Top 5 compared
The best digital pets
Palm-sized pets that need feeding, cleaning and a bit of love, and remind you when it’s time.
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The top 5 at a glance
A digital pet is a small toy with a creature living inside it that calls for meals, play and sleep through the day, and grows up as it’s cared for. Bandai launched the Tamagotchi in Japan in November 1996, and it reached American stores the following May. Egg-shaped handhelds like it are played with buttons; newer pets respond to swipes, tilts and squishes instead.
Spin Master marks its Bitzee and Punirunes pets for children 5 and up; Bandai puts Tamagotchi Paradise at 6 and up and the Original at 8 and up. None runs on a rechargeable battery: they take a coin cell or AA or AAA batteries, and Paradise is the one that comes without them.
What matters
- A color screen for detail, or black-and-white for the classic look.
- Plenty of characters to discover, so there’s something new for longer.
- A way to link up with a friend’s, for playing together.
- A chain or case, for carrying it to school or a friend’s.
#1Tamagotchi Paradise (Orange Tropics)
$30–$50
Bandai’s newest Tamagotchi has a color screen and a zoom dial that takes your Tama from a single cell out to the whole planet, with more than 50 characters across 12 species to raise. Breeding passes traits on to the next generation, so there’s always another pet to try for.
What owners say: Owners say it appeals to children of all ages, and rate the color display, the hundreds of breeding combinations, how easy it is to play and its compact size. Battery life and reliability are mixed, with some finding the batteries run down fast or the unit stops working, and the screen scratches easily.
Heads up: It takes two AAA batteries, which aren’t in the box, so pick some up with it.
A closer look: Everything starts in the Tropics field; Glacier and Forest unlock with play, and Lab Mode holds the mini games and the shop. Two owners can dock their devices to see whether their Tamas are a good match. This Orange Tropics shell is pink with an orange top, and some earlier Paradise shells lack the two-player connect games.
- Zoom from cell to planet
- Breeding passes on traits
- New areas unlock with play
- Nine languages, Spanish included
Best for: Kids who want the full modern Tamagotchi
- Display
- Color screen
- Characters
- 50+ in 12 species
- Games
- Mini games, Lab Mode
- Batteries
- 2 AAA (not included)
- Connects to a friend’s
- Dock port
- Ages
- 6+
- Size (longest side)
- About 2.1 in
#2Tamagotchi Original (Starry Shower)
$10–$20
The 1997 egg as it was, generation 2 programming and all: feed it, clean up after it, give it medicine and discipline it, and the care it gets decides which of seven adults it grows into. Starry Shower is one of many shells, from Fresh Strawberry to Tama Pajama, all the same toy inside.
What owners say: Owners find it fun and nostalgic, a straight trip back to the ’90s. Build quality divides them, some getting exactly what they hoped for and others let down, and opinion is split on whether it’s priced fairly.
A closer look: Turn its light off once it falls asleep and check its health meter between meals; how it does in the Number game counts toward the adult it becomes, too. Discipline is for when it calls out though it’s already fed and clean. On its chain it clips to a backpack zipper and goes everywhere, which is half the point of a pet that gets hungry.
- Plays like the 1997 original
- Care decides its adult form
- Feed, clean, medicine, discipline
- Chain clips to a backpack
Best for: Nostalgic grown-ups and kids 8 and up
- Display
- Black-and-white LCD
- Characters
- 7 adults
- Games
- Number game
- Batteries
- CR2032 (included)
- Connects to a friend’s
- No
- Ages
- 8+
- Size (longest side)
- About 2.1 in
#3Bitzee Interactive Digital Pet
$30–$50
A digital pet you handle rather than press: each animal floats in a light display inside the pod and reacts to swipes, tilts and taps, and caring for one brings the next, 15 in all. Bitzee Magicals is the same pod with 20 fantasy creatures instead.
What owners say: Owners find the pets cute and the controls simple to use. Reliability is the mixed point: some say it holds up well, while others had lights stop working or the toy break within weeks, and a few find that pets needing sleep spoils the fun.
A closer look: Swipe to pet it, tilt it to rock it to sleep, and keep feeding and playing until it reaches Super Bitzee; a treat then draws in the next animal. The pod closes into its case for trips to a friend’s house. Disney and Jurassic World editions use the same idea with licensed characters, if a favorite film decides it.
- Reacts to swipes, tilts, taps
- Care unlocks the next pet
- Pod closes into a case
Best for: Swipe-and-tilt play from age 5
- Display
- Color light display
- Characters
- 15 pets
- Games
- Unlock at Super Bitzee
- Batteries
- 3 AA (included)
- Connects to a friend’s
- No
- Ages
- 5+
- Size (longest side)
- About 2.9 in
#4Bitzee Hamster Ball
$20–$30
Bitzee’s cheaper spin on the idea puts a hero hamster inside a ball you roll across the table to turn up treats and 20 themed friends, from a baseball player to a chef. Outfits, backdrops and a photo pose give dress-up fans plenty to do between feeds.
What owners say: Owners love the cute animations. How well it responds, its lifespan and its price all draw mixed views: some find it works well and holds up, others say it doesn’t always respond to their touch or doesn’t last.
Heads up: Spin Master warns that its flashing lights may trigger seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy.
A closer look: Roll it gently across a table or rug to explore; the hamster wheel, treats and baths make up the daily care, and the friends grow up alongside the hero. Between sessions it sits on its stand, which keeps a ball-shaped toy from rolling off a desk or shelf.
- Roll it to explore
- Baseball player and chef friends
- Outfits, backdrops and photo poses
- Stand stops it rolling away
Best for: Dressing up pets for photos
- Display
- Light display
- Characters
- Hero + 20 friends
- Games
- 5 mini games
- Batteries
- 3 AA (included)
- Connects to a friend’s
- No
- Ages
- 5+
- Size (longest side)
- About 4.25 in
#5Punirunes Interactive Digital Pet
$20–$30
The squishy one: push a finger into the pod onto a soft button and your fingertip appears on the color display, where the character squashes and reacts as you move. There are 55 to collect as you cook for them, bathe them and decorate their rooms.
What owners say: Owners find it engaging and fun to look after, good for children and easy to use. Batteries are the catch, going flat quickly, and views differ on the price and on reliability, with some units stopping working.
A closer look: Coins earned in play buy hats, bow ties and flower crowns, and seeds grow each character from baby to kid to adult. It suits children who love cute, collectible kawaii things as much as the caring. The pod is small enough to ride along in a backpack pocket.
- Squishy button inside the pod
- Display mirrors your fingertip
- Cook, bathe, decorate rooms
- Coins buy hats and crowns
- Rare characters to find
Best for: Collectors of cute characters
- Display
- Color LED display
- Characters
- 55
- Games
- Mini games
- Batteries
- 3 AAA (included)
- Connects to a friend’s
- No
- Ages
- 5+
- Size (longest side)
- Compact pod
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1Tamagotchi Paradise | #2Tamagotchi Original | #3Bitzee | #4Bitzee Hamster Ball | #5Punirunes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best budget | ||||
| Picked Rating | 9.2 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| Price | $30–$50 | $10–$20 | $30–$50 | $20–$30 | $20–$30 |
| Display | Color screen | Black-and-white LCD | Color light display | Light display | Color LED display |
| Characters | 50+ in 12 species | 7 adults | 15 pets | Hero + 20 friends | 55 |
| Games | Mini games, Lab Mode | Number game | Unlock at Super Bitzee | 5 mini games | Mini games |
| Batteries | 2 AAA (not included) | CR2032 (included) | 3 AA (included) | 3 AA (included) | 3 AAA (included) |
| Connects to a friend’s | Dock port | No | No | No | No |
| Ages | 6+ | 8+ | 5+ | 5+ | 5+ |
| Size (longest side) | About 2.1 in | About 2.1 in | About 2.9 in | About 4.25 in | Compact pod |
| Best for | Kids who want the full modern Tamagotchi | Nostalgic grown-ups and kids 8 and up | Swipe-and-tilt play from age 5 | Dressing up pets for photos | Collectors of cute characters |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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