Australian-made game Doggy Don’t Care from solo developer Rohan Nowell will officially launch for PC (Steam) on 24 September, after several years in development and high-profile showings at local Australian game showcases.
It was previously a major highlight at SXSW Sydney, and also appeared at PAX Australia and Day of the Devs in San Francisco. For those players who dived in early during these shows, it was a chance to experience all-out chaos and bright-eyed fun.
Doggy Don’t Care is a warm-hearted adventure game where players control a tiny, cute dog as it embarks on a quest of destruction. Left alone in a home, it begins to systematically ‘explore, collect, and smash’ through the environment, before escaping into the wider world.
Doggy Don’t Care release date – quick links
Doggy Don’t Care is a very funny destruction sim
As you make your way through stages – four total in the final game – you’ll be discovering all sorts of destructible objects and others which can be poked, prodded, dragged, or played with.
The best part is that your worst behaviour will earn you special badges, in a similar vein to the Hey Duggee children’s TV show. In the real world, causing such a mess would get you a harsher punishment, but in Doggy Don’t Care, it’s all fair game.
After all, you are very cute in this adventure – and it’s hard to punish such a tiny, adorable puppy.
Per developer Rohan Nowell, the game was distinctly inspired by his own fears and anxieties about introducing a pet into his personal life – how it would disrupt his day-to-day, and his idea of the perfect home.
‘Doggy Don’t Care started because I was anxious about getting a dog,’ Nowell says.
‘Before I even had one, I was picturing chewed furniture, annoyed neighbours, and chaos. So I turned that anxiety into a game. You play as the very good, very naughty dog causing all the trouble I was dreading.’
After years of treating Doggy Don’t Care as a fun side project, the game’s selection for SXSW Sydney and Day of the Devs inspired Nowell to quit his part-time job and go full-time on development and marketing for the game. Financial support from Screen NSW and Screen Australia aided this goal, and now, three years later, Doggy Don’t Care is ready for its debut.
‘I hope the care that went into it shows,’ Nowell says.
Doggy Don’t Care joins a strong class of Australian-made game releases in 2026
With this announcement, Doggy Don’t Care joins a strong class of fellow Australian-made game releases, with the last few months being defined by local hits.
House House’s Big Walk is currently making waves in the co-op scene, and has already sold one million units in its first few weeks on sale. Silly sports simulator Pro Jank Footy also recently released to solid praise for its sense of humour and inspired gameplay ideas.
Earlier in the year, we got the release of the excellent and cinematic Mixtape, and the full release of lovely town building simulator Go-Go Town!.
We look forward to seeing Doggy Don’t Care‘s impact on the games scene as it heads to launch in September. Those keen to play the game as it arrives can now wishlist it on Steam.
