There has been a four-legged hole in the hearts of cozy players old enough to remember the days of Nintendogs era. When Nintendo DS handhelds were hidden in the deepest recesses of backpacks, raising a digital puppy felt like a real responsibility. Players learned routines before they had real ones: morning check-ins, brisk walks between homework, and whispered promises to log back in before bed. And thus cozy players discovered the magic of rituals. However, this ritual has long been absent from cozy gaming circles and titles on Steam.
Cozy fans on forums have spent years chasing that familiar feeling, and why so many may still measure animal swimming games against the gold standard set 20 years ago. Now a new indie challenger on Steam taps into that nostalgia with a fun twist. Instead of recreating the past beat for beat, Puppy park looks at what made those early pet sims special while still flipping the formula.
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Puppy Park on Steam turns Nintendog's formula on its head
IN Nintendogsplayers were limited to keeping three puppies at home. However, they were able to expand their pet collection by using The Dog Hotel to exchange dogs as desired. The Puppy park games on Steam reverse this dynamic. It throws the player into the role of a hotel manager rather than a dog owner.
Puppy park takes players to a tranquil countryside, where soft pastels and chibi-leaning art style encourage a slower pace. In this wildlife sim, players can run their very own dog hotel without the stress that usually comes with it. The dog hotel will become famous as the player builds relationships with the guests – one wagging tail at a time.
- Daily care loops: Every day the animal hotel will be filled with dogs that need a place to hang out. The player must shop for food and treats, groom them and take them for walks along routes tailored for each dog.
- A growing company: The hotel will grow with an increasing reputation. As a hotel management game, increased reputation will unlock new items, boarding opportunities and walking trails.
- Puppies of all personalities: Just like in real life, every dog i Puppy park has a unique personality. The player's job will be to welcome every race, shape and size into their hotel while dealing with their distinct natures and needs.
Puppy parks demo is available to download on Steam now. Its full release is on March 9, 2026.
Ownership versus care
Puppy park is less about ownership and more about care. And that shift feels surprisingly natural. Instead of bonding with a few lifelong companions, players can step into a more communal role, one that retains the emotional warmth of the concept while refreshing its structure.
Puppy Park encourages a slower pace – and that's a good thing
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If a player visits Puppy parks Steam page, one thing stands out right away: a list of what this game is not. While players are usually hand-fed information about features, Puppy Park takes a refreshing approach by marketing itself as a slower game optimized for short daily sessions rather than long gaming sessions. Although cozy games that can be marathoned are genre favorites, Puppy park offers its players something different: a break and a true escape from hectic rhythms.
Modern cozy games have grown bigger, deeper and often livelier. They can be beautiful and vast. But some may not catch the small, daily magic of taking care of something simpler. That kind of experience isn't designed for marathons, but for gentle check-ins. In a timeline there Nintendogs children have grown up, this rhythm fits into real life instead of asking players to go away. Furthermore, in a genre that often leans towards scale, Puppy park do what might be the most radical thing to do now: get small again and make it feel intentional.
Follows in Nintendog's Paw Prints
Nintendogs and Puppy park understand that game rhythms don't necessarily need complex skill trees or leveling systems that aren't user-friendly. These titles understand that a brilliant balance can be achieved with loops that encourage around 30 minutes to an hour of play time, a formula that has proven itself in games like Animal Crossing.
- Stamp
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Valve
- Original release date
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September 12, 2003
- Original MSRP (USD)
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N/A
- Weight
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N/A
Steam is a digital video game store and application developed by Valve that allows players to purchase, play and modify their titles through a convenient application.
