It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for… a blog post NOT about Ark! While I’m waiting for the new Plague Tale game to drop, I’m checking Game Pass to see if there’s anything else worth checking out right now. That’s when I first stumbled upon Pupperazzi, a game that is essentially a dog influencer simulator. You know what I’m talking about. Pet social media pages are super popular and most of the time, the pet has more followers than the person who made the page. Your objective: take lots of cute pictures of dogs, get followers, and… well that’s it.

The game is super straightforward. You show up to a location, there are a LOT of dogs running around with reckless abandon, and you start taking pictures of them. There’s no people in sight, but you’ve got some objectives to achieve that are all centered around gaining a following. As you take more photos and upload them, you’ll start earning in-game currency to unlock more add-ons for your camera so that you can appease your hungry social media following. Honestly, the most unrealistic thing I noticed initially was the fact that people got annoyed if I spammed too many photos and would tell me to stop posting.

There’s lots of ways you can interact with the dogs to get unique photos. Toys, treats, and belly rubs are no-brainers, but you can also scare dogs with a Roomba or play a violin the make them cry. Unfortunately, you’ll have to temporarily terrify these virtual pups if you want to complete objectives or fill your Puppypedia (more on that in a bit). Completing these objectives gives you more followers which also unlocks new features/camera modes for you. Up until this point, I’d been seeing my creepy limbs and blob of a shadow, but I didn’t really know what I looked like. Then, I unlocked the selfie mode and laid eyes upon the horror.

That’s right. You’re a giant creepy camera? Later on you’ll encounter “humans” who are equally haunting and you’ll do everything you can to keep your mind focused on the cute dogs rather than think of the abomination you are driving. It’s easy enough with the amount of weird things you’ll encounter. Dogs are skateboarding, driving, riding bikes, dancing, playing arcade games, flipping onto rooftops, and getting into all kinds of weird situations. I’d often forget about my social media escapades and focus on playing with dogs instead. It is really easy to get distracted. The second I realized I could push dogs on swings, I was done for.

Alright so, in addition to taking pictures of dogs for your online following, you’re also filling a Puppypedia. Here’s the thing the game doesn’t tell you. Take as many pictures as you want, upload them to the Internet, favorite them, whatever… They don’t go into your Puppypedia with that. This is what it took me a bit to figure out (AKA I Googled it).

If you want pictures in the Puppypedia, you have to keep them in your inventory when you leave an area. That might seem like a no brainer, but hear me out. You only get a limited number of shots before you run out of film. The only way to get more film is to “recycle” the photos you’ve taken. I was taking pictures, uploading them and then recycling them so I could keep taking pictures. Don’t do that to photos you want for the Puppypedia! If you want to make sure they count towards your own collection, keep them in your inventory when you leave. This means less room for new photos, but that’s just the price you have to pay until those entries are complete.

There’s all kinds of little weird quirks that you’ll uncover in the game. Some are related to the time of day you are exploring, others are situational. You can put outfits on dogs, give them props, and keep yourself easily entertained for a while. The game isn’t hard. It’s just a cute little game where you can play with virtual dogs and take pictures until you decide you’re bored.

The game has a wide variety of breeds in all sorts of colors. They all have different expressions and behaviors too. I’m partial to the bullys and the dalmatians. You can see a full list of what breeds make an appearance in the Puppypedia, and you’ll want to get a picture of all of them if you want to finish it.

Side note, it took me way too long to realize I had crazy jumping abilities. You can bounce off of umbrellas and awnings to reach the tops of trees and buildings. You also have a super legit double jump so if you see a dog way up above you, chances are there’s a way you can get to it. There’s dogs in trees and dogs having rooftop hangs with their homies. This is a weird game.

If you’re looking for a cute little distraction, look no further than Pupperazzi. It’s free on Game Pass right now, and if you’re a sucker for cute animals, you’ll probably be weak in the knees for these virtual pups too. It’s a simple concept, it’s cute, and it’s easy. I have no complaints… except I saw myself in selfie mode… WHERE ARE MY HANDS AND WHY AM I SO CREEPY?