Watashi Games
Kennel Chaos, a co-op dog daycare sim for up to 8 players, opens its doors at Steam Next Fest
A developer turned his years working at a doggy daycare into a game. The free demo goes live on Steam on October 6, ahead of Steam Next Fest (October 19-26).
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, October 4, 2026. Watashi Games, the studio behind My Suika (over 1 million downloads, including 120,000 copies sold on Steam), today announced that the free demo of Kennel Chaos, a first-person co-op dog daycare simulator for 1-8 players, goes live on Steam on October 6 and will be part of Steam Next Fest, October 19-26.
In Kennel Chaos, players are the staff of a dog daycare, and the job is the game. Check dogs in, follow each one's care chart, feed and wash them, and scoop the poop before it gets tracked through the building. At closing, hand the right dog back to the right owner. Fall behind and small problems pile up: a loose dog, a missed meal, a puddle somebody slips in.
The game comes from a real job. Developer James worked at a doggy daycare for a couple of years, and his dog Nova came to work with him. Checking dogs in, following their care charts, cleaning up after them, and working out which dogs could share a run and which absolutely could not became the core of Kennel Chaos. Nova, who was with James from 2010 to 2022, lives on in the game as the reverse brindle who lives at the daycare, and the game is dedicated to her.
Features
- 1-8 player online co-op with proximity voice chat.
- 21 breeds, each with a habit designed to ruin your afternoon: the Tool Thief who runs off with your mop, the Escape Artist who finds the one gate you left open, the dog who eats what it shouldn't.
- Build the business with runs, wash stations, play yards and decor, paid for by your shifts.
- A rival daycare across the street. Steal its deliveries and splat its walls, but don't get caught.
- A personal skill tree that follows you into every daycare you join.
"I worked at a doggy daycare, and the job is already a game: a dozen small tasks that all fall apart the moment you spend too long playing with a dog. My dog Nova came to work with me every day. She's in the game, and it's dedicated to her."
James, developer of Kennel Chaos
Availability
The free Kennel Chaos demo goes live on Steam on October 6, 2026, and is part of Steam Next Fest, October 19-26, 2026. The full game launches on Steam in Q2 2027.
Media
Trailers (including no-music versions), screenshots, logos and gameplay clips are in the press kit, free to use. Steam keys for press and creators: support@watashigames.com
About Watashi Games
Watashi Games is an independent studio in Salt Lake City, Utah, founded by James. Its previous game, the fruit-merge puzzler My Suika, passed 1 million downloads across Steam, iOS and Android, including 120,000 copies sold on Steam, with a 4.6-star rating on the App Store.
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