'Take My Money Now' — Viral Game Lets Your Giant Pet Cat Join You in Combat, and Players Can't Wait

An indie game where players share heartbeats with their pet cat, which can transform into a giant kitty big enough to ride on and defeat enemies, is going viral — and it’s not hard to see why.

The game, titled Ylem’s Cat, is the debut offering of a small, independent studio based in Guangzhou, China. It was first revealed at gamescom this year, and it’s already sweeping across social media.

Per its listing on Steam, the game’s official logline is as follows: “Ylem’s Cat is an action-adventure game driven by the bond between a girl and her cat. Led by curiosity and knowledge, Molly sets out on a journey to find her missing mother across a dying planet, exploring ruins and uncovering the truth buried within the giants.”

While the game’s graphics are truly stunning and its gameplay loop seems immersive enough, the cat is the real selling point here. It can join you in combat and bop enemies on the head, and you can even use the reflection from your bow to play with it like a laser pointer. The feline’s realistic behavior will no doubt be a selling point for cat lovers (but we have to warn you that it does seem like it falls into mortal peril at one point in the trailer).

The game follows Molly in the wake of a terrible disaster after a mysterious cat saves her life. The cat — which she names Mio, after its meow — now shares a heartbeat with Molly, and it’s being hunted by robotic beings named Sentinels.

Mio helps you both in combat and in exploration, and can grow bigger or smaller depending on the task at hand. “In combat, the more you learn to fight together, the easier it becomes,” the game’s Steam page reads. “In exploration, keep an eye on Mio — the little cat has its own curiosities, and those might matter more than you think.”

New game announced where your cat companion has its own mood swings

– You share the same heartbeat
– You name it Mio after the sound it makes
– The Sentinels are hunting your cat
– It grows giant and you can ride it

Game is Ylem’s Cat pic.twitter.com/9x1FnjIiGv

— Indie Game Joe (@IndieGameJoe) August 29, 2026

Thus far, Ylem’s Cat has no release date, but developers are reportedly heading toward an eventual 2028 launch. Players are already impatiently waiting to get their hands on the game, with some making comparisons to the realistic animal behavior of Trico from The Last Guardian.

“Just imagine a cat of that size getting the zoomies,” one remarked.

“Bro, take my money now!” another said.

“Knowing my cat’s mood swings, I would PROBABLY be murdered if it was that size,” yet another joked.

Just imagine a cat of this size getting the zoomies 🤣 pic.twitter.com/DcgEGbDA2C

— Monastery – Wishlist on Steam (@Unseen_Domains) August 31, 2026

Just like Toriko… So cute! pic.twitter.com/TvdPBTi6nQ

— Locke (@Locke3522) August 30, 2026

BRO TAKE MY MONEY NOW pic.twitter.com/as2JSdF2bK

— NinjaGato (@ninjagato465) August 30, 2026

This is the latest pet-focused action game to turn heads after Stray Dog: nobody cares went viral earlier this month. The Souslike title follows a stray dog searching for its captured master in a world overrun with danger, using a sword in its jaws to defeat foes standing in its way.

Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.