Many RPGs today are enriched with many small and large interaction possibilities. MeinMMO editor Sophia is a big animal fan and has compiled her five favorite RPGs for you in which you can ruffle your fluffy companions’ fur.
My dog Loki, visible at the top of the title image, is an absolute cuddle fan. When he doesn’t want to play or eat, he is always ready for petting – as the rest of the MeinMMO editorial team has already noticed. Sometimes, however, he simply does not feel like it.
Therefore, it is always a great joy for me when my current focus game allows me to interact with the depicted animals. Whether it’s having my character ruffle the feathers of an owl bear cub or scrubbing the scales of my Charizard.
For anyone with a similar cuddling need, or for anyone looking for some heartwarming game content between missions, here are my five personal recommendations for RPGs with animal cuddling functions.
My 5 RPG Recommendations for Petting Animals
Baldur’s Gate 3
The ritual spell “Speak with Animals” allows you to speak with the many lovable creatures in Baldur’s Gate 3: Impudent squirrels, strange oxen, or military pigeons. Two animals are particularly special: Kratzer, the white post dog, and the owl bear cub.
Both can be brought to your camp and cuddled in every way. Kratzer warms up to you throughout the story, resulting in him bringing you little gifts over time. The owl bear cub, on the other hand, is very frightened, especially at the beginning.
Both animals greet you with warm words and enjoy the shared cuddle time. Who could blame them?
If you ever lose Kratzer for any reason, your companions even have their own sad voice lines for that. In Act 3, it is indeed possible for him to return to his original owners of the courier service in Rivington. My personal tip for keeping Kratzer bug-free: Don’t have him with you during this interaction and don’t mention him. Or resort to drastic measures.
Final Fantasy XVI (and Final Fantasy XIV)
In the latest installment of the J-RPG series Final Fantasy, the wolf-like Torgal stands by your side. In the prologue, which you can also play in the preview on PS5, young Jill carries him in her arms most of the time. Throughout the story, you meet him again as a fully grown dog, and he becomes a loyal ally.
On one hand, he stands by main character Clive Rosfield in battle, and on the other hand, you can cuddle him to your heart’s content. Torgal is an absolute Good Boy
who would do almost anything for Clive and his allies.
Final Fantasy XVI is currently still PS5-exclusive, but has been announced for PC. A concrete release date is still pending, but PC gamers can probably mess up Torgal’s mane next year.
Players of the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV will also soon be able to enjoy Torgal: During the Fan Festival in London, a crossover between the two games was announced. Clive’s loyal friend can be unlocked as both a mount and in puppy form as a companion.
In the MMORPG, you can also pet all targetable objects with the emote /pet
. However, since this can also include your fellow players, NPCs, or furniture, this is just a passing mention.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom
I have thought long about whether to mention these two games: Tears of the Kingdom is the direct sequel to Breath of the Wild. However, a bit of a rider simulation has been lost in these two Nintendo Switch games.
Link, the hero of the games and your controllable character, needs a mount to get from A to B faster. To do this, you can catch and tame the wild horses that live free in the world. You can register and name between five and six at the stables in Hyrule.
You can equip all your horses with various saddles and bridles, as well as style their mane and tail. If you find the horse god in each game, you can also improve their stats. And of course, you can take care of your horses in every way: They eat apples from your hand, and you can calm them by gently patting their necks while riding.
But: The player feedback on Breath of the Wild included a strong desire to also be able to pet dogs. Some of Hyrule’s stables have border collies that you can bribe with meat. After enough treats, they will show you buried treasures nearby.
Unfortunately, Nintendo also refrained from adding an animation for petting dogs in the sequel Tears of the Kingdom. Very unfortunate, in my opinion.
Hogwarts Legacy
Hogwarts Legacy has two absolutely genius features for me: I can fly with a broom through the fantasy version of the Scottish Highlands, and I can raise cute, creepy, or just strange magical creatures.
The player character rarely pets with their hands but magically brings forth a brush for each creature. Considering that many of the magical animals have special needs and perhaps shouldn’t even be touched, this is also sensible.
The moon calves and nifflers react particularly sweetly to cuddling. Kneazles purr when you brush them. However, I wonder what exactly we brush on the seemingly naked thestrals. Well, in the end, it doesn’t matter: A thestral also deserves love.
If you keep your eyes open, you will meet cats scattered all over the world. They are of course also happy about intense cuddles.
Pokémon
Whether or not to count Pokémon as animals is an old discussion. Feel free to let us know in the comments what you personally think about it. However, I didn’t want to miss the chance to include them here on the list.
On my Nintendo Switch, I still play Let’s Go Eevee from time to time. The game is a remake of the first Pokémon games. In the partner version, you have a Pikachu by your side, while in Let’s Go Eevee the titular Eevee takes their place. Eevee is not just your first Pokémon, but you can also pet it, feed it berries, and dress it up in cute costumes.
Whenever I have a need for cuddling on the go, I can always rely on my Pokémon Go roster to be available for cuddles. The Charizard in the subway enjoys a good scratch behind the horn just as much as a Flareon enjoys a good belly rub.
There are still so many games in which you can satisfy your need for cuddling. For example, in the recently released Lies of Pi or Diablo 4. For anyone looking for even more pet content, we recommend the X account (formerly Twitter) @CanYouPetTheDog. If you’re not sure whether you can pet a dog (or another animal) in the game, you will usually find the answer here.
And I am now moving from the desk to the couch. My dog is already impatiently wagging his tail. Real-life cuddles are indeed the best.
