Monster Hunter Rise (Switch)

Monster Hunter is known for its Palicos, but Monster Hunter Rise introduced Palamutes, the sort-of-wolf, sort-of-dog rideable companion to your hunter. How did it take Capcom this long to add dogs to the series? Listen, we don't want to sound biased, but Palamutes are way more useful than Palicos, right? Not that it matters, because the best companion is Poogie.

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Valiant Hearts: The Great War (Switch eShop)

Good news for anyone who cries when the dog dies in movies: Walt, the canine companion in Valiant Hearts, is immortal. In fact, he's the only character who can't die in this game about the horrors of war. He helps you solve puzzles, he keeps you company, and he can distract soldiers on any side of the war, because everyone loves this plucky puppy.

The Last Friend (Switch eShop)

The Last Friend places you in control of Alpha, a strong and silent protagonist who travels a wasteland in a decked-out RV with a pack of his best friends. His best friends, of course, are dogs. Their leader is a spicy little chihuahua named T. Juan who does all the talking on behalf of the gang, and together Alpha and the pack fight off a horde of Mad Max-esque frat bros who have imprisoned dozens of dogs because… whatever, it doesn’t matter. The Last Friend's plot is nonsensical, but in the best of ways, and it’s really just there as set dressing to give some goofy context to the gameplay.

Dark Souls: Remastered (Switch)

Heartbreaking dog story warning! Dark Souls is mostly a game about killing massive lads with too many arms or bones or eyes, but Great Grey Wolf Sif is an exception. He is just a very large boi, tasked with guarding the grave of Artorias, who sacrificed himself to save his fluffy best friend. Of all the bosses in the Souls games, Sif is perhaps the one that people want to defeat the least, for obvious reasons.

Luigi's Mansion 3 (Switch)

Another ghost puppy? Yes! Luigi's pal the Polterpup appears every now and again in Luigi's Mansion 3 to help him out, giving him hints, fetching important items, and occasionally even providing the way forward. He first appeared in Luigi's Mansion 2, which is also on Switch. What a good boy!

Hades (Switch eShop)

Hades is a notoriously tough and long game to complete, not least because that involves earning enough Ambrosia and Nectar to make every NPC like you. And that includes Cerberus, your father's hellhound and guardian of the exit from Hades' domain — but, since the three-headed dog is, you know, a dog, he's a little easier to win over. You'll have to pet him at least 20 times, and to get past him in the Underworld, you won't have to fight him — just give him a bag of his favourite treats. But you were petting him anyway, not just for his favour, right?

Pokémon Sword and Shield (Switch)

Pokémon has a lot of legendaries, and a large number of them are birds, or horses. But there are a fair few dogs, too, including the Legendary Beasts, Suicine, Entei, and Raikou, and Sword & Shield's main legendaries, Zacian and Zamazenta. Sword and Shield also has Yamper, so that puts it on the list of Best Dogs.

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet introduces us to Fidough and Daschbun, and while the game has plenty of issues, we have to mention these two doughy boys.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (Switch eShop)

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective features one of the best video game dogs ever in Missile, an adorable pomeranian who takes his name from creator Shu Takumi's own pupper. Missile can't ghost trick, but is able to swap similarly-shaped objects with ease. He's also incredibly excitable.

Sam & Max Save the World (Switch eShop)

Sam is, as you might have guessed, one-half of Sam & Max — the dog half, even! The more level-headed of the buddy cop duo, this 6-foot-tall Irish bloodhound dresses like a smooth film noir protagonist and loves to over-explain stuff. All of Telltale's Sam & Max games are really great, and the duo at the centre of them all are really what makes the games. Max deserves to be well-loved by point-and-click fans everywhere.

Pikmin 4 (Switch)

C'mon, Oatchi? The best dog in recent video game memory? YES. Oatchi is central to many of Pikmin 4's mechanics. Quite simply, you can't play the game without your faithful space dog. He can jump, he can charge, he can even carry you and one-hundred Pikmin on his back

You might think we're barking mad for making a list of dog games. You probably canine't even believe there are this many dog games out there. And other dog puns.

But did we miss one? Or more? If you have a bone to pick with us, let us know in the comments!