These are computer games or physical games where the player character is inherently a nonhuman animal, and that is important to the story and play. Try out the perspective of a house cat, a dinosaur, a bee hive, or even a tick!
For protagonists who are other sorts of nonhumans than animals, see my other collection: "Nonhuman protagonists."
This collection is part of a series of curated collections of itch.io creations for alterhumans.
Content: Rated G. Friendly for all ages. No violence.
Medium: A multiplayer online computer game and interactive screensaver, though it's very different from what you would usually expect for either of those.
Duration: No time commitment or limit. You can play for a few minutes at a time or as long as you want.
Story: You are a deer in a magical forest. You can't talk, and you can only use deer body language to communicate with other players. There are methods for dressing up your appearance, but most of them you can't cast on yourself, only on one another. There is some environmental storytelling about religion and history.
Keywords: mammal, hoofed, ungulate, cervine, cervid, wild, fantasy
Vibe: Peaceful, friendly, cooperative, relaxing, laid-back. It's supposed to capture the feeling of enjoying the beauty of a garden or natural place as you stroll around in it with no obligations or attachments.
Content: Rated G. Friendly for all ages.
Medium: A solo journaling game. Pen and paper.
Story: You are a cartoon animal. Re-imagine what you did that day in real life as a much cuter creature who does something similar but much sweeter.
Keywords: anthropomorphic
Vibe: Like a sweet and adorable picture book for children.
Content: Unrated. I haven't played this yet, so take caution.
Medium: Computer game. First person.
Story: You are a therapy dog (Canis lupus familiaris) cheering up patients at a hospital.
Keywords: mammal, canine, canid, domesticated, non-anthropomorphic
Content: Rated G. Friendly for all ages.
Medium: Live Action Role Play (LARP).
About: You are a wolf (Canis lupus). The players sit in a circle and use nonverbal communication to role-play as wolves in scenarios described by the game master.
Keywords: mammal, canine, canid, wild, non-anthropomorphic
Content: Unrated. I haven't tried this yet, so explore with caution.
Medium: Computer game. Platformer.
About: Transform into different animals as you make your way through the wilderness.
Content: Unrated. I haven't tried this yet, so explore with caution.
Medium: Computer game.
Story: You are a wolf (Canis lupus) in Yellowstone National Park. An educational computer game that simulates living as a wolf to teach about their behavior and their role in the environment.
Keywords: mammal, canine, canid, wild, non-anthropomorphic
Content: Unrated. I haven't tried this yet, so explore with caution. I get the impression I should expect this to be rated G?
Medium: Computer game.
Story: You are a house cat (Felis catus) and your goal is to knock things off of shelves and furniture onto the floor as much as you can.
Keywords: mammal, feline, domesticated, non-anthropomorphic
Vibe: Comedy mischief.
Content: Unrated. I haven't tried this yet, so explore with caution. I get the impression I should expect this to be rated G?
Medium: Computer game.
Story: You are a house cat (Felis catus). Stealth exploration.
Keywords: mammal, feline, domesticated, non-anthropomorphic
Content: Unrated. I haven't tried this yet, so explore with caution. I get the impression I should expect it to be rated G?
Medium: Computer game.
Story: You are a house cat (Felis catus) trying to cheer up your sad human.
Keywords: mammal, feline, domesticated, non-anthropomorphic
Content: Rated G. Friendly for all ages.
Medium: Computer game. Management simulation.
About: You are honey bees (Apis mellifera) building a hive. Though this is a fanciful anthro scenario, the game includes educational info about real bees.
Keywords: invertebrate, insect, wild, anthropomorphic
Rated G. Friendly for all ages. No violence, not counting a fishing minigame.
Medium: Computer game.
Story: You are an anthro bird who can glide down from ledges. That's handy in this beach and mountain hiking area where the characters are all anthro animals. You have the option to gradually unlock the ability to fly more, which makes some aspects of this game a somewhat realistic animal flight sim.
Keywords: bird, anthropomorphic
Vibe: Peaceful, patient, curious, sweet, friendly, and occasionally pensive or funny.
Content: Rated G. Friendly for all ages.
Medium: Computer game. 2D scrolling platformer. A mostly wordless, beginner-friendly game.
About: You are a maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus).
Keywords: mammal, canine, wild, non-anthropomorphic
