Step aside, Pokemon and Palworld – an adorable new open-world creature collector ARPG mashup called Aniimo is coming to PC and Xbox next year

As Summer Game Fest 2025 continues, today's Xbox Games Showcase arrives along with a variety of exciting new titles to look forward to – including Aniimo, an adorable free-to-play open-world ARPG that ticks all the big creature collector boxes.

Aniimo is no Palworld or Pokemon, but it sure does seem to carry those iconic creature collector vibes that made both games so popular – with some ARPG and open-world flair sprinkled in. Set to launch sometime next year in 2026, the upcoming game will see its players exploring Idyll, a "dynamic, interactive, and expansive" realm filled with enchanting little beings known as "Aniimo."

Players don't just get to catch these so-called Aniimo, however – they can do various things together. On Idyll, "you can collect, evolve, and twine with magical creatures," as per the trailer from developer Pawprint Games and publisher Kingsglory. What exactly is "twining," though? It's like combining, or merging, with an Aniimo. Unsurprisingly, there are also Aniimo-on-Aniimo battles, much like those in Pokemon.

YouTube

Watch On

While there's no set release date aside from the provided 2026 window, interested fans can pre-register via the official Aniimo website to keep up to date with news and have a shot at participating in the closed beta, a planned limited-access seven-day test, once it goes live. Upon its official launch, Aniimo will be available to play on both PC and the Xbox Series X|S.

Looking for more new games to wishlist? Here's a full rundown of the Summer Game Fest 2025 schedule to keep your calendar up to date.

TOPICS

CATEGORIES

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.