As anyone whose ever been near a child will tell you, animals are more fun than people. From the big and scaly to the small and fluffy, every type of animal is loved by someone somewhere and video games are more than happy to provide whatever you prefer. What’s great is that you can put animals into just about any game with no complaints from anyone, they always make things better.
Still, for the “best animal games” we’ve picked out games that are actually about animals in some way – be it because you play as one or spend most of your time caring for them.
Maneater
Starting on the more violent side of this category, Maneater sees you wreak havoc as a man-eating shark. This is a surprisingly deep RPG where you’ll need to eat to stay alive and cause chaos to level up. Thankfully, those two goals often intersect as you eat yummy, squishy humans, but you better what out, as there’s always a bigger fish.
I Am Fish
Sticking with our fishy friends, this is a game made by the minds behind I Am Bread. Like that game, it’s a platformer filled with weird mechanics, but instead of trying to cook yourself, you must make your way to the ocean. Since you have to stay in water at all times, there’s a lot of tension to be had in stopping your contained from breaking or tipping over on your quest for freedom, and there are even different types of fish with special abilities.
Stray
When it comes to recent animal games, Stray captured a lot of hearts in the middle of 2022. You control this cute cat and its robot friend as you explore a dystopian city full of robots and dangerous creatures. It’s a fun little platformer full of memorable moments and a very sweet ending.
Planet Zoo
If you want as many different animals as possible around, then you can’t go wrong with Planet Zoo. This game is the most in-depth zoo game out there, with a lot of great mechanics that help you care for your animals, as well as loads of customization tools to make the cool-looking mega-zoo of your wildest dreams.
Untitled Goose Game
If this somehow passed you by when it first came out, you absolutely need to check it out. This game sees you play as a goose that wanders around a lovely little town causing mayhem wherever it goes. The comedy never outstays its welcome and the puzzles are just enough to get you thinking and engaging with every aspect of the world.
Jurassic World Evolution 2
From the same studio behind Planet Zoo, Jurassic World Evolution is a similar style with one key difference, dinosaurs. Remaining faithful to the franchise it’s based on, this game lets you balance the needs of money-making and safety as you try to keep these hulking beasts contained. On top of that, you can do all sorts of research and breed brand-new species. It’s up to you to prevent the disastrous consequences seen in the films.
Animal Crossing
Probably one of the first titles that came to mind when you thought of “animal games”, this calm life-sim sees you make friends with all sorts of animal villagers. New Horizons is the most recent game in the series, but all of them have their strengths and active communities. Either way, you can build a world all your own and fill it with memorable personalities.
Let’s Build A Zoo
Another management sim, this one is very different from Planet Zoo. Not only because it’s a 2D pixel-art game, but because it’s much less concerned with realism. One of the main mechanics is a morality system that lets you make either a natural paradise or an industrial work yard for your animals. If that wasn’t enough, there is genetic manipulation where you can create brand new animals by splicing the DNA of existing ones.
SkateBIRD
The name tells you pretty much everything you need to know about this one. It’s a skating game in the same vein as the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games of old, except you’re a bird who can do bird-related things like flying and pooping.
Nintendogs
This absolute classic should still be played by anyone who owns any kind of DS. While it wasn’t the first of its kind, it was arguably the best at progressing the formula that things like Tamagotchis made popular. Here you’ll care for your dog, train it to do tricks, and get to do lots of fun activities with it. What isn’t there to love?
Written by Ryan Woodrow on behalf of GLHF.
