Cat meme games: the internet's favourite animal, playable

Cats have starred in internet memes for almost twenty years, and many of those memes became games. Clickers, runners, spinning games and city mischief all started from a cat. Here are the big cat memes, the game each one suggests, and Roam cat games to play.

Cat memes and the game in each

Keyboard Cat (2007). A cat in a blue shirt "playing" keyboard, from a 1984 home video posted in 2007. Game idea: a rhythm game where the cat plays you off stage when you miss.
Grumpy Cat (2012). Tardar Sauce, whose frown made her famous. Game idea: try to make the grumpy cat smile before the timer ends.
Nyan Cat (2011). The pop-tart cat with a rainbow trail. Game idea: a flying runner through space.
Popcat (2020). Oatmeal, whose mouth pops open. It already became a game: the popcat.click country click race.
Maxwell (2022). A 3D cat model spinning to music. Game idea: a collect-the-spinning-cats hunt.
OIIA cat (2023-2025). A spinning cat with a looping "oiia" sound. Game idea: spin to dodge, faster each round.

Why cats make good games

Cat memes are short, loud and easy to read, which fits games that start in a second. Real cat behaviour also gives you mechanics for free: pushing things off tables, chasing a dot, squeezing into boxes. Stray (2022) and Little Kitty, Big City (2024) built whole games on that.

Cat games on Roam

Whisker Bay is cat mischief in a harbour: one cat, lots of flowerpots, in the style of Little Kitty, Big City. Block Buddy is a pet care game with Miso the blocky cat. Pounce or Perish is a cat arena brawler against rats. Pill Paws is a top-down dodge game with one cat and a robot vacuum on patrol. Want your own cat as the star? Drop a photo into Roam and describe the game.

Play it on Roam

Put your own cat in a game with Roam

Use a photo of your cat and one sentence. Roam builds the game around it, and friends can play too. Roam is rated 13+ on the App Store.

Try: "my cat knocks things off shelves in a giant kitchen, 3 minutes to break 20 things, the dog chases, friends play as other cats"

Create it with Roam Pre-register on Android See Roam

Roam ("Roam - Make Games" on the App Store) is an iPhone app where you play games and make your own by describing them or from a photo. It is free to download and play, and making games works without a subscription; optional Spark and Reality plans and credit packs add more creation. Android: pre-register on Google Play.

Questions people ask

What is the most famous cat meme?

Grumpy Cat, Nyan Cat and Keyboard Cat are among the biggest. Popcat and the OIIA cat are newer favourites.

Is there a game for the OIIA cat?

Many fan games use the spinning OIIA cat. You can also make your own version on Roam.

Can I make a game with my own cat?

Yes. On Roam you can use a photo of your cat and describe the game in one sentence.