Animals make great game characters. They are instantly appealing to players of all ages, and it is fun to imagine how the world looks from their point of view, even if that point of view mostly involves knocking things off a table. Animal games cover a lot of ground, from gentle pet care for young children to chaotic simulators that are clearly aimed at everyone else. Here is what you will find, what you actually do in each style, and which ones to start with.
Our picks — play them free
#1Animal DaycareTap to feed, play with, and groom each animal as it arrives at your daycare.
#2Cat Chaos SimulatorClick or tap to control your cat and interact with objects in each 3D scene.
#3Pet Dog SimulatorUse WASD or the arrow keys to move your dog and the mouse to control the camera direction on desktop.
#4Animal Racing 2Click or tap to run and race against opponents across platform tracks.
#5Bird Sort PuzzleTap any bird to move bird into another branch and sort it!
#6Cat Life Merge MoneyClick or tap your cat to make it beg from passing humans and collect coins.
#7Super Dog Hero DashClick or tap to make your dog hero jump, slide, and dodge through the cartoon city.
#8Animal KlotskiClick and drag any animal block to slide it horizontally or vertically along its axis.
Pet care games
Care games let you look after animals with none of the mess or vet bills. In Animal Daycare, you feed, play with and groom each animal as it arrives at your daycare, keeping an eye on hunger and happiness and clearing up quickly so that no guest leaves unhappy. The steps are clear and it is hard to go far wrong, which makes it especially suitable for younger players. It is also a gentle way of introducing children to the idea of looking after something.
Cat games
If you have ever wondered what your cat is thinking, these will not put your mind at ease. Cat Chaos Simulator has you controlling a cat in 3D scenes, jumping on tables to reach things you can knock over, smash or topple, and being as destructive as you like. Cat Life Merge Money is a very different game, in which you tap your cat to beg from passing humans, collect coins, and drag identical coins together to merge them. Keep clicking, though, because the cat loses interest if you leave it alone for too long, which seems about right.
Dog games
Dogs get their turn as well. Pet Dog Simulator is a 3D simulator, in which you use WASD or the arrow keys to move your dog and the mouse to steer the camera, and you can bark, bite or interact with things nearby. On the faster side, Super Dog Hero Dash has your dog jumping, sliding and dodging through a cartoon city, and it rewards reading the platforms just ahead of you. The two make a good pair: one for wandering about, and one for a quick burst of action.
Animal racing
Animal Racing 2 is one of the more inventive animal games around. You race opponents across platform tracks, and when the terrain changes, you tap to turn into the right creature, such as a shark for water or an eagle for the air. The race is really a test of quick recognition, since the player who transforms soonest gets ahead. It is simple enough for children and has enough competition to hold the attention of adults. See our endless runner games guide for similar games.
Animal puzzle games
Animals also bring charm to some rather demanding logic puzzles. Animal Klotski is a classic sliding block puzzle where you move animal pieces along their axes to clear a path, then slide the pink rabbit to the exit. Bird Sort Puzzle is a sorting puzzle in which you move birds between branches until each group is complete and flies away. Under their cute exteriors, both make you think ahead, so they are good for players who assume an animal game must be easy. For more help with this kind of game, read our sorting games guide.
Which animal game suits your child?
- For very young players, try a simple care game, where the steps are obvious and there is little to lose.
- For children who want some competition, try Animal Racing 2, with its clear goal and quick rounds.
- For children who enjoy thinking, try a puzzle such as Bird Sort, starting on the early levels.
- For older kids who like being silly, Cat Chaos Simulator has plenty of laughs, though it is worth watching together first.
- Play with them for a few minutes first. That is the quickest way to tell if a game suits them.
Sit together the first time
Free web games usually have ads, and a young child may tap on one without meaning to. Staying nearby for the first few plays helps, and it gives you a chance to see what the game is like. Our guide for parents covers this in more detail.
Find more animal games
These all run in your browser on phones, tablets and computers, so you can try them with nothing to install. Our animal games page has the full selection, and it grows as new games arrive. Parents will find more suggestions in our guide to kids games, while our guide to games for girls covers other care and creative games that animal fans often enjoy.
Why we love playing as animals
Playing as a cat or a dog lets you break all the rules you normally have to follow. Nobody minds if you knock a vase off the table, because that is simply what cats do. Care games offer the opposite pleasure: the warm feeling of making a small creature happy. Between these two lies a whole range of moods, which is why the genre appeals to such a wide range of players.
Animal games also tend to be easy for a family to share. A younger child can enjoy the characters and simple tasks, while older players can have fun with the chaos or take on the harder puzzles, so there is usually something here for everybody in the room.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best animal games for young children?
Simple care games such as Animal Daycare are a good start, since the steps are clear and there is little to fail.
Are there free cat and dog games online?
Yes. Cat Chaos Simulator, Cat Life Merge Money, Pet Dog Simulator and Super Dog Hero Dash all run free in your browser.
Do I need to download anything?
No. Everything runs in your browser on a phone, tablet or computer.
What is Animal Racing 2?
A platform race in which you tap to change into the right animal for the terrain, such as a shark for water or an eagle for the air.