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What are the best games like Stardew Valley? We can’t think of anything more enticing than the idea of leaving the fast-paced corporate world behind and moving out to the country for a simple but rewarding life. This escapism is one of the things that makes Stardew Valley such an extraordinarily enjoyable game, so we’ve found some alternatives that are equally as indulgent.
If just want more out of the game, then we’ve got a list of the best Stardew Valley mods and fun we also asked a farmer if the game was realistic. Before looking for an alternative did you know the game is on Apple Arcade and there is a Stardew Valley board game?
Stardew Valley gives a cute combination of romance, relaxation, and retail, and you’d be forgiven for wanting more games like Stardew Valley. There are different aspects to the games below, so none are direct clones. Some are among the best management games, while others might be more focused on farming. They all have something in common with Stardew Valley, though, so you’ll enjoy at least one or two.
Here are the best games like Stardew Valley:
Fields of Mistria
Fields of Mistria is still technically in early access, but its glowing Steam reception has catapulted it to the top of the charts as one of the best games like Stardew Valley. Its premise is identical to our favorite farming sim: you have left the corporate world behind to begin a new life on a quaint homestead on the outskirts of an idyllic village.
However, Mistria’s whimsical magical world sets it apart from its rivals. It’s up to you to harness that magic to expand your farm and rebuild the village in the wake of a surprise earthquake. Fields of Mistria’s boasts a cast of over 30 characters that would fit right into a classic shoujo anime like Sailor Moon, giving it a cozy ‘90s nostalgia all its own.
Moonstone Island
Moonstone looks like and is a cross between Stardew Valley and old-school Pokemon, thanks to its pixelated graphics and combination of farming sim and creature collection mechanics. This huge world, made up of over 100 islands on which to search for flora and creatures, also has deckbuilding mechanics built in, too, as you use your deck to complete combat encounters and train as an alchemist.
It may sound like a lot, but these genres all come together seamlessly in this relaxing and endearing adventure. So many of the mechanics will also be familiar to players of Stardew Valley that you shouldn’t feel overwhelmed, even if you’re new to deckbuilding or creature collection.
Coral Island
Coral Island adopts the same premise that you’ll find in most games like Stardew Valley, as you escape the big city and build a new, laidback life on a farm by the sea. The island’s inhabitants will make you feel right at home as you plant crops and rear animals to sustain yourself, with the opportunity to find love for those who seek it. While this is all par for the course as far as life sims are concerned, Coral Island introduces an ecological twist thanks to the island’s very own namesake.
The coral reefs that surround the island’s shores require just as much restoration as the town, so be prepared to leave the tropical beach behind and dive below the ocean waves. Adventure-inclined players can explore the sea caverns and unearth long-forgotten secrets about the island itself. While the storyline is currently incomplete, the Coral Island update roadmap promises new installments beyond its launch build, including a merfolk romance and ocean farming. You can even dip your toe into Coral Island mods if you need something to tide you over until the next update.
Roots of Pacha
Take Stardew Valley back to the Stone Age in Roots of Pacha, a cozy farming sim that trades in Pelican Town’s quaint streets for a prehistoric homestead. Explore a land filled with mammoths and lions, tame bison and wild boar, and delve into mystic caves to complete spirit totem trials. Once the sun dips low, return home to plant crops and enjoy primitive rituals and seasonal events to foster close connections with fellow clan members. You can even hop into co-op to invite real-life friends to join your clan.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Stardew-like without the possibility of romance, and Roots of Pacha has it in spades. It’s also a great educational game for kids that illustrates how early humans developed basic tools to build shelter and live off the land. All in all, Roots of Pacha is a game like Stardew Valley that captures the lives of our ancestors in a collection of cozy pixels. After a brief rights dispute saw it unexpectedly removed from Steam, we’re happy to report it’s back and better than ever.
My Time at Sandrock
Have you ever wanted to play Stardew Valley but in 3D? Well, that’s essentially the My Time series. My Time at Portia can also be considered among the best life games like Stardew, so if you’ve not played that, you could start there before moving on to Sandrock. In My Time at Sandrock, you head to the desert in a post-apocalyptic world to restart civilization from scratch, turning a defunct barn into a productive factory, farming crops, and breeding wildlife.
My Time at Sandrock is only further improved by its extensive open world, deep NPC backstories, and fun mini-games, which you can explore as much or as little as you want.
Doraemon Story of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom
Set in the world of Natura, your aim is to farm, meet new people, and get along with the odd robotic cat that is Doraemon. Story of Seasons is generally viewed as the successor to the Harvest Moon series, so it is just a very good farming game that also happens to have a robotic cat.
It was loved so much that we got a sequel in Friends of the Great Kingdom, which furthers the story with the same adorable visuals you’ll recognize from the first game. Full of a deeply charming anime style, Doraemon Story of Seasons is just a lot of fun to play. It’s as simple as that.
Slime Rancher 2
Slime Rancher 2 is secretly one of the best farming games from the last few years. It has a gorgeous style, an incredibly strange setting, and one of the most entertaining ways of interacting with the world to date. In the sequel, you return as protagonist Beatrix LeBeau, but this time, our rancher has traveled to the colorful Rainbow Island to discover even more new and interesting slimes than before. Raise them, cross-breed them into new variants, and keep them happy and fed.
As you progress and unlock new areas of the gorgeous map in the game’s many planned updates, including this one we previewed, you’ll also solve a mystery a few lightyears away from Earth.
Traveller’s Rest
Traveller’s Rest is currently in early access, but even at this stage, it scratches all the hallmarks of games like Stardew Valley. The twist is that your main job is to manage the day-to-day business of running a tavern. This involves gathering ingredients for meals, materials to build new rooms, and experimenting with new food and beverage options for your customers.
Just like Stardew Valley, there’s a lot of farming to do, as your patrons need nourishment from healthy fruit and veg. You can also craft new gadgets to make excursions a breeze, and you’ll need to go on adventures if you want access to more exotic items. The art style is also very reminiscent of Stardew Valley, but with perhaps a bit more detail, so it is highly recommended if you adore this highly detailed pixel art.
Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & The Secret Hideout
The Atelier games are a series that follow various alchemists as they go through their adventures. This is perhaps the furthest away from our games like Stardew Valley vibe, but there’s a good reason the JRPG game belongs here. This particular title follows Ryza, a talented and ambitious character who feels trapped in her sleepy town.
Very early on, you meet a master alchemist and thus begin your journey into the world of chemical compositions and strange reactions. The crafting system in this game is incredibly deep, and it all ties into the battles as well, with items being a key part of each encounter. It’s fun, it’s easy on the eyes, and it’s anime as all hell.
Graveyard Keeper
Before you say anything, yes, farms and cemeteries are very different, we know. However, the management of both, at least according to Graveyard Keeper, is quite similar. You play as someone looking after a medieval cemetery, aiming to bump profits as high as possible and keep the dead where they belong.
It’s also a love story, too, you see, exactly like Stardew Valley. Also, it proudly proclaims to be the “mostshiii inaccurate medieval cemetery management sim”, so that’s something to enjoy if you’d rather avoid the notion of historical accuracy in games.
Moonlighter
Moonlighter is an action RPG, but one that has some roguelike elements. You play as Will, a shopkeeper that would much rather be out slaying monsters and saving the world than tending the shop.
You spend your nights searching through dungeons for treasure, and you spend your days selling that treasure in your shop. You get to set the prices, decide if you want to run a sale, and generally try and build up your business. The best part is that both aspects of this game are a lot of fun, the combat is good, but the satisfaction of perfectly pricing a new item never gets tiring.
World’s Dawn
World’s Dawn is the closest approximation of games like Stardew Valley on this list. You live in a small and ever-changing village as you look after your farm and try and build up your farmhouse. There are loads of characters to meet, a wealth of things to do, and the changing seasons provide fresh gameplay.
It’s incredibly charming, and the art style is wonderfully simple. It might not be the unique game here, but if you’re looking for a game like Stardew Valley, no other game comes quite as close as World’s Dawn.
Sun Haven
Sun Haven takes the core design principles of Stardew Valley but injects it with Ghibliesque fantasy – your humble plot of land even comes with its very own Totoro. The eponymous town is vibrant and bustling with witches and elves, and you can befriend or romance them at your leisure. While Sun Haven is as wholesome and rustic as Stardew Valley, it also includes a sweeping questline that features dark magic, an evil lair, and all manner of monsters to be slain on your journey to save the world and its people. However, if you’d rather save the heroics for another day, you can always retreat to your farmstead and bake some bread. The choice is yours.
These are the best games like Stardew Valley, but if you’re partial to mechanics over aesthetics, we’ve also got the best building games and crafting games to pass the time. If that’s not enough to keep you busy, our list of the best free PC games is a great way to try something new without risk.