20 Games Similar to Stardew Valley You Should Try

Stardew Valley, developed by Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone, is a popular simulation role-playing video game. It revolves around growing crops, raising livestock, crafting goods, and creating a vast farm. Its open-ended nature provides ample opportunities for players to showcase their farming skills. If you’ve exhausted this game and seek similar gameplay experiences, here’s a curated list of the top 20 games like Stardew Valley in 2020.

Top Picks for Stardew Valley Alternatives

After scrutinizing various Stardew Valley alternatives, we’ve selected games that not only complement Stardew Valley but also introduce fresh elements. While some prioritize action-adventure, others enhance role-playing.

• Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town
• Rune Factory 4
• My Time at Portia
• Fantasy Life
• Moonlighter
• Animal Crossing: New Horizons
• Recettear
• Yonder: The Cloudcatcher Chronicles
• Farm for your Life
• Voodoo Garden
• Wild Season
• World’s Dawn
• Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor
• Staxel
• Don’t Starve Together
• Graveyard Keeper
• DORAEMON: STORY OF SEASONS
• Slime Rancher
• Farm Together
• The Island Castaway: Lost World
• Frequently Asked Questions

1. Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town

For a superb alternative to Stardew Valley and if you’ve exhausted Harvest Moon, consider Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town. It’s essentially a refined successor to Harvest Moon.

• Publisher: Marvelous (XSEED)
• Platform: Nintendo Switch
• Genre: Farming/life-sim
• Buy: ($49.99)

2. Rune Factory 4

Rune Factory 4 blends farming simulation with RPG elements, offering a unique gaming experience. It surpasses its predecessors with improved in-game marriage mechanics and expands gameplay to managing an entire town, rather than just a farm.

• Publisher: Xseed
• Platform: Nintendo 3DS
• Genre: Farming with dungeon adventuring.
• Buy: ($23.99)

Note: Rune Factory 5 is set to release in 2020. Waiting for its release is necessary if you desire the latest version.

3. My Time at Portia

Much like Stardew Valley, My Time at Portia immerses players in the world of Portia, where you must restore your neglected workshop by fulfilling commissions, growing crops, and raising animals.

• Publisher: Team17 Digital Ltd
• Platform: Windows
• Genre: Adventure
• Buy: ($29.99)

4. Fantasy Life

Fantasy Life invites players to lead a prosperous fantasy existence in a vast open world. With charming graphics and diverse classes, the game offers abundant replay value through unique traits and activities.

Moonlighter

Moonlighter, a compelling alternative to Stardew Valley, lets you embody Will, a shopkeeper with daytime responsibilities and nocturnal aspirations of heroism.

• Publisher: Merge Games
• Platform: PlayStation 4
• Genre: Action RPG
• Buy: ($25.29)

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

No fun in mere farm simulation when Animal Crossing: New Horizon offers entire life simulation. Nintendo’s highly anticipated game, launched during the pandemic, has been a resounding success, selling 1 million copies in the first 11 days and now exceeding 26 million copies sold.

• Publisher: Nintendo
• Platform: Nintendo Switch
• Genre: Life simulation
• Buy: ($59.99)

7. Recettear

If you’re a simulation fan seeking something beyond farming, we have the perfect game for you. Recettar: An Item Shop’s Tale is akin to farm simulators in gameplay, but here, you manage an item shop. You begin as a young girl inheriting the shop after her father’s death.

Remember, sourcing items entails venturing into dangerous dungeons, battling monsters, and gathering valuable goods to sell. Your goal is to restore the shop’s former glory to settle debts. This game seamlessly blends simulation with dungeon crawling.

8. Yonder: The Cloudcatcher Chronicles

If Stardew Valley and Breath of the Wild merged, Yonder: The Cloudcatcher Chronicles would emerge—a blend of relaxing open-world adventure and farming simulator, brimming with enjoyment. Its world teems with discovery, rich character customization, crafting, building, and farming.

• Publisher: Merge Games
• Platform: Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4
• Genre: Adventure
• Price: ($39.99)

9. Cultivate Life

In a farming game, you grow, protect, expand, and sell crops. This can be fun but repetitive. However, in Farm for your Life, boredom is unlikely due to its diverse genres.

• Publisher: Hammer Labs
• Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4
• Genre: Casual, Indie, Simulation, Strategy
• Buy: ($9.99)

10. Voodoo Garden

Voodoo Garden, a captivating alternative to Stardew Valley, lets players cultivate herbs, trees, plants, and more in a serene setting. Ideal for those seeking casual entertainment, the game offers a plethora of engaging activities. Players can nurture and observe their pets as they grow.

• Publisher: Liu Lidan
• Platform: Windows
• Genre: Casual, Indie, Simulation
• Buy: ($1.49)

11. Wild Season

Wild Season is an ideal alternative to Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley, offering the same gameplay style and objective. You begin as a young farmer purchasing new rural land, tasked with clearing obstacles such as boulders and logs.

• Publisher: Quickfire Games
• Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux, and PlayStation 4
• Genre: Indie, RPG, Simulation
• Buy: ($16.99)

12. World’s Dawn

Like Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley, World’s Dawn invites you to reside in a seaside village, tending crops, raising livestock, fishing, mining, and hunting. It encompasses all gameplay elements expected from a life simulation game, with additional features.

You have the freedom to choose your activities, whether tending crops or seeking companionship. With a diverse cast of 32 townsfolk, the game offers rich social interactions, enhancing its excitement and interactivity.

13. Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor

Stardew Valley offers joy and positivity, while Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor stands in stark contrast, being an anti-adventure title where players clean up trash in an alien bazaar.

• Publisher: tinyBuild
• Platform: Windows and macOS
• Genre: Adventure
• Buy: ($4.99)

14. Staxel

If you’re a Minecraft fan seeking a game reminiscent of Minecraft with farming and social elements akin to Stardew Valley, then Staxel is a must-play.

Gameplay in Staxel surpasses Stardew Valley in speed. If you dislike waiting, Staxel’s fast pace will likely appeal to you.

However, Staxel has a steeper learning curve, requiring time to master. Combining farming with social elements, it offers a captivating role-playing experience.

Publisher: Humble Games

Platform: Windows

Genre: Indie, RPG

15. Don’t Starve Together

Don’t Starve Together, the sequel to the popular survival game Don’t Starve, offers another great alternative to Stardew Valley with its distinct atmosphere. The game presents a stark contrast to Stardew Valley, from its dull and drab world to the condition of its residents.

Similar to its predecessor, the game is an adventure survival title where you must do whatever it takes to prolong survival. Explore the environment, gather resources, craft items, and build structures to endure in the harsh lands.

Publisher: Klei Entertainment

Platform: Windows, macOS, and PlayStation 4

Genre: Adventure

16. Graveyard Keeper

For those with a farming penchant and a desire to control cemeteries in fiction, Graveyard Keeper is an enticing option. You assume the role of managing a medieval cemetery.

It’s about maximizing profits through farming and cemetery management. Your success in the game hinges on your ability to balance these two aspects.

• Publisher: tinyBuild
• Platform: Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4
• Genre: Adventure
• Price: ($9.99)

17. DORAEMON: STORY OF SEASONS

If you’ve tired of the typical farming game, try DORAEMON: STORY OF SEASONS. This alternative to Stardew Valley offers farming with a fresh perspective. With its captivating natural setting and mystical big tree, the game is a delight to play.

DORAEMON: STORY OF SEASONS’ gameplay mirrors Stardew Valley’s, focusing on building a farm and raising horses and cattle. Along the way, players forge bonds with town residents and enjoy pleasant interactions.

• Publisher: BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment
• Platform: Windows
• Genre: Casual, Simulation
• Buy: ($49.99)

18. Slime Rancher

Slime Rancher quickly captivates with its unique charm, offering a refreshing alternative to Stardew Valley. Dive into an intriguing first-person sandbox experience.

Follow the journey of a spirited young rancher pursuing her dream. Cultivate crops, gather resources, and confront relentless challenges threatening her aspirations.

It’s the way she navigates obstacles and seizes risky opportunities that sets Slime Rancher apart, infusing the action-adventure with joy. This distinguishing factor distinguishes it from Stardew Valley.

19. Farm Together

Offering the ultimate farming experience, Farm Together presents a compelling alternative to Stardew Valley. The game involves selecting a small plot and dedicating efforts to growing crops, planting trees, and caring for animals to expand your farm.

• Publisher: Milkstone Studios
• Platform: Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4
• Genre: Casual, Indie
• Price: ($19.99)

20. The Island Castaway: Lost World

What makes “The Island Castaway: Lost World” exciting is its blend of action-adventure, RPG, and strategy genres. This mix offers an alternative to Stardew Valley for those seeking adventurous gameplay without sacrificing depth.

The gameplay of The Island Castaway: Lost World is more dramatic than Stardew Valley. You find yourself stranded on a remote island following an unexpected shipwreck. Your objective is to not only survive but also lead the castaways to ensure their well-being. Thus, your journey begins.

• Publisher: G5 Entertainment AB
• Platform: Android, iOS, and Windows
• Genre: Action-adventure, RPG, Strategy
• Buy: (Free, in-app purchases available)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Stardew Valley similar to?

Stardew Valley resembles popular simulation RPGs like Story of Seasons and My Time at Portia.

What kind of game is Stardew Valley?

Stardew Valley is a simulation RPG developed by Eric “ConcernedApe”.

What’s fun about Stardew Valley?

Stardew Valley offers players freedom with activities such as raising livestock, growing crops, and crafting goods, making it enjoyable.

How big is Stardew Valley?

Stardew Valley stands as a beloved simulation role-playing video game available across multiple platforms. Additionally, it boasts overwhelmingly positive (97%) reviews on Steam.

Explore Games akin to Stardew Valley

If you seek to enhance your farming experience beyond Stardew Valley, consider trying the listed games. For those seeking variety beyond farm simulations, explore mixed-genre games with unique features and quirks to sustain your interest.

These games offer hours of engaging gameplay and rich storytelling. Choose your favorite and immerse yourself. Share other Stardew Valley-like games in the comments below.