12 Best Games Like Stardew Valley You Have To Try

Stardew Valley is one of the best indie games ever — and for good reason. Combining crafting, exploration, and boss battling with a charming, relaxing art style, the game has proven to be one of the most popular among gamers. The sheer number of activities there are gives it a ton of replayability.

However, maybe you’re looking for a similar title if you’ve already played too much Stardew Valley. Fortunately, there are many Stardew Valley alternatives. We list the 12 best ones below.

Best Games Like Stardew Valley

1. Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town

• Genre: Farm life simulation
• Release date: February 25, 2021
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Windows, GeForce Now
• Gameplay features: Raising livestock, crafting, town-building
• Developer: Marvelous, Three Rings
• Pricing: $19.99 on Steam
• Rating: 71/100 on Metacritic
• Best for: Fans of farming sims who enjoy slow-paced, wholesome gameplay with a focus on village life

Pioneers of Olive Town is a PC game that puts you in charge of a farm in a bright, charming rural town. It has all the hallmarks of good resource management and building — you cultivate crops, raise animals, craft tools and furniture, and build relationships with local NPCs to develop your farm.

The game has plenty of forests, mines, and rivers nearby for you to explore, providing an open world feel. As you progress further in Pioneers of Olive Town, you can upgrade skills, unlock new farming techniques, and complete quests to advance your farm. Story of Seasons is notable for being the inspiration behind Stardew Valley, as developer Eric Barone was an avid fan of the series. If you want to see what an older game like Stardew Valley looks like, a Story of Seasons game is right for you.

2. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

• Genre: Social simulation
• Release date: March 20, 2020
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch
• Gameplay features: Village-building, crafting, collecting, fishing, bug catching
• Developer: Nintendo EPD
• Pricing: $54.80 on the Nintendo Store
• Rating: 90/100 on Metacritic
• Best for: Players who enjoy comparing their crafted islands, fishing, and fossil hunting

Perhaps the most popular Stardew Valley alternative, Animal Crossing: New Horizons lets you take charge of a deserted island. Praised for its creative freedom and relaxing gameplay, New Horizons puts you in control of the island, giving you autonomy over the way it’s laid out. There are plenty of activities like fishing, bug catching, and fossil hunting to do at your own pace, as well as building relationships with nearby NPCs, completing quests for them as you explore.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons has plenty to do by yourself but also offers the opportunity to visit friends’ islands and trade items, adding another social element to the gameplay rivaling even the top multiplayer games. The game is frequently updated with new content as well as seasonal events, so you don’t have to worry about the experience becoming stale at any point.

3. Coral Island

• Genre: Farm life simulation
• Release date: October 8, 2022
• Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, Windows
• Gameplay features: Fishing, crafting, town-building, underwater exploration
• Developer: Stairway Games
• Pricing: $29.99 on Steam
• Rating: 82/100 on Metacritic
• Best for: Players who want a visually vibrant farming sim with a strong focus on nature, conservation, and island life

If you dream of escaping to a remote island and building your own farm, Coral Island provides some much-needed reprieve from day-to-day life. In this vibrant world, you’ll build a farm on the titular island, growing crops, raising animals, and crafting various items as you progress. Coral Island is full of NPCs you can collaborate with for better items — and some even have romance options.

There are multiple biomes like beaches, forests, and more on Coral Island, keeping your exploration fresh and compelling. The game has an environmental focus, with eco-friendly practices encouraged like organic farming, composting, and crop rotation. This game like Stardew Valley does a great job of making the world feel engaging, as though you’re part of it, keeping your attention for hours on end.

4. Graveyard Keeper 

• Genre: Management simulation
• Release date: August 15, 2018
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, Android
• Gameplay features: Cemetery management, crafting, resource gathering
• Developer: Lazy Bear Games, Magic Cat
• Pricing: $19.99 on Steam
• Rating: 69/100 on Metacritic
• Best for: Players who enjoy a dark, quirky twist on life sims, with a focus on resource management and humor

Graveyard Keeper puts you in control of your very own graveyard in a dark humor life simulation game. As you manage the graveyard, you’re in charge of burying bodies, expanding the business, and maintaining the grounds.

This game combines standard resource management with exploration, quests, and side stories for you to take on as you explore the surrounding village. A distinct element that differentiates Graveyard Keeper from other Stardew Valley alternatives is its moral choice system, where you can choose to sell body parts or perform dark rituals for self-gain, providing a jovial feel to a morbid subject. If you’re at a loss as to which game to play next, consider Graveyard Keeper.

5. Sun Haven

• Genre: Fantasy farming simulation
• Release date: January 25, 2021
• Platforms: macOS, Windows
• Gameplay features: Fishing, mining, questing, town-building, magic-based combat
• Developer: Pixel Sprout Studios
• Pricing: $17.49 on Steam
• Rating: 9/10 on Steam
• Best for: Fans of farming sims who also love fantasy RPG elements and a mix of combat, magic, and exploration

Sun Haven offers a perfect balance of relaxation and adventure, whisking you into a fantasy open world. You’ll take control of a farm, aiming to build it up by cultivating crops, raising animals, and crafting various items.

You have your local town available to you, plus other neighboring towns across the world in varying biomes. Each biome and town has its own unique resources, quests, and challenges, encouraging exploration. Sun Haven also has dungeons and monsters for you to encounter and battle. The game’s mixture of resource management, structure-building, and rewarding combat means you have hours of fun ahead.

6. Moonstone Island

• Genre: Life simulation
• Release date: September 20, 2023
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Windows, Linux, Mac
• Gameplay features: Crafting, turn-based combat, monster taming, exploration of floating islands, alchemy, and relationship-building with NPCs
• Developer: Studio Supersoft
• Pricing: $19.99 on Steam
• Rating: 80/100 on Metacritic
• Best for: Players who enjoy farming sims with a twist of creature collecting and turn-based combat

A life simulator and card collection Nintendo Switch game, Moonstone Island provides a distinct experience while feeling similar to Stardew Valley. Moonstone Island features all the elements of life simulation games you’d expect, like crafting, farming, fishing, and exploration, but also allows you to collect different magical spirit cards to use in battles with hostile spirits you encounter.

Moonstone Island is praised for its vibrant open world and gorgeous art style. If one of your most favorite things about Stardew Valley is its prettiness, you’ll feel right at home with this relaxing, whimsical single player game.

7. Disney Dreamlight Valley

• Genre: Life simulation
• Release date: September 6, 2022
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, macOS, Xbox, Windows
• Gameplay features: Questing, village-building, crafting, and farming
• Developer: Gameloft Montreal
• Pricing: $29.99 on the Xbox store
• Rating: 70/100 on Metacritic
• Best for: Disney fans who want a life sim with familiar characters and magical worlds

Ever wanted to share a village with your favorite characters from Disney and Pixar? Now you can! Disney Dreamlight Valley sees you take charge of a magical village in a sprawling open world, with full customization over its items and structures and, of course, lots of Disney-inspired architecture.

In Disney Dreamlight Valley, you’ll meet tons of familiar characters, helping them solve problems around the village and receiving rewards for doing so. You’ll take part in different activities like crafting, farming, and fishing in this charming co-op game, as well as exploring the various biomes across the titular valley. It’s like Stardew Valley with Disney — what’s not to love?

8. Spiritfarer

• Genre: Management simulation
• Release date: August 18, 2020
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, Android, iOS, Windows, Linux, Google Stadia
• Gameplay features: Story-driven exploration, ferrying souls to the afterlife, crafting, farming, base-building on a boat
• Developer: Thunder Lotus Games
• Pricing: $29.99 on Steam
• Rating: 84/100 on Metacritic
• Best for: Players who enjoy emotional, narrative-driven gameplay with themes of life, death, and relationships

An adventure game that takes a rather emotional, mature approach to its subject matter, Spiritfarer sees you befriending spirits and helping them pass to the afterlife. In charge of a boat, you’ll traverse through a hand-drawn world full of quests and secrets to explore. As you sail around, spirits will arrive at your boat, and your job is to guide them on to the afterlife.

There’s a resource management system with your boat, requiring you to gather resources, craft items, and build structures on the boat to meet the needs of the various spirits. Though the subject matter seems a little morbid at first, Spiritfarer maintains a charming art style and relaxing gameplay as one of the best mobile games. 

9. Roots of Pacha

• Genre: Farm life simulation
• Release date: April 25, 2023
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, Windows, macOS, GeForce Now
• Gameplay features: Gathering, crafting, cooperative village-building, animal domestication
• Developer: Soda Den
• Pricing: $24.99 on Steam
• Rating: 82/100 on Metacritic
• Best for: Fans of farming sims who are looking for a unique prehistoric setting with community-driven gameplay

Roots of Pacha blends the relaxing gameplay of Stardew Valley with a charming Stone Age backdrop. You’ll take control of your very own farm, cultivating crops, domesticating animals, and developing early, prehistoric farming techniques. Not only will you work on your farm, but also collaborate with NPCs in the nearby village, building relationships with them as you progress.

The game emphasizes collaboration and progression, both in your farm as well as the nearby village. Roots of Pacha can be played solo or with friends, so it will suit you no matter what type of experience you’re looking for.

10. Dinkum

• Genre: Life simulation
• Release date: July 14, 2022
• Platforms: Windows
• Gameplay features: Crafting, mining, fishing, and town-building
• Developer: James Bendon
• Pricing: $19.99 on Steam
• Rating: 9/10 on Steam
• Best for: Players who enjoy farming and crafting sims with an emphasis on exploration and town-building

Ever wanted to spend time in the Australian outback without actually worrying about all of its creepy crawlers? Now you can in Dinkum, a life simulator that sees you build and manage a town in an authentic Australian outback setting.

In Dinkum, your aim is to build a thriving community in the vast plains of the outback. As you grow crops, raise animals, and explore the various biomes in order to gather more resources, more residents will visit and settle in your town, providing a relaxing, creative experience in a unique setting from other life simulators. Dinkum can be played solo or multiplayer, suiting various types of players. 

11. Palia

• Genre: Life simulation
• Release date: March 25, 2024
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Windows
• Gameplay features: Village-building, farming, crafting, multiplayer social activities
• Developer: Singularity 6 Corporation
• Pricing: Free to play (in-game purchases)
• Rating: 9/10 on Steam
• Best for: Players who enjoy social multiplayer experiences with a focus on fishing and collaborative farming

Palia is a life sim game where you can fish, farm, and craft either with other players or by yourself. With a huge world to explore, you’ll encounter plenty of quests, NPCs to speak to, and community events to get involved with.

Palia gives you a ton of control over your characters, homes, and environments, with a bunch of personalization options. While there is plenty to do in the game, it's known for its relaxing, social gameplay — traits very similar to Stardew Valley.

12. Slime Rancher 2

• Genre: Life simulation
• Release date: September 22, 2022
• Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, Windows
• Gameplay features: Collecting and raising slimes, exploring vibrant worlds, resource management, base-building, and puzzle-solving
• Developer: Monomi Park
• Pricing: $29.99 on Steam
• Rating: 9/10 on Steam
• Best for: Players who love cute, colorful farming and resource management games with an emphasis on exploration and collecting

A charming farming simulator set in an alien world, Slime Rancher 2 is a relaxing game like Stardew Valley with its own spin on the farming sim genre. In Slime Rancher 2, you’ll capture and care for different types of 'slimes" as you manage and build your ranch, proving to be one of the best grinding games you can play.

The game blends the best of resource management, exploration, and farming, resulting in a highly engaging game you can spend hours playing. The creative freedom it offers provides an independent experience, and its art style and soundtrack quickly feel familiar in a way that keeps you coming back for more.

The Best Games Like Stardew Valley at a Glance

Want to find the best Stardew Valley alternative but pressed for time? Check out this table below:

What To Look For When Choosing a Game Like Stardew Valley

When choosing a game similar to Stardew Valley, consider these key factors:

• Gameplay mechanics: Look for a game with engaging mechanics like farming, crafting, and town-building that match your preferred play style.
• Story quality: Choose a game that offers a compelling narrative or rich storytelling through the development of your farm, interactions with characters, and the growth of your in-game world.
• Character development: Opt for a title that provides meaningful character customization, progression, and the ability to influence and develop relationships with NPCs.
• Replayability: Seek out games with high replay value, offering a variety of activities, seasonal events, and dynamic gameplay that keeps each of your playthroughs fresh.
• Community: Choose a game with an active community where players share tips, creations, and experiences.
• Performance and stability: Look for games known for smooth performance and stable servers.

Stardew Valley proved popular with a huge number of players — even one of the most played PC games at one point — but there is only so much you can play.

If you’ve been searching for the best alternative to the viral game Stardew Valley, this list is a great place to start. 

Stardew Valley Alternatives FAQ

You may still have questions about Stardew Valley alternatives to help you narrow down your search. We answer your most frequently asked questions below.

What Type of RPG Is Stardew Valley?

Stardew Valley is a farming life simulation RPG.

How Do You Play Stardew Valley?

Stardew Valley gives a lot of freedom to the player and what activities they undertake. The core gameplay experience is gathering and mining resources, crafting items, and fighting monsters you encounter.

Can You Play Stardew Valley on PC?

Absolutely! Stardew Valley is available on PC as well as other platforms such as Mac, Android, iPhone, PlayStation, and Xbox.