‘Stray Dog: nobody cares’ is going viral, and it’s not hard to see why: it’s an upcoming Souslike game where you play as a stray dog on a mission to rescue its master.
If you like Soulslike games, or really enjoyed the part of Twilight Princess where you play as Wolf Link (or Okami, for that matter), this is the game for you. In Stray Dog: nobody cares (yes, that’s the title, and that’s how it’s capitalized), you take control of a stay dog who was raised by a disgraced knight from birth.
As told by the game’s description on Steam, this knight once earned glory fighting for an unnamed legion, but was later slandered and cast aside after uncovering its “dark secrets.” Now an outcast, he travels the kingdom with only his hound by his side, teaching the animal how to survive the dangers they face on the road together.
Finally, we decided to make Stray Dog: nobody cares. https://t.co/PkJyPZz9zI Wishlist now! pic.twitter.com/CukYsRHmxL
— Stray Dog Official (@Parry_Frames) August 20, 2026
The knight is suddenly and tragically captured, forcing his pup to brave the treacherous border fief Greythorn and the tyrannical legion that has invaded it in order to save him, using only its wits and the sword it wields in its jaws.
The game promises a slew of the standard Soulslike mechanics we’ve become familiar with over the last two decades, with our trusty doggo able to parry, stealth kill, backstab, and deliver a fatal “death blow” to its opponents. Its Steam page touts multiple combat arts, custom levels, “brutal boss fights,” and exploration of the standard dark and gloomy medieval environments common in the genre.
Screenshots and gameplay footage from Stray Dog have spread across social media, earning oodles of praise and countless comments promising to wishlist it once it finally releases at an as-yet unannounced date.
In fact, the game has gotten so much attention that its developer, Parry Frames Studio, published a statement on Steam thanking fans for their interest and providing an update as to its current progress.
“To our surprise, our game suddenly became popular on X, and in the past few days, many enthusiastic players have flooded in. Firstly, allow me to express our gratitude to everyone for their attention to us,” the statement reads.
“When we set out to create our own game, we were just a small group passionate about [Souls] games. We self-taught the Unreal Engine and last year, we were awarded a Megagrant by Epic Games as encouragement, which helped us release our first game, Crimson Oath.
“…What I want to express is that our team currently gathers a group of professionals, whose positions include battle design, game programming, game art, as well as level design and level art. We are a team that has a passion for Soulslike games, so please believe that we have sufficient technical capabilities to make this game.”
It’s currently unknown when Stray Dog: nobody cares will launch, but it looks like its title will need a change, because it seems a lot of people do care, actually.
For more games where you play as an animal, check out our review of Stray, a puzzle-solving action platformer where you play as a cat traversing a dangerous post apocalyptic world.
Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.