Honestly, it feels weird. You wake up, scroll through your news feed, and realize a decade just vanished. It’s 2026, and the news just dropped: Pocket Mortys, basically the defining Rick and Morty game for a whole generation of mobile players, is officially shutting down this April. It’s the end of an era, or at least a very weird, rock-paper-scissors-themed fever dream that lasted way longer than anyone expected.
Ten years.
Think about that. In mobile gaming years, ten years is basically ancient. Most licensed games are lucky to survive three years before the servers go dark and the licensing fees become a headache for the suits at Adult Swim. Yet, here we are, watching the sunset on a Pokémon clone that somehow managed to capture the nihilistic, chaotic energy of the show without just being a lazy reskin. Well, it was a reskin, but it was a self-aware one.
The Rick and Morty Game That Actually Mattered
When people talk about a Rick and Morty game, they usually mean one of two things: the mobile addiction of Pocket Mortys or the "I-threw-up-in-my-living-room" experience of Virtual Rick-ality.
There’s a massive misconception that these were just quick cash-grabs. Sure, the show is a merchandising juggernaut, but the games actually tried things. Pocket Mortys didn't just give you one Morty; it gave you over 400. You had Beard Morty, Rainbow Dash-style Mortys, and Cronenberg horrors. It took the "Gotta Catch 'Em All" trope and replaced the wholesome friendship with Rick’s characteristic emotional abuse and a rock-paper-scissors combat system that was surprisingly deep if you were trying to min-max your way through the Council of Ricks.
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The news of the April 13, 2026 shutdown has hit the community hard. If you check the subreddits right now, it’s a mix of "I haven't played this since 2018" and "Wait, I spent real money on those coupons." It’s a classic digital ownership tragedy. When those servers go poof, so does your collection of shiny, exotic Mortys. Adult Swim hasn't mentioned an offline mode, which is... typical.
Why Virtual Rick-ality is still the gold standard
If you’ve got a VR headset gathering dust, Virtual Rick-ality is still the most "authentic" way to step into the multiverse. It’s short. Like, two-hours-short. But it’s the only Rick and Morty game that makes you feel the actual anxiety of being Morty.
You spend most of your time in the garage. Rick yells at you. You have to do laundry. You have to fix a spaceship. It’s basically a chore simulator, which is the most "Morty" thing imaginable. Owlchemy Labs, the geniuses behind Job Simulator, nailed the physics. You can pick up a plumbus, and it feels... exactly as gross as you’d think.
People complain about the price-to-length ratio, but honestly? It’s better than a 40-hour slog of repetitive combat. It’s a concentrated hit of the show’s DNA.
What the "Squanch Games" Connection Gets Wrong
There is this weird habit where people lump High on Life or Trover Saves the Universe into the Rick and Morty game bucket. I get why. The voices are the same, the humor is the same "stuttering-and-improv" style, and the aliens look like they walked off the set of a Season 2 B-plot.
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But legally and narratively? Not the same thing.
Justin Roiland’s departure from the show a few years back created this strange rift. Squanch Games kept the vibe, but the official Rick and Morty game titles stayed under the Adult Swim banner. With High on Life 2 slated for release in February 2026, the "vibe" is alive and well, but if you’re looking for C-137 Rick, you’re looking in the wrong place.
It’s worth noting that the newest season of the show has managed to keep the momentum going without the original voice lead, which has kept interest in the games high. But the gaming landscape is shifting. We’re moving away from these standalone licensed mobile titles and toward massive crossovers.
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Where is Rick now? (The Multiversus Factor)
If you want to play a Rick and Morty game right now that isn't about to die, you’re basically looking at MultiVersus. Seeing Rick Sanchez take a portal gun to Batman’s face or Morty beating up Shaggy is peak 2020s gaming. It’s weird, but it works.
However, it loses that solo-adventure feel. It’s a brawler. It’s not an exploration of the multiverse. It’s not about the lore. It’s just about frame data and knockback percentages.
The Actionable Truth: What You Should Do Before April
If you’re a fan, you’ve got a small window left. Here is how to handle the current state of the Rick and Morty game universe:
- Boot up Pocket Mortys one last time. Seriously. Even if you haven't touched it in years. The developers have basically made everything accessible. Go capture that "One True Morty" before the server shuts down on April 13. Treat it like a digital wake.
- Archive your screenshots. If you have a particularly rare Morty or a high ranking in the old multiplayer seasons, save it. It’s going to be vaporware soon.
- Check out the fan-made "Rushed Licensed Adventure." It’s an old-school point-and-click pixel game that’s still floating around the web. It captures the early-season jank better than almost anything else.
- Wait for the High on Life 2 drop. It's coming next month (February 2026). While it’s not "officially" Rick, it’s the closest gameplay experience you’re going to get to a high-budget sci-fi comedy adventure.
- Don't buy the VR game at full price. Virtual Rick-ality is great, but it’s nearly a decade old now. Wait for a Steam sale or a Quest Store discount. It’s worth $10, but $30 in 2026 is a big ask for two hours of content.
The era of the dedicated, standalone Rick and Morty game seems to be closing in favor of guest appearances in other titles. It’s a bit sad, really. There was something special about having a whole weird ecosystem of Mortys in your pocket. But hey, in the words of Rick himself, "Nobody exists on purpose. Nobody belongs anywhere. Everybody’s gonna die."
Including your save files.
Go play. Before the portal closes for good.