Stardew Valley is an indie, pixelated farming and crafting game that has become a world-wide bestseller since its release in 2016. Despite having been released 8 years ago, it remains one of the best-selling games on Steam and the Nintendo Store. I personally have almost 400 hours in the game, which is small fry compared to other Stardew Valley enthusiasts!
Stardew Valley continues to be wildly popular due to its customizable gameplay, quirky characters, and dedicated modding and fanart communities. It's hard to find other cozy games that scratch the same itch!
But since 2016, a plethora of similar games have been released. If you're looking for another pixelated adventure, here are 15 cozy games like Stardew Valley:
Nerobi is a beautiful, hand-drawn game that gives major Studio Ghibli vibes. This indie game from a small Italian studio released in May 2024. Play as Nerobi and journey through the realm between life and death. Meet tons of unique and quirky spirits, read ruins, and recover your memory while on your journey.
This adorable platformer is entirely hand-drawn and has a beautiful soundtrack. The game is a combination of Hollow Knight and a Studio Ghibli movie. Nerobi is available in early access on Steam.
Spirittea is an indie game that doesn't have the audience it deserves! In the game Spirittea, you move to a remote island in Japan, and suddenly encounter an adorable cat spirit that needs your help. As opposed to farm management, in Spirittea you restore and open a bathhouse for spirits.
Just like in the movie Spirited Away, entertain spirits in the bathhouse by keeping the bathhouse clean, scrubbing the spirits, and eventually unlock food and bath salts. Spirittea is available on Steam, Xbox Game Pass for PC, and the Nintendo online store.
Chef RPG takes place in a beautifully drawn, pixelated world that releases on September 12th, 2024. Chef RPG has been described as Stardew Valley, but from Gus's perspective! Forage and hunt for ingredients, befriend locals, complete quests, and open your restaurant!
Chef RPG releases on PC and Mac in early access with 3 story acts, 2 restaurants to customize and manage, and over 240 recipes, as well as a ton of other things to do!
Traveller's Rest is another pixelated restaurant management game that has over 10,000 very positive reviews on Steam! In Traveller's Rest, you craft, farm, build, forage, and use every tool available to manage the best tavern you can.
The game just received a huge free update that includes a new introduction to the game, a new skill tree, and an entire new area on the map! Traveller's Rest is available on Steam.
Sun Haven is a farming and crafting game very similar to Stardew Valley. Build your farm, develop relationships with the townsfolk, and uncover the secrets of a strange and magical world! Sun Haven has over 30,000 lines of dialogue, hundreds of NPC, and has fully customizable settings.
You can adjust the in-game days to be shorter or longer, make yourself invincible to damage, and toggle weather effects on and off! Sun Haven is available on Steam.
Kynseed is a beautiful, pixelated adventure made by the same creators of the Fable series! Kynseed has a similar structure as Stardew Valley - grow your farm, level up different skills, choose between magic, sword, and other types of combat. But Kynseed places an emphasis on your legacy.
Raise a family and play as your child, grandchild, and so on as time passes! Kynseed also has dark, medieval twists at every turn. Kynseed is available on Steam.
Bear & Breakfast is a laid-back management game that's perfect for nature lovers! As a bear living in a national park, it's up to you to restore derelict cabins, decorate, and host guests to bring tourists back to the valley.
On a personal note, I played Bear & Breakfast into the ground. My partner can recognize the soundtrack from a mile away! Forage for cooking ingredients and decorate your cabins differently to accommodate guests with different tastes! Bear & Breakfast is available on Steam and for Nintendo Switch.
Little Witch in the Woods is an adorable, pixelated adventure perfect for lovers of Kiki's Delivery Service! Play as Ellie, a young witch apprentice. Use everything you've learned in school to complete quests and help villagers!
Forage for ingredients while zipping around on your broom, and craft potions to complete quests or sell for gold! Discover and befriend cats living around the mountainside and spend your days busy creating potions or relaxing with your fishing rod. Little Witch in the Woods is available on Steam and Xbox Game Pass for PC.
In Potion Permit, you play as an apprentice alchemist that must win the trust of a cautious village. Upgrade your clinic, diagnose patients, and craft potions to cure them!
Slowly discover secrets about the town of Moonbury and why the villagers are so distrustful of alchemists. Your faithful sheepdog will be by your side the entire time! Potion Permit is available on Steam and for Nintendo Switch.
Dave the Diver is a quirky, pixelated adventure featuring deep-sea exploration during the day and restaurant management at night! Explore the Blue Hole, a mysterious body of water home to all the fish you need for your sushi restaurant, and some other mysteries as well.
Dave the Diver has a light-hearted story full of quirky characters and hilarious moments, and the game contains over 200 kinds of sea creatures you can encounter on your diving trips! Dave the Diver is available on Steam and for Nintendo Switch.
Core Keeper is a unique, pixelated adventure set entirely underground! Awaken as an explorer in an ancient system of caverns. Play by yourself or with up to 7 friends to build your base, craft tools, and explore the caverns.
There are entire ecosystems to explore within the depths like the Desert of Beginnings, the Clay Caves, the Shimmering Frontier, and even the Sunken Sea to sail across! Core Keeper is available in early access on Steam.
Snacko is an adorable adventure where you play your farming sim as a cat! Snacko Island has 26 characters to get to know as you rebuild the island and attract new visitors! There are over 200 different items to craft and decorate with, and 34 color dyes you can apply to anything.
Build your dream island the way you want to! There is also a main story that takes place across 4 different biomes on the island. Snacko is currently available in early access on Steam.
Fields of Mistria is a Sailor Moon-inspired farming sim that releases on August 5th, 2024. This nostalgic farming sim features 90's graphics, fluffy farm animals with rare colors, 12 marriage candidates, and a huge, magical world! Unlock magic that will help you both in combat and with farm chores.
Enjoy changing seasons with seasonal events and outfits! Future updates will add more unique heart progression cut scenes, marriage, and more! Fields of Mistria will be available on Steam.
Moonlight Peaks is a cozy farming sim currently in development. Moonlight Peaks has been described as Stardew Valley meets Twilight! Live as a vampire in this magical town. Craft potions, learn spells, and decorate your farm and home.
Your neighbors include witches, mermaids, and werewolves, and there will be plenty of quests to do once the game releases! Wishlist the game on Steam to hear more about the game's development!
Cthulhu Valley is a twisted take on Stardew Valley that is currently in development. In Cthulhu Valley, you unexpectedly inherit a decaying estate in the middle of the woods. This cursed, ancient forest is full of secrets to be uncovered! In the meantime, raise animals, restore the estate, and grow a farm.
Cthulhu Valley is full of demonic plants, unspeakable seeds, dark gods, and cryptic chambers. Befriend the other villagers or sacrifice them! It's up to you. Wishlist the game on Steam to get updates on game development!
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