Top 5 compared
The best digital pets
A little pet on a screen to feed, play with and look after through the day.
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The top 5 at a glance
A digital pet is a small handheld toy with a screen and a character to look after: it needs feeding, cleaning and attention through the day, and it grows up as it’s cared for. Bandai’s Aki Maita and toy designer Akihiro Yokoi created the Tamagotchi, which went on sale in Japan in November 1996. Some play with buttons; others react to touch, tilting, rolling or a squeeze.
Most here are pets to raise, but the Harry Potter Bitzee is a pod of characters from the films to collect rather than one to care for. None has a built-in rechargeable battery: most come with their batteries in the box, while Tamagotchi Paradise needs two AAAs bought with it.
What matters
- How many characters it can grow into or collect.
- Docking with a friend’s, if they have the same pet.
- A chain or clip, if it’s coming along for the day.
- The age the maker marks it for, on the box.
#1Tamagotchi Paradise (Blue Water shell)
£30–£50
Bandai’s newest Tamagotchi and the full care-and-breed pet: a zoom dial runs from space down to the Tama’s cells, and over 50 kinds of character breed across 12 species. Bandai pitches it at adults as well as children. Raising a pet is the point of the type, so it comes before the Harry Potter Bitzee, which outscores it but is for collecting characters.
What owners say: Owners like the new ideas in its design and find it user-friendly, with play that suits adults as much as children; they feel it’s priced fairly and find the battery life decent. The missing batteries catch some out, though, and not everyone gets on with its size.
Heads up: It runs on two AAA batteries, which aren’t in the box, so pick up a pack with it.
A closer look: Each level of the dial has its own jobs, so visit all four rather than staying with the Tama: even the poo is collected, as biofuel for trips to other planets. The Field level is where props and toys go down to play with, so check it as new items unlock.
- Zoom from space to cells
- Poo collected as biofuel
- Genes, habitat and diet matter
- Water pets may grow fins
Best for: The full modern Tamagotchi
- How you play
- Buttons and a zoom dial
- Characters
- 50+ kinds, 12 species
- Batteries
- 2 AAA (not included)
- Connects to a friend’s
- Docks with another
- Ages
- 6+
#2Bitzee Wizarding World Harry Potter Interactive Digital Pet
£20–£30
Twenty characters from the films, Hedwig and Dobby among them, share one Hogwarts pod, each arriving on the Hogwarts Express as the cauldron meter fills. The pod reacts to touch, swipes and tilts, waving it casts spells, and there are character tasks and nine mini games: a collecting game for young fans more than a pet to look after.
What owners say: Owners say it’s a hit with children, seven-year-olds above all, and like the look of the pod and what it costs.
A closer look: Unlocking a character brings its moment from the films, such as Harry at Quidditch or Ron at Wizard’s Chess, and four big events open along the way, the holidays at Hogwarts among them. Collecting Harry, Hermione and Ron opens the super game, a goal worth knowing about on the first evening.
- Wave it to cast spells
- Nine mini games
- Scenes from the films unlock
- Cauldron meter brings new characters
Best for: Young Harry Potter fans
- How you play
- Touch, swipes, tilts, waves
- Characters
- 20 from the films
- Batteries
- 3 AA (included)
- Connects to a friend’s
- No
- Ages
- 6+
#3Bitzee Hamster Ball Interactive Digital Pet
£10–£20
A hero hamster in a ball you roll across the table to turn up treats, items and 20 themed friends, from a chef to a magician. Care means treats, baths and the wheel, and it grows from baby to teen to Super Bitzee. It reacts to touch as well as rolling.
What owners say: Owners say it’s well made and fun to play with. Some think it good value, while for others it doesn’t work properly.
A closer look: Roll it slowly over a table or rug, where it won’t get away, and stand it back on its base between sessions. The friends it finds grow up alongside the hero hamster, so a little rolling most days keeps new ones turning up. Dressing it up for a photo, with an outfit and backdrop, is a quieter game.
- Five mini games
- Outfits, backdrops and photo poses
- Grows from baby to teen
- Stand included
Best for: Younger children, rolling play
- How you play
- Touch, movement, rolling
- Characters
- Hero + 20 friends
- Batteries
- 3 AA (included)
- Connects to a friend’s
- No
- Ages
- 5+
#4Tamagotchi Original (Rainbow shell)
£10–£20
The egg as it was in the 90s: feed it, clean up after it, give it medicine, put its light out and discipline it, and the care it gets decides which of seven adults it grows into. Bandai marks it for eight and up, and it suits anyone who had one the first time round.
What owners say: Owners love the nostalgia and how cute it looks, and think it reasonably priced. The screen isn’t backlit and is hard to read in dim light, some find the play more annoying than fun, and others have had a button stop working after about six months.
A closer look: Switch its light off once it falls asleep, watch the hunger and happy meters between meals and save discipline for when it misbehaves. On its chain it clips to a bag strap, so it can come along for the day, and a quick look at each break is usually enough to keep it content.
- Original 1990s gameplay
- Chain clips to a bag
- Care decides its adult form
- Many shell designs
Best for: Nostalgia, and kids 8+
- How you play
- Push buttons
- Characters
- 7 adults
- Batteries
- CR2032 (included)
- Connects to a friend’s
- No
- Ages
- 8+
#5Punirunes Interactive Digital Pet
£20–£30
The squishy one: press a finger into the pod onto a soft button and the fingertip appears on the colour screen, where the characters squash and react. Looking after them means cooking, baths and tidying their rooms. Takara Tomy brought it out in Japan in 2021, and Spin Master now sells it further afield.
What owners say: Owners find it fun, cute and more hands-on than a Tamagotchi, and kind on the pocket, though it gets through batteries fast. Some say theirs is still going strong and easy to use, while others find it short-lived, slow to get the hang of or faulty.
Heads up: It runs on three AAA batteries, so rechargeable AAAs and a charger are a sensible extra.
A closer look: Coins earned in play buy accessories and new colours for the characters, and seeds help each one grow from baby to kid to adult. It suits children who love cute, collectable kawaii characters as much as the looking-after. Save some coins for decorating their rooms too, which gives each character a space of its own.
- Your fingertip appears on screen
- Cook, bathe and decorate rooms
- Coins buy accessories and colours
- Rare characters to find
Best for: Fans of cute, squishy characters
- How you play
- Squishy touch button
- Characters
- 55
- Batteries
- 3 AAA (included)
- Connects to a friend’s
- –
- Ages
- 5+
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1Tamagotchi Paradise | #2Bitzee Harry Potter | #3Bitzee Hamster Ball | #4Tamagotchi Original | #5Punirunes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best for Potter fans | Best budget | Best classic | ||
| Picked Rating | 9.0 | 9.2 | 8.9 | 8.8 | 8.6 |
| Price | £30–£50 | £20–£30 | £10–£20 | £10–£20 | £20–£30 |
| How you play | Buttons and a zoom dial | Touch, swipes, tilts, waves | Touch, movement, rolling | Push buttons | Squishy touch button |
| Characters | 50+ kinds, 12 species | 20 from the films | Hero + 20 friends | 7 adults | 55 |
| Batteries | 2 AAA (not included) | 3 AA (included) | 3 AA (included) | CR2032 (included) | 3 AAA (included) |
| Connects to a friend’s | Docks with another | No | No | No | – |
| Ages | 6+ | 6+ | 5+ | 8+ | 5+ |
| Best for | The full modern Tamagotchi | Young Harry Potter fans | Younger children, rolling play | Nostalgia, and kids 8+ | Fans of cute, squishy characters |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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