The Best Wholesome Games Like Animal Crossing: New Horizons to Play

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Get lost in these adorable life sim games like ACNH
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The craze surrounding Animal Crossing may have died down a bit (for the moment, anyway), but that doesn’t have to be the end of your time playing chill life simulator games! There are plenty of games with just enough similarities to Animal Crossing to appeal to fans of the franchise—and plenty of uniqueness to make them worth playing in their own right. We’ll walk you through some of the best games like Animal Crossing currently out there, including other life, farming, and town management simulators with all the cozy vibes. Let’s dive in!

A Quick List of Games Like Animal Crossing

  • Stardew Valley - A farming simulator in which you inherit your grandfather’s farm, befriend the villagers, and forage for resources.
  • Coral Island - A farming simulator with fantastical elements, including mermaids and giants, and environmentalist themes.
  • Hello Kitty: Island Adventure - An island development and life simulator with cute animal villagers to befriend.
  • Cuisineer - A restaurant management game with RPG mechanics, monster battles, and dungeon exploration.
  • Spiritfarer - A peaceful game centered around fulfilling spirits’ last wishes and ferrying them to the afterlife.
1

Stardew Valley

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  1. Stardew Valley really is a modern classic as far as farming and life sims go. Like Animal Crossing , you begin the game by moving to a small town, where you can build up a home for yourself (in this case, your grandfather’s old farm). You’ll also be able to befriend the villagers and even find a spouse, in time. However, Stardew Valley does include a mine area in which you’ll fight monsters, which is a departure from Animal Crossing but might appeal to some fans. [1]
    • Platforms: PC, Switch, PS4/5, Xbox One/Series X/S
    • Developer: ConcernedApe
    • Year released: 2016
    • Similarities to Animal Crossing : House-building, fishing, museum collecting, and relationship development with NPCs
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2

Cozy Grove

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  1. In Cozy Grove , you aren’t a farmer or villager—you’re a Spirit Scout setting up camp on a haunted island! This life sim is surprisingly sweet; it allows you to explore the island, soothing its spirits by showing them kindness (and fishing, foraging, crafting, and decorating your camp as you go). It’s also synced to real-world time, giving you about an hour or two of quest content to play through daily.
    • Platforms: PC, Mac, Switch, Xbox One, PS4/5
    • Developer: Spry Fox
    • Year released: 2021
    • Similarities to Animal Crossing : Island decoration and daily tasks/quests
3

Coral Island

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  1. Coral Island is advertised as a reimagined farming sim, with added magical elements inspired by Indonesian culture. You’ll inherit a farm to fix up and run, supply the island with local produce, and build connections with all the people in town. But your job doesn’t end there; you’ll also heal the island from pollution and free it from the ruthless corporation trying to take it over to drill for oil. Oh, and you can be a mermaid. Need we say more? [2]
    • Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
    • Developer: Stairway Games
    • Year released: 2023
    • Similarities to Animal Crossing : Town development, home decoration, fishing, catching, foraging, and relationship development with NPCs
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4

Hello Kitty: Island Adventure

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  1. Hello Kitty: Island Adventure draws a lot of parallels to Animal Crossing. For one thing, it’s an island development and life sim in which your fellow townsfolk are adorable animals. You can get to know your neighbors, decorate different homes and buildings, and explore the island itself! Island Adventure also features some puzzle-solving, but remains a super cozy experience overall.
    • Platforms: PC, Switch, PS5, Apple Arcade
    • Developer: Sunblink
    • Year released: 2025
    • Similarities to Animal Crossing : Island decoration and relationship development with NPCs
5

Ooblets

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  1. Ooblets is a farming simulator with an adorable twist: you can grow and collect creatures called Ooblets! Much like Pokémon , Ooblets can be trained and leveled up—and you can even chat with other Ooblet keepers in town. Alongside your Ooblet-collecting, you’ll also be able to upgrade your house, explore the town, and participate in turn-based dance-off battles with your Ooblets.
    • Platforms: PC, Switch, Xbox One/Series X/S
    • Developer: Glumberland
    • Year released: 2023
    • Similarities to Animal Crossing : Town development, planting and growing, and relationship development with NPCs
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6

Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town

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  1. Pioneers of Olive Town has a lot of the features typical of classic farming simulators; as the player, you inherit a farm and are given total control over its customization and cultivation. You can grow crops, care for animals, and go out foraging for resources. At the same time, you can bond with the townfolk. In this particular game, exploration is especially crucial: you’ll need to venture into the forest around your farm to discover new plants and animals.
    • Platforms: PC, Switch, PS4
    • Developer: Marvelous, Inc.
    • Year released: 2021
    • Similarities to Animal Crossing : Seasonal events, town development, home decoration, and relationship development with NPCs
7

My Time at Portia

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  1. My Time at Portia is a town improvement sim that puts you in the shoes of the new town builder; you’ll build and repair things around town, gathering resources for each job as you go. You can also build friendships with the villagers—and, of course, decorate your own living space as much as you like. The game’s sequel, My Time at Sandrock , has similar mechanics, and both games stand out because they’re set in a post-apocalyptic world!
    • Platforms: PC, Mac, Switch, PS4, Xbox One, Android, iOS
    • Developer: Pathea Games
    • Year released: 2019
    • Similarities to Animal Crossing : Town development, home decoration, and relationship development with NPCs
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8

Disney Dreamlight Valley

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  1. Calling all Disney fans! If you need a specific draw (like familiar, beloved characters) to get you into a new Animal Crossing -like game, Disney Dreamlight Valley might do the trick. You’ll make your own character and explore the entirety of Dreamlight Valley, building up a town as you go—but your villagers are Disney characters, from Mickey Mouse to Mulan, Belle, Peter Pan, and beyond.
    • Platforms: PC, Switch, Xbox One/Series X/S
    • Developer: Gameloft
    • Year released: 2022
    • Similarities to Animal Crossing : Town development, relationship development with NPCs, and home decoration
9

Fae Farm

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  1. In Fae Farm , you’ll get to cultivate your farm and care for adorable magical creatures as you settle in the world of Azoria. But farming isn’t the only thing to do: your character can also explore the Fae Realm and find a way to restore it, uniting humans and magical creatures (including fairies and dragons) once more. Along the way, you can explore, decorate your house, brew potions, and romance the other villagers. [3]
    • Platforms: PC, Switch, PS4/5, Xbox One/ Series X/S
    • Developer: Phoenix Labs
    • Year released: 2023
    • Similarities to Animal Crossing : Home decoration and customization, relationship development with NPCs, and co-op
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10

Sun Haven

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  1. Sun Haven is a solid example of a farming sim combined with an RPG, mixing farming, crafting, and building mechanics with magic-based combat and skills. In the game, you’re responsible for protecting and developing the town of Sun Haven—but you can also visit other cities on your quests to gather resources and loot. While playing through this quest-driven narrative, you can also meet characters to romance!
    • Platforms: PC and Switch
    • Developer: Pixel Sprout Studios
    • Year released: 2023
    • Similarities to Animal Crossing : Town development, seasonal events, and relationship development with NPCs
11

Cult of the Lamb

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  1. Cult of the Lamb is definitely bloodier than your average town management sim, but the concept is too unique not to mention. In the game, you play the herald of a deity (“The One Who Waits”) tasked with forming a cult and building up a town to house all the followers. The game also features roguelite-style combat and ritual sacrifices—because, naturally, you can sacrifice cult followers for a power boost.
    • Platforms: PC, Switch, PS4/5, Xbox One/Series X/S
    • Developer: Massive Monster
    • Year released: 2022
    • Similarities to Animal Crossing : Town development and co-op
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12

Fields of Mistria

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  1. Fields of Mistria is a pixelated, retro-style farming sim that’s still in early access, but well worth playing nonetheless. It combines classic farming sim mechanics (cultivating crops, crafting, and decorating your farm) with RPG elements—including combat, exploration, story-driven quests, and romance with a colorful cast of NPCs. While not all features are implemented yet (due to early access), Fields of Mistria has plenty of Animal Crossing vibes already. [4]
    • Platforms: PC (Steam)
    • Developer: NPC Studio
    • Year released: 2024 (Early access)
    • Similarities to Animal Crossing : Fishing, foraging, catching, museum collecting, and relationship development with NPCs
13

Cuisineer

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  1. At its heart, Cuisineer is a restaurant management game—but it blends those mechanics with adventure, action, and dungeon crawling! In the game, you’ll play as Pom: an adventurer determined to revive her family’s restaurant. To do this, Pom goes out herself to retrieve ingredients and harvest resources; along the way, she also has to fight monsters, create recipes, and build decorations for the restaurant itself.
    • Platforms: PC, Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PS5
    • Developer: Battlebrew Productions
    • Year released: 2023
    • Similarities to Animal Crossing : Town development and animal NPCs
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14

Wanderstop

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  1. Wanderstop takes the “cozy” genre and turns it up a notch (or ten). This game puts extra emphasis on doing things at your own pace; it’s a life sim about tea-making and burnout, which is why you’re encouraged to really relax and do things when you can, rather than when you have to. You can also brew tea for the people passing through, grow herbal ingredients, and complete daily chores to keep your shop running.
    • Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X/S, PS5
    • Developer: Ivy Road
    • Year released:
    • Similarities to Animal Crossing : Friendly NPCs and daily tasks
15

Wylde Flowers

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  1. Do you have a magical, witchy side? Then Wylde Flowers might be your ideal new farming sim. Not only will you build a farm in a beautiful coastal town and make friends with the locals, but you’ll also get to learn magic spells as you discover the coven of witches living in town! You’ll play as Tara Wylde, a young woman taking over her grandmother’s farm (and with secret occult ties herself). [5]
    • Platforms: PC, Mac, Switch
    • Developer: Studio Drydock
    • Year released:
    • Similarities to Animal Crossing : Home decoration and relationship development with NPCs
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16

Dinkum

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  1. Dinkum takes the Animal Crossing concept and places it in a colorful, intriguing setting: the Outback of Australia! In Dinkum , you’ll be building a town from the ground up; that means accruing money, completing quests, and attracting residents so you can unlock new buildings (including a museum). Of course, it’s still the Outback—so keep an eye out for hungry crocodiles as you go!
    • Platforms: PC
    • Developer: James Bendon
    • Year released: 2022
    • Similarities to Animal Crossing : Town development, customization, co-op, seasonal events, and fishing
17

Grow: Song of the Evertree

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  1. Grow is the story of a civilization reborn, and the beauty of nature when nurtured! In this cozy RPG, it’s your job to heal the Evertree and rebuild a town around the tree—while also planting new flora, caring for the local fauna, and even terraforming whole biomes. Residents have unique wishlists for you to fulfill, and you can add shops, decorations, and homesteads as you cultivate your town.
    • Platforms: PC, Switch, Xbox One, PS4
    • Developer: Prideful Sloth
    • Year released: 2021
    • Similarities to Animal Crossing : Town development, customization, and growing plants
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18

Littlewood

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  1. Ever wondered what it’d be like to settle down as a hero in the aftermath of saving the world? Well, now you can find out! Littlewood is a town-building RPG in which you play the Hero: an amnesiac who must rebuild their hometown after the defeated Big Bad destroyed it. You can design the village’s entire layout, make friends with the villagers, farm, collect bugs and fish, and generally just chill out as you play.
    • Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux, Switch
    • Developer: Sean Young
    • Year released: 2019
    • Similarities to Animal Crossing : Town development, home decoration, customization, fishing, catching, and relationship development with NPCs
19

Roots of Pacha

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  1. This cozy, community-based farming and life simulator is set in the Stone Age—the earliest and longest period of human history. In these ancient times, you’ll be charged with cultivating an early civilization, growing crops, caring for animals, and exploring a system of caves with many a hidden wonder. At its core, Roots of Pacha is all about working for the good of your tribe (and, of course, decorating a beautiful home for your tribe, too). [6]
    • Platforms: PC, Mac, Switch, Xbox One/Series X/S, PS4/5
    • Developer: Soda Den
    • Year released: 2023
    • Similarities to Animal Crossing : Farming, town development, and cozy/no combat environments
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20

Spiritfarer

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  1. Spiritfarer is perfect for any Animal Crossing fan with an affinity for the supernatural! You play as a spiritfarer, Stella, whose job is to ferry deceased spirits to the afterlife. You’ll fulfill their final requests as you explore a vast ocean, acquire resources (including crops and mineral ore), and decorate your home base—a ship used to bring the spirits in your care to the Everdoor. It doesn’t hurt that Spiritfarer is also a lovely, moving story, exploring themes of grief, loss, and love.
    • Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux, Switch, Xbox One, PS4
    • Developer: Thunder Lotus
    • Year released: 2020
    • Similarities to Animal Crossing : Home decoration and management, fishing, and animal NPCs

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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.stardewvalley.net/
      2. ↑ https://blog.stairwaygames.com/coral-island
      3. ↑ https://faefarm.com/en-us/
      4. ↑ https://www.fieldsofmistria.com/
      5. ↑ https://wyldeflowersgame.com/
      6. ↑ https://rootsofpacha.com/

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