Cats have been the most popular pet ever since the Egyptian gods of old put them here many thousands of years ago. Naturally, people also like games about cats, or games where we get to pet cats, so let’s look at the best of the bunch.
Crimson Desert is a cat dad simulator
Crimson Desert is one of the most mechanically rich video games in existence. You can do everything here, which can, understandably, overwhelm some. Crimson Desert‘s complexity caused it to enter Steam with a mixed reception, but it quickly grew in players’ hearts, and one of the many reasons for its comeback was its cat mechanics.
Wanna pet a cat? That’s easy mode. What about holding a cat? You can carry a kitty no problem, hell, you can even “dual-wield” cats. You can even ignore the main quest to find the many different cats in the game, Pokémon-style, and you’ll have a blast because you’ll get to equip them with armor!
Others have said that Crimson Desert is a cat dad simulator, and the only problem I have with that assertion is that I wasn’t the first one to make it.
Assassin’s Creed: Shadows is the most cat-friendly game in the most cat-friendly series
Ever since its inception, the Assassin’s Creed series has been for cat lovers. It’s likely the game responsible for the “can you pet the cat?” meme, and Shadows, its most recent iteration, shows the series at its cat-loving peak. The feudal Japan-set AC allows players not only to pet the cats, but even to travel to a place called “cat island” and even “recruit” them to come live in our hideout.
Shadows still doesn’t let us train cats to do our assassin business for us, but that might not be entirely out of the cards for future installments.
The Talos Principle
The Talos Principle will spend many hours putting your puzzle-solving and your understanding of some surprisingly complex philosophical themes to the test. You also play as a robot, so this is definitely not the game you’d expect to have a soft spot for cats, but you’d be wrong.
Though it’s entirely optional, the developers made a pretty cool sidequest where the players get to adopt a cat. Should they do so, they’ll even get a special (and naturally more heartwarming) ending cutscene. This game gets more surprising the more you read about it, especially once you realize it was made by the people behind the Serious Sam series.
Road to Vostok
Road to Vostok can feel very harsh and unforgiving, but it’s actually just afraid of showing all the beams of light shining through its beautiful heart. The nicest thing about it, bar none, is that you can totally get a cat, one that you get not just because, but because he can become your beloved companion.
Having a pet in a nice game about having cats is expected. Getting a cat in an otherwise extremely bleak game will both make your heart feel all cozy and might even make you feel a bit more heroic for having saved the little furball from staying all alone in the cold.
Stray
Well, this one is a no-brainer. Petting cats, rescuing cats, and even having a cafe for cats still doesn’t beat the real thing. Stray lets players straight-up become a cat—in a sleek neon-drenched cyberpunk city, no less. Strays lets players make use of all of a cat’s regular cat abilities, such as meowing and sleeping, so they can navigate the place in a way a human character never could, and also solve ingenious puzzles or jump over the city’s obstacles in search of freedom.
Stray is one of the most surprisingly original indie adventure titles from the past few years, and also one of the coziest times you can have in a dystopian cyberpunk city.
Cattails: A Wildwood Story
If you want something even cozier, entirely devoid of dystopian cyberpunk elements, then Cattails: A Wildwood Story is the game for you. Cattails is a life simulator, but not exactly a realistic cat life simulator. Players will have to collect herbs, hunt rats, create a small cat community, and protect it from outside threats.
Cattails hits a sweet spot between having players incessantly working the fields to avoid famine and just sleeping around all day. Also, its simple graphics ensure you can run it on any contraption that would run Doom.
Night In The Woods
Night in the Woods is a very comfy sidescrolling adventure with a very unique look, where we play as a cute little cat on a surprisingly deep and touching adventure.
Yes, despite its cutesy look and the constraints of the 2d world it takes place in, Night in the Woods features a lot of exploration, both physical and of the little town inhabitants’ personal insights, all the while telling a heartfelt story about friendship, growth, and coming to terms with change.
