Hollywood Animal

Hollywood Animal

Early access since Apr 2025

Make movies, even if someone has to die. Take the helm of a major Hollywood studio at the dawn of sound cinema, and guide it through decades of creative achievements and glamor, debauchery and dark deeds, tough choices and unpleasant compromises.

73% positive · 4,181 reviews
Not yet
In early access, content still planned
High confidence
Content Planned
Not yet
In early access, content still planned
High confidence
Content Planned

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Evaluation

Hollywood Animal launched in Early Access on April 10, 2025 and remains in Early Access. The game is structured around narrative Acts, with Act 1 as the current playable content and Act 2 as a major upcoming addition covering the period 1949–1965. The developers have maintained a consistent and active update cadence throughout Early Access. A landmark overhaul of Act 1 — "The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of" — went into beta on August 19, 2025 and fully released on September 29, 2025. This was followed by the Mac launch on November 4, 2025, the Factory Policy update on November 20, 2025, a Christmas-themed content booster pack on December 18, 2025, and a feature patch on August 3, 2026 that added a new Relaxed Mode and other improvements. On April 10, 2026 — the game's one-year anniversary — the developers confirmed they are fully focused on Act 2 and are not yet ready to share a release date. On April 30, 2026, they published a detailed breakdown of Act 2's planned content: new characters and storylines, a complete overhaul of film production and distribution mechanics, international expansion offices, musicals as a new genre, a union system affecting talent contracts, and more. The August 3, 2026 patch notes explicitly state that "work on Act 2 is in full swing," confirming development is actively ongoing as of that date.
Evidence
Feature patch released; developer explicitly states 'Work on Act 2 is in full swing' while delivering interim improvements including a new Relaxed Mode.
news post · Aug 3, 2026 source content planned
high
Developer published a detailed breakdown of Act 2 content: new time period (1949–1965), new characters and storylines, overhauled film production and distribution systems, musicals, international offices, union mechanics, and more.
news post · Apr 30, 2026 source content planned
high

Media

Details

About this game

Build exactly the studio you want

In Hollywood Animal, you can decide to build a multi-billion-dollar monster that destroys everything in its path, with blockbusters made strictly according to formulas. But this is far from your only option. You might instead create a boutique studio, and conquer the festivals with avant-garde directors. You could build a trash factory, challenging "good taste" at every turn, filling the screens with blood and spit. This game doesn't tell you how to play or limit you in anything. Just have fun making movies while you try to keep the whole thing afloat.

We shouldn't forget the film industry is just one part of a much larger and dynamic world. Wars and social upheaval, censorship and corruption, strained relations with the authorities and criminal disputes. — Some will be buried in an avalanche of problems, while others seize new opportunities. Make your moves behind the scenes, form unexpected alliances, lie and betray. There are no magic formulas in Hollywood Animal. Only those who can adapt and negotiate survive.

You're the boss, not the groundskeeper

You're the head of a movie studio, and Hollywood Animal delivers challenges fitting your status. Your attention won't be dominated by wallpaper selection and planting bushes. Your time is worth much more than that. Instead you'll be focused on which characters and themes really capture your audience's imagination. That is, while you're not focused on investing in technology that will revolutionize the industry. All while you're persuading a bright young star to sign a long-term contract — despite the fact the arrogant punk has sworn he'll never work with you again.

Of course, Hollywood Animal has everything we love about the genre — building, resource management, upgrades and the rest. — But this is just an outer shell. What matters is the choices you make and the human stories that are written in the process. Whims, prejudices, addictions, secrets from the past... show business is always a tangle of conflicts, and you will be the one to unravel it all. Let someone who works for you take care of the bushes.

Any approach is good — we are, after all, only animals

Hollywood Animal includes you in every step of the filmmaking process, from making up plots to theater distribution, and each part of the game is crafted with artistry and dedication. But the opportunities you'll have are much wider than what you'd usually expect from a tycoon strategy game. Every business has a dark side. You can follow the law — or stay on the mayor's good side. You can raise the screenwriter's salary — or remind him about the prostitute he strangled, which you yourself had hushed up. You can delay a film's release to avoid competition — or ask your friends in the mafia to clear the whole calendar.

You'll want to take great care, when picking the actor for the lead role in your Civil War epic. But in Hollywood Animal, it's just as important how many ribs you'll have to break before he accepts the part.

Last evaluated Aug 28, 2026
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