This page applies to: Virtual Animals

Home Page and Table of Contents - List of Web Games

Artificial Life Website Games

General Advice and Strategies
These tips can be applied to nearly every game. Avoid scams, find a picture for your pet, and get ahead of rest of the crowd who just joined!

Advice for New (and Old) Players
The "n00b" can be cured!

Which games are here? I hope to assemble a fairly complete list of browser-based artificial life games. For now, I have started to list my favorites. Games will only be listed if they use a server to run shows and breeding (games maintained by a single moderator or where players keep their own records do not work well on a large scale). Games assembled using a widely-available commercial script (for example, all of the games hosted on Operation Pet Game) will be dealt with as a group.

Difficulty Levels: I have given each game a difficulty level. This is just my opinion of each game; yours may differ --- but this will help you identify which games children will enjoy, and which games it is best to start with if you have never played artificial life games before. Remember that children under the age of 13 will need an adult's permission when signing up for a website.

Easy Easy games require little or no strategy, and young players will be able to master them easily (although older players may become bored). A child will enjoy playing these games. Medium Medium games can be mastered with a little bit of strategy. Once they catch on, young players will still be able to succeed, and older players will enjoy the game too. Hard These games require lots of strategy and will be hard for young players to learn but are very satisfying for the A-Life Games Master. Many players are college students or adults. ($) This indicates that a game is harder because players have expenses but are not given money automatically. This icon means that you can get money by visiting a bank or completing a very simple task once every day or week, but it is not automatically deposited in your account and will not accumulate. * A green star indicates that genetics are simulated very realistically, and you have to get purebreds by breeding instead of creating them in a store. The skull means that these virtual creatures can die if neglected (instead of retiring or being taken away by a Humane Society). This icon means that the game is one of my favorites!

Disclaimer: All of the playing guides here are unofficial. They are my work, and I don't run any of these games! They are as accurate as I can make them, but not infallible. They will also be updated as often as possible, but be sure to check the news section of each site for new features that could change gameplay. I do not encourage scripts or hacking --- these guides are meant to help you get the most out of the game while playing it as it was designed to be played.

Games are grouped by animal simulated and by difficulty.

Horseland Show and breed horses. One of the oldest and most popular artificial life browser games. Review Go there! (new window)

Animals simulated Horses Lifespan 20 weeks Can you look around before signing up? Yes Is a free account available? Yes How many accounts can you have? 5 free Difficulty Level: Easy

 

Ludus Equinus Show and breed horses. No crossbreeding. Evaluation in progress... Go there! (new window)

Animals simulated Horses Lifespan 24 weeks Can you look around before signing up? No Is a free account available? Yes How many accounts can you have?   Difficulty Level: Medium

 

White Oak Stables Evaluation in progress... Knowledge of real riding skills is extremely useful. Go there! (new window)

Animals simulated Horses Lifespan 25 weeks Can you look around before signing up? Yes Is a free account available? Yes How many accounts can you have?   Difficulty Level: Medium

 

Virtual Horse Ranch Show and breed horses. This is a complex simulation. Crossbreeding will result in new breeds or hybrids. Strategy Guide Go there! (new window)

Animals simulated Horses* Lifespan Player controls days! Can you look around before signing up? Yes Is a free account available? Yes How many accounts can you have?   Difficulty Level: ($) for free accounts only Hard ($)

 

Pure Felinity Evaluation in progress... the site is still new, and few purebreds are available. Go there! (new window)

Animals simulated Cats* Lifespan 90 days Can you look around before signing up? No Is a free account available? Yes How many accounts can you have? 2 Difficulty Level: *This game will become easier for new players in a few months, when purebred kittens can be bought from other players. Hard*

 

Furry-Paws.com Show and breed purebred dogs. "Beta version" is functional but still being developed. Strategy Guide Go there! (new window)

Animals simulated Dogs Lifespan 100 days Can you look around before signing up? No Is a free account available? Yes How many accounts can you have? 3 maximum Difficulty Level: Medium

 

Showdog.com Show and breed purebred dogs. Review Strategy Guide What are these %s ? Printable Dog % Worksheet Go there! (new window)

Animals simulated Dogs Lifespan 120 days Can you look around before signing up? Yes Is a free account available? Yes How many accounts can you have? 1 free Difficulty Level: Hard

 

Small Animals With Attitude Evaluation in progress... Go there! (new window)

Animals simulated Rats, Mice, Guinea Pigs, Hamsters Rodents Lifespan 90 days Can you look around before signing up? No Is a free account available? Yes How many accounts can you have? 2 Difficulty Level: Easy

 

Showcattle.com A website from the same developer as Showdog.com that simulates beef cattle ranching. Formerly SimSteer.com; launched April 2004 Review Strategy Guide (incomplete) Go there! (new window)

Animals simulated Cattle Lifespan Sending cattle to market and terminal shows is part of the game. ? * Can you look around before signing up? Yes Is a free account available? Yes How many accounts can you have?   Difficulty Level: Hard ($)

 

Neopets One of the oldest and most popular artificial life browser games. No breeding; you can interact with your "neopet" but the games and interactive storylines are a larger draw to the site. More coming soon... Go there! (new window)

Animals simulated Neopets Lifespan Infinite Can you look around before signing up? Yes Is a free account available? Yes How many accounts can you have? 1 Difficulty Level: Easy

 

 

Home Page and Table of Contents - List of Web Games

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