• Digimon Up is set to launch later this month as it hits release July 15th
  • Pre-registration is still open for this throwback to the a 90s icon
  • Collect Digimon, train them and battle them in classic fashion!

While Pokémon may be celebrating its 30th anniversary with much (and well-deserved) fanfare, it's far from the only series based around strange creatures being your pals from the 1990s, so fondly remembered by fans. Digimon has always been their closest rival, and now Digimon Up is set to release on July 15th to bring the experience to mobile!

If you're not familiar, Digimon has a similar setup to Pokémon, seeing young teens collecting and battling with the titular creatures. However, there are a few key differences between the two: rather than a massive roster, you stick with one partner Digimon, and instead of being physical, they're entirely virtual!

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Movin' on up

Fittingly, Digimon started life as a spinoff of Tamagotchi, and the mobile version is promised to function much the same way. You'll care for the various Digimon under your purview, training and feeding them, all in preparation to duke it out with other players and their own monsters.

Rather than pursue the 3D style of modern Pokémon games, Digimon Up sticks squarely to the crunchy retro feel with stylish, pixelated versions of the roster for you to draw upon! If you're looking for something that feels more like owning a pet than a small army, then Digimon Up may be for you.

Digimon always had a more distinctive style than Pokemon, and alongside its differing gameplay, both in... well, games and in its physical collectible digital format, many fans are insistent it stands out from its contemporary. Could it be Digimon Up will prove that, for mobile at least? We'll have to wait and see!

In the meantime, if you'd like to build up a roster of a different kind, then we have you covered. Check out our list of the best card battlers on iOS for some of our favourite picks you can play right now.

Download now! Digimon Up