The success of Animal Crossing: New Horizons during the pandemic lockdowns have helped propel the popularity of Animal Crossing to even greater heights. Much of Animal Crossing's success comes from the relaxing nature of the games as players slowly work towards their goals through customizing their towns, interacting with villagers, and collecting things for their museums.
Over the years, more and more casual games like Animal Crossing have begun to gain popularity. With the leisurely pace and steady sense of accomplishment, Animal Crossing has influenced and inspired countless games. Animal Crossing: New Horizons fans have had plenty of time to work on their towns and some might have even begun running out of goals. With that in mind, here are some similar games that Animal Crossing fans should check out.
Stardew Valley
Perhaps the most obvious choice for Animal Crossing fans would be the indie farming simulator, Stardew Valley. While Animal Crossing is focused on developing a town, Stardew Valley has players develop and maintain a farm. There are plenty of activities to do in Stardew Valley from farming, fishing, romance, and even some light dungeon-crawling.
The main difference between the games is that Stardew Valley has an in-game clock as opposed to a real-world clock which means that players will typically have more to do during longer playing sessions. Stardew Valley also has more structure in its narrative and character backstories which is more uncommon in Animal Crossing games. Animal Crossing fans should not miss Stardew Valley if the farming simulation elements and change of pace sound appealing.
Rune Factory 4
Many social simulation games inspired by Animal Crossing rarely utilize a combat system because it detracts from the casual atmosphere. However, Rune Factory 4 manages to strike the perfect balance between the traditional social simulation mechanics with JRPG influences of combat and exploration.
Beyond the typical farming, bonding, and marriage elements, Rune Factory 4 also features an in-depth combat system and a full storyline. Crafting is also an important aspect of the game as it gives players different advantages when they go dungeon exploring. Although Rune Factory 4 might not be the best choice for Animal Crossing fans that enjoy the tranquil pace, it's perfect for fans looking for combat or more complex crafting.
Fantasy Life
Fantasy Life was one of the most underrated games on the Nintendo 3DS and it struck the perfect balance between RPG and social simulation mechanics. Much like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Fantasy Life is centered around customization and achieving various goals but it also emphasizes a class mechanic called "Life."
Players can choose from 12 different lives that encompass combat, gathering, or crafting. Ranking up in these classes will grant players levels, different abilities, and more items to craft. Although there are options for players to customize and decorate their homes, the main focus is on the RPG side of things. Animal Crossing fans looking for a deeper crafting system but don't mind a little combat will find plenty to enjoy in Fantasy Life.
Slime Rancher
Although Slime Rancher focuses more on exploring the world than Animal Crossing, they're quite similar in their relaxing pace. Like other simulation games, Slime Rancher features farming, collecting, and managing different slimes on a ranch. There's plenty of different goals for players to set out and accomplish while slowly improving their ranch over time.
Players can encounter hostile slimes while exploring but combat is fairly minimal and can even be turned off in Casual Mode. Offering a sandbox experience, Slime Rancher has players collect colorful slimes, grow different crops, harvest resources, and explore the wilds outside of their ranch. Animal Crossing fans looking for more collection mechanics while retaining the same pace of gameplay should try Slime Rancher.
Story of Seasons
Story of Seasons, formerly known as Harvest Moon, is a farming simulation series that has players rebuild a run-down farm and transform it into a successful one. Although there are numerous entries in the franchise, they all share similar gameplay mechanics to one another and are a perfect fit for Animal Crossing fans looking for similar games.
Much like other farming simulators, Story of Seasons has players tend to crops and livestock, befriend local villagers, and eventually marry to start a family. Like Animal Crossing, players slowly develop bonds with fellow townsfolk by talking to them and giving them gifts. Story of Seasons is a little more limited in customization than Animal Crossing as it emphasizes life on a farm but it nonetheless provides a similar style of pace and gameplay that fans will enjoy.
Dragon Quest Builders 2
Dragon Quest Builders 2 is a little different from Animal Crossing in that it's more of a sandbox than social simulator but it offers a similar style of gameplay and mechanics. Dragon Quest Builders 2 allows players to create bases, talk to villagers, and craft items while also featuring an ARPG style of combat. As expected from its RPG influences, Dragon Quest Builders 2 also features a story mode with clear objectives and goals.
Dragon Quest Builders 2 doesn't feature the traditional villager bonding and customizable furniture that Animal Crossing games are known for which can be off-putting for some fans. However, for Animal Crossing fans that enjoy sandbox features and a more open-ended style of gameplay, Dragon Quest Builders 2 offers hours upon hours of fun. There's also a solid multiplayer system in place for friends to build together.
Littlewood
Littlewood is an indie life simulator that focuses on rebuilding a town and exploring a brand new world. The game has a unique premise where the world is finally at peace after the Dark Wizard has already been defeated. Players are tasked with rebuilding a town by bringing in villagers, gathering and crafting materials, and exploring the vast world around them.
Much like Animal Crossing, there's plenty of customization options in Littlewood to create the perfect town and there are even similar mechanics like terraforming. Players can interact with villagers and fulfill their requests in order to unlock different relationship paths. Littlewood also has an extensive crafting and hobby system featuring activities such as fishing, mining, farming, cooking, crafting, merchanting, and more. The pace of the game is also much more relaxed than games like Stardew Valley as day progression depends on how much energy is expended rather than time.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available now on Nintendo Switch.