Stardew Valley is no doubt a seminal game, simultaneously paying homage to classic IP like Harvest Moon and pushing the cozy/farming sim genre forward dramatically. As the years go by, Stardew Valley's immense influence on the indie scene becomes increasingly clear, as developers both big and small have taken key lessons from the 2016 cozy classic, sometimes even to the point of questionable imitation.
As it turns out, this August will be a particularly busy month for Stardew Valley-inspired titles, with at least two appropriately cozy farming sims threatening to make a splash. The first is Everdream Village, which is slated for a full release later this year, but has just recently had a free demo added to its Steam page; the demo has gained a modicum of traction, and it may grow in popularity as time goes on. More substantial in the short term is Ritual of Raven, a Team 17-published pixel art life sim whose release date is imminent. Both of these gaming experiences are unique despite their clear parallels to Stardew Valley and other pivotal IPs, and are well worth checking out for fans of the genre.
Everdream Village is the sequel to Everdream Valley, a game that is ostensibly even less shy about its Stardew influence.
Thanks to Everdream Village and Ritual of Raven, Stardew Valley Fans Are Eating Good this August
The Everdream Village Demo Is Out Now
Everdream Village is a quaint 3D life-simulation game with a simplified, charming art style. As is customary for cozy games, the game tasks players with tending to crops, crafting various customizable structures, and nurturing relationships with NPCs. The devil is in the details, as always: even though Everdream is hitting a lot of the same notes as its genre contemporaries, small nuances could make these elements more or less effective than the mean. Beyond the basics, Everdream Village promises a surprisingly robust animal companionship and breeding sandbox, which could inject the game with some much-needed ingenuity.
Ritual of Raven Is Set to Release on August 7
Slightly more experimental and visually striking, but no less representative of cozy convention, is Ritual of Raven. This game's big twist is its mystical, occult narrative framing: players will be faced with the challenge of tending to a farm through magical means, with the ultimate goal of halting a mysterious scourge upon the land. Like Everdream Village, Ritual of Raven is still a traditional cozy life-sim despite its distinct creative touches, with a gameplay loop driven by farming, crafting, resource-gathering, and relationship-building.
Other Cozy Games That Are Similar to Stardew Valley Releasing This Month
There are a surprising number of cozy games launching this month with clear parallels to Stardew Valley. Fans of the genre may be particularly interested in some of the following:
- Magic Inn
- Whimside
- Firefly Village
- Discounty
- Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar
Like Ritual of Raven, Magic Inn is a low-stakes management game with a heavy emphasis on high fantasy elements. It's currently in early access, so purchasing it is something of a dice roll. Whimside and Firefly Village are both defined by their deliberately simple design philosophies: Whimside is an idle creature collector designed to fit at the bottom of a PC screen, while Firefly Village is a self-proclaimed "bite-sized" farming sim that prizes streamlined mechanics.
Whimside launches August 7; Firefly Village launches August 11.
Then there's Discounty, a business-management sim with colorful pixel graphics reminiscent of Stardew Valley's iconic design. This game is all about striking deals, expanding an already-enigmatic business, and interacting with quirky NPCs, offering a nice spin on its genre staples—it releases August 21. And of course, one can't forget about the most high-profile cozy game of the next few weeks: Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar is launching August 27. Grand Bazaar promises to have a particular emphasis on mercantile practices, which will hopefully help it stand apart from many of its predecessors.
- Released
- 2025
- Developer(s)
- Spellgarden Games
- Publisher(s)
- Team17
- Engine
- Unity
WHERE TO PLAY
Ritual of Raven is a cozy, story-based farming sim - but you don’t do the farming yourself! Instead you collect and enchant Arcana Constructs to grow your magical herb garden.
In a world where different traditions of magic live side by side, ambitious plans were made to open portals between worlds, but the ritual went terribly wrong. Those involved each lost something most precious to them and the portals became unstable, randomly spitting out new arrivals into the world.
After falling through one of these mysterious portals yourself, you encounter the local witch Sage, who decides you’re the best person to help her in her quest. Taken under her wing as an apprentice, you’ll be able to help search for her missing Familiar, Flufferstoop.
With your cheeky Familiar Raven by your side, you’ll gather the knowledge and ingredients to perform powerful rituals. Fill your Book of Shadows and find the Portal Keepers to bring stability to the portals that have been causing trouble for the village.
ENCHANTING ARCANA CONSTRUCTS
Did you know, harvesting lavender with your hands completely destroys its magical properties? Fear not, that’s why Arcana Constructs are there to do all your magical gardening for you! Using a mystical deck of cards, you’ll be able to enchant them to plow, sow seeds, water and harvest them for you. Collect all 22 Constructs and create a thriving herb garden.
MEET YOUR NEW NEIGHBORS
Make friends with the quirky community of outcasts and help them grow closer to each other. Get to know their unique backstories and trade with them for valuable ingredients.
MOON... MAGIC
Learn how your harvest changes in each moon phase and use the moons power to charge your crystals. Discover how to command the moon phases to suit your needs at the moon shrine. There’s a lot more to the moon than meets the eye.
DECORATE YOUR WORLD
After finding yourself in a brand-new land, it's important to make it feel as homely as possible. Take a trip to Pistachio’s and get creative with their stock of out-of-this-world furniture to decorate the village and your farm.
COMPLETE YOUR COLLECTIONS
Let your Construct extract and fuse lots of different crystals, fill the library and throw your fishing claw into the portals to pull out artifacts from different worlds!
From the developers who brought you Sticky Business!
- Genre(s)
- Simulation, Farming, RPG, Life Simulation
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC
