Haunted Paws is a cooperative mystery-adventure from developer Lazy Flock where you play as a pair of dogs trying to rescue their missing human owner. Two things are now confirmed for it: a free demo is live on Steam, and the full game is heading to every major console.
Quick answer: You can play the Haunted Paws demo on Steam right now for free, and the finished game will also come to Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
What Haunted Paws is
You control customizable pet dogs after their owner vanishes. The apartment has been broken into, a window is smashed, and one of her shoes is missing. From there the dogs set out to find her, following a trail that points toward a place called the Chompos Factory.
The tone mixes cozy and spooky. You create your own puppies, poke around a haunted setting, and work through puzzles, while monsters lurk in the darker corners. It is built around co-op, though you can also play through it on your own.
The mystery and the investigation board
The story runs through a corkboard where you connect clue cards to answer questions about the owner’s disappearance. Each card fills in a piece of the case, from how the kidnapper got in to who they might be.
The clues shown include a broken window, the owner’s single remaining shoe, claw marks hinting at some kind of monster, a “Chompos Ad” that she had been investigating, and a frozen creature found in her fridge. Together they point the dogs toward the Chompos Factory as their next destination.
Co-op and the Free Friend Pass
Haunted Paws supports cooperative play, and it uses a Free Friend Pass. That means one person can own the game and invite a friend to join at no extra cost, so a single copy covers two players. You can also play locally.
What the dogs can do
The two dogs handle both the investigation and the obstacles between them and their owner. Movement covers a lot of ground, from careful traversal to outright chases.
- Cross narrow beams over drops, swim through water, and dig up buried objects.
- Carry tools such as a flashlight and push crates to solve puzzles together.
- Sneak past threats, including a spider monster and dark rooms.
- Drive a pickup truck and flee pursuers like an angry chef.
Cooperation is baked into the puzzles. One dog might push a crate or lay down a plank so the other can cross a gap, and some sections ask both players to time their moves past a threat.
Customizing your puppies
You pick your dog’s breed and look, with options such as a Bull Terrier, Husky, Corgi, Beagle, or French Bulldog, plus collars and coat patterns. Hats are part of the mix too. An NPC vendor sells headwear, and the dogs can run around in gear like a pirate hat, a bucket hat, or an aviator cap.
Locations and monsters
The dogs pass through a range of settings on the way to their owner, including an abandoned carnival, a misty purple path, and industrial corridors. Enemies range from glowing pink ghosts to a giant bear mascot creature, a minotaur, and a sinister figure seated in an operating chair.
Platforms and where to play now
The demo is available to download and play on Steam today. The full release is confirmed across PC and every major console family.
| Platform | Status |
|---|---|
| PC (Steam) | Free demo out now |
| PlayStation 5 / PS4 | Full game confirmed |
| Xbox Series X|S | Full game confirmed |
| Nintendo Switch / Switch 2 | Full game confirmed |
You can grab the demo from the Haunted Paws page on Steam. Once it has installed, the game appears in your library and you can launch it there to confirm the demo is ready to play.
No dated release window for the console versions has been confirmed yet. For now, the Steam demo is the way to try it, and the trailer fills in the rest of what to expect.
