The games are a sequel to 2013's Yo-kai Watch, and were released in July 2014 in Japan, in North America and Australia in late 2016, and Europe in 2017.

Much like their predecessor, the games put players in an open world, befriending and battling various Yo-kai, which are ghosts and apparitions originating in Japanese folklore, that cause mischief in daily life.

The Model Zero also allows the use of “Poking”, which uses the touch screen to find a particular sweetspot on an enemy Yo-kai to increase the likelihood of befriending it.

The next day, the protagonist encounters a large cat Yo-kai Meganyan who hypnotizes them into traveling to Harrisville, where their grandmother lives.

He encounters Kin and Gin, who make him relive his previous life as a cat named Rudy, who died after sacrificing himself to save his owner Amy from getting hit by a truck.

Kin and Gin attempt to convince Jibanyan to let Amy die in his place, but he refuses and is returned to the present.

Hovernyan reappears and asks the protagonist to return to the past, where a large battle is occurring between the Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls, who have been at war for centuries.

Dedtime sends her servant Unfairy to attack the group, but Yo-kai generals Arachnus and Toadal Dude stop him.

After finding him and completing his trials, Nyada gives them a hose which they use to defeat Unfairy for good, after which Arachnus and Toadal Dude call a truce.

The protagonist finds a way to return to the past and destroys the machines producing the Dedcloud, subsequently storming Dedtime's base as their grandfather and Hovernyan hold off Kin and Gin.

Enraged by her loss, she transforms into a more powerful form, Dame Demona, but the protagonist and crew defeat her, returning the past and present to normal.

A version of the Nintendo 3DS XL, featuring the series' mascot character Jibanyan pictured on the front and the back of the console, was also released concurrently.

Under a thousand people were gathered in a shopping mall decorated with Yo-kai Watch banners and imagery to film three commercials that aired during the month of the games' release in Japan.

[10][11] After the successes of Ganso and Honke, an additional third version of the game, Yo-kai Watch 2: Shinuchi, was unveiled by Level-5 in October 2014, once again in an issue of the CoroCoro Comic magazine.

Physical releases of the game included a Buchinyan Yo-kai Medal toy, which could be read as a QR code by the Nintendo 3DS system for use in-game.

[17] Shin'uchi was localized in English as Psychic Specters and released on September 29, 2017, simultaneously in Europe and the United States.

The watch, which can be used interactively with separately sold Yo-kai medals, was notable for its constant sellout of stock, and difficulty in finding and obtaining.

[23][24] Bandai Namco have reported having earned ¥10 billion yen (equivalent to $93 million US dollars) off Yo-kai Watch toy lines alone, from April to September 2014.

[20] Japanese chart and statistics company Oricon named the Yo-kai Watch brand the second best selling in 2014, behind Disney's Frozen.

[32] Sukiyaki was localized for English speakers without the secondary branding, released in PAL regions on December 7, 2018,[33] and in North America on February 8, 2019.