Summary
Stardew Valleyis widely regarded as being one of the best farming sims on the market. The cute pixel art style, relatable characters, and cozy atmosphere makeStardew Valleyeasy to return to time and time again, especially if players are looking for something to relax with.
It is easy to get stuck in a rut after playing the game to completion, starting a family, befriending everyone in the village, andmaking huge sums of moneyevery day. While modding the game can help makeStardew Valleyfeel new again, there are also plenty of other great farming experiences for gamers to try out.
Updated June 15, 2025, by Rie Takumi:ConcernedApe gained a great reputation among gamers for consistently updating Stardew Valley despite the title’s age.Stardew Valley’s longevityand mod support made it a permanent title for fans, but some have grown bored with the loop. Luckily for them, dozens of cozy farming games with great NPCs, gameplay, storylines, and co-op support are available across all platforms.
Some farming sims focus on certain gameplay elements in order to scratch a particular itch. Combat could be the major sub-element for a game, as could crafting, settlement building, and maybe even a title’s social elements. What’s common about these particular games, however, is the importance of farming and crafting in the overall gameplay system.
Rusty’s Retirementis a newer title, yet it’s already made a splash among streamers and time-crunched gamers. This is partly thanks to its charm and also due to the clicker/idler game essentially playing itself while players do their tasks. Because of its horizontal/vertical layout, players can check in without tabbing out of or breaking their concentration.
The idler gamecenters on Rusty, a newly retired bot that relaxes by tending to its small farm. Rusty can eventually be joined by bots that can help with planting, watering, and harvesting crops. Twitch streamers can even have their chat help maintain their farm through chat commands.
Platform(s)
Nintendo Switch
Known asGensou Garden Monogatariin Japanese,Harvest Yuukais aTouhou fan gamefeaturing the flower yokai Yuuka Kazami. The caretaker of flowers aims to plant a perfect flower garden in Gensokyo, and it’s up to the player to decide what that “perfect” means.
Yuuka can plant fruits, mushrooms, rice, and other crops along with her flowers, and even raise animals. She can spend all her time on the farm or befriend the residents of Gensokyo and beyond. Yuuka’s activities and friends determine her ending, though the game doesn’t force players down certain paths.
Lightyear Frontierupgrades the usual farm machinery to full-blown mechs. Not only that, but players farm and explore in first and third-person perspectives. The new vantage points and intuitive controls settle players into a comfortable loop of sowing crops, logging and replacing trees, and building their homestead.
Although it features mechs,Lightyear Frontieriscombat-free and has no survival mechanics. Players can freely explore the world and its lore-heavy ruins with their scanner satellite to learn more about it. Even clearing pollution from the environment poses no threat to the player’s well-being.
Fae Farmplops players into the colorful, magical world of Azoria, where they are given a homestead to nurture. Players tend to magical crops and creatures while making friends with the local population, including mythical beasts. Combat is part of gameplay, though players can stay in town for as long as they want.
Co-op is slightly difficult, as individual progress is tied with the host’s farm.Fae Farmis also exclusively online co-op, which means that groups need to have their own consoles to play together. On the other hand, they can play the story cooperatively, and new players can gain wings and upgrades early with certain tricks.
Metascore
65
Instead of dealing with the usual farm animals,Paleo Pineslets players create a ranch fortheir dinosaur friendsto hang out on. Dinosaurs cannot be domesticated (only befriended), and they can leave the ranch temporarily. They may even leave permanently if they are neglected or mistreated.
To befriend dinosaurs, players need to play their flute to catch their attention, play their friend song, and soothe or feed them. Dinosaurs appreciate clean pens, treats, and their preferred biome. Aside from being jolly companions, dinosaurs can help out at the farm or with exploration. Helpers allow the player to ride them to inaccessible areas and break obstacles along the way.
My Time At Portiais asimulation RPG gameset in the post-apocalyptic town of Portia. Players are tasked with repairing their Pa’s old workshop by fulfilling commissions from townsfolk, growing crops, raising animals, and befriending the quirky characters who live in the community. By mining, foraging, and crafting, the end goal is to build the workshop players inherit into the best in town.
Similarly toStardew Valley,My Time At Portiafollows the four-season calendar, celebrates the birthdays of the townsfolk, and hosts regular in-game festivals, including Day of the Bright Sun, Day of Memories, and Winter Solstice.
Harvestellais a story-driven combination of JRPG elements with a farming sim. As players awaken in the middle of Quietus, the season of death, they turn to self-sufficiency to survive. In this title, playersgrow fruit, vegetables, and crops, and cook with the produce harvested from the land, care for animals, and defeat threats in combat.
With a narrative-heavy focus and a surplus of cut scenes,Harvestellais more suited to gamers whoenjoy a good storyrather than those who want to explore and farm in their own time.
TheFarming Simulatorseries always had a bit of a reputation as a meme, but as a cozy andrealistic farming game, it’s tough to beat. As a realistic, mass farming sim, its gameplay loop is long and engaging. Players must follow the proper steps to yield crops, care for their animals, and refresh their forests. Getting used to the machinery takes time, but without a time limit, players don’t need to rush.
In fact, completing the tutorial is highly recommended for beginners. The tutorial covers the basic loop that will help gamers access the more expensive animal husbandry and forestry options.
Lemon Cakeis a cutesy farming sim that lets players run their own bakery, stocking their cupboards with farm-fresh produce grown in their own greenhouse and serving customers baked goods, sweets, and coffee.
At the beginning of each day, there is time to prepare the bakery before customers arrive. By setting the menu, watering plants, caring for animals, and ensuring the bakery is decorated well, players can give themselves a head start on the lunch rush. Despite this, as orders come in, there are some morestressful elements of gameplaythat can makeLemon Cakea bit less relaxing than typical farming games.
What’s immediately notable aboutFarm Togetheris that it doesn’t have combat, mini-games, or NPCs to befriend and romance. Exploration isn’t a priority either, as the game is completely focused on farming and decorating. The most exploration players can do is to unlock more farmland as their farm levels up. Leveling up also unlocks more decorations, fences, buildings, plants, and even animals. The latter three make farming easier and produce unique resources.
Farm Together’s co-op only requires one person to own the game on PC if they’re playing split-screen local co-op. Console players can access co-op in a more straightforward manner. Steam’s remote play also allows online split-screen co-op.
