When I first started playing Stardew Valley I was blown away by how unique it was as an RPG. With a mix of farming, dungeon crawling, fishing, mining, and relationship building, there’s really nothing else like it. Which is a rather unfortunate fact for anyone looking for games similar to Stardew Valley.

Although the developer ConcernedApe has officially announced Haunted Chocolatier, the follow up title to Stardew Valley, it’s going to be a long time until we see that game come to fruition. However, if you’re desperate for more games like Stardew Valley to play right now, we have found a few gems that can potentially fill that void.

Moonlighter

Developer: Digital Sun
Metacritic: 83%

If one of your favorite things about Stardew Valley was the mix of RPG adventure and management, then Moonlighter is a great indie game to play next.

By day you work as a shopkeeper who deals with customers, restocking, and general managerial duties. By night, however, you transition into a full-on warrior that goes dungeon crawling to scavenge wares for your shop. With a great overarching story mixed with a nice gameplay loop, it’s very similar to Stardew Valley in a lot of ways.

Moonlighter is available for Nintendo Switch, PS4, PC, and even mobile devices. If you’re looking to play it on the Switch, you can pick it up at the Nintendo eShop for $25.

Spiritfarer

Developer: Thunder Lotus Games
Metacritic: 81%
IGN: 9/10

Spiritfarer is one part farming, one part adventure, and five parts an emotional experience. You play as Stella, a newly appointed ferrymaster to the deceased as you sale the seas. It’s a calming management game about dying and learning to say goodbye to your cherished friends.

What makes this game so similar to Stardew Valley is that there’s no rush. You just travel around, collecting passengers and building yourself a beautiful boat. Each character has their own unique backstory, regrets, and loving memories to share with you as they help them pass on beyond the veil. Outside of the story itself, you get to fish, farm, and build to your heart’s content as your progress throughout the game.

You can get a copy of Spiritfarer for pretty much every console. It’s one of the best indie games on the Switch, so we suggest you play it on the Nintendo console if you have it.

Cozy Grove

Developer: Spry Fox
Metacritic: 72%
Steam: 9/10

If you’re looking for a game similar to Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing that features a unique art style and a great story, Cozy Grove is an excellent choice.

Cozy Grove has all of the elements you’d expect from the genre: Cooking, fishing, making friends, and tending to animals. You play as a Spirit Scout who goes camping on a haunted Island with the intent of aiding ghost bears. With great writing and hand-drawn animation, it’s a must-play game for any fans of the genre.

You can get a copy of this game for pretty much every platform, including the Nintendo Switch.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Developer: Nintendo
Metacritic: 90%
IGN: 9/10

Animal Crossing: New Horizons came out at the perfect time in 2020. Right when everyone was hunkering down for the long haul indoors, this adorable little simulation game arrived and stole our hearts.

If you’ve played an Animal Crossing game before, this one is very similar. You travel to an deserted island and slowly work for a tanuki named Tom Nook who asks you to completely renovate the island. It’s a relaxing game in which you catch bugs and fish, plant flowers, and build yourself a wonderful little island town with the resources you gather. If you have Nintendo Switch Online, you can also visit the islands of friends or complete strangers.

As a Nintendo Switch exclusive, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is only available for the Switch. With the recent 2.0 update, there is whole host of new features that make it fun again for existing players as well. We’ve also found more games like Animal Crossing if you’re looking for something similar.

My Time at Portia

Developer: Pathea
Metacritic: 71%
IGN: 8/10

One of the best parts about Stardew Valley is the community you get to interact with. My Time at Portia is very much in that same boat in that it’s all about becoming part of the Portia community.

The gameplay is a bit of a cross between The Sims and Stardew Valley. Not only do you interact with the community and make friends, you also spend your time farming and crafting things in your workshop. It’s a relaxing 3D management game that will draw you in and take up too much of your time.

You can pick up a copy of My Time at Portia for pretty much any platform, including Nintendo Switch and iOS. It will cost you between $20 and $30 depending on the console.

The post The Best Games Like Stardew Valley to Play Right Now appeared first on Amusement Muse.