Games where you play as cats seem all the rage nowadays. With the influx of independently developed titles, creatives have offered players the chance to play as their favorite furry creatures. Titles like Stray, Cat Quest, and the recently released Little Kitty, Big City place you in the paws of small felines who go on a diverse set of adventures.

And sure, cats are wonderful, multi-faceted creatures with tons of versatility, but as a massive dog lover, why aren’t dogs getting the same treatment in gaming? Though it’s certainly great to see cats getting so many new games, it feels as though dog lovers are left in the dust if they a game starring their favorite animal companions. If gamers are to embrace a future of animal-led video games, at least give the puppies their chance in the limelight.

Cats Are Cool

Let it be known that I’m not trying to draw a line in the sand between cats and dogs. Cats are pretty wonderful and certainly deserving of the attention they’ve been receiving in the gaming world. I mean, it’s like the Counting Crows once said, “Everybody wanna pass at cats.” And let’s be real, there are some really great games out today that feature cats in the lead role.

Cat Quest, for example, takes on the vibe of a top-down open-world RPG where you adventure around the world as an adorable cat. There’s dungeon-crawling gameplay with real-time combat, and the surrounding characters are cats as well. Beyond the compelling gameplay, the cat-based world gives this title a ton of added adorable charm. The game spawned a sequel – one that, credit where it’s due, actually lets you play as a dog – and it’s set to receive another entry, Cat Quest: Pirates of the Purribean, later this year.

It’s also hard to go through a list of cat-based games without mentioning Stray, one of 2022’s bigger award darlings. A game where you control a cat in a cyberpunk-based city, Stray throws our small kitty into a murky world where they explore and meet robots with varying personalities, all while communicating with them through unique technology. It’s a very refreshing take on an open-world adventure with beautiful visuals and a surprisingly emotional story to go along with its feline-based exploration and platforming.

I’ll also even note that the newly released Little Kitty, Big City has quietly become one of my favorite video games of the year. As the title suggests, you assume the role of a small cat traversing a big city in the hopes of getting back home. It’s somewhat akin to Stray, but with a much more simple, down-to-earth style and aesthetic that nevertheless buoys its adorable charm into a quick but satisfying adventure. Developer Double Dagger Studio did a wonderful job creating the vibe of a small cat running along a massive city, creating hijinks for humans and other animals.

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Dogs Deserve Some Love, Too

Now these cat games are all well and good, but why does it feel like dogs have not gotten nearly the same attention? It’s hard to find many games that really put you in control of a dog and let you run wild in that same way. And no, Bluey The Videogame doesn’t count; sure, it’s cute for teaching your children how to hold a controller, but the element of controlling a dog barely plays here.

I mean, sure, there are games where you can play as wolves, such as Okami and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, but what about smaller dogs? Because otherwise, the most noteworthy dog-based video games are titles where you either take care of dogs or find a good boy or two that you can pet throughout the adventure. And don’t get it twisted: nothing feels better than finding a dog in a game and getting to pet them. But what about getting to play as them?

The closest I could find to a game that truly lets you control a dog is the 2003 title Dog’s Life, a 2003 game starring an American Foxhound named Jake who lives on a farmhouse. That’s cute and all, but compared to the litany of great cat-based games, one passable but low-rent dog video game doesn’t sound anywhere near as exciting. It’d be much better if a dog-starring game came along that had more modern development sensibilities from a passionate set of developers.

There’s also Tokyo Jungle, an obscure PlayStation 3 game where you control stranded animals in post-apocalyptic Tokyo, and one of the animals you play as is a Pomeranian. It’s an adorable concept – and perhaps an interesting precursor to a title like Stray – but one that’s kinda fallen by the wayside into obscurity, not receiving nearly the same amount of love as a title like Stray did. Oh, and Wargroove is a turn-based tactics game where one of the commanders you can control is a dog…that’s cute.

Otherwise, the market for video games that allow you to venture around as a dog feels pretty barren, and it seems like it can use a boost. Indie developers seem especially smitten with making games centered around other animals (especially cats), but why does it feel like the market of dog-based video games is so quiet? No, dogs might not be able to climb walls in the same way the protagonist of Little Kitty, Big City can, but that doesn’t mean every dog character in a video game needs to be mere window dressing. Petting the dog is awesome, but what about playing as the dog?

In an artistic medium where a lot of the appeal is being able to go on adventures and control characters that differ so greatly from yourself, more developers should consider how to make video games centered around dogs. They’re such charming and adorable creatures that could go on unique and interesting adventures, while also selling copies on their adorable presence alone. Gamers have clearly proven that they are open to playing as cats, so perhaps it’s time for the dogs to have their day. Let’s see game developers prove that you can teach an old dog new tricks.

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