It took longer than most fans would like, but a newDigimon Storygame is finally on the way.Digimon Story: Time Strangerwill be the next entry in the turn-basedDigimonsubseries, coming nearly eight years after the initial Japanese launch ofDigimon Story: Cyber Sleuth - Hacker’s Memory. In that gap, the only consoleDigimongame to release wasDigimon Survive, which couldn’t live up to the expectations its series of delays brought. Despite everything it took to get here, however,Digimon Story: Time Strangerlooks like a true return to form.
The game was just announced in February 2025, and it already has a couple of trailers and plenty of setting details available thanks to the 2025 Digimon Con.Digimon Story: Time Strangerboasts over 450 Digimon species, and players will get the chance to meet them in never-before-seen 3D fidelity. Taking place in both the past and future as well as the human and Digital worlds,Digimon Story: Time Strangeris the most ambitious game in its series, and likely the entireDigimonfranchise. Fans can’t wait for it to launch, but that’s not the only reason it should try to come out soon.
Digimon Story: Time Stranger Can’t Afford To Fade Into The Background
Given the lack of regular gameplay shown, it’s tough to gauge how far alongDigimon Story: Time Strangeris at this point. It is known to have been in development for at least 3 years, with a 2022 statement claiming it would be oriented around the Olympos XII Digimon group still holding true, and was in some sort of planning stage in 2017 or 2018, beforeDigimon Surviveeven had its first delay. Although it’s impossible to say for certain, that does meanDigimon Story: Time Strangercould be just around the corner. Looking at its upcoming competition, that would be for the best.
Pokemon Is Putting Serious Time Pressure On Digimon Story: Time Stranger
Monster-collecting games are about to take center stage again, but it’s not just becauseDigimonhas returned.Pokemonitself is approaching the release of its last major Nintendo Switch title,Pokemon Legends: Z-A, and the inevitable tenth generationPokemongames on the Nintendo Switch 2. It’s self-evident thatDigimonshouldn’t be launching anywhere nearPokemon, as the latter is an industry giant that is essentially uncontested in its space. If it’s anything like the team-based priorDigimon Storytitles, thenTime Strangershould still have its own audience, but it’s best not to risk an obvious sales hit here.
When It Would Be Best For Digimon Story: Time Stranger To Launch
Digimon Story: Time Stranger Needs To Beat Pokemon To The Punch
At the moment, none of these games have defined release windows, but it’s not too hard to make some educated guesses about when thePokemontitles are coming out. For over a decade, Game Freak has launched itsmajorPokemonentries around the middle of November, remakes included. The only exception wasPokemon Legends: Arceuslaunching in January 2022, and that’s likely becauseBrilliant DiamondandShining Pearlhad already claimed the November slot. It may need to cut things close, butDigimon Story: Time Stranger’s best shot to avoidPokemon Legendsis a summer 2025 release date.
Launching after instead of before is an even riskier prospect.Digimon Storyis, again, distinct from the averagePokemongame, but there’s no telling when it will come outin relation toPokemon’s tenth generationif it doesn’t launch in 2025. A fully mainlinePokemongame is going to outsell aLegendstitle for sure, and that means it has an even greater command over the spotlight thatDigimon Story: Time Strangerneeds. Factoring in any unknownPokemonspin-offs that could be aiming for the Nintendo Switch 2’s first year on shelves,Digimon Story: Time Strangerneeds to launch as soon as possible.
