The best games like Animal Crossing just let you live your life as you please. If you want to spend all of your time chilling out with some digital friends, then go for it. If you want to make a pretty little garden in a pretty little village, then nothing’s stopping you. If you want to work yourself hard to try and overcome the constant existential threat of capitalism, then you can. Truly, these are the halcyon days, as long as you’re playing Animal Crossing or a game that’s a lot like it - sometimes you want to continue eating ice cream, but you just want a different flavour.
Animal Crossing is something of a titan in its own genre. It’s actually hard to find other games that match it properly because there just aren’t that many that not only try to do so, and most of the ones that do fail to actually pull it off. However, those that manage to bring it all together offer something that’s familiar to Animal Crossing fans, but a little bit different. We’ve gone ahead and picked out our favourites from the best games like Animal Crossing, so let’s dive in.
1. Disney Dreamlight Valley
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We’re not sure anyone was expecting Disney Dreamlight Valley to be as good as it is, given how many Disney games are well, let’s just say less than good. Despite that track record, Disney Dreamlight Valley isn’t just good; it’s great. You get to take up residence in Dreamlight Valley, where Disney and Pixar characters have always lived happily together.
Things naturally go a little wrong, and it’s up to you to fix things. As you slowly improve the town itself, you’ll get to chat with all of your favourite Disney characters, build relationships with them, and dress up as you please. It’s a game that’s still technically in Early Access on Steam, so it’s getting a lot of updates regularly too.
2. Spiritfarer
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Spiritfarer has you playing as Stella, a new ferrymaster who looks after the souls of the dead, and takes them on cool little journeys as she does so. You get to ride around on your boat collecting new passengers, learning about their stories, farming, mining, cooking, and many other things, all while enjoying a truly stunning art style.
It’s undoubtedly a little bit morbid, but approaches death in such a caring and gentle way that it’s impossible to play without feeling strangely at peace. It’s a genuinely beautiful game and one of those indie titles that will leave its mark on you for years to come. Make sure you play this one if you only check out one game on this list.
3. My Time At Sandrock
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My Time At Sandrock is the follow-up to My Time At Portia, and while it’s technically in Early Access still at the moment, and not available on all of the platforms it will be, it’s still a delightful game. We’ve also got high hopes for the finished product as My Time At Portia was so good.
You play as a Builder, someone who builds stuff, and you find yourself in the desert community of Sandrock to help them out. You’ll spend your time chatting with people, creating and upgrading machines, making production lines, and just generally reinvigorating the struggling town. Also, it’s set in a post-apocalyptic world, which allows the game to do some fun things when it comes to technology, creature design, and some of the adventures you’ll get to go on as well.
4. Ooblets
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Ooblets is what happens if you mix Animal Crossing with Pokemon. That’s probably all we need to say to have some people excited, but we’ll go on a bit more just in case you’re not sold yet. In Ooblets, you get to do all of the normal things you would do in one of the best games like Animal Crossing, such as farming, renovating your home, and helping the mayor out.
The key difference comes from the adorable Ooblets you collect to help you do all of these things. There are plenty of adorable creatures to find and befriend, and you’ll get to take part in mini-games, explore cool regions, and you can even pet your Ooblets.
5. Cozy Grove
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Cozy Grove is all about camping. However, rather than just chilling in the woods, you’re a Spirit Scout, which means that instead of sitting around cooking marshmallows, you’ll be looking for ghosts to help out. Your aim is to bring more joy back to Cozy Grove, which is a nice goal to have for sure.
This game also runs in real-time, much like Animal Crossing, and it recommends that you play for between 30 and 60 minutes a day for any new quest content, but you can play for longer than that if you want to do more crafting, fishing, or decorating. It’s a little creepy, but it’s mostly just very cute.
6. Garden Paws
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Garden Paws basically just puts more animals in Animal Crossing. Your adorable animal inherits a farm from their grandparents just as they’re about to go on a big adventure. Instead of that, you have to work with the locals to fix up your new home, but also help the town around it grow and thrive.
It’s a very cutesy game that mixes a little bit of Stardew Valley into your Animal Crossing, but all with far more cute animals around. If you’re looking for more of a challenge in the adventuring side of things, you can also activate a hardcore mode, although we’re not sure this is the game for those seeking the thrills of battle.
7. A Short Hike
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The main thing that has A Short Hike being one of the best games like Animal Crossing, is that it’s just an intensely wholesome experience. You’ll not be doing the same things in terms of gameplay, but as you make your way through the landscapes of Hawk Peak Provincial Park, you’ll do more than just take in some stunning sights.
Along the way, you can find treasures to collect, meet other hikers as you go and help each other out, and go wherever you want. A Short Hike is a truly wonderful game for just relaxing for a little bit at the end of a hard day, and while you might not be pulling up weeds here, it’ll leave you feeling just as fulfilled.
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