Video game worlds are generally more exciting than real-life ones. After all, the virtual universe has all sorts of exciting tech, interesting people, and stunning environments. The real world is much more limiting, but it has the advantage of containing more pets. Whether dogs, cats, rabbits, horses, hamsters, or any other animal, pets bring plenty of enjoyment to real life.
Unfortunately, they don't appear too often in video games. Sure, there are plenty of animals, but you're forced to fight most of them. And many of the others are humanoid ones that talk, which aren't technically pets. Thankfully, some open-world games include a few animal companions that can be considered pets, and these are the best examples.
Updated January 24th, 2023, by Chris Sanfilippo: Action and RPG titles aren't the only open-world games where you can care for pets. On the contrary, the early-access survival-sim, Stranded: Alien Dawn, launched a new expansion called "Train And Tame," adding the possibility to build bonds with dogs and other alien wildlife!
8 Stranded: Alien Dawn
Dogs And Other Alien Wildlife
Stranded: Alien Dawn is an early-access open-world survival game that lets you manage a crew of survivors after their spacecraft lands on a foreign planet. It mirrors other life simulation games, like The Sims, in several ways, including the ability to raise pets.
Dogs well-known to Earthlings, such as Weimaraners, Boxers, and Great Danes, can get tamed and trained in Stranded. However, your survivors can bond with other animals. For instance, while you cannot train an Ulfen (think space Bull), your survivors can play with and form friendships with them. However, this makes slaughtering the beast ethically dicey!
7 Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Wolf, Raven, And More
Assassin's Creed Valhalla puts you into the shoes of the mighty Viking warrior, Eivor. Still, even though you're controlling an excellent combatant, you never have to go on missions alone. There's always a raven along for the ride, who you can use to get a literal birds-eye view of your surroundings. But, of course, your horse is never far away either, as the animal's your primary mode of transportation on land.
They aren't the only creatures you can align with, though. You can acquire many potential pets during the game, including a wolf, a fox, and a cat. Some can help on your adventure, but most are just there to look cute, which is a mission they certainly accomplish.
6 Red Dead Redemption 2
Horse
Not every horse in video games could be classed as a pet. After all, many are glorified vehicles that take you from one place to the next. But, thankfully, the steads in Red Dead Redemption 2 are more than that.
You don't just ride your horse - you have to look after it by keeping it clean and well-fed. If you do, it'll increase the bond the horse shares with protagonist Arthur Morgan. This bond improves the horse's stats and proves that the animal is more of a pet than a vehicle.
5 Fallout 3
Dogmeat
There have been some great dogs in gaming, and one of the most famous is Dogmeat from Fallout 3. He is a companion you can recruit early in the action RPG when you find him out in the wasteland facing off against a few enemies.
Unlike several humanoid companions, it's easy to get Dogmeat on your side as you only have to speak to him. And when he is a teammate, Dogmeat will warn you of nearby enemies, attack anyone you fight, and scavenge for gear. So, he's a valuable pet to have.
4 Metal Gear Solid 5: Phantom Pain
D-Dog And D-Horse
In MGS5, Snake owns two different animals - D-Dog and D-Horse. The horse doesn't feel like a pet, as the animal is just a tool for getting around. But the creature is well-trained as he comes to you when whistled and can even defecate on command.
As for D-Dog, he very much feels like a pet. When you first find him, he's just a tiny little pup. But, if you take him back to base, he will slowly grow older. And once he's full size, he can head out on missions with you. In addition, he can be a useful ally due to his ability to spot and mark enemies.
3 Grand Theft Auto 5
Chop
Each of the three protagonists in Grand Theft Auto 5 has specific sets of missions - along with several joint ones. For example, in some of Franklin's early escapades, he joins forces with Lamar and his dog, Chop. After a while, Lamar gives the canine to you (aka Franklin). And the large yet cute rottweiler stays at your place for the rest of the game.
You can play fetch with the pup and take him on walks or drives around Los Santos. Of course, he'll attack the occasional pedestrian if they have an issue with Franklin, but he's not generally there for combat. Instead, Chop's purpose is to be an adorable companion.
2 Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Spider-Man
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While there have been many cats in games, they aren't usually traditional house cats. You often see tigers or lions, but little kitties are rare. Thankfully, Spider-Man: Miles Morales fights against this injustice by including a cat called Spider-Man. He's named after Peter Parker's version of the hero, which can get confusing.
His first appearance in the game comes when Miles saves the feline from cat thieves. After that, he gives the animal back to its owner. Later, though, the cat version of Spider-Man returns with an adorable Spidy mask, and you can carry him around in your backpack with the Bodega Cat costume. At this point, he's pretty much your pet.
1 Pokémon Series
All Pokémon
The entire Pokémon franchise revolves around the titular pocket monsters, which can be considered pets. It's hard to describe them as a whole because there are so many different types of Pokémon out there. They all come in different sizes, have distinct abilities, and look utterly dissimilar. However, what they pretty much all have in common is the ability to fight.
Throughout each game, you receive one Pokémon at the start and capture many more on your adventure. You keep them in Poké Balls until it's time to battle another Pokémon. Then you unleash them from the ball, and the conflict commences. If they were dogs and cats, this premise would be brutal. But a Pokémon's purpose is to fight - at least, let's hope it is.