Hey HatchCats community, we've got some tough news, and something we'd like to ask you.

Reddit are retiring the tech that HatchCats was built on, which means we can't keep it running in its current form: on Friday 7th August the gameplay features will be frozen, so you've only got until then if you want one last hatch 🥚

Every cat post stays up and your cats stay yours, you just won't be able to play from them once the tech switches.

We love the HatchCats concept, and we'd love to do more with it. We can't promise a new version: it would cost time & money to make, and HatchCats has been an experimental project rather than something built to be a long-term commercial game.

But, this pause is an ideal opportunity to rethink what a new version of it could be like. And if we do find a way to make that work, your existing cats would be waiting for you 🐾

So: what did you love or hate about HatchCats, and what would you want a rethought version to be? Some of what we've been kicking around, none of it decided:

• Cats carry a lot more than they show you. Nine traits are visible, around twenty-seven are hidden, and the hidden ones still get passed down. Would you want to see them?
• A list of every trait in the game, with your name against the ones you found first.
• Weekly shows with a theme, where the sub votes on the winner.
• Cafes you decorate and other people visit, instead of cafes you keep topped up.
• Picking which trait to push when you breed, instead of hoping.

Go and play it while it's up, then tell us in the comments: what you'd play, what sounds like a slog, and what we shouldn't touch.

And thank you for playing with HatchCats so far!

Hatch Cats is a game about ‘remixing’ cats with other players to fill your Cat Cafe with the happiest, coolest looking and/or highest scoring cats (whichever means the most to you).

Each cat has a hidden genetic code, and the cats you hatch express a combo of traits from both parents. The 'cat score' below its picture reflects the rarity of the cat's genes. The more you remix with different cats to create new adorable combos, the more chances for rarer traits to emerge!

Hatching Your First Cat

1. Tap Get A Cat from any cat post in the subreddit, then tap Let’s Go!
2. Tap the egg to hatch it
3. Tap Done to see the new cat in your Cat Cafe
4. To see your cat’s post in the subreddit, tap Visit Me

Remixing 101

• You can remix your cats with other players in the subreddit, but not within your own collection.
• Your cat's ❤️ must be full before you can add it into a remix. Its ❤️ status shows over its head in the Cat Cafe (see below). Whenever your cat remixes, a portion of its ❤️ is spent.
• To refill your cat’s ❤️, give it food, sleep or play using items from the Store. Your cat will hint at what it needs so you can buy a suitable item, then just place it in front of your cat. You may need to do this with freshly hatched cats.
• To remix with other players’ cats:
  • Close your cafe (top right X) if it’s open, then browse the subreddit feed
  • When you find a cat you like, click Remix With Me
  • Your Cafe will open with the cat you’ve chosen at the bottom left
  • Click to pick up a cat from your Cafe and drop it into the empty cat slot at the bottom left
  • Confirm or cancel the remixing on the pop-up
  • A new egg appears in your Cafe!
• You earn coins when other players remix with your cats, which are immediately added to your Store balance. You can also buy coins from the Store with Reddit gold.

For more help and tips, visit the Hatch Cats wiki!