A pet-raising simulation (sometimes called artificial pets ) is a

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

that focuses on the care, raising, breeding or exhibition of simulated animals. These games are software implementations of

digital pet A virtual pet (also known as a digital pet, artificial pet, or pet-raising simulation) is a type of artificial human companion. They are usually kept for companionship or enjoyment. People may keep a digital pet in lieu of a real pet. Digital ...

s. Such games are described as a sub-class of

life simulation game Life simulation games form a subgenre of simulation video games in which the player lives or controls one or more virtual characters (human or otherwise). Such a game can revolve around "individuals and relationships, or it could be a simulation ...

. The concept originated from

role-playing video game A role-playing video game (commonly referred to as simply a role-playing game or RPG, as well as a computer role-playing game or CRPG) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character (or several party members) immers ...

s, with the '' Megami Tensei'' series and ''

Dragon Quest V ''Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride'' is a role-playing video game and the fifth installment in the ''Dragon Quest'' video game series, second of the Zenithian Trilogy. Originally developed by Chunsoft and published by Enix Corporation, ' ...

'' being two early examples.

Handheld electronic game

Digital Monster The Digital Monster is a digital pet created by WiZ and Bandai that spawned the ''Digimon'' franchise. It was released by Bandai on June 26, 1997 in Japan and on December 5, 1997 in North America. This pet was a masculine counterpart to the Tamag ...

(

Digimon , short for "Digital Monsters" ( ''Dejitaru Monsutā''), is a Japanese media franchise encompassing virtual pet toys, anime, manga, video games, films and a trading card game. The franchise focuses on the eponymous creatures, who inhabit a "Di ...

) * Dragonvale *

Giga Pet Giga Pets are digital pet toys that were first released by Tiger Electronics in the United States in 1997 in the midst of a virtual-pet toy fad. Available in a variety of different characters, each Giga Pet is a palm-sized unit with an LCD scr ...

Pokémon Pikachu Pokémon Pikachu, also known as in Japan, is a limited series of two portable '' Pokémon'' digital pets (similar to Tamagotchi) featuring the famous yellow electric-type Pokémon, Pikachu. It debuted on March 27, 1998, in Japan, on November 2, ...

* Tamagotchi

Console or handheld

101 Shark Pets ''101 Shark Pets'' is a 2010 pet caring simulation video game developed by Teyon for the Nintendo DSiWare. Gameplay ''101 Shark Pets'' is a simulation of raising a shark. Players look after a shark and keep its statistics as high as possible by ...

* Animal Crossing (Animal Island minigame) *

Azure Dreams ''Azure Dreams'' is a role-playing video game developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo and published by Konami for the PlayStation. A Game Boy Color game with the same name was developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Nagoya and rel ...

* Danganronpa 2 (minigame) * Digimon World * Digimon World: Next Order *

Dog's Life ''Dog's Life'' is a 2003 action-adventure video game developed by Frontier Developments exclusively for PlayStation 2, starring a dog named Jake. Plot The game opens in Clarksville, a city located in the American countryside. One day the p ...

Dragon Quest Monsters ''Dragon Quest Monsters'' is a spin-off series of the ''Dragon Quest'' games. Published by Square Enix (formerly Enix), it sets the player in a medieval/fantasy world filled with magic, monsters and knights. Unlike the original ''Dragon Quest'' ...

EyePet ''EyePet'' is a game for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable, developed by London Studio and Playlogic Game Factory. The original PlayStation 3 version was released in Europe on 23 October 2009 and in Australia on 27 October 2009. This ...

Final Fantasy VIII is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation console. Released in 1999, it is the eighth main installment in the ''Final Fantasy'' series. Set on an unnamed fantasy world with science fiction elements, t ...

* Final Fantasy XIII-2 * Hey You, Pikachu! *

Jade Cocoon is a role-playing video game developed by Genki exclusively for PlayStation. The game combines elements of role-playing video games and virtual pet management. It was developed by Genki in collaboration with Katsuya Kondō, character designer ...

* Kinectimals * Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals * Megami Tensei * Monster Rancher *

Neko Atsume is a mobile cat-collecting game developed by Hit-Point Co., Ltd. for iOS and Android, released on October 20, 2014. Gameplay Gameplay revolves around the player purchasing food, cat toys, and furniture to attract a variety of cats to their ho ...

* Ni no Kuni * Nintendogs *

Pokémon (an abbreviation for in Japan) is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures (company), Creatures, the owners of the trademark and copyright of the franchise. In terms of ...

* Purr Pals * Robotrek *

Seaman Seaman may refer to: * Sailor, a member of a marine watercraft's crew * Seaman (rank), a military rank in some navies * Seaman (name) (including a list of people with the name) * ''Seaman'' (video game), a 1999 simulation video game for the Seg ...

* SimAnimals * Sonic Adventure and

Sonic Adventure 2 is a platform video game developed by Sonic Team USA and published by Sega. It was the final ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' game for the Dreamcast after Sega left the home console market. It features two Conflict between good and evil, good-vs-evil stor ...

( Chao raising minigame) *

Sonic Advance is a 2001 platform game developed by Dimps for the Game Boy Advance (GBA). It was the first ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' game released on a Nintendo console with ''Sonic Adventure 2: Battle'' on the GameCube, and was produced in commemoration of t ...

, Sonic Advance 2, and

Sonic Pinball Party is a video game released for the Game Boy Advance in 2003. It is a celebration of sorts for Sonic Team featuring many references to its previous games, mostly prominently '' Sonic the Hedgehog'', '' Nights into Dreams'', and ''Samba De Amigo''. ...

( Chao raising minigame on the Tiny Chao Garden) *

Viva Piñata ''Viva Piñata'' is a video game franchise created and produced by Xbox Game Studios and Rare. The series' first game, ''Viva Piñata'' (2006), was conceived as a mobile gardening game before Rare was acquired by Microsoft. It was released on ...

* Yo-Kai Watch * Puppy Luv *

Hamsterz Life Hamsterz Life is a hamster simulation video game released by Ubisoft for the Nintendo DS. ''Hamsterz Life'' is also known as ''Love ♥ Hamster'' or ''Love Love Hamster'' in Japan. Gameplay ''Hamsterz Life'' is from the ''Petz'' series from Ubis ...

* Wobbledogs

Social network embedded

Pet Society ''Pet Society'' was a social-network game developed by Playfish that could be played on Facebook. The game ranked as one of the most popular Facebook applications. Players could design their pets by choosing genders, names, colors and altering ap ...

* PetVille

Smart phone/mobile devices

My Talking Angela ''Talking Tom & Friends'' (known as ''Talking Friends'' until late 2014, and ''Talking Tom and Friends'' until early 2021) is a video game franchise created and owned by Outfit7 Limited, a Slovenian video game developer. The franchise focus ...

My Talking Tom ''My Talking Tom'' is a virtual pet app released by Slovenian studio Outfit7 on November 11, 2013. It is similar to '' Pou'' and the fourteenth app of the ''Talking Tom & Friends'' series overall. It was the first Outfit7 game to feature the smo ...

Pocket Frogs ''Pocket Frogs'' is a life simulation video game developed and published by NimbleBit for the iOS App Store and Google Play Store. It was released as a free game with additional in-app purchases. The aim is to complete the 'Froggydex' by earn ...

* Pou

PC or computer games

Adopt Me! ''Adopt Me'' (stylised as ADOPT ME!) is a massively multiplayer online game developed by Uplift Games on the gaming and game development platform ''Roblox''. The original focus of the game was a role-play wherein players pretended to be either a ...

Animal Jam ''Animal Jam Classic'', formerly known as ''Animal Jam'', is a massively multiplayer online game that is developed by WildWorks and recommended for kids up to the age of 12. It was launched in 2010, in collaboration with the National Geographic ...

* Busou Shinki Battle Rondo *

Creatures Creature often refers to: * An animal, monster, or Extraterrestrial life, alien Creature or creatures may also refer to: Film and television * Creature (1985 film), ''Creature'' (1985 film), a 1985 science fiction film by William Malone * Creat ...

Fin Fin on Teo the Magic Planet '' (stylized as fin fin: On TEO, the Magic Planet) is a 1996 computer game for Microsoft Windows, Windows-based computers made by Fujitsu about a creature that is a Hybrid (biology), hybrid of a bird and a dolphin which the user can communicate w ...

Fish Tycoon ''Fish Tycoon'' is a casual game created and developed by Last Day of Work. One of the top-selling downloadable games of 2004, 2005, and 2006, ''Fish Tycoon'' was later ported to cell phone, retail, and Nintendo DS. Gameplay Players take on the ...

* GoPets *

Insaniquarium ''Insaniquarium'' is a 2001 virtual pets simulator video game, developed by Flying Bear Entertainment and published by PopCap Games and MumboJumbo. Before PopCap Games's involvement, the game was a web-based Java (programming language), Java g ...

* MOPy fish *

PF Magic PF Magic was a video game developer founded in 1991 and located in San Francisco, California, United States. Though it developed other types of video games, it was best known for its virtual pet games, such as '' Dogz'' and ''Catz''. The company wa ...

's Petz Series * Petz * The Sims 2: Pets * The Sims 3: Pets * The Sims 4: Cats & Dogs * The Sims: Unleashed * Neopets *

Zoo Tycoon 2 ''Zoo Tycoon 2'' is a business simulation video game developed by Blue Fang Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios and MacSoft. Originally released for Windows, ''Zoo Tycoon 2'' is also available for Windows Mobile, PDA, and Mac OS X, al ...

* Puppy Luv * Wobbledogs

Browser-based games

References

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