The best games for animal lovers and anyone who wants to pet the dog
Who doesn’t agree that adding pets, especially dogs and cute puppies, to video games is the best thing ever? No, seriously—we want to know. We want names.
Animal lovers transfer that love to games with pets and animals. For people who already like to game, pets and animals can make gaming that much more fun. For people who put pets and puppies first, games can be a new and fun medium to enjoy them. That’s what we call a furry win-win situation.
Video games with animals come in every variety, from harmless family fun to intense, apocalyptic worlds. The one thing they have in common—apart from four-legged friends—is that the animals are always there to provide companionship, help us when we’re in trouble and drive us to find an answer to the question that we all face:
What button lets me pet the dog?
So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at video games with animals that you’ll love.
Animal Crossing
Is it too easy to start with this? We don’t care. Animal Crossing is a mega-smash hit for good reason. Yes, the animals are stylized and yes, talking animals may not be what you had in mind, but we’re still in love with this game. You will be too, as you watch these cuties build their own houses, socialize on your island, and become your friends.
Be sure to give gifts when you can to stay on good terms with your furry neighbors because their feelings are easily hurt. And don’t be surprised when they ask you out of nowhere if they can start calling you some nickname they just made up. It’s just what they do.
With a frankly ridiculously huge roster of animals (more than 400), the game still manages to give each one a personality, catchphrase, and little quirks that make it easy to believe that they really are your friends.
Metamorphosis
Are bugs animals? We say they are, so that’s settled. Metamorphosis puts you in all six of their shoes for a bug’s eye view of a world that suddenly just got a lot weirder. Navigate familiar places from a whole new perspective and try to solve the mystery of why you woke up so buggy this morning.
Based on a familiar tale from Franz Kafka and with an outstanding musical score behind it, this is a game that will transport you to a place where bugs have their own private lives and rules, which you may or may not be ready to handle.
Thinking about what game to play today? Start your own Metamorphosis now.
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Pokemon
We’ll admit that maybe not all of these animals really exist and that they’re actually monsters based on animals if you want to get technical about it but, come on, the cute factor here is off the charts. The Pokemon universe is massive and there is something for everyone. You might even discover that you had a thing for shy sharks with legs who like to eat hats (wait, what?). If you can’t find an animal / monster to fall in love with in Pokemon, you need to go to the emergency room right now because your heart has turned to stone.
Video games where you can pet the dog!
Let’s have a separate entry just for games where you can do something that part of the internet has become obsessed with—pet the dog. Yes, this has become a thing. We don’t know how this got started but we can certainly understand it. How can you not want to pet a dog in a game? Here’s a list of games where you can pet the dog. You’re welcome.
- The Sims 3 and 4
- Far Cry 5
- Far Cry Primal
- Fallout 4
- Metal Gear Solid V : The Phantom Pain
- Fable II
- Assassin’s Creed Origins
- Pet the Pup at the Party (surprised?)
- Grand Theft Auto V (that’s not all you can do to dogs but it’s better if we don’t talk about that…)
- Super Mario Odyssey
One special note here. Fan favorite Tools Up! has a super-adorable puppy in it that isn’t pettable (we just made that word up) BUT, there might be a change in the future. Just saying…you know, stay tuned. 😉
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Donkey Kong Country
Can we all agree that the world would be a better place with an economy based on bananas? You certainly will after just a few minutes in the world of this super-charming primate.
The world’s favorite ape and his extended family are back in this adventure that will have you swinging from tree to tree with delight. Switch between Kong family members, each with their own special abilities, as you navigate a fantastic platformer that takes you through jungles, rivers, treetops, and ice (yeah, just go with it). Tons of fun, tons of fruit, and tons of chest beating. What’s not to like?
Dogmeat (Fallout Series)
Ok, we already covered dogs a bit but here’s one that deserves his own entry. Dogmeat is a recurring character, if dogs can be characters, in the Fallout series. Maybe “companion” is a better word for him since he keeps you company as you wander a desolate world. As mentioned above, you can pet him in Fallout 4, but in his appearances in previous games in the series, it’s strictly hands-off. Sorry about that.
We won’t get into spoilers, but let’s just say that anyone who plays this series will always remember Dogmeat. Good boy!
Amaterasu (Okami)
If you don’t know anything about the cult hit Okami, it’s time to really think about what you’ve done with your life. Long story short, a Japanese goddess takes the form of a wolf in order to save the land from doom. Trust us, you need to play this game.
The animal angle here is unique, not just because of the wolf-as-hero part, but also because it’s just so incredibly beautiful. The artistic style makes it look like a hand-drawn Japanese ink illustration. Just looking at this game is an amazing experience. Getting to run across fields and through forests as a mythical creature with mystical powers is just a bonus.
Chocobo (Final Fantasy)
Take a chicken, feed it steak and potatoes for a few years and let it work out a lot. Now cross-breed it with an ostrich or maybe a rhino. You’ve got a Chocobo.
These, uh, creatures have populated the universe of Square Enix games, mostly Final Fantasy for years, serving as a means of transport after being tamed. They even got their own spinoff series, so you know they must be cool.
If you’re frustrated by the lack of huge bird-like animals that you can use like a horse, Chocobo are just the thing for you. Games with pets are everywhere. Games with Chocobo are for a truly unique market segment.
The Sims 4: Cats & Dogs
It’s all right there in the title. You like The Sims? You like cats and dogs? Guess what—this game is for you.
An expansion pack to The Sims 4, Cats & Dogs allows players to pursue a career as a vet. You can also “create” new animals and give them personality traits from separate lists available for cats and dogs. We’re still not sure why cats get “clever”, “curious” and “talkative” while dogs get “couch potato”, “stubborn” and “trouble maker” but let’s move on.
Anything with Yoshi
The world’s favorite kind-of flying dinosaur is super adorable even when he’s swallowing other characters whole. Who knew that prehistoric reptiles could be cute & cuddly?
If you’re lucky, you’ll play one of the many games where there is a whole community of Yoshis, each with their own color, which creates an automatic cuteness overload. Who hasn’t wished they could have their very own Yoshi as a pet, especially when you need to ride over some gap that’s too far to jump across?
Best Friend Forever
Maybe we’ll just let the game speak for itself on this one.
“Best Friend Forever is the world’s first simulation game to combine pet care and dating (just not necessarily at the same time). Train, pat, and play with your very own dog to form a bond that will last the ages.”
Wait, did they say “dating”?
“Train, pat, and play with your very own dog to form a bond that will last the ages. With your four-legged companion by your side, meet, woo, and cherish the many cuties of Rainbow Bay’s thriving singles scene.”
Yes, they did. So there you have it—an animal game and sort-of virtual dating app in one. We’re not judging.
Trico (The Last Guardian)
What do you mean you’ve never seen a dog-cat-bird thing that’s twenty feet tall with feathers and horns? Haven’t you ever played The Last Guardian?
Trico is the animal companion to the human figure in the game, helping to explore, discover, and open new areas on the map. He or possibly she can be temperamental and exhibits the behavior of a playful dog most of the time. Their appearance even changes over the course of the game as progress is made.
If we told you that three stories of terrifying power, sharp claws, and densely packed muscle could describe your ideal friendly animal companion, would you believe us? Play The Last Guardian and you will.
Epona (Zelda series)
At some point, during the ten thousand hours that you spend playing Zelda games, you realize that Epona is no ordinary horse.
In addition to helping you cover vast distances and cross bokoblin-infested forests, Epona is your faithful companion on epic journeys that always seem to involve a captured princess. She also helps to keep you out of trouble by refusing to go where you shouldn’t or jump across gaps that are just a bit wider than you think. You could say she’s the voice of common sense.
Epona might be the most legendary horse in all of video game history and not just because she’s in games that take forever to complete. Without her to help galloping across vast expanses of nothing, Link might need three times as much time to once again rescue Zelda.
Do you have favorite animals in video games? Did we mention them? If not, let us know what they are on our social media or our Discord. Follow us to stay up to date!
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