Pokémon browser games compared
Several fan-made Pokémon games can be played online for free. They do not do the same thing: one is a battle simulator, another an MMO you install, another a clicker. This comparison is written by the PoKéMoN Virtual Battle team: it says what each game does, based on its own pages, so you can find the one that suits you — even when it is not ours.
| Game | Where you play | What you do | Solo or with others |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pokémon Showdown | In the browser | A battle simulator: build a team and fight other players. No exploring, no catching. | With others, live |
| PokeMMO | Software to install (PC, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS) | An MMORPG set in the regions of the official games. You need a Pokémon Black or White ROM to launch the client. | With others, live |
| PokéRogue | In the browser | A roguelite: battle after battle, stacking items, biomes to cross. | Solo |
| PokéClicker | In the browser | An open-source incremental game: click to defeat and catch, then your team grows stronger. | Solo |
| Pokémon Vortex | In the browser | An online RPG: catch, battle and trade Pokémon. | With others |
| PoKéMoN Virtual Battle | In the browser, on PC or phone | Catch on sixteen maps, battle in Head, Body or Legs zones, climb the ranking against other Trainers, eight Gym Leaders. | With others: Gym challenges, trades, T'ch@t |
Pokémon Showdown
A battle simulator: build a team and fight other players. No exploring, no catching. For pure competitive battling, Pokémon Showdown is still the reference: every species, every move, tournament formats.
PokeMMO
An MMORPG set in the regions of the official games. You need a Pokémon Black or White ROM to launch the client. If you want to explore the official games' regions with other players and do not mind installing, it is the closest thing to a classic online Pokémon game.
PokéRogue
A roguelite: battle after battle, stacking items, biomes to cross. For short, replayable runs, solo, with nothing to install.
PokéClicker
An open-source incremental game: click to defeat and catch, then your team grows stronger. For a game that keeps going while you are not looking, solo.
Pokémon Vortex
An online RPG: catch, battle and trade Pokémon. Another browser game about catching and battling, which grew out of Pokémon Crater in the late 1990s.
And PoKéMoN Virtual Battle?
PVB is a catching and ranking game: you search sixteen maps, each species lives on one map only, and you raise your team against those of other Trainers. Nothing to install, no ads, nothing to buy, in English, French or Spanish. It is the reconstruction of the French browser game Folken opened in 2007 — if you played an old Pokémon browser game in the 2000s, it belongs to that family.
What PVB does not do
- No 3D world or free movement: maps are searched square by square.
- No real-time battles: you choose your zones, so does your opponent, and the turn resolves.
- A small community: the server reopened in September 2026.
- The interface keeps its 2007 look, on purpose.
Create a free account · How to play PVB
Pokémon and the names mentioned belong to their owners. None of these games is official; information taken from their websites on 7 October 2026.