Animal Crossing has set the benchmark for cozy games. However, there are a lot more relaxing games just like New Horizons you can pick from.
Animal Crossing is one of the most popular cozy games out there, you can still find tons of similar titles to enjoy on their Switch and PC.
The Nintendo Switch is known for its relaxing laid-back games. But fret not, even if you don’t own a Nintendo Switch, our guide covers games similar to Animal Crossing which are available on PC too.
We’ve got all the best games for you to try out if you’re looking for a little escape from either the world or the ever-increasing amount of Bells you owe Tom Nook.
Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley is a fantastically cozy RPG where you get to farm, mine, fish, make friends with the villagers, and much more. It closely resembles Animal Crossing in this way and will likely not be a huge jump from the game you know and love.
The open-ended nature of Stardew Valley allows you to create the farm of your dreams throughout hours of gameplay that will likely fly by. In the same way, you get engrossed in Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley is extremely tough to put down.
Disney Dreamlight Valley
Despite being in early access, Disney Dreamlight Valley has taken the gaming world by storm. Upon its initial release, many players were comparing the game to Animal Crossing, highlighting that Disney Dreamlight Valley takes a similar game and improves upon it in loads of ways.
Disney Dreamlight Valley has it all: Familiar characters you can interact and make friends with, fishing, farming, cooking, mining, and the ability to decorate the valley and your home however you want. Whether you’re a Disney fan or not, if you liked Animal Crossing, you’ll love Disney Dreamlight Valley.
My Time at Portia
My Time at Portia is one of those fantastic hidden gems that deserve more players than it has. It’s got a similar story to Stardew in the sense that you inherit your grandfather’s estate. Only this time, it’s a workshop rather than a farm.
Instead of farming, players are encouraged to explore the post-apocalyptic world they find themselves in and befriend the villagers and battle monsters. It’s a joy from beginning to end and brings just enough new elements to make this feel separate from Animal Crossing yet still oddly familiar.
Garden Paws
If you adore the cute animal designs of the villagers in Animal Crossing, you’ll love Garden Paws.
In this game, you become adorable animals and build up your farm and the town you live in. It’s essentially Animal Crossing but with more animalistic characters. Perfect if you don’t want to stray too far from the traditional playstyle.
Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town
Combining cute animation with even cuter animals, Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town almost feels like a rite of passage when getting into cozy life sims. It’s a highly well-known title, partly due to its similarity with Harvest Moon, and is filled with all the activities you love from games like Animal Crossing.
You have to go from a tent to a house, make friends with villagers, and tend to the land around you. All these similarities will help this game feel familiar yet totally different.
Spiritfarer
While there are plenty of cute cozy life sims where you can farm, fish, cook, and more, sometimes it’s best to stray a little from the traditional tropes of what you know. Spiritfarer is precisely that.
It takes the player on a journey through life, death, and the process of death, all through a cozy management sim guaranteed to make you smile as much as it will make you cry.
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Essentially, you play as a boat farer, tasked with helping people ‘go through the gate’ at the end of their lives. You go on adventures, complete quests, make friends, cook, and plenty more similar events to Animal Crossing, only this is entirely unique and is an experience no one should miss out on.
Slime Rancher
Slime Rancher takes a little more of a chill approach to gaming and is perfect if you only have a few hours to spend yet still want to experience something with few restrictions and plenty of adorable creatures.
The game drops you into an unknown planet and creates an adorable farm filled with some rather mysterious Slimes. While tending to the farm, you can complete quests, explore the planet, and even find hybrid slimes if you’re in the right place. If you’re looking for something easy and calming, this is the game for you.
Littlewood
Littlewood feels a lot like a combination between Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing. It’s got the pixel-art style of Stardew Valley but the cozy openness of Animal Crossing. Either way, Littlewood is a fantastic experience filled with great quest lines and even better jobs to complete.
Along with the typical crafting, farming, and fishing, you can play challenging card games within Littlewood and collect an impressive variety of items like bugs, just like in Animal Crossing. It’s a little more quest-heavy than Animal Crossing, but that just gives you something to achieve while getting friendly with the villagers.
Cozy Grove
Cozy Grove introduces the same tropes as Animal Crossing but combines them with mystery, the supernatural, and a considerable amount of cooking. With that combination, the entire experience is both entertaining and extremely cozy, especially since it’s filled with the most adorable animal creatures for you to interact with.
It feels close to Animal Crossing but instead introduces the spooky elements all fans of Halloween or horror will adore.
Sun Haven
Sun Haven feels like a cross between Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, and Dungeons & Dragons. It’s a fantastic farming simulator where you can play as devils, angels, and other mystical creatures, all with magical powers to help you on your way as a farmer and an explorer.
There are quests, exciting NPCs, and an art style that will draw you into the game and cause hours to pass in what feels like minutes. It’s the perfect game to get engrossed in for a cozy gaming session.
While it’s not yet available for the Switch, the game’s roadmap does suggest this will be coming soon, so be sure to check back soon when we update this page.
Forager
Inspired by the likes of Terraria, Zelda, and Stardew Valley, Forager combines the best parts of cozy adventure games and encapsulates them in a simplistic yet effective experience.
Forager doesn’t necessarily have the high-quality graphics many gamers are used to, but it does contain an adorable pixilated world that has a distinct capability to engross you into the game.
Filled with resource gathering, crafting, building, exploring, and puzzle solving, Forager manages to be a title where players can drop in for half an hour or stay for the entire day without struggling to find something to do.
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Now that you’ve seen the best games like Animal Crossing, you can take a look at games like Stardew Valley if you’re into cozy games. You can also check out the best mobile games to play in 2024.
