If you're looking for games like Animal Crossing, you've come to the right place. With all manner of adventures out there that channel the delightful features and world of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you're sure to find something in this list to scratch a similar itch.
From delightful farming adventures to cozy life sims and much more, some of the best PC games and the best Switch indie games are counted among our picks. And with so many exciting upcoming indie games on the way, there's no shortage of future releases that may well be for you, too.
So whether you love customization, fishing, farming, cooking, or any one of the features that make up the Animal Crossing experience, there's so much out there that might speak to you.
Read on below as we take you through our pick of the 15 best games like Animal crossing.
The best games like Animal Crossing...
15. A Short Hike
Developer: adamgryu
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
Less like Animal Crossing in mechanics, but very like it in vibe. This delightful little indie is about exploring the lush landscape of Hawk Peak Provincial Park. No pressure, no time limit, just one little birb making friends, going for a swim and stretching his wings to soar between cliffs. It'll give you the same warm fuzzy feelings you get from Animal Crossing at its best, and demand very little from you in terms of time or difficulty. Short and sweet, it's the perfect way to kill a few hours when the world outside is being particularly crazy.
14. Garden Paws
Developer: Bitten Toast Games
Platform(s): PC, Nintendo Switch
Developers Bitten Toast Games brought this adorable simulation game to life on Kickstarter, and it rings a lot of similar bells to Animal Crossing in its gameplay and style. You can choose to play as a bunny, dragon, cat, bird, badger, horse, dog, fox, or chipmunk, and every single cute cartoony character is very customizable. You inherit a farm from your grandparents, and work with the Mayor and construction worker to build up the town and customize your home. Just as you need bells to expand your home, getting yourself a healthy supply of coins to work on the town is a must. By exploring caves for treasure, completing quests, and running your own shop to sell everything you find around the world, you'll begin to fill up that coin purse. As the town begins to expand, more residents will move in and unlock more items and quests. There are no enemies in the caves to pose a threat either, so it really does make for one very relaxing time that lets you play at your own pace. With farming, fishing, cooking, crafting, and animals to raise, there’s no shortage of ways to pass each day.
13. Fruitbus
Developer: Krillbite Studio
Platform(s): PC
Do you love to cook in Animal Crossing: New Horizons? Are you a fan of the adorable villagers? Well then Fruitbus is well worth checking out. The adorable culinary adventure from developer Krillbite sees you set out in a customizable food truck as you scavenge for ingredients and serve up dishes to hungry locales. As you upgrade your bus and improve recipes, you might just earn yourself some loyal customers.
12. My Time at Portia
Developer: Pathea Games
Platform(s): PC, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch
There are endless things to do in My Time at Portia, and many Animal Crossing fans will feel right at home in its cartoony world. Surprisingly, it’s set in a post-apocalyptic time where lots of secrets dwell beneath its unassuming charm. When you move into the town, you assume the role of a builder who can craft all manner of buildings and items to fulfill commissions. These commissions are your main source of income to start with, but with ample opportunity to set out into the big open-world and discover relics, go fishing, raise cows and chickens, and farm, you’re free to build a life for yourself in whatever way you wish.
There is also more of a storyline to this game, so you can also work towards completing the various quests to uncover the mysteries of Portia. Getting to know the residents is also a huge part of the experience. Again, there is combat involved, but if you’d rather avoid the fighting, you can send out the Civil Corps to collect items for you so you can avoid venturing out into dangerous areas. Overall it’s quite slow in pace and a relatively gentle life sim.
11. Wylde Flowers
Developer: Studio Drydock
Platform(s): PC, Nintendo Switch, iOS
Wylde Flowers is a delightful life sim set in a small coastal town that fans of Animal Crossing are sure to love. Playing as Tara Wylde, you take over your grandmother's farm, only to discover the town is home to a coven of witches and you yourself have magical ties. As you build up your farm, you'll also learn magical spells, get to know and befriend the locales - and maybe even find love. With updates that have brought more customization, and plenty to discover and do, you'll get swept up in a magical story that has so much to offer.
10. Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town
Developer: Marvelous Inc
Platform(s): PC, Nintendo Switch
Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is a charming, more expansive entry in the series that has a similar feel to Animal Crossing. Very much also channeling Stardew Valley vibes, you move to a new town that's languishing and struggling, in order to start your own farm. But it gives you a lot of freedom to live out your best farm life however you want, but also revitalize the town, and make friends with the residents there. Activities include growing crops, raising pets and livestock, making clothes, and cooking up a storm. And for anyone who loves decorating, you're sure to enjoy making up your farm and home.
9. Fields of Mistria
Developer: NPC Studio
Platform(s): PC
If you loved carving out a home for yourself on the island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Fields of Mistria is for you. The pixelated farming RPG sees you move to a cozy village that sits between the sea and a forest where you can settle into your very own homestead and start raising your own farm. You can also get to know the locales, fall in love, and get stuck into all manner of activities from fishing to crafting and mining. You can also set out to complete quests, and if you're a fan of Animal Crossing's events, you'll likely enjoy Mistria's festivals.
8. On Your Tail
Developer: Memorable Games
Platform(s): PC, Switch
If you're looking for something a bit different that captures a similar vibe, On Your Tail could be for you. The cozy detective adventure from Memorable Games sees you travel to an idyllic seaside town as a writer who's on vacation. Upon arrival, you discover there's some trouble afoot, and it's up to you to put your detective hat on and try to get to the root of the problem. With a host of locales to get to know, quests to complete, and stories to experience, you can also get stuck into side activities, such as cooking, fishing, playing at the arcade, and more.
7. The Sims 4
Developer: Maxis
Platform(s): PC, Xbox One, PS4
The Sims is the classic life sim, and there’s a lot to love about it. If you enjoyed designing the perfect homes for all your favorite animal pals in the Happy Home Paradise DLC or Happy Home Designer, creating homes in The Sims 4 takes that to the next level with some very satisfying and intuitive home building tools. Instead of having neighbors who are elephants with teapot-shaped heads or camo alligators, you have human-like sims. You’re not in debt to start off with, but you can be if you don’t send your sim to work and avoid using the classic money cheat (we all do it); it’s entirely up to you.
Be warned though, if you don’t pay your bills, your power and water will eventually get shut off. If you think about it, Tom Nook is good, really. Maybe you didn’t want that extra floor space, but hey, at least you could take your time racking up those bells without having to worry about losing your amenities. With a vast library of expansions available to add more content to your sim worlds, there's no end to the number of activities you can get up to. Some are even quite similar, such as collecting bugs, going fishing, and finding collectibles around the towns.
6. Coral Island
Developer: Stairway Games
Platform(s): PC, Xbox Series X/S, PS5
Coral Island offers up another slice of island life, only here you're running your very own farm. With crops to tend and animals to care for, you can also help to try and bring life back to the nearby town and form bonds with the local residents. Just like Animal Crossing, you can also choose your own outfits and customize your character so you can express yourself in style. And not unlike the way your island has a ranking and a museum to add to in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you can also help increase the towns rank in Coral Island by expanding the local museum and lending a hand to restore heritage sites. Oh, and you can even go diving in the coral reef just as you can go diving in the sea as part of Tom Nooks getaway package (you won't meet a wise otter named Pascal, though). With plenty of freedom, you can decide how you want to spend your time.
5. Disney Dreamlight Valley
Developer: Gameloft
Platform(s): PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch
If you're looking for something a lot like Animal Crossing, Disney Dreamlight Valley is just the ticket - Gameloft's adventure life sim hybrid shares a lot of similarities with the world of Animal Crossing from its feature to its playstyle. When you drift off to sleep, you find yourself in a magical Valley that has seen better days thanks to a force known as the Forgetting. As you set out to help restore the valley and get to heart of some mysterious occurrences, you start out with your very own little home just like you do in Animal Crossing. You also live alongside and help villagers who are characters plucked from beloved Disney and Pixar adventures. With features such as fishing, mining, cooking, and crafting, many of its activities will feel familiar to Animal Crossing fans, and Dreamlight Duties see you complete goals not unlike the Nook Miles program in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
4. Stardew Valley
Developer: ConcernedApe
Platform(s): PC, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android
Ditching your old life as an office drone, you move into Pelican town and begin to run a farm you inherited. In Animal Crossing, visiting your favorite residents and lending them a hand by fulfilling favors or giving them gifts helps you bond with them. From Goldie to Bluebear and Tia, the town would be nothing without the animals you meet.
The residents of Stardew Valley are also at the heart of its charm, and forming friendships or even romantic relationships with the townsfolk is one of the most relatable, and heart-warming aspects. Lots of activities are also very reminiscent of what you get up to in Animal Crossing, such as fishing, mining, digging, and working to save up coin in order to improve your farm and house. You can also decorate your home, and while there is combat involved in the caves, you still get to decide how you want to spend your day.
3. Ooblets
Developer: Glumberland
Platform(s): PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Ooblets is what you would get if you let Animal Crossing and Pokemon breed. This creature collecting adventure puts you in the world of Oob, and lets you slowly uncover the town, and its people. The creatures themselves - the titular Ooblets - are wonderfully quirky, and you'll be able to compete in dance battles to level them up and interact with the other Ooblet keepers. It's gentle and beautifully bizarre, and just up any Animal Crossing fan's street.
2. Cozy Grove
Developer: Spry Fox
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One, Mac, Nintendo Switch, Apple Arcade
If you're looking for games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons that channel many of the game's elements, then you need to check out Cozy Grove. It's a game that lets you play as a Spirit Scout, with the aim of helping the spirits of Cozy Grove. You'll run errands, cook, fish, make friends, tend to animals, and more. And just like Animal Crossing, there's only so much you can do each day, which makes it the perfect game to add to your daily routine. Plus, it's super adorable.
1. Hello Kitty Island Adventure
Developer: Sunblink
Platform(s): iOS (coming soon to PC and Switch)
If you're looking for more games like Animal Crossing, you can't come much closer than Hello Kitty Island Adventure. Think New Horizons but make it Sanrio, where you can make you own adorable custom character and set out to explore and restore an island. Along the way, you can befriend characters from the world of Hello Kitty, get stuck into some cooking, solve puzzles, throw parties, and much more.
Looking for more recommendations? Why not explore our pick of the best Switch games you can play right now. Or keep track of future releases with our roundup of upcoming Switch games, and new games.
