Highlights
- Pet simulator games allow players to experience caring for adorable creatures without the responsibilities. They provide a digital space to interact with dogs, cats, and even mythical creatures.
- Some standout pet simulators, like Little Island and Kinectimals, use modern gaming technology to enhance the immersive experience. Little Island utilizes virtual reality, while Kinectimals incorporates motion-based games.
- Nintendogs, the iconic pet simulator game, remains one of the best-selling and most beloved titles. It attracted casual gamers to the world of video games and continues to be praised for its relaxing and soothing gameplay.
Simulator games are a total staple of the medium of video games. For every few FPS, adventure, or RPG games that get released, there is always an abundance of simulator games to help players envelop themselves in new lives. Simulator games help players to experience activities or lifestyles that they may not otherwise be able to experience in their own life, which perhaps explains why pet simulators are so beloved.
Pet simulators allow players to take care of adorable creatures, both fictional and real, without having to commit to the difficult parts of looking after pets. These games allow players to fawn over adorable dogs, cats, and mythical creatures, all within a digital space! Here is a list of the very best pet simulator games of all time.
10 Petz: Catz 2 (Nintendo DS & Wii)
Though the Petz franchise has been around since 1995, with the release of Catz And Dogz I: Your Virtual Pet on PC, it didn’t quite hit its stride until the mid-to-late 2000s. The franchise was often derided by many who viewed titles like Petz: Dogz 2 as a cheap copy of the iconic Nintendogs available for Nintendo DS.
However, many players who experienced Petz: Catz 2 on either the Nintendo Wii or Nintendo DS now have very fond memories of the game. The game allowed players a little more in the way of customization, compared to other pet simulator games, as it allowed them to dress up their cats in all kinds of adorable outfits!
9 Little Island
Though Little Island may appear a little more bare-bones than some other entries on this list, it stands out as one of the best pet-simulators around thanks to the ways it makes use of modern gaming technology.
Little Island allows players to don a VR headset and directly interact with a number of tiny and adorable pet creatures. This allows for much greater immersion, as if players really were spending time with kittens and puppies!
8 Kinectimals
The Xbox Kinect is not often fondly remembered, having been a motion-control technology released for the Xbox 360 that was often plagued with glitches. However, one of the more fondly remembered games for this controversial peripheral is the interactive pet simulator Kinectimals.
Kinectimals set itself apart from many contemporary pet simulators by allowing players to interact with pets that were based on wild cat species. Young players loved being able to interact with these adorable pets and play the many motion-based games with them.
7 Nintendogs And Cats
Nintendogs is one of the most iconic games to have been released on the best-selling Nintendo DS console, and may even be considered among some of Nintendo’s most iconic games. However, despite being so beloved, the game only ever received one official sequel, in the form of 2011’s Nintendogs + Cats.
Though the game was not quite as ambitious as many fans expected, it still served as a worthy extension of the formula established in the original release. The graphics were improved, more activities could be enjoyed with the dogs, and for the first time in the series, the game also included interactive cats!
6 Seaman
Seaman is a very niche title that has gone on to amass an incredibly strong cult reputation. Seaman is a very strange title within the world of pet simulators, as it does not feature an adorable pet creature, but instead a large carp-like fish with a human face.
The game became a cult favorite in the years since its original release in 1999 on the Sega Dreamcast, thanks to its absurdist humor, and its willingness to push the boundaries of the pet simulator formula. Players interacted with the titular Seaman by making use of the Sega Dreamcast microphone and speaking directly to the fish, which added an extra layer of absurdity.
5 Little Friends: Dogs And Cats
With both the Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS handhelds receiving entries in the popular Nintendogs franchise, many Nintendo fans were understandably mystified when Nintendo’s next handheld, the Nintendo Switch, released without any kind of Nintendogs game. Luckily, developer Imagineer stepped in to fill the shoes of this legendary franchise.
Though fans still clamor for an official Nintendogs sequel on the Nintendo Switch, Little Friends: Dogs And Cats has proved to be a more-than-adequate replacement. The game allowed players to interact with adorably-fluffy puppies and kittens, and even dress them up in various ways.
4 Viva Pinata
Rare is one of the most storied and revered studios in the entire video game landscape, thanks to developing beloved titles like Banjo Kazooie, Goldeneye 007, and Conker’s Bad Fur Day. However, the studio entered a rocky period of its history in 2002, when it was officially acquired by Microsoft.
While Rare has often been relegated to developing commercially unsuccessful Xbox Kinect games in their years at Microsoft, they have still developed a number of highly beloved titles like Viva Pinata. Viva Pinata was a highly unique pet simulator, released on the Xbox 360 in 2006, which allowed players to manage a community of adorable pinata pets. Though the game was not considered a commercial success, it is still beloved by those that played it!
3 Wobbledogs
Though it is a relatively new name within the world of pet simulator games, Wobbledogs has quickly risen to become one of the very best. The game sets itself apart from the competition, especially within the world of dog-based pet simulators by featuring dogs that mutate! As players spend time in the game, their virtual dogs will take on all kinds of mutations, such as growing wings!
Players can not only interact with their virtual pets but also decorate their homes to keep them happy. The game garnered praise for taking the pet simulator formula in an exciting direction, while also being a very relaxing game to interact with.
2 The Sims 2: Pets
Though The Sims 2: Pets was originally released as one of many expansion packs for The Sims 2 on PC, its later release as a standalone experience for platforms like PlayStation 2, and the Nintendo DS, allowed it to become one of the most respected titles in the pet simulator genre.
The console release of The Sims 2: Pets allowed players to enjoy all of the best elements of The Sims franchise, while also allowing them to take care of some of the cutest virtual pets around. The Sims is easily the most recognizable name within the world of simulation games, so the franchise was destined to create an amazing pet simulator!
1 Nintendogs
Nintendogs is the first name that pops up in most people’s minds when they think of pet simulator games, so it only makes sense for it to take the number 1 spot. Nintendogs is not only one of the best-selling pet simulators of all time, but it was also the second best-selling game in the entirety of the Nintendo DS game library.
The game helped to draw in a whole new generation of gamers, by appealing to many ‘Casual’ gamers who were dipping their toes in the world of video games for the first time. The game is prized for being incredibly relaxing and soothing to play, and many people still revisit their copies of the game to this day!
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