The best games like Stardew Valley in 2025

So, you've picked your way through Pelican Town, married all the villagers, and planted every crop? Sounds like you need to move on to more of the best games like Stardew Valley to fill the void. These titles include plenty of farming, fishing, mining, combat, and relationship-building mechanics - some with multiple in each, or focusing on just one or two aspects.

If you particularly like one aspect of Stardew, say, the slimes, the mining, or JojaMart, there are some more specific recommendations here for you, too. Plus, you can play all of these on handheld devices, so you can take your farms on the go.

The best games like Stardew Valley on handhelds are:

1. Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar

The Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons franchises have plenty of excellent games where you can farm and corral animals all day long, but the remake of Grand Bazaar brings everything up to scratch and adds newfangled things like double jumps, the ability to water and pick up multiple crops at once, and windmills that allow for faster production on windy days.

In my glowing Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar review, I give the game a 9/10 on Switch 2. It "looks really lovely and has plenty to do to allow for hours and hours of play," including all the activities that go along with setting up a stall to wow your fellow citizens with eggs, teas, and gems aplenty.

During the week, you can plant and tend to crops, feed your animals, and spend your time leisurely strolling about the town. Whether you're cracking open rocks in the mountains, catching some fish in the stream, or giving thoughtful gifts to your neighbors, there's always something to do. Then, on Saturday, it's market day, meaning it's time to pack your tables with items and sell, sell, sell! As the seasons change, your stock does too, but eager customers will keep on buying. Then what do you do with the money? Buy more round cows, expand your farm, and keep going, of course. All of this goes to prove that this is perhaps the best Story of Seasons game I've ever played, and it's a really lovely game overall.

Check prices: Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Steam Deck, and Windows handhelds

2. Fields of Mistria

Most cozy, farmy gamers will know of Fields of Mistria by now - it's very similar to Stardew Valley on most fronts, except with a different color palette and a less modern setting. This is one of the true rivals ConcernedApe has in terms of pixel art farming games.

Why? Well. Everything from the art style to the soundtrack to the character designs is truly wonderful. It has a slight retro vibe, with simple controls and a classic to-do list of looking after your farm, building it up, and making some money to upgrade not only your house, but the town's amenities.

Like Stardew, Fields of Mistria has a large cast of romanceable characters who have distinct personalities and events where you can interact with them. Will you choose the mysterious merchant? The grumpy blacksmith? The sultry sorceress, or perhaps the adorable Celine, your first friend in the town? We're waiting for Fields of Mistria to come to Nintendo Switch so we can start a new save with a new romance option, but it is Steam Deck verified if you want to take it on the go.

Check prices: Steam Deck and Windows handhelds

3. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is another pillar of cozy gaming, with everything you could ask for in a relaxing, low-stakes game. The entire Animal Crossing series is excellent, but New Horizons added more to the series we know and love.

If you want a deeper look at the game, check out our Animal Crossing: New Horizons review, where Dave Irwin sums up the game as a perfect way to "escape and relax from life's pressures". Unlike Stardew's 20-minute day length, New Horizons lets you spend literal hours planting flowers and moving around furniture to decorate your island, thanks to the real-time clock. Lazily sow some carrot and potato seeds, and when they're grown, cook 'em up into a stew and gift it to your fellow island inhabitants.

Your island is yours to decorate and build as you please, and you can pick which villagers move in.  Imagine it: you make Pelican Island and invite animals that remind you of Stardew Valley characters - perhaps Lucky for Sebastian, and Bam for Sam? Just one idea to get you going.

Check prices: Nintendo Switch

4. Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma

The Rune Factory series is much-loved, and for good reason. The latest addition, Guardians of Azuma, is a spin-off from the main titles that shakes up the series a little by expanding your reach to four different towns, instead of just your farm.

The game is "a great time filled with farming, decorating, and forming friendships", as I note in my Guardians of Azuma review. I gave it a very favorable rating and absolutely loved my time playing it. You start off slow, with but a handful of seeds to plant, but soon you have buildings to look after and a band of villagers helping keep everything shipshape. While they tend the fields, you can head out on adventures where enemies and spoils await. You gain different spells that allow you to use skills like watering multiple crops or gliding. Then, when you're full of materials, you can come back and craft plenty of furniture to expand your villages a little more.

Outside of building and combat, there's a robust social system where you can befriend and romance characters, and give gifts to them all. You can even take some of them outside the village to fight alongside you, which gives you a very helpful edge in battle. Regardless of the amount of combat you indulge in, the trappings of a wonderful farm game remain intact.

Check prices: Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and Steam Deck, and Windows handhelds

5. Discounty

Are you one of those people who likes JojaMart, agrees they have good prices, and provides a valuable service to Pelican Town? Then you may like Discounty. As the name suggests, you run a discount store, and the people living in town have different attitudes towards you for it.

It has a very gripping gameplay loop where you stock, sell, socialize, and repeat. Sure, some customers might not take kindly and give you some negative feedback, but you just know they'll be back for a bag of oats tomorrow.

This is a shopkeeping sim at heart - you're going to be forging trade deals and upgrading your mini market constantly, and there's not too much outside of that apart from talking to the townsfolk and making friends (or enemies). If you enjoy living the life of a humble store clerk, this excellent indie game is for you.

Check prices: Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck, and Windows Handhelds

6. Hello Kitty Island Adventure

Hello Kitty Island Adventure is a cozy life sim that's ideal for fans of Stardew Valley who want something a bit softer and much more whimsical. Instead of a farm, you arrive on a tropical island that's seen better days, and it's up to you and Hello Kitty's friends to restore it.

The main pull of this adorable sim is the Sanrio characters, which Daz says makes it "worth the subscription price of Apple Arcade" in their Hello Kitty Island Adventure review. As a big Pompompurin fan myself, I have to agree. Other iconic characters like Kuromi, My Melody, and Keroppi are there, too, waiting to make your acquaintance.

There's also some farming to be done, but it's not as extensive as the ol' Valley. Hello Kitty's Island Adventure is about building relationships, completing daily tasks, and slowly bringing life back to a place that was forgotten. It leans more into exploration and decorating, with a heavier focus on charm and chill vibes. There's no combat, no stress, just relaxing tasks, cute aesthetics, and wholesome progression. It's a warm hug of a game, ideal for anyone looking for joy and gentle gameplay.

Check prices: iOS, Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows handhelds

7. Slime Rancher: Plortable Edition

Remember the Slime Hutch in Stardew Valley? If you love spending time in there, corralling squidgy little guys, this one is for you. Slime Rancher is all about collecting slimes and setting up your own slime ranch out in Far, Far Range.

It's a different gameplay experience overall, with Slime Ranger opting for the first-person perspective and a very different art style, but the fundamentals are very similar to Stardew's creature farming side. Whether you're growing crops to feed your adorable but greedy little slimes, exploring a vast world, completing research, or foraging for items, there's always something to keep you busy in this vibrant, virtual world.

To get you off on your adorably squidgy adventure, check out our Slime Rancher slimes guide. You can play Slime Rancher on Steam Deck and Windows handhelds, or the aptly named Plortable Edition on Nintendo Switch. There's also Slime Rancher 2 coming to Switch soon, if one game isn't enough.

Check prices: Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows handhelds

8. Moonlighter

If you really like the mining and fighting side of Stardew, then Moonlighter is for you. Spend your nights trawling through dungeon after dungeon, collecting materials and beating enemies, then open your shop by day. There's no farming or romance here, but that's not the end of the world.

This little gem offers a hypnotic gameplay cycle of getting stuff, selling stuff, upgrading stuff, and repeating. Read our Moonlighter review from Sean Martin to discover why we liked it so much, as "a brilliant combo of homely shop-keeping and dungeon-crawling".

Most retail workers can sympathize with the protagonist of this indie. While grinding away at the till can be all fine and dandy, sometimes you need to let off steam. Unlike real life, you can do this while you're in the mines of Moonlighter. Because of the bosses hiding in the underground, you could say this is the only remotely hard game on this list. Just remember to dodge and try to stay alive.

Check prices: Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS, Steam Deck, and Windows handhelds

9. Terraria

Terraria has been around for a while now, but it definitely holds up if you fancy a sandbox turned survival experience. This side-scrolling, pixelated classic has plenty of dungeons to explore, bosses to beat, and heaps of customization and transformable terrain, allowing you to build the house (or village) of your dreams and populate it with friends and treasures.

You can play with other Terrarians, too, and build a truly sprawling metropolis - or just go fishing side by side. More exciting than all of that, there are a couple of Stardew Valley easter eggs inside the game world, which you might be able to spot for yourself if you put in the hours.

The sandbox game can be a little daunting, as you start off with nothing and have to pick a direction to go in. We do suggest making some Terraria armor first, so you don't perish immediately, but the world is your oyster. Introduce yourself to the Terrarira NPCs, build a house, maybe build another house, go fishing - you can start anywhere and do anything.

Check prices: Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS, Steam Deck, and Windows handhelds

10. Disney Dreamlight Valley

Imagine Stardew Valley, but with a different art style and packed with your favorite Disney characters. That's Disney Dreamlight Valley. It brings classic cartoons into a cozy world that's yours to build, farm, and fish in all day long.

As our Disney Dreamlight Valley review by Kayleigh Partleton says, the game is "something that Disney and life sim fans alike can enjoy". The game is positively packed with wholesome things to do. Forge friendships with Goofy, Merida, Wall-E, and more, then take them foraging or shopping.

There is a bit of a dark side, with a few villains also finding their way to Dreamlight Valley. You can safely keep farming with them around, though. Heck, you can even have Ursula follow you around as you forage through the town. Put simply, there's no shortage of things to do here, with an ever-expanding roster of DLC and updates.

Check prices: iOS, Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows handhelds

11. Bloomtown: A Different Story

Bloomtown: A Different Story is much like Stardew Valley in the way that you find yourself in a small town with little to do but plant some crops, make friends with the locals, and appease your Grandpa (though he's alive here, and not in spirit form).

This is one for those who wanted more combat in Stardew Valley, and a little less time spent on the farm. Pocket Tactics' own Connor Christie gave the game an 8/10 in his Bloomtown: A Different Story review, for the "great core group of characters, fantastic visuals, and engaging turn-based combat" among other exciting aspects.

However, this game has a pretty big twist. On one of your first nights at Grandpa's, you wake up in Lucifer's chamber and sign a deal with the devil. Nothing like a little bit of hellishness to spice things up! Once the deal is signed, the other half of this experience opens up, with RPG battles, dungeon exploration, and some pretty dark subject material.

Check prices: Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows handhelds

12. Animal Crossing Pocket Camp Complete

While not quite as complex as New Horizons, Animal Crossing Pocket Camp Complete is a great way to get your Stardew-y, Animal Crossing-y fix on the go, with plenty of activities to busy yourself with and a bunch of friendly faces for anyone familiar with the Animal Crossing series. Sadly, that does include Tom Nook.

While Nintendo stopped live support for the original game in late 2024, the complete edition offers a bunch of content for a one-time payment. If you need more K.K. Slider in your life, I can't recommend this game enough - as I said in my Pocket Camp Complete review, it's a "much better experience and feels more Animal Crossing-y and wholesome".

You get the opportunity to build up your campsite and customize your camper, but with more stripped-down mechanics that allow you to soak up the fun in small, idle, bite-sized chunks. We do recommend this as a fishing game, too, as there are frequent events requiring you to catch some fresh critters.

Check prices: iOS and Android

13. Graveyard Keeper

Spooky, scary skeletons make everything more fun. Heralding itself as 'the most inaccurate medieval cemetery management sim of all time' (I'm sure there was plenty of competition in that market), this one takes the Stardew Valley vibes down to the grave, as you build and maintain your own graveyard.

Cut costs by any means necessary, and use any resources you can find, doing everything you can to make your business succeed - this is a game about the spirit of capitalism, after all. Oh, I forgot to mention, it's also about love. And dungeon crawling. And ethical dilemmas. And organ farming. Let's just say it's kind of dark, tongue-in-skull humor.

I recommend this to the more macabre among you - while it is a management sim with plenty of cyclical behaviors, it does also have literal corpses in it that you have to transport. So, bear that in mind if you're not a huge fan of dead things.

Check prices: Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, Steam Deck, and Windows handhelds

14. Coral Island

Coral Island is like a mix of Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley, with the graphics of Disney Dreamlight Valley sprinkled in. Anything you want from a wholesome life sim, Coral Island has it.

Similar to Pelican Town, Coral Island is under threat from an evil company that spells no good for the island. However, you can avoid this by living a rural life in quiet peace. Starting with an overgrown patch of land, you can build up a blooming farm with animals and crops, then head out to see what else is on offer, heading into the mines for a while or fishing in different locations.

The best part of Coral Island is the social side. There's a large, loveable cast of very well-designed NPCs (including merfolk!), who all take part in seasonal and community events on the island, and are mostly available for you to woo. While the game isn't on Nintendo Switch or Switch 2 just yet, it is a great Steam Deck game. You can also play it on mobile devices via Xbox Game Pass, too.

Check prices: Steam Deck and Windows handhelds

15. Ritual of Raven

There are farming games coming out left, right, and center, but Ritual of Raven takes the concept and shakes it up just a bit. Instead of pulling parsnips by hand, here you can use Arcana Constructs. Ooh, fancy!

Ritual of Raven comes from Spellgarden Games, the same team behind the adorable Sticky Business. In our Ritual of Raven review from Daz Skubich - which I recommend you read in full - they point out that the studio "excels at making beautiful indie titles with bright and memorable color palettes", which is clear from the get-go.

The game starts with you falling out of a portal into the pixely, brightly colored world. Congrats, you're now an apprentice to a witch, equipped with a raven familiar - hence the name, I suppose. Then you're off, learning how to build up a farm while doing some foraging and fishing, too.

Check prices: Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows handhelds

16. Roots of Pacha

Is modern life getting you down? Me too, to be honest. How about hopping into Roots of Pacha? It's a farming sim set in the Stone Age, where you engage with primitive technology to keep your crops going.

You can formulate 'ideas', which then allow you to create new items to help out around the village and farm. Plus, you can keep a load of creatures, including prehistoric hogs, goats, and horses - your eager character can even tame mammoths! Truly, there are hours and hours of content in Roots of Pacha. Mining for stone, befriending locals, and learning how to live in an ancient society.

Once you're settled, you can, of course, find love and wed a partner in a delightful beachy ceremony. Then why not join in some community events like tug of war, snowball fights, and music concerts? Beware, this involves QTEs, which can be tricky like Stardew's own fishing mechanic.

Check prices: Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows handhelds

17. Spirittea

Spirittea's similarities with Stardew Valley lie in the pixel art style and the management aspects. You run a bathhouse in a rural town, where something spooky is going on. In amongst the small-town goings on, there are spirits all around that wish to make your acquaintance. That's where the bathhouse comes in - keep them happy and safe, and your business will boom.

As Pocket Tactic's own cozy games expert Tilly Lawton writes in her Spirittea review, the game is a blend of "Stardew Valley and Studio Ghibli". Part business sim, part RPG, and part ghost-wrangler, scoring it a stunning 9/10.

Outside of your business hours, you can explore the area and go fishing for a while, visit some stores, and even take part in a karaoke mini-game. Some of these activities can be done with the villagers, too, giving you the chance to build up friendships.

Check prices: Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows handhelds

18. Minecraft

Last but absolutely not least, I recommend Minecraft. Now, this game can be anything you want it to be - so why not something like Stardew Valley? Though there isn't much in the way of interaction with NPCs (the villagers are quite quiet), there's plenty to do here.

In Minecraft, you can create a sprawling farm with plenty of crops using the base game's natural offerings and free DLC packs. You can find and breed cows, sheep, chickens, pigs, llamas, and horses. Though, unlike Stardew, you can even use them for food. That's one thing ConcernedApe didn't add. Outside of farming, there's the mining aspect. As the name suggests, it's what you're going to be doing most of the time (if you want). Head into the underground and slay enemies, mine some ore, dig out a whole new cave system, or simply grab some coal and skedaddle back to safety. The choice is yours.

You can also become a full-time builder, if you like. We've got some inspiration for you in our Minecraft builds guide, showing off people's stunning creativity. We also recommend you find a village and do some Minecraft trading to earn some gems and shift some stock.

Check prices: Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS, and Windows handhelds

New games like Stardew Valley

While our list includes the best games out there right now, you can expect plenty of upcoming Switch games that fit the vibe, too. For starters, there's Haunted Chocolatier and Witchbrook on the horizon, both with delightful pixel-based art styles and promising premises. Floatopia is another option we've got our eye on for the future, too.

If you have another favorite to suggest or wholeheartedly disagree with any particular choice, you can join the Pocket Tactics Discord server to talk to us about it. Or, if you want some other things to play, check out our picks for the best Switch games and best mobile games out there.