Currently, it’s hard not to notice the oversaturation of farming simulations on the Nintendo Switch. Recent fae farm and Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life were announced during the last Nintendo Direct, adding to an ever-growing pile of farming games. One of the most popular farm games of all time is of course: Stardew Valley. Ever since it was released in 2016 and had incredible success, more and more farming games have been emerging. However, that is not entirely the fault of Stardew Valley.
the increase of Stardew Valley-like games stood out more back then Animal Crossing: New Horizons came out in 2020. Not only did Animal Crossing add to the appeal of life simulation games, but it also came out during the first year of COVID, and COVID may have a lot to do with life simulation games becoming more and more popular. Especially the Nintendo Switch has decided to be the console for Stardew Valleylike games.
Why Farming Games have come to Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch usually has more innocuous games than the PlayStation or Xbox consoles. It’s built to appeal to all ages, but also has a game library geared especially for younger gamers. Another thing that sets the Nintendo Switch apart from other consoles is that it can be hand-held. In terms of genre, farming games work really well for a handheld console. They are known to be relaxing, low risk and not too distracting when played in public areas.
Farming games in the past Stardew Valley were also successes on portable consoles. harvest moon, Story of seasons, Rune factory, and Animal Crossing games had many titles on the Game Boy, Nintendo DS, and 3DS. In other words, farming and simulation games have a long tradition of appearing on portable devices.
All Stardew Valley-esque games on Switch
What counts as a Stardew Valleylike games are games that are based on farming or have farming mechanics along with a life simulation. The list of Stardew Valleylike games currently on Nintendo Switch, as well as Stardew Valley-like Nintendo Switch games slated to release next year include:
- fae farm
- Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life
- Everdream Valley
- Harvestella
- Coral Island
- Farming together
- Runic Factory 5
- Rune Factory 4 Special
- Ooblets
- Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town
- Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Farming Simulator 19
- Farming Simulator 20
- Garden legs
- Wylde Flowers
- forager
- Grow: Song Of The Evertree
- Sakuna: of rice and ruin
- Atomicrops
- Littlewood
- My time in Portia
- Slime Rancher
- Harvest moon: one world
- Cozy Grove
- Hope’s Farm
- Staxel
- graveyard keeper
- Doraemon: Story of Seasons
- Kitaria fables
- The silence of the wind
Why farming games are so popular
Many video games can even be stressful. Some require sneaking around, punching knots, defeating tough bosses, or getting an adrenaline rush from being in a PvP environment. “Rage quitting” is a real thing, where gamers get stuck in games and quit out of sheer frustration. Their stories can also be more emotional or disturbing than some players would like.
Games like Stardew Valley take that stress out of players by providing a healthy space to relax. They don’t always have an ending and allow the player to play for as long as he likes. Farming comes with hard challenges in real life, of course, but farming sim games allow players to have the fun parts without the stress.
Finally, the games are great for escapism, and perhaps more so than regular video games. Farm games allow players to feel cozy and distance themselves from all the complications of real life without picking up other stresses. Growing plants, fish and taking care of animals can also give a unique satisfaction. Many gamers live in cities where farm life is far away. These games, especially on the Nintendo Switch, allow players to have a small farm wherever they are.
Stardew Valley is now available for mobile, PC, PS4, PS Vita, Switch, and Xbox One.
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