The Sims 2: Pets is an installment in the life simulation video game series The Sims. It was released as an expansion pack for The Sims 2 on Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X while it was released as a stand-alone title on consoles. All versions were developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts on 17 October 2006. The expansion pack adds domestic animals to the game allowing sims to own cats dogs and other species. Players can customize the appearance and personality of their pets which are able to learn tricks and work jobs. The stand-alone console games maintained the open-ended sandbox gameplay of the series; the handheld versions had more structure including role-playing video game elements.