DragonVale World and 5 other top nurturing sims

Backflip Studios' DragonVale reboot, DragonVale World is currently sitting pretty in the App Store top ten after releasing this week. World takes the same uber addictive formula as the original game, but now it features prettier 3D graphics to welcome in a new generation of dragon breeding. If you missed out on all of the fun the last time around, this is the perfect time to jump in on one of the platform's favorite time wasters.

But if dragons aren't exactly your thing, there are a lot of other games in the same vein, some of which are fantastic in their own right. Let's take a look at a few other awesome games similar to DragonVale World.

This is one for all of you biologists. It's a fun experiment in cross-breeding to come up with unique types of frogs. It's surprisingly deep underneath all of its adorableness, and you won't be able to stop until you've built up your collection of rare frogs.

Rather than a safari park full of fearsome dragons, Monster Pet Shop has you breeding little toothy monsters to put on display. It's a really charming take on the genre, with artwork that looks like it's straight out of a children's storybook.

Tiny Monsters is a mix of Pokémon and DragonVale in that you can breed monsters and watch as they evolve as they grow stronger. Monsters all belong to different elements, but there's a lot of potential to create cool combinations through breeding.

Collecting and breeding monsters are two of the main mechanics in Monster Legends Mobile, but the game also throws in a monster fighting component. You can breed new, more powerful monsters, collect unique abilities, and build up an impressive fighting force other players will envy.

Alternatively, you can trade fighting for musical battles. My Singing Monsters lets you breed and raise a group of musical monsters to make beautiful songs that you can perform for others. It's a fun idea, and the game looks great, too with its colorful, friendly graphics.

While these games have similar mechanics, they all take different approaches the monster-raising sim. They're all addicting, though, and soon you'll be watching timers in game with the rest of us.

What's your preferred breeding sim? Share in the comments below!