Game: Desk Paws
Genre: Idle Game
System: Steam (Windows and macOS)
Developers | Publishers: GinkgoGames | Captcha Games
Controller Support: None
Price: US $5.99 | UK £4.99 | EU € 5,89
Release Date: June 18, 2025
A review code was used, with many thanks to Captcha Games.Â
Desk Paws is an idle game that runs at the bottom of your screen while you do other things. You collect and feed pets, buy toys and other items, and play little mini games.
The Gameplay of Desk Paws
Like many other idle games in the genre, Desk Paws runs overtop of what you are doing so you can get things done while watching your little friends play with one another. You need to feed them, water them, and play little mini-games to get more of them.
Everything is in this cute, pixel art aesthetic. You get water for your pets by clicking on the cloud, get more pets by playing claw machine games, and food through other games. As you build up a bunch of friends, they will give you money when you click on them to buy new houses, more rooms, room layouts, and a bunch of other things.
It feels a lot like a Pokémon game where the catching is a much simpler, faster, and guaranteed process. You get to play with your little friends, give them treats, and watch over them. Desk Paws also features some choices between nature sounds that you can listen to while you play.
The Pros of Desk Paws
Desk Paws is super cute and a lot of fun. You have a lot to do, and you get to interact with a bunch of little cute animal and monster friends. Each hops around at the bottom of the screen, looking for water and treats. You have the option to have it overlay your screen, run in the background, or have it overlay some of your windows.
There are a surprising amount of settings to make sure your experience with Desk Paws is exactly what you want it to be, including white noise volume, turning certain sounds on and off, autofeeding, and things like that.
Desk Paws is cute, colorful, and filled with a ton of fun little friends to collect for the bottom of your screen.
The Cons of Desk Paws
While Desk Paws is marketed as an idle game that can kind of run in the background, there is a lot to do in it. I feel like most idle games are designed to sit in the corner and bother you every once in a while, Desk Paws is constantly moving, constantly in the way, and doesn’t feel much like an idle game.
There is a lot to hold your attention, so you don’t want this to idle in front of whatever you are working on. I have it running in front of me writing this article, and I’m constantly being distracted by my little guys moving, playing, and wanting to feed and water them.
I love the idea of an idle overlay game with Pokémon vibes, but I feel like Desk Paws made it a little too busy. It doesn’t feel like a full-fledged game, but it does feel too much to be a little desktop companion. And even with the house as small as it can be, it still feels like it takes up a lot of space on your screen. I have to maneuver around the rain cloud and the menu to interact with WordPress properly.
Conclusion
Overall, Desk Paws is cute, fun, and has a lot of fun things to do in it, but it is too busy in my opinion. I think it’s a great little addon if you are watching YouTube videos, bored, or looking for a little distraction, but it’s not very good at being the game you can have running on your desktop “while you work or study,” as the Steam page states.
I think whether you would like Desk Paws or not will depend a lot on how much space your project is taking up, and how much focus you actually need to get your work and studying done. If you are easily distracted and like mini-games, you’ll probably lose a lot of time having this little game on your desktop.
Final Verdict: I’m Not Sure.Â
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