It's not often that a video game phenomenon eludes our radar here at PCG Towers, but somehow, a few months ago in China, a multiplayer open-world Poké-like became one of the biggest game launches of the year.
Now, it's crossed our sights too, as Roco Kingdom was revealed at Gamescom Opening Night Live, with news that it's getting a global release on PC, console, iOS, and Android.
Check out the full reveal trailer here:
Developed by Tencent's Morefun Studios, the game launched in China back in March, shooting straight to the dizzying peak of the mobile game charts, becoming the most popular mobile game of 2026 thus far in China, and pulling in 15 million players within its first day.
Not that the game's success would've come as a surprise in its native land. Roco Kingdom is a 16-year-old franchise spanning four films, over 100 books, and a long-running animated TV series. Beginning as a browser game in 2010, it has since become one of the most recognisable entertainment properties in China.
Introducing Carosia
The Roco Kingdom formula is a tried-and-tested classic: you jaunt around a cheery cartoon world, collecting cute and quirkily designed creatures then training them up for turn-based combat with rock-paper-scissors type matchups, evolutions, all that good stuff. But then it expands this typically single-player JRPG experience into a shared world with social hubs, multiplayer activities, and the option to group up with fellow adventurers. That said, it's perfectly playable solo too, so lone wolves needn't fret.
The creatures inhabiting the world of Carosia are called Jinies, which you'll be battling and collecting on your travels. The world is built around genuine ecosystems, with distinct biomes shaping where different Jini species live and how they behave. Each of the 400+ creatures at launch has its own habits, and its own ways of interacting with its surroundings and other species. For instance, poison-type Jinies may occasionally spray toxic bubbles into the air that form environmental hazards, and we even saw some larger otter-type creatures using a smaller creature as a volleyball (poor little guy). There's an impressive depth of the simulation here, which is testament to the six years of development time that Morefun Studios has dedicated to this.
Creature comforts
The social layer is also ambitious. You can build and decorate a home, invite friends to visit, go farming together, and take shared rides through the world. Cross-platform play will be in from day one, so PC gamers at their desks and Steam Decks will be able to play with friends on their phones.
Crucially, Roco Kingdom has no pay-to-win gacha, no grind wall designed to funnel you toward endless spending. Every one of the game's hundreds of Jinies can be obtained through normal play, and the PvP meta is built entirely on strategy and skill; battles are contests of type matchups, team composition, and reading your opponent, rather than who's got the heftier wallet.
It's a promising premise that this creature feature is bringing to our shores. Roco Kingdom launches its first closed beta on 27 October on PC, iOS and Android. Registration is now open via rocokingdom.com, so pop over there if you want to be among the first in the Western Hemisphere to set foot in these new lands. And stay tuned as we reveal more about the game in the coming months.
