Other games like ACNH?

[Fawg]

I've put in over 1600 hours into this game. While I still enjoy daily maintenance and tweaking things here and there, I would like to play another game like it. Something without a stamina bar or a daily clock that flys by so fast I don't get to enjoy the activities I like. I think I've tried almost everything:

Story of Seasons (2 of them)
Harvest Moon: One World
Littlewood (Kinda cool gameplay, but awful graphics)
Stardew Valley
Graveyard Keeper
Castaway Paradise (Pretty close, but again, terrible graphics)
My Time at Portia (haven't played much, but still have a stamina bar)
Yonder
My Summer at Mara
Cozy Grove (Still trying to figure out if I like this or not)

New Horizons was my first time playing this type of game and I loved being able to play with almost no restrictions. I would prefer something on the Switch, but if good enough, could go PS3/PS4 or Steam (Coral Island looks good, but no release date).

Any ideas?

 

[Stnh]

Try acnl

 

[Fawg]

Try acnl

I have thought about it, wonder if I could get a 3DS at a decent price. Didn't they stop making them?

Edit: Wow, only place I can find one is on Amazon and they're $350-$400

 

[Etown20]

I have thought about it, wonder if I could get a 3DS at a decent price. Didn't they stop making them?

I just bought a used New 3DS XL and New Leaf for similar reasons. They have stopped making 3DS/2DS so they tend to be more expensive used than when they were new. Good deals pop up daily on Mercari but they go fast. There's also eBay but there tends to be more competition/buyers there. I got mine on Facebook marketplace - sometimes people on Facebook don't realize how much the 3DS is worth these days and so they go for more reasonable prices there.

Also, there are several different versions of the DS. I think the "New 3DS XL" is the only one that has both 3D support (supposedly this helps the graphics) and amiibo support built in. The "New 2DS XL" has amiibo support built in but no 3D. All older versions require a separate amiibo peripheral that plugs into the system.

 

[Fawg]

I just bought a used New 3DS XL and New Leaf for similar reasons. They have stopped making 3DS/2DS so they tend to be more expensive used than they used to be when they were new. Good deals pop up daily on Mercari but they go fast. There's also eBay but there tends to me more competition/buyers there. I got mine on Facebook marketplace - sometimes the people on Facebook don't realize how much the 3DS is worth these days and so they go for more reasonable prices there.

Also, there are several different versions of the DS. I think the "New 3DS XL" is the only one that has both 3D support (supposedly this helps the graphics) and amiibo support built in. The "New 2DS XL" has amiibo support built in but no 3D. All older versions require a separate amiibo peripheral that plugs into the system.

Hmmm...I have never owned or played with any of the DS's. I don't think that not having 3D would be a problem for me, wonder if a 2D would be cheaper and more available. Thanks for the info.

 

[Moritz]

Hmmm...I have never owned or played with any of the DS's. I don't think that not having 3D would be a problem for me, wonder if a 2D would be cheaper and more available. Thanks for the info.

If you get a 3ds or 2ds you want to get the "new" model.
Its part of the name. For some reason nintendo like to name their product like that.

The "new 2ds xl" and "new 3ds xl" can read amiibo but the older models can't.
So if you want to use your amiibos with new you'll be able to (if you have amiibo)

 

[Fawg]

I think I've given up on the DS New Leaf idea. I really do like playing my game on the TV or monitor.

 

[VanitasFan26]

I heard a lot of good things about Cozy Grove and the thing is the developers behind the game were inspired by Animal Crossing which I find interesting.

 

[Livia]

Have you played any of the sims games?

 

[Airysuit]

Maybe its way to different, but minecraft? You have a peaceful mode and a creative mdoe where you don't have to encounter the bad guys.

Also a lot of good updates are STILL being released there. But it might be a bit to much out of the box of animal crossing

 

[Etown20]

It's quite a bit different, but I've seen Spiritfarer recommended to Animal Crossing players. I think it does have a day/night clock in parts but I've seen many people call it relaxing. It's more of a story experience rather than an open-ended game that can be played for hundreds of hours though.

 

[Serabee]

Hmm, it depends on what you like about ACNH, but if it's building and decorating and interacting with cute characters I'd recommend Dragon Quest Builders 2 (you don't need to have played 1, I never did, lol). It has more of a story then ACNH, but it also has a lot of freedom in what you do and when (especially if you beat the main story, which isn't too hard- it's pretty straightforward). There's no stamina bar or anything, you're only limited early on by how far you've progressed in the plot (which, like I said, is pretty easy, it just can take a little while). Anyway, you basically build stuff for all the characters. You're given some direction during the plot, but even then, you have a lot of freedom in what and how you do things.

Word of warning: IDK if you've played Dragon Quest games in the past, but dang do they love using goofy/quirky accents and personalities for characters. I find it charming, but I've heard some people find it grating *shrugs*

Portal Knights is also pretty neat- especially if you want freedom. There's so much freedom I personally found it overwhelming at first (there's very little direction, TBH) but eventually found my groove. There's combat and stuff in it (IDK how you feel about that, but I know at least a couple of games you listed also have it) but I think there's also a creative mode without it. It also has a couple of DLC packs that are pretty fun.

I also got Pixark, which looked similar. ...But I can't recommend it because I don't have the foggiest idea what's going on in it I played it maybe an hour or two and was SO confused.

...And I'm pretty sure that's all the games on my Switch similar to ACNH that you didn't list!

 

[Flicky]

Depending on what your favourite aspects of ACNH are, I'd like to suggest Dragon Quest Builders 2!

There's a story mode that's quite enjoyable, and after you complete it, you're given access to more islands. You can build your island from scratch, or use one of the in-game islands to customize. Plus, on those islands, you can invite other characters from the story mode (and invite some others you encounter on your journey). You're allowed up to 60 villagers on the custom islands you create! These can be humans or certain monsters that you recruit. There's a lot of freedom for the game. You're also allowed to have 3 save files so if, like me, there's a point in the story you love and want to 'keep' the game at, it's an option.

 

[Hug]

Coral Island looks amazing and I CANNOT wait for it to be released ❣
Looks like it's going to be released this year for PC and next year for consoles (hopefully ! ^_^) .

I'm also interested in this open world farming jrpg called Sunnyside; here's the trailer for it : Sunnyside .

Other upcoming games I'm interested in( I will edit and update when there's more) :

. My Time at Sandrock ( My Time at Portia sequel)

. Rune Factory 5

 

[Serabee]

Coral Island looks amazing and I CANNOT wait for it to be released ❣
Looks like it's going to be released this year for PC and next year for consoles (hopefully ! ^_^) .

I'm also interested in this open world farming jrpg called Sunnyside; here's the trailer for it : Sunnyside .

Other upcoming games I'm interested in( I will edit and update when there's more) :

. My Time at Sandrock ( My Time at Portia sequel)

. Rune Factory 5

Rune Factory 4 is another great game (there's a remastered version on Switch), but it's a little different from ACNH and has a stamina bar so I wasn't sure about recommending it, lol.
But when I once made a board like this on another site it was the one most people recommended, and I ended up loving it! It involves more combat, a storyline, and more RP elements (like romance and stuff) and it's a lot of fun.

 

[Roobi]

It's quite a bit different, but I've seen Spiritfarer recommended to Animal Crossing players. I think it does have a day/night clock in parts but I've seen many people call it relaxing. It's more of a story experience rather than an open-ended game that can be played for hundreds of hours though.

I've only played Spiritfarer for a short time, but I find it very relaxing, despite the rather fast day/night cycle. There's missions and such, but I don't feel pressured for time so far. Can't really compare it to New Horizons gameplay wise, but it's very wholesome and beautifully made.

 

[Fawg]

Thank you all for the many suggestions, there are a couple I am going to check out.

You know...it would sure be easier for me if Nintendo would just let us have a couple more saved island slots in AC. Being my first time playing any AC game, I've learned a lot I would like to try on a fresh island. (No, I don't want to flatten mine and start over

Post automatically merged: May 6, 2021

Rune Factory 4 is another great game (there's a remastered version on Switch), but it's a little different from ACNH and has a stamina bar so I wasn't sure about recommending it, lol.
But when I once made a board like this on another site it was the one most people recommended, and I ended up loving it! It involves more combat, a storyline, and more RP elements (like romance and stuff) and it's a lot of fun.

Bah...the stamina bar thing makes me crazy, combined with a rapid and constantly ticking clock. I talk to a couple people in town, harvest a few crops, catch a couple fish, and BAM, my day is over. I kinda like what Littlewood did. You can decorate your town, talk to all your villagers, craft stuff, etc. Then, when you've decided what tasks you want to perform, burn your stamina up on that. I am so not a fan of 8 bit graphics (or whatever they are) though. I lived them when those type of games came out, so no retro for me. Give me clean sharp, polished graphics and I am a happy boy. Appreciate the info.

 

[Hug]

Rune Factory 4 is another great game (there's a remastered version on Switch), but it's a little different from ACNH and has a stamina bar so I wasn't sure about recommending it, lol.
But when I once made a board like this on another site it was the one most people recommended, and I ended up loving it! It involves more combat, a storyline, and more RP elements (like romance and stuff) and it's a lot of fun.

I just had to add it in there because they might like it . Glad that you love it .

 

[Etown20]

I was just getting ready to watch a YouTube Animal Crossing video and got served an ad for a game coming to Steam soon called Hokko Life, looks very AC-inspired

Also yesterday Wirecutter had an article called Four Game to Play If You're Burned Out on Animal Crossing

 

[Vitis]

Garden Paws, it's on PC right now but is planning to head to Switch soon so you can browse it now and decide if you want to wait for the Switch release based on the PC footage of actual gameplay.