Relaxing farming simulator Stardew Valley just got a major content update in the form of Version 1.5, adding new quests to complete, new characters to meet, and a new area to explore. And it’s available at a discounted price right now via the Steam Winter Sale, which is ongoing until January 5, 2021.
However, if you’ve already completed everything there is to do in Stardew, there’s plenty of other similar games to pick up on Steam. Here are just a couple you can grab – all of which are also discounted during the Winter Sale!
My Time at Portia
My Time at Portia borrows a lot from Stardew. You play as a new resident who has just moved into a small community, with a worn-down house you need to fix up and tons of exciting characters to meet. Although the focus of Portia is more on crafting, it also has farming and animal raising as well as abandoned ruins and dungeons to explore. Don’t forget to also check out the sequel, My Time at Sandrock, which is currently planned to release in 2021.
Littlewood
Littlewood is another game with a relaxed pace and extremely cozy feel to it. You are tasked with restoring a failing town, including repairing buildings, collecting rare materials from around the world, and making townspeople happy and encouraging them to stay rather than leaving town. Littlewood allows you to build a community of well-written characters in an absolutely adorable world full of secrets and places to explore. For more on Littlewood, read our review!
Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town
Stardew Valley developer Eric Barone cited the Story of Seasons series as one of his major inspirations, so why not check out this classic farming simulator? This remake of a timeless genre touchstone includes animal raising, farming, foraging, mining, and more. You can even get married and raise a child as you build your life in the beautiful, idyllic setting of Mineral Town. Stardew fans will love experiencing one of the games where it all began! You can read more in our review.
Calico
A new release on Steam, Calico isn’t a farming game, but features the same focus on building community and helping others as Stardew Valley. You play as one of the owners of an adorable cat cafe, and your primary job is improving the cafe as much as possible. Bake pastries, buy furniture, decorate, and, of course, adopt lots of adorable cats to live in the cafe with you. Plus, there’s an entire pastel-aesthetic world for your magical girl protagonist to explore!
Spiritfarer
Spiritfarer is a resource management game with a twist. Rather than a farmer or a craftsman, you play the ferry-person whose responsibility it is to transport the dead to the afterlife. While making sure your ship is stocked with resources and optimizing your boat’s performance is a major part of gameplay, the most important element of Spiritfarer is taking care of the spirits who board your ferry, as well as bonding with them and fulfilling last wishes before they pass on. It’s a beautiful game which blends heartwarming and tear-joking moments.
Voodoo Garden
If you want to play a game about raising plants, but you don’t have the time to devote to Stardew Valley or other titles on this list, then Voodoo Garden is the game for you. This simple game revolves around planting trees, herbs and other wild plants in a swamp, and then crafting or trading for a variety of occult-themed items. It’s a great game if you just have a few minutes – you can even play on breaks at work or between classes. Create a garden that’s somehow both charming and creepy at once!
Craftopia
Another new release, Craftopia is still in Early Access for those whose favorite thing about Steam is the ability to follow a game’s journey from the very beginning. It combines a number of elements from lifestyle, resource management, simulation and strategy games including farming, building, hunting, and hack n’ slash inspired combat. Plus, it’s multiplayer, so you can play together with your friends as you craft houses, farms and even entire communities!
Moonlighter
Moonlighter is perfect for those who enjoy Stardew Valley but would like a greater focus on combat and exploring dungeons to collect resources. In Moonlighter, you take on the role of a shopkeeper who is also responsible for gathering the majority of the shop’s stock themselves by exploring at night when their store is closed. It features four different types of dungeons, each providing unique loot which the player can craft, refine and sell. Eventually, you can even become the most successful shop in town!
World’s Dawn
World’s Dawn is a game made by people who are passionate about farming simulators, and it shows. In addition to the farming element, the game features a village full of colorful characters to meet, with a focus on telling interesting stories and developing realistic relationships. Its adorable pixel art style is also very reminiscent of Stardew Valley. Like Stardew, the pace of this game is very relaxed, meaning that you can put it down and pick it back up whenever you want!
Raft
What if you took the gameplay elements of Stardew Valley – including crafting, foraging and exploration – but instead of setting them on a farm, put them in the middle of the ocean? Raft is a unique take on this genre in that you are tasked to improve your life and gain resources, but are given a limited amount of space to build things, as you have only a single raft. Plus, there’s man-eating sharks in the water – so watch out! Raft features both single-player and multiplayer modes.
What is your favorite “Stardew Valley-like game” on Steam? Are there any that you think we missed? What games will you be picking up during the Winter Steam Sale? Let us know!
