The 9 best video games where you play as a cat

Occasionally mischievous and always cute, cats are the focus of a popular micro-genre within the gaming hemisphere. There’s a myriad of games featuring the felines on dangerous quests, brave pioneers building communities, or gentle explorers in unique worlds.

With so many games cropping up daily, picking where your next cat adventure will take you can be overwhelming. If you’re ready to inhabit the world through the eyes of your favorite pets, then check out some of the best cat games money can buy.

1) Crypt Custodian

Crypt Custodian only released on Aug. 27, but it already feels like a cat cult classic. You’ll play as Pluto, an incredibly cute black cat tasked with cleaning up the afterlife for eternity. Crypt Custodian is inspired by popular Metroidvania action games and features unique movement, challenging boss fights, and puzzles that upgrade your cleaning capabilities.

On top of cleaning up the afterlife, you’ll experience an interconnected story filled with a colorful cast of ghosts. You can interact with these lost souls to learn their stories, and upgrade your gear at a communal tavern during a cleaning break.

If you want to try out Crypt Custodian before it officially releases on all major platforms, you can download the free demo on Steam.

2) Cat Goes Fishing

If you’re looking to wind down after a hard day, try spending time fishing as a cat. In Cat Goes Fishing, you play as a cute feline just trying to catch some fish to eat. As you improve your fishing skills, you’ll unlock new fishing rods that transform you into a furry angler. You’ll even be able to take quests and catch rare fish for extra cash depending on the time of day.

Remember that just like cats, every fish has unique behaviors, so practice definitely makes perfect. Check out Cat Goes Fishing on Steam for $6.99.

3) Calico

As the only game here where you don’t play as a cat, Calico stands out. Prepare to take a magical journey where you customize a protagonist and repair a run-down cat cafe. As you upgrade the cafe, you’ll get to recruit more feline friends and fully customize the furniture.

There are even magic potions found throughout the world of Calico, shrinking you down and giving you the ability to ride on the backs of your favorite cats. If you want to buy the game, you can find it on Steam for $11.99.

4) Little Kitty, Big City

If you want to cause some mischief, then Little Kitty, Big City is the purrfect game for you. This open-word title allows you to explore a vast city like a playground, all through the eyes of an adorable black cat.

As you explore the city, you can make friends with other animals, complete quests to unlock customization options, or cause complete mayhem. You’ll eventually have to return home to your owner, so why not have some fun in the meantime?

For $24.99, you can buy Little Kitty, Big City on Steam and get exploring.

5) Cattails: Wildwood Story

If you have played games like Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing, you can check out Cattails: Wildwood Story. This game allows you to play as a cat as you explore and lead a colony of cats within the mysterious forests of Wildwood.

On top of hunting for animals, you can build a community of cats by constructing homes and recruiting unique feline friends. Once you have built a community, don’t forget to grow crops and prepare to fight eery Voidling Cats. Like other life sim RPGs, you may even find romance with one of your town members—you’re both cats so it’s not weird, right?

Cattails: Wildwood Story is on Steam for $19.99. Alternatively, you could also pick up the first version of the game, Cattails – Become a Cat!, for $14.99.

6) Catquest

Catquest is an open-world cat-themed RPG with three different titles that take you into a pawsome world filled with cats. As an explorer, you’ll travel through dangerous dungeons to secure valuable loot, and you’ll even have to hack and slash your way through enemies.

If you would rather prefer a meowstical approach you can learn powerful spells that zap your enemies, and pick up loot to change your attacks. All three of the Catquest games are available for purchase on Steam, and the first title costs $12.99.

7) Nine Sols

Nine Sols is a gorgeous 2D action platformer that centers around Yi, a white cat that must face off against nine powerful bosses. This action game values high-intensity combat and is built around a block mechanic that allows you to deflect attacks. When you deflect these strikes, you’ll power up your magical powers inspired by Taoist philosophies.

Nine Sols takes place within a forsaken realm rife with combat opportunities, so prepare for some serious combat. If you are up for the challenge, then check out the game on Steam for $29.99.

8) Night in the Woods

After dropping out of college, Mae Borowski decided to return home to the mining town of Possum Springs. When this cute cat comes home, she learns her time away at school has changed things, and even her former friends are acting differently.

As explore Possum Springs and delve into the game’s story, you’ll learn something is prowling in the woods. To save her friends, Mae will have to risk her life to uncover and confront a horrible town secret.

You can purchase Night in the Woods on Steam for $19.99.

9) Stray

Stray is a third-person adventure game where you play as an unknown stray cat as it explores a futuristic cityscape. The game generated massive levels of hype when it was released in 2022 and now has over 120k overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam.

As you continue to explore to seedy sides of this futurescape, you’ll learn more about the world and befriend a small drone named B-12. The stray and B-12 will work together to interact with the environment, solve puzzles, and ultimately teach players the value of friendships and pets. You can purchase Stray on Steam for $29.99.