Stardew Valley was originally released in 2016 and quickly encapsulated audiences with its Harvest Moon-inspired farming simulation and simple yet enjoyable role-playing mechanics. The game came to Nintendo Switch in 2017, a year after its initial release, giving a new set of players the chance to lose themselves in the indie game's engrossing world.
Many players have put hundreds of hours of playtime into Stardew Valley but might be looking for something new. Thankfully, there are many other fantastic Switch games like Stardew Valley that can stretch the same itch as the role-playing game.
Updated on May 11th, 2023, by Jack Pursey:When people think of real-world activities/jobs that are best suited to gaming, farming usually doesn't spring to mind. However, the farming genre has held an important place in the gaming industry for many years now, with the laid-back, relaxing nature of the genre appealing to those who want to take a break from shooters and souls-likes and just get lost in another world that won't cause them too much trouble or hassle. The Nintendo Switch has become the unofficial home of farming and life simulation games, mainly due to its handheld capabilities that are well-suited to the genre. To give players a few more ideas for games like Stardew Valley to play next, this list has been updated to include some more information and new entries.
15 Slime Rancher: Plortable Edition
Slime Rancher is an open-world life simulation and farming game that differentiates itself from Stardew Valley with its first-person perspective. The game was released in early access in 2016, with its full release coming in August 2017. The Switch version arrived a few years later in 2021, under the name Slime Rancher: Plortable Edition.
Slime Rancher puts players in the shoes of Beatrix LeBeau, who has moved to a planet named Far Far Range, where she finds, collects, and raises adorable organisms known as slimes. The PC version of the game scored an impressive 81 on Metacritic, and it was also nominated for Best Debut Indie Game at The Game Awards 2017.
14 Disney Dreamlight Valley
Disney Dreamlight Valley was released in early access in September 2022 on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and, of course, Nintendo Switch. As the name suggests, the game takes place in a Disney-themed world known as Dreamlgiht Valley, which is home to numerous iconic Disney characters who populate several biomes.
The open-ended game lets players explore the magical world at their open pace and offers a wide range of things to do, such as taking on quests, cooking recipes with Remy, and developing friendships with the villagers.
13 Moonlighter
Moonlighter was developed by Digital Sun and released on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in May 2018 before coming to Nintendo Switch a few months later. The game is split into two main mechanics: Store management and combat.
During the daytime, the protagonist, Will, is a shopkeeper. However, Will isn't content with his simple shopkeeper life, so decides to take on a series of dungeons. The main goal of Moonlighter is to earn loot by fighting in dungeons, use this loot to expand Will's shop and gain better equipment, then use this equipment to conquer the dungeons.
When searching for games like Stardew Valley, Moonlighter provides a great alternative for those wanting an emphasis on combat.
12 Garden Story
Over the course of gaming history, there have been many mythical beings and powerful gods as gaming protagonists; Garden Story takes a different approach, however, with its protagonist that is... a grape.
The action-adventure game puts players in control of Concord, a young grape who has been appointed the guardian of the grove. As the guardian, Concord must defend the town from enemies known as Rot while also expanding the town with new buildings, plants, and cosmetic upgrades.
Like Moonlighter, Garden Story is a great option for those looking for games like Stardew Valley that also implement combat.
11 Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town
Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town is a remake of the classic Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town. The original Harvest Moon was released back in 2003 on the GameBoy Advance and quickly become one of the system's most beloved entries for its simple and enjoyable yet in-depth and addictive farm management mechanics.
Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town gives the classic game a wonderful new look, similar to the remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. The game is an excellent choice for those who enjoy the farming elements of Stardew Valley.
10 Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos
Like most games on this list, Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos kicks off with players enjoying life in a quaint, peaceful town. However, as the name suggests, Rogue Heroes is a rouge-lite adventure game that will soon have players tackling procedurally generated dungeons. Like in the aforementioned Moonlighter, players will earn loot in the dungeons that they can spend on upgrades for their town.
Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos' main draw is its well-integrated co-op feature, as up to four players can team up to face the dungeons together.
9 Astroneer
Astroneer was developed by System Era Softworks and is a sandbox adventure game with no overarching objectives or storyline, giving players complete freedom to create their own goals and overall adventure.
The game takes place in a range of open-world, procedurally generated planets that players are free to explore, gather the resources within, and craft a plethora of items. Astroneer received a handful of accolades at the 2019 Webby Awards, including the Webby Award and People’s Voice Award for Adventure.
8 Forager
Forager was developed by HopFrog and first came to PC in April 2019 before hitting Nintendo Switch just over three months later. The game differentiates itself from most crafting games with the extremely high rate at that resources respawn, allowing players to swiftly progress through technological advancements.
The open-world game was fairly well-received by critics, exemplified by its 78 Metascore on both Nintendo Switch and PC.
7 Farming Simulator: Nintendo Switch Edition
For anyone wanting to play a more true-to-life farm management game, the aptly named Farming Simulator: Nintendo Switch Edition is an ideal option. The Farming Simulator series is similar to Euro Truck Simulator, Train Sim World, and Forklift Simulator in the sense that it takes a perceived mundane job and turns it into an addictive, engrossing gaming experience.
Like with Stardew Valley, much of Farming Simulator: Nintendo Switch Edition's charm comes from watching hard work pay off with a flourishing, profitable farm.
6 Minecraft
Realistically, if someone has played and enjoyed Stradew Valley, they likely will have tried the iconic Minecraft at one point or another. Still, it's worth including, as anyone who hasn't tried it yet might be about to play the perfect replacement for ConcernedApe's RPG.
Minecraft was originally released in 2011 and engrossed players by offering one of the purest open-world and sandbox experiences released up until that point, with players having complete freedom to build their own world and craft their own story.
5 Terraria
Terraria was released just a few months before Minecraft and has numerous similarities with its open-world, sandbox mechanics, and procedurally generated worlds. Despite its similarities, Terraria hasn't come close to the eye-watering sales figures of Minecraft, likely due to its 2D perspective, which often doesn't have the same mainstream appeal as 3D for modern audiences.
Although Terreria has always had to live in the shadow of Minecraft commercially, it has sold an incredible 35 million units and is still adored by many gamers today.
4 Farm Together
Farm Together was developed by Milkstone Studios and was released on Nintendo Switch in February 2019. Like many farming games, Farm Together begins with the player being given a vacant plot of land that they are tasked with transforming into a thriving farm. Farm Together lives up to its name by letting players invite people to their farm who can either just enjoy the scenery or help with ongoing work.
The game doesn't just involve farming, as players can take a break to enjoy hobbies such as painting and cooking.
3 Animal Crossing: New Horizons
When thinking of games that one can relax with and enjoy growing something over time, few series' come to mind faster than Animal Crossing. The franchise originated in 2001 with a game simply titled Animal Crossing and has had another four main series releases since, which have all been highlights of the social simulator and life simulator genres.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons doesn't try to reinvent the wheel, keeping intact the core building, social, and management mechanics that players have always loved about the iconic franchise.
2 Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles
Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles is essentially what would happen if Stradew Valley was put in a blender with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The game begins with the player traveling on a boat, which is soon obliterated by a bolt of lightning, bringing the player to a mysterious island. The island is plagued by an evil substance known as Murk, which players must eliminate by finding sprites. Although this is the primary goal, the player is free to traverse the island at their leisure while partaking in activities such as farming and fishing.
The game doesn't match the quality of the aforementioned Stardew Valley or Breath of the Wild, though it's still a fantastic, loveable game that will appeal to Stardew fans.
1 My Time At Portia
Although the vibrant visuals and flourishing nature may suggest otherwise, My Time At Portia actually takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, many years after civilization was destroyed. Humans have since begun to rebuild society, a tall order that the player is tasked with continuing.
The game's crafting mechanics are similar to other games in the genre, but My Time At Portia stands out by featuring numerous dungeons that are filled with enemies for players to kill. The game was relatively well-received by critics, scoring between 71 and 75 on Metacritic.
Stardew Valley is out now for Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PC, PlayStation Vita, and Xbox One.