could be an absolute dream, featuring popular Pokemon like the Eeveelutions or Starters in AC Villager form.
The artwork shown below from @spicyBeefu on X shows exactly how the Animal Crossing style would work in tandem with the Pokemon world. Pokemon could live as Villagers in your Animal Crossing world, acting as your neighbors and residing in little themed homes.
There wouldn’t be any of the usual Pokemon gameplay mechanics, but the characters from Pokemon would blend into the AC world seamlessly.
The only foreseeable issue is the notion of a Bug-type ‘mon catching bugs for the Animal Crossing museum. Aside from this odd scenario, adding Pokemon into Animal Crossing would be an adorable mash-up of two of the most beloved franchises out there.
Pokemon x Overwatch 2
Changing the pace slightly, a Pokemon and Overwatch 2 mashup could be a lot of fun. There have been fan-made takes on the concept in the past, but an official hybrid game with both Pokemon and Overwatch 2 characters would be exciting to play through.
BlizzardThe gameplay would likely remain very similar, perhaps with themed weapons taking inspiration from Pokemon – like the Prime Catcher ACE SPEC card in the TCG, for example.
The art styles of both games would blend together well, too. Both modern Pokemon titles and Overwatch 2 are vibrant, colorful games with a cartoonish style, and it would look great to blend the two together in a new game or game mode.
Pokemon x Stardew Valley
As with most of the entries in this list, a fan version of this game is out there in the wild. The cozy side of Pokemon would blend perfectly with Stardew Valley’s meditative gameplay loop, offering a different perspective on both franchises.
ConcernedApeIt would be intriguing to see a more open-world concept with this crossover, where you could explore the world, catch creatures, and set up camps while on your journey. The Stardew Valley art style would blend perfectly with the older Pokemon art style, too.
There could be towns in a similar style to Stardew Valley, with plenty of interesting NPCs to befriend and chat with, and you could even trade ‘mons with them. For this crossover to work, it would arguably have to be more chilled and laid back, with less of a focus on fast-paced battling.
Pokemon x The Sims 4
The Sims games have had some official collab packs in the past – featuring everything from Moschino to Katy Perry (who has actually collaborated with Pokemon herself) – and a Pokemon pack could be a lot of fun.
It would be more likely that we’d see themed clothing and decor featuring Pokemon if this ever did happen, but an actual expansion pack for The Sims 4 where you could keep Pokemon-like pets would be adorable and immersive.
As you can see from the custom fan art above, it’s definitely been in the community’s mind for a good while. The Sims 4 always nails cozy, lighthearted aesthetics and themes, and a Pokemon pet pack would be perfect.
Pokemon x Dark Souls
Flipping the theme for a moment, a horror, action-packed take on Pokemon with a Dark Souls theme would be a lot of fun.
FromSoftwareInstead of cute, cuddly Pocket Monsters, we could see the more terrifying ‘mons like Ultra Beasts as imposing bosses to take down. Pokemon like Necrozma would be particularly intimidating in a Dark Souls art style.
The idea of Pokemon being in a game with violence is understandably not for everyone, but there are some genuinely unnerving aspects to the franchise that could be played on in the Dark Souls world. For example, the Mega Evolution Pokedex entries are particularly unsettling.
While it’s unlikely that we’ll ever see any of these crossovers in action, it’s safe to say that we’ll see something exciting from Pokemon this year. There’s a lot to get excited about, with Legends Z-A on the horizon next year and incredible TCG releases just around the corner, too.
