There are so many reasons to fall in love with Dreamlight Valley, with its rich characters, intriguing questlines, and endless things to do. It’s easy to jump into because you have full control over how you play, whether it be farming, hanging out with friends, or furnishing the Valley. Even after finishing all of the missions, there’s always something to come back for. As great as it is, it isn’t the only game that’s full of content.
After completing all of your duties, you might be looking for another world to explore. Whether it be a game that’s equally as cozy, or one with characters as lovable and quests to keep you engaged, here are some of the best games like Disney Dreamlight Valley.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal Crossing is basically the blueprint when it comes to cozy games, who wouldn’t want to create their dream island while cute animals dance and sing around you? Just like in Dreamlight Valley, this game allows you to invite adorable characters to live on your island — and it also has nearly limitless customization.
You can tinker with your character, create your own clothes, and transform your island into something entirely unique. I’ve turned my island into a dark-academia-themed fantasy land, but other people have done jungle themes with more water than land, castle builds, and even European street life. When it comes to decorating the neighborhood, I’d say this game offers even more than DDLV since you’re also able to edit inside and outside of villagers’ homes. If you truly want to create your perfect world, Animal Crossing is the place to do it.
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The Sims 4
The Sims is also a life simulator, but this title takes the life part to heart. You’ll get to create a family and control their lives until their inevitable death — unless you turn aging off. For those who love the decorating aspect of Dreamlight Valley, then this is the game you should dive into.
The Sims have a similar build mode to DDLV, but in this game, you’ll mostly decorate homes, businesses, wedding venues, or whatever else your creative mind comes up with. If you also love dressing up your avatar and putting together cute outfits, then you’ll probably spend hours in the Create a Sim mode — I know I have. There are endless hairstyles and clothing, and you’ll have more than one character to style. Unfortunately, a lot of it is locked behind paid DLC, but there are plenty of mods available for PC players to take advantage of.
Stardew Valley
One of the main questions everyone asks about Dreamlight Valley is if there’s romance in the game. As interesting as that would be, I don’t think Ariel would appreciate it if someone stole her man. I know their memories are gone, but let’s keep our morals! Stardew Valley, on the other hand, is a cute farming simulator with many different people players can go on dates, eventually marry and have a child with.
While romance is part of it, there’s actually so much more that could be done. This game takes place in Pelican Town, and it’s up to you, the player, to help restore the town and make it a better place to live. Farming is one of the main things you’ll do here, aside from befriending other townies. Similarly to DDLV, there are many crops you can grow, and some will be more profitable than others. So, if farming is one of your favorite things to do in the Valley and you’d like to form even deeper bonds with your neighbors, then I’d highly recommend moving to Stardew Valley.
Genshin Impact
This may look like a bold choice for this list — but hear me out, while Genshin Impact might be a little more action-packed, there are so many elements from Dreamlight Valley in this RPG. For example, you can cook meals, build your own house, collect characters, and gain friendship levels with them as well.
Quests in Dreamlight Valley are a lot more simple, often sending you to collect some materials to build a new piece of furniture or cook tasty meals. In Genshin, most quests will often involve some form of combat and puzzles, but the controls are easy to use and you can put together a team of your favorite characters. While DDLV has different biomes to explore, Genshin has a massive map with multiple realms, and each new area you reach is always more beautiful than the last. The cutesy music playing in the background adds to its coziness and also makes you feel like the star of a Studio Ghibli movie.
Minecraft
Minecraft is another game that can be played however you wish. There are three modes players can choose from such as survival, creative, and adventure. Fans of Dreamlight Valley might prefer the creative mode, especially those who want to scratch that building itch.
Things can become a little scarier in Minecraft, but of course, it doesn’t take place in a Disney-themed world. As its name suggests, mining is pretty important in this game, just like it is in the Valley — as you’ll need to gather different materials to build your home or survive throughout the night. While there aren’t any NPC allies to accompany you on your journeys here, this game can be played online with friends — which is something we’re still waiting for Dreamlight Valley to add!
Disney Speedstorm
Disney Speedstorm is a totally different genre from Dreamlight Valley, but they were both developed by Gameloft. Even though there’s a lot that separates DDLV from other life simulators, there’s no denying that its main selling point is the fact that players get to interact with Disney heroes and villains.
The same goes for Speedstorm, but on the racing side of things. And who’s to say a racing game can’t be cozy? Sure, you can’t decorate your own house and have a farm here, but you can still unlock your favorite characters and take them for a spin on the racing track. You’re also able to add a little bit of your own personality to each racer, by customizing their outfit and kart. Above all else, being able to interact with figures from our beloved childhood movies is what makes both of these games special.
Kingdom Hearts 3
There are a lot of Kingdom Hearts games to jump into, but no matter which one you do, it’s undeniably epic to not only meet the iconic Disney personalities but fight beside them. In the valley, players get to visit the realms of different heroes, but they’re not as vast as they are in Kingdom Hearts.
There are a lot of games to get into, but I’d especially recommend playing the third one since that’s when it significantly improves in terms of graphics and gameplay. In this game, you truly get to explore the worlds of different characters, and they look just like the movies. There are locations from Toy Story, like Andy’s Room and outside of his house, and you can even rescue Rapunzel from Grothel’s tower. If you’re like me and have seen basically every movie from the Mickey Mouse company, Kingdom Hearts 3, and the others in the series as well, are a must-play.
Ooblets
Having Elsa following you around is nice and all, but in Ooblets, you can literally have a trail of cuties behind you as you complete tasks. There are many different species around that are found in different areas, so not only do you get to create and dress your avatar, farm, and take care of the island, but you also get to explore the world and collect new creatures.
Similarly to the companions in Dreamlight, the Ooblets have their favorite food that players need to give them, but in this game, you have to engage in a dance battle as well. Yup, you read that right. In order to have these cuties join your posse, you need to win a dance-off. After acquiring your new pets, you can change their color and give them charming accessories to wear.
My Time at Portia
If you love gathering materials, building relationships with NPCs by chatting and interacting with them, and creating your own character, then you’ll surely enjoy spending time at Portia.
In My Time at Portia, you’ll likely spend most of your time building so you can become the best builder in town. This game has a good balance between being peaceful and action-packed combat, as there’s also a diverse range of monsters you can fight, dungeons to complete, with boss battles included. In Portia, you’ll get new tasks to take on every day and it’s pretty satisfying to see the progress you make around the town as you complete projects.
Coral Island
Coral Island is still in Early Access, meaning the game isn’t complete yet — but it’s still fun to play and has so many similarities to both Dreamlight Valley and Stardew Valley. The main story revolves around your character as they arrive at a new island to help clean it up after an oil spill. Along the way, you can meet and romance characters, take part in events, and learn more about the world.
This game checks off everything you may be looking for in a life simulation game. It’s got a beautiful island for players to traverse, the farming aspect is a huge part of it, and there’s lots of motivation to progress, since every time you rank up the town, new things are unlocked, like different clothes for your avatar to wear. The art style here is also pleasant and makes for a better experience. Considering it’s already so well done and it’s not even finished yet, I’m expecting Coral Island to become one of the next best cozy games once it fully releases.
