Best Games Similar To Stardew Valley

Key Takeaways

  • Stardew Valley offers endless gameplay with no definitive endgame.
  • Other games like Coral Island and Wylde Flowers provide similar cozy farming experiences.
  • Graveyard Keeper and World’s Dawn offer unique gameplay elements for fans of Stardew Valley.

The beloved Stardew Valley has endless hours of gameplay. There’s not exactly an endgame, per se. Once you’ve found all the secrets, befriended everyone, and upgraded your house to the max — you can carry on farming to your heart’s content. But if you ever tire of the pixelated charm of the valley, there are other games waiting to give you a similar experience.

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Whether the farming life is what you crave, the relationships with villagers, or the cave exploration, there will certainly be another game out there that will give you the same joy. Here are some great games to try after finishing up with your farm.

Update by Mackenzee Hardyk on October 29, 2024: Stardew Valley has earned a special place in many’s hearts. While there is a lot to do in Pelican Town, sometimes you need to take a break. There are many more cozy farming simulators similar to Stardew Valley for you to play while you either take a break or retire from the games. So, we’ve decided to add a few more entries of games to play that are like Stardew Valley.

16

Coral Island

Released

October 11, 2022

Developer(s)

Stairway Games

Publisher(s)

Humble Games

Coral Island is a farming simulator set on the tropical island of Coral Island, with Starlet Town at its heart. There is an entire community to get to know both on land and underwater, whether you are searching for friendship or something a little deeper.

Coral Island has several unfinished plot lines and is still a work in progress.

There is a lot to do on Coral Island. First and foremost, there is your farm where you can grow crops and raise animals. But there is also an ocean to clean up, some Giants to rescue, and festivals to attend. So if you enjoyed Stardew Valley, you’ll most likely appreciate Coral Island.

15

Wylde Flowers

Wylde Flowers

Released

February 18, 2022

Developer

Studio Drydock Pty Ltd

Publisher

Studio Drydock Pty Ltd

If you were wishing Stardew Valley had more of a witchy vibe to it, then Wylde Flowers might be a game to look into. It follows Tara, a woman who has recently moved to Fairhaven to help her grandma with the family farm when she discovers she’s a witch.

You will have the opportunity to grow crops, make potions, and harness your powers as a witch. What makes Wylde Flowers unique from most cozy games is that it is story-driven instead of just having optional storylines.

14

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

13

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Platform(s)

Switch

Released

March 20, 2020

Developer(s)

Nintendo EPD

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Though Animal Crossing: New Horizons isn’t necessarily a farming simulator, it’s still cozy. Instead of living in your grandfather’s old house and running around on an old farm, you will find yourself on a deserted island where you are now the island representative. Yay!

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You will be tasked with helping new residents build and decorate their homes, clearing areas for buildings like museums or stores, and being a good ambassador for your island. Like Stardew Valley, it’s a low-stress game, but if you constantly need tasks and stuff to do, Animal Crossing can feel a little underwhelming at times.

12

Fields Of Mistria

Released

August 5, 2024

Developer(s)

NPC Studio

Publisher(s)

NPC Studio

While heavily inspired by Stardew Valley, Fields of Mistria also has its own spark of cute and coziness. The adorable pixelated art style looks almost like anime met Stardew Valley along with a bright and pleasant color palette.

Fields of Mistria stands out though, as there are these little features, such as being able to cast magic and the characters and their dialogue make the game come to life. It’s got great depth and it has great potential like Stardew Valley. Fields of Mistria is definitely worth a shot if you like Stardew Valley.

Fields of Mistria is still in Early Access.

11

Graveyard Keeper

Released

August 15, 2018

Developer

Lazy Bear Games, Magic Cat

Publisher(s)

tinyBuild

If you favored the building, crafting, errands, and tasks over the community aspect of Stardew Valley, then Graveyard Keeper might be for you. Graveyard Keeper focuses heavily on completing tasks and quickly moving on to the next, leaving little time to wait around.

Graveyard Keeper is set in the medieval ages, where you very suddenly become the keeper of a graveyard, requiring you to upkeep it and the church that came along with it. While there is a small village beside it, you will mostly be running errands for everyone and not necessarily having many meaningful interactions.

10

Story Of Seasons: Trio Of Towns

Image of The Farmers With Their Llamas, Chicken, Sheep, Cows, And Pets from Story Of Seasons: Trio Of Towns.

The Harvest Moon games inspired Stardew Valley, and if you’ve ever played one, it’s not hard to see that influence. Despite the name change, the Story of Seasons series is understood to be a spiritual continuation of Harvest Moon; the Trio of Towns was much loved by fans. Similar to Stardew, you can marry characters, and of course, spend hours farming.

There are three different towns with different native crops to try out, and you can mine for ore, too. A fun addition is being able to befriend wild animals and give them gifts to earn their friendship. It’s an all-around solid, well-loved game.

9

Rune Factory 4

Rune Factory 4 Special

Released

February 25, 2020

Primarily an RPG with an anime-inspired art style, Rune Factory 4 is significantly more story-based than Stardew Valley. Among their shared features are the farming, the ability to marry, and exploration of dungeons. It’s also very craft-heavy. Your character can grow stronger from the various stat-boosting equipment that you create.

The dating events in this game are pretty in-depth and dramatic too, compared to the somewhat peaceful events in Stardew. Plus, you act as the ruler of the Selphia kingdom, able to make orders such as requesting events and even pushing back storms!

8

Animal Crossing: New Leaf

Image of Isabelle And The Other Villagers Mingling from Animal Crossing: New Leaf.

Released

June 9, 2013

Developer(s)

Nintendo EAD

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

You may not run a farm in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, but how about running an entire town? As the mayor, you will be responsible for the satisfaction of the villagers, the upkeep of the town, and having a say in several event decisions, such as firework displays.

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The social aspect is similar to that of Stardew Valley; you can befriend villagers, send them gifts, or keep your distance. A fun feature is the ability to send letters; if you’re the kind of person who enjoys terrorizing virtual villagers, you’ll probably get a kick out of sending aggressively worded letters. You’ll also receive a totally benign reply from the well-meaning townsfolk.

7

World’s Dawn

Image of the cover art of World's Dawn.

World’s Dawn is a great example of another game with a warm and relaxed atmosphere. You can tend to your farm, including crops and livestock, and it works in pretty much the same way you’ll be used to from Stardew Valley. You can also do some fishing, mining, and, of course, build relationships with the residents.

The festival minigames are a highlight, with various types available throughout the year, such as the LockBall Bash and Townsfolk Trivia. LockBall is actually a fun little game in itself with the ability to place bets when you play against another character.

6

Moonlighter

Image of the main cover art for Moonlighter featuring the protagonist Will facing a dungeon.

Released

May 29, 2018

Developer(s)

Digital Sun

Publisher(s)

11 Bit Studios

Moonlighter isn’t a farming game, but the vibe it creates will remind you of Stardew anyway. The gameplay is a little different based on whether it’s day or night. During the day, your character runs a shop, managing employees and prices, and upgrading the store where necessary.

There are once again villagers to interact with, and they may have specific needs as customers for your shop. You can also craft equipment and armor. At night, there are other tasks to tackle, such as visiting different worlds with dungeons, collecting valuable items, and, most importantly, fighting enemies and bosses.

5

Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale

Image of the cover art from Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale.

Another game that involves running a shop, Recettear is quite years old now, but it still holds up well. The game sees you looking after a brand-new item shop for adventurers, run by a girl named Recette and a fairy named Tear.

You can choose where to source your stock: either from the various markets or from challenging enemy creatures for loot. You also decide the layout of the shop, setting prices for goods. The time management aspects are reminiscent of those in Stardew Valley, and despite the cutesy visuals, the RPG elements add some refreshing difficulty.

4

Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles

The hero stands on a cliff looking over the land in Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles.

Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles

Released

July 18, 2017

Developer

Prideful Sloth

Publisher

Prideful Sloth

For a more adventurous experience, try Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles. Described by some as The Legend of Zelda meets Stardew Valley, the game features a mystical island open-world which you can explore, with beautiful visuals and peaceful music.

For the most part, you must find magical sprites to help you get rid of a fierce fog called the Murk, which is destroying the environment and disrupting the inhabitants’ lives. There is farming, fishing, and crafting involved, so you’ll get your farming fix, but exploration is the focus here. There’s also a lack of combat, which is unusual but makes for a calm and enjoyable atmosphere.

3

My Time At Portia

Released

January 15, 2019

Developer(s)

Pathea Games

A little different to the peaceful farming life of Stardew Valley, My Time at Portia is set in a post-apocalyptic world. Rather than trying to restore your grandfather’s farm, you’ll instead be trying to build up your father’s­ workshop, making it as extensive as you can. Naturally, crafting is a big part of gameplay.

The visuals are pretty different, however. Rather than pixel art, this game features 3D, almost cartoony graphics, but it still has charm. There are dungeons to explore, not to mention ancient ruins, and villagers with different personalities to be found. If crafting is your thing, give it a go.

2

Diaries Of A Spaceport Janitor

Image of the cover art from Diaries Of A Spaceport Janitor.

There’s no farming to be seen in Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor, but the daily grind-type gameplay is here. You play as an “Alansee girlbeast” picking up trash on an alien planet, dreaming of a better life.

The everyday tasks and existential themes are what tie it to Stardew Valley. While having a totally different setting, the pixelated aesthetic is similar, although 3D. The repetitiveness of the gameplay can be a little too much; you may find that Stardew is better fleshed out. However, it does feature some cool, retro 8-bit-style music.

1

Fantasy Life

Fantasy Life official art showing a knight on a horse overlooking fields with animals and plants.

Fantasy Life

Released

October 24, 2014

Fantasy Life features a wonderful, fantastical world, and a lot of choices of how to live in it. You can choose your lifestyle, as each of the 12 classes features different skills, altering your gameplay. It features an open world, with many quests and crafting opportunities.

There’s one main storyline that can be followed at your own pace. You can leave some uncompleted, though it may affect the availability of some in-game areas. As you progress through the story, more charming characters will join you on your quest as you gradually grow stronger. With several different life paths, the replay value is high with this game.

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