Digimon Surviveis the upcoming survival RPG that promises to take theDigimonfranchise in a darker direction than previous installments. Featuring a unique blend of tactical RPG elements with a visual novel styled narrative,Digimon Survivelooks set to offer a unique experience compared to the rest of the games in the series.
Over the years,Digimonhas become known for its versatile game adaptations as it spans numerous genres like RPGs, dungeon crawlers, racing games, fighters and more. ThoughDigimon Survivewill explore a new style of gameplay, there are plenty of otherDigimongamesthat showcase the franchise at its best and fans won’t want to miss these titles.
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Updated August 02, 2025 by Mark Sammut:Digimon Survive still does nothave a release date, although the game’s development seems to be moving forward steadily. Still, more than four years have passed since the last Digimon game was released in Western countries, so the wait has been quite a long one for fans of the franchise. While maybe not as acclaimed as some other RPG licenses, Digimon has produced plenty of stellar games over the years, some of which can help pass the time until Survive hits the market.
Platforms
WhileDigimonhas constantly evolved over the years, it wasn’t untilDigimon Storythat the franchise decided to place more emphasis on the narrativetogether with the monster-collection mechanics. TheDigimon Story: Cyber Sleuthduology has players assume the role of a cyber detective or hacker as they navigate the digital world to uncover a mystery.
The turn-based battle system is one of the most refined in theDigimonfranchise and there are hundreds of Digimon to train and collect. Fans waiting forDigimon Surviveshould try theCyber Sleuthgames to see how the franchise has shifted its focus towards narrative-driven titles.
Platform
PlayStation 1
Despite its initial lukewarm reviews,Digimon World 3has retained a dedicated fanbase over the years and remains a classic RPG for the original PlayStation.Digimon World 3took a different direction from both of its predecessors by shifting towards a JRPG style of gameplay that does not heavily revolve around catching new Digimon.
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Players navigate an overworld while randomly battling against wild Digimon as the main character becomes trapped in an online MMORPG when terrorists attack.Digimon World 3greatly refined the mechanics of the earlier gamesand remains a testament to how well the digivolution mechanics could be developed.
tri-Crescendo
Digmon World: Re:Digitizeis easily one of the best games in the franchise due to the way it modernized many of the mechanics andpaved the way for the success of theDigimon Storyseries. Based on the mechanics of the originalDigmon Worldgame, there is an emphasis on real-time combat as well modernizing the virtual pet mechanics of training, raising, and feeding. Unfortunately, the game has never seen a release outside of Japan despite a massive online campaign for its localization. As a result, players will need to use a fan-made translation patch to experience the game.
Nonetheless,Digmon World: Re:Digitizestands out from its predecessors and is a fundamental reason that theDigimonseries has experienced a resurgence in the past few years. In 2013, an enhanced version of the game calledRe:Digitize Decodewas released on the Nintendo 3DS.
Digimon World: Next Orderbuilds off the success of Japanese-exclusiveDigimon World: Re:Digitizeby incorporating open-world mechanics together with standard RPG elements. Similar to previous games such asDigimon World,Next Ordermostly comprises of raising Digimon through battles or interactions, and it features two partners instead of one. It also featured an interesting AI battle system where Digimon mostly fought in real-time on their own while players could issue commands or give them items.
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ThoughNext Order’s story is weaker than other games,Digimon Survivefans will find the strategic combat system quite interesting. As it does not seem like the upcoming title focuses on raising Digimon, fans can turn toNext Orderto experience this side of the franchise.
Nintendo DS
Digmon World DawnandDigimon World Duskare beloved by fans for its additions to the monster-collecting mechanics as well asthe introduction of brand new Digimon. While its story was lackluster and the localization could be hit or miss,Digimon World Dawn/Duskbrought exciting new changes to the DigiFarm, digivolutions, and multiplayer mode. Though many of the mechanics weren’t revolutionary by any means,Digimon World Dawn/Duskhelped streamline them for a more modernized approach.
Digimon World Dawn/Dusklaid the foundation for the digivolution system seen inCyber Sleuth, and the earlier version of this mechanic was already deep and addictive. Although they did not set the world on fire, these titles were bright spots during an era whenDigimonwas struggling to hit the mark when it came to games.
PlayStation Portable
In March 2022, Bandai Namco released ateaser trailerhighlightingDigimon Survive’s main characters and their partners. The video’s somber music reinforces that the upcoming game will likely have a mature and dark tone, two things the franchise has sporadically explored throughout its history. In fact, the originalDigimon Adventureanime has its share of intense moments, and the same can be said for its sequel,Digimon Adventure Tri.
Despite the anime’s popularity, it has rarely served as direct inspiration for the games. The one proper adaptation, 2013’sDigimon Adventure, never made its way out of Japan, which is a shame as it one of the better turn-based RPGs in the series. Combining a streamlined version of the anime’s story with original character-driven short episodes,Digimon Adventureis a treat for fans who grew up with the show that helped put the franchise on the map.
Digimon Surviveis currently in development for PC, PlayStation 4, Switch, and Xbox One.
