Hi everyone! Life is hard right now for many of us, and Animal Crossing is like the videogame version of a calming chamomile tea. However, even the most relaxing tea can get old. What games do you all play to chill out? I already love Stardew Valley and Breath of the Wild, and game on my Switch Lite and MacBook Air.
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Games similar to Animal Crossing?
- Thread starter twisty
- Start date
i tend to find games like lozbotw, smash bros ultimate, age of calamity and mario kart to be relaxing even though they aren't really supposed to be lol
however i recently bought the new indie game, calico, and that's really similar to animal crossing
it's super fun and stress free but lags a bit at times, a lot of people don't like it but i think it's pretty cute and the music is adorable imo ♡
however i recently bought the new indie game, calico, and that's really similar to animal crossing
it's super fun and stress free but lags a bit at times, a lot of people don't like it but i think it's pretty cute and the music is adorable imo ♡
LoyalDragonfly
The biggest, baddest brute around!
The game most similar to Animal Crossing that I like is Harvest Moon: Animal Parade for the Wii. I'm sure other Harvest Moon games are good, too, but that one is my favorite. Fishing in particular is almost identical to Animal Crossing, including seeing the little fish shadows in the water. It's just a lot more annoying in Harvest Moon... but aside from that, it's a really fun game.
scaredlittlebug
Polymorphing insect
It's not on switch but I recommend Slime Rancher. It's more of a first person thing with exploring but you get to collect and mix slimes. One of my favorite games.
harvest moon games are really good, although not exactly in the same vein as animal crossing. rn i have my eye on a lil indie game called Snacko which looks SUPER CUTE and similar to harvest moon and stardew valley except youre a cute cat and theres other cute cats and other animals!!
also not super similar to animal crossing but bugfables is super cute and on switch.
oh oh and sakuna!! Has farming sim aspects and is super duper pretty.
also not super similar to animal crossing but bugfables is super cute and on switch.
oh oh and sakuna!! Has farming sim aspects and is super duper pretty.
TheSillyPuppy
⚔️ Dedicate your heart and set it ablaze 🔥
I second Slime Rancher. Very cute and fun to optimize!
I quite like My Time at Portia. It's not exactly like Animal Crossing but I still find it quite cute and relaxing. The Switch verison has many problems though so I'd suggest the PC version, or at least wait until the Switch version gets the new updates that are in the works. No guarantee that the updates will fix it but one can hope.
You basically inherit a workshop in this little town and help people out by crafting things. There's a little bit of farming and animals but that's not the main focus. You can also befriend the various townsfolk and even marry one of them if you so choose. Same sex relationships are totally in the game too.
It's a cute indie game that I suggest checking out at some point just maybe wait a bit on the Switch version.
You basically inherit a workshop in this little town and help people out by crafting things. There's a little bit of farming and animals but that's not the main focus. You can also befriend the various townsfolk and even marry one of them if you so choose. Same sex relationships are totally in the game too.
It's a cute indie game that I suggest checking out at some point just maybe wait a bit on the Switch version.
Spiritfarer (Switch/PC - available for Mac OS) is more story-driven than Animal Crossing, but it's a beautiful one and has some similarities. You're able to travel to different places, collect items, grow crops, craft things, and build your boat throughout your adventure with different amenities. There`s no combat and it's super chill.
Story of Seasons Friends of Mineral Town (Switch) is a classic farm sim that's a lot less stressful than Stardew Valley. Cute characters and some customization, though nowhere near as much as new installments. Simple, fun, and relaxing.
Little Dragons Cafe (Switch) is also more story-driven and all about exploring to collect materials and ingredients to use for your cafe. There are farming, fishing, and mining elements. Your dragon also grows up over time and you're able to interact with them. It's a charming title, but do NOT buy it if you aren't into material farming.
You're limited on a MacBook, but I'd recommend checking out the visual novel tag if you're OK with steering away from comparable titles.
Story of Seasons Friends of Mineral Town (Switch) is a classic farm sim that's a lot less stressful than Stardew Valley. Cute characters and some customization, though nowhere near as much as new installments. Simple, fun, and relaxing.
Little Dragons Cafe (Switch) is also more story-driven and all about exploring to collect materials and ingredients to use for your cafe. There are farming, fishing, and mining elements. Your dragon also grows up over time and you're able to interact with them. It's a charming title, but do NOT buy it if you aren't into material farming.
You're limited on a MacBook, but I'd recommend checking out the visual novel tag if you're OK with steering away from comparable titles.
I don't really have a game that I find is similar to Animal Crossing as that's sort of a unique experience, imo. Save for the DIYs coming in balloons for a limited time window, Animal Crossing is peak relaxation for gaming, at least for me. With games like Stardew Valley & Rune Factory 4 as much as I love them the in game clock seems to go so fast it can sometimes stress me out.
As far as relaxing games on my Switch go I really love Yoshi's Crafted World & Mario Odyssey when I'm looking for games to just have fun with. Abzu is a game that's also on Switch which is really pretty and relaxing! At least in the beginning areas, I'm like 90% things get a little more serious tone wise near the end of the game but at the start you're just swimming around with some fish. There's no combat at all and I really enjoy it!
Forgotton Anne is also really pretty and a lovely time if you're a fan of Studio Ghibli movies, it gives me those kinds of vibes. It's a puzzle platformer where you can choose story elements (sometimes situations pop up and you have to pick between two answers) but the game itself hasn't been terribly hard. I also played Roku recently which was a really sweet game, felt like a little fairytale imo and perfect for right now since it's all snowy. You can move your character around using your joystick but it plays more like a point & click with how you interact with things and solve puzzles.
A little more hesitant to recommend as I haven't played a ton of it but you might enjoy Yonder: Cloud Catcher Chronicles. I haven't been able to play much of it since I find the camera a little wonky so it makes me feel a bit sick. But it is really cute and I don't think there's combat, you just run around exploring and doing requests for people!
As far as relaxing games on my Switch go I really love Yoshi's Crafted World & Mario Odyssey when I'm looking for games to just have fun with. Abzu is a game that's also on Switch which is really pretty and relaxing! At least in the beginning areas, I'm like 90% things get a little more serious tone wise near the end of the game but at the start you're just swimming around with some fish. There's no combat at all and I really enjoy it!
Forgotton Anne is also really pretty and a lovely time if you're a fan of Studio Ghibli movies, it gives me those kinds of vibes. It's a puzzle platformer where you can choose story elements (sometimes situations pop up and you have to pick between two answers) but the game itself hasn't been terribly hard. I also played Roku recently which was a really sweet game, felt like a little fairytale imo and perfect for right now since it's all snowy. You can move your character around using your joystick but it plays more like a point & click with how you interact with things and solve puzzles.
A little more hesitant to recommend as I haven't played a ton of it but you might enjoy Yonder: Cloud Catcher Chronicles. I haven't been able to play much of it since I find the camera a little wonky so it makes me feel a bit sick. But it is really cute and I don't think there's combat, you just run around exploring and doing requests for people!
Livia
Always ignored
I've been playing Littlewood recently. It's more similar to Stardew Valley than Animal Crossing, but you might like it. The day length is based on your energy level instead of being in real time. The idea of it is that your character saved the world from the dark wizard, but they lost their memory and now you get to rebuild the town. You get to meet lots of interesting characters, learn skills, and have to collect fish, bugs, resources, and find rare items. You unlock more locations to visit and activities to do as you progress. You can also terraform your entire town and design it. I'm not good at explaining things, but it's really fun. I've played about 40 hours and I think I'm getting close to completing the main story.
The most relaxing game ive ever played was harvest moon on gamecube
Even the title of tbe game is realxing
“Harvest moon: ite a winderfull life”
I dont know how the franchise is doing today but ive heard the game is getting more rpg elements amd this sounds great
Also the game has this bucolic feeling and a great touch with your interactions
You really get attached to your farm animals and can also manage your social skills to even get married and have children
Unfortunately i dont have the same free time as before
So there goes my tip
Even the title of tbe game is realxing
“Harvest moon: ite a winderfull life”
I dont know how the franchise is doing today but ive heard the game is getting more rpg elements amd this sounds great
Also the game has this bucolic feeling and a great touch with your interactions
You really get attached to your farm animals and can also manage your social skills to even get married and have children
Unfortunately i dont have the same free time as before
So there goes my tip
I second Sakuna! I pre-ordered it and so far it’s been really good. I haven’t seen anyone talking about it.
magician's quest: mysterious times is the absolute closest game i've ever played to animal crossing! i can't say i'm SUPER well versed with it cuz the magic system kinda confuses me, but you play as a really cute avatar character at a magic school and you get your own dorm room and theres a whole little town with super uniquely designed characters!!!! despite my un...familiarity(???) with the game i still extremely recommend checking it out :] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magician's_Quest:_Mysterious_Times i should clarify this MIGHT only be interesting to you if you like older entries in the series like wild world and acgc and don't mind some wonky-ness... it's not a super in depth game!
here's a cool video i found about it just now:
here's a cool video i found about it just now:
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It looks like all of these games are on sale at the moment! I’m for sure going to pick up Spirit Farer but I’m debating about Little Dragons Cafe.
It looks so cute and definitely seems like my kind of game but I’ve heard it’s got bad loading times and is a little buggy? Most reviews are from two years ago though so I was wondering how you feel about load times?
A bit of the movement can be a little funky (e.g.: jumping on top of cliffs or whistling for your dragon to attack something), but it didn't interfere too much with my enjoyment of the game.
Worth noting that I originally played Little Dragons Cafe on the PS4 so I didn't notice too much delay. The Switch generally lacks power and has greater load times compared to other games on other platforms; thankfully you don't have to deal with loading screens too often. Still a fun little title, but would recommend Spiritfarer or a Story of Seasons/Rune Factory game over it.
A bit of the movement can be a little funky (e.g.: jumping on top of cliffs or whistling for your dragon to attack something), but it didn't interfere too much with my enjoyment of the game.
Worth noting that I originally played Little Dragons Cafe on the PS4 so I didn't notice too much delay. The Switch generally lacks power and has greater load times compared to other games on other platforms; thankfully you don't have to deal with loading screens too often. Still a fun little title, but would recommend Spiritfarer or a Story of Seasons/Rune Factory game over it.
Thank you so much for the reply! I think I’ll just get Spirit Farer for the moment then because I do have Rune Factory 4
happy holidays! 
StarlitGlitch
Sweets Lover
I remember seeing ads for it in Nintendo Power I think and it being labeled as being similar to AC!
Masenkochick
Darcinaya of Keet Largo
Stardew Valley!
It’s super cute, has villagers, has crafting, had barn animals you can raise, and is really easy to learn to play and fun
It’s super cute, has villagers, has crafting, had barn animals you can raise, and is really easy to learn to play and fun
