I see you there, you scallywag, sitting at your PC and daydreaming about bug catching and letter writing. Sure, admittedly you could be at your laptop, or on your phone, or the Internet Browser on a heavily modded Wii console, but the details don’t matter. What’s important here is your passionate, unresolved desire to experience the frivolity of Animal Crossing right there on the computer. Obviously, Nintendo isn’t just going to bring it right to you, but there are alternatives, my dearest frog, and today we’re going to unveil them. Here are 6 games like Animal Crossing for PC. Tell nobody, it’s our little secret.
6 Games Like Animal Crossing for PC
Stardew Valley
Much like Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley is all about going down to your roots and starting the simple life. They’re both laid back games that are geared toward living life at your own pace.
That being said, Stardew Valley places a bit more pressure on how you live, since you pretty much need money to survive. Here, you’ve inherited your late grandfather’s farm and decide to live off the land, toiling away at crops instead of working your typical 9-to-5 shift.
While it may come off as a simple farming game, Stardew Valley houses tons of other activities you can do to earn a living. From fishing to mining, there’s really no shortage of tasks you can complete, making each day feel more fulfilling than the last.
My Time at Portia
My Time at Portia is yet another relaxing game that’s all about building your best virtual life. From the moment you land on Portia, it falls to you to pick up the scraps of your dad’s old workshop.
As the resident builder, you’ll be taking on plenty of requests from the townsfolk to make a living. You aren’t locked into your profession, however, since you can always take a step back from all of your tools and harvest crops and care for livestock. At the same time, you can also be a fisherman or miner —whatever floats your boat.
While you’re going about this, you’ll be upgrading your house, taking on bigger jobs, and building even bigger things. There’s a strong sense of progression at My Time at Portia, which is almost like the same feeling you get when you pay off your debts in Animal Crossing.
Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles
Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles is all about adventure as your character drifts to a new world threatened by an ominous presence known as the Murk. Despite the constant threat looming around the corner, Yonder is far from violent or stressful.
In fact, you’ll be spending plenty of time exploring the open world and collecting materials. Your main goal is to look for magical creatures that can dispel the evil threatening the land, but you’ll probably be off trotting from town to town and mingling with the villagers.
They’ll ask you a ton of requests which usually involve exploring one place to another, hunting for certain materials. Later on, you’ll also have access to your very own farm where you can grow crops and tend to your livestock.
Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles is a relaxing experience that’s all about making everyday discoveries. In the same vein, Animal Crossing is all about finding wonders in your ordinary activities.
World’s Dawn
World’s Dawn is another farming sim that’s all about living at your own pace. Like most of these games, you’re gifted with a farm and have to tend to it. You’re left to harvest crops, fish, forage, care for livestock, cook, and more.
At the same time, you can also mingle with the villagers in town. You can join events, build friendships, and even get married, if you manage to find someone you fancy.
World’s Dawn shines with its gorgeous art direction, featuring pixelated graphics and changing seasons. The seaside town adapts to each month, showing off a few new secrets and sights you’ve never seen before.
If you’re looking for another relaxing game like Animal Crossing with a few farming elements mixed in, World’s Dawn is definitely worth looking into.
The Sims 4
The Sims has always been one of the best games in its genre, letting you create little people and order them around as you please. While you aren’t exactly playing as a certain character, you control the lives of all of the Sims in the game.
Since you have absolute authority over what they do, you can either lead them to a successful, happy life or watch them crumble under crippling debt. There are tons of options you can do for your Sims, choosing from a wide selection of careers, jobs, hobbies, activities, homes you can design, and so much more.
The Sims 4 is packed with tons of content and still gets continuous DLC expanding the game. If you prefer to control your characters instead of play as them, The Sims is a great alternative to Animal Crossing on the PC.
Hokko Life
Of course, if you want to throw your arms up in the air and just hone in on a game that is so similar to Animal Crossing, you could swear it was merely a spinoff, you’d be hard pressed to find anything closer than Hokko Life.
Here, you’re a human resident living a cozy life amongst your adorable animal neighbors, crafting materials as you redesign the drab town atmosphere as you see fit. Catch bugs, catch fish, catch a whiff of Nintendo’s lawyers poking around to see how this got past early access, it’s all at your fingertips!
And those are our picks for games like Animal Crossing on PC if you’re looking for something similar. Speaking of similar, we’ve also got suggestions of Animal Crossing facsimiles for PS4 and Xbox players, plus a review for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. That last one isn’t particularly related, I just think it’s neat.
