Countless games similar to Animal Crossing: New Horizons are waiting to captivate you if the game managed to hold your interest.

If you're a fan of open-world, life-simulation games, you may be familiar with a delightful and engaging title called Animal Crossing: New Horizons. This particular Nintendo release offers a unique, relaxing gaming experience. As a player, you get to move into a deserted island and shape it into your personal paradise, interacting with anthropomorphic animal villagers, crafting tools, planting trees, designing your home, and much more. It's designed to mirror real time, so it keeps you engaged all year round with seasonal changes and events, and it allows for creative freedom, offering an individualized experience for each player.

Other similar games to Animal Crossing exist - ones that provide a similar sense of calm and casual play, immersive player-driven narratives, and world-building aspects. If you're attracted to the tranquillity of terraforming your own island or the community aspects of interacting with non-playable characters (NPCs), there's an extensive list that you might explore. These alternatives tend to fall into the genres of life, farm, and town simulation games, some even incorporating strategies and role-playing elements. Let me tantalize you with a few names you might recognize like Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon, and My Time at Portia. Curious about the rest?

25. Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing: New Horizons are both brilliant games that allow you to curate a world that is uniquely yours. Both games offer a charming, open-ended experience, where you can live life at your own pace, befriend colorful and interesting characters, explore vibrant environments, and customize everything from your character's appearance to the layout of your farm or island. Stardew Valley has even more emphasis on farming, fishing, mining, and exploring, adding a layer of depth while keeping that relaxing, laid-back gameplay you loved from Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

One standout similarity between Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the sense of community within the game. Just like in Animal Crossing, your interactions with other characters in Stardew Valley are at the heart of your experience. Each NPC has their own backstory that you can learn about, and relationships can be built over time through giving gifts and interacting with them, just like your island residents in Animal Crossing. Additionally, both games offer seasonal changes and special events, providing constant excitement and things to look forward to, which keeps the gameplay feeling fresh and engaging.

Stardew Valley is available on various platforms including Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, iOS, and Android, typically priced around $15 USD.

24. Harvest Moon: Light of Hope

Harvest Moon: Light of Hope shares some amazing common elements with Animal Crossing: New Horizons that you'll absolutely love. Both games provide a sandbox-style environment, where you can take control of your own destiny and build on your poor, deserted land. In Harvest Moon: Light of Hope, you become a farmer who works not only to cultivate your farm but also to reestablish the island to its former glory which offers a rich sense of progression similar to Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Also, there's a strong social aspect to both games where you can develop relationships with residents around you, add personal touch to your farm and even fall in love and start your own family.

Another similarity that you may find appealing has to do with the relaxed gameplay style. Just like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, there's no rush in Harvest Moon: Light of Hope. You can take your time to explore the surrounding environment, fish, mine, forage for items, and more, at your own pace. The game also encompasses simple but engaging activities like customizing your farm, raising animals, and has seasonal events - including birthday celebrations for village characters, planting and harvest festivals, similar to the charming life simulation aspects in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Essentially, Harvest Moon: Light of Hope provides a laid-back gaming experience immersed in routine, community, and progression.

Harvest Moon: Light of Hope is available on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC platforms, typically priced around $29.99 USD.

23. My Time at Portia

Just like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, My Time at Portia lets you engage in an immersive world with a laid-back atmosphere and a wide range of activities to delve into. You can build and decorate your own house, form relationships with the game's cute and quirky cast of characters, and explore a massive land filled with secrets and opportunities. The gameplay centers on crafting, farming, and relationship-building, very similar to the relaxing, work-at-your-own-pace gameplay you've come to adore in Animal Crossing.

Just as you would settle into your newly acquired deserted island in Animal Crossing, here you inherit a workshop and decide to make Portia your new home. One of the areas where My Time at Portia overshadows Animal Crossing is its deep crafting system. While both games allow you to collect resources to create various items, My Time at Portia takes it a step further by allowing you to build massive machines and other impressive structures. You can also deepen your relationships with villagers through giving gifts, similar to Animal Crossing's interactive nature. If you loved the charming rattan furniture from your Nook's Cranny, Portia also lets you express your creativity with countless unique items.

My Time at Portia is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC, typically priced around $30 USD.

22. Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles

Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles shares a lot of similarities with Animal Crossing: New Horizons that should captivate your interest. Like New Horizons, Yonder brings you to a beautiful, vividly rendered island ripe for exploration. The game upholds a laid-back atmosphere comparable to Animal Crossing with its absence of combat, encouraging you to engage with the world at a relaxing pace. You can freely explore, gather resources, engage in crafting, and participate in farming, mimicking the daily life and social interactions you would come across in Animal Crossing. You'll find yourself drawn into the interactive process of crafting, trading, and building in pursuit of Yonder's immersive quests and storylines, all framed by the charming island similarity to your experience in New Horizons.

Fostering relationships with local villagers is another element where Yonder echoes Animal Crossing. By communicating, helping, and trading with characters you encounter, you can increase your relationships, and leave your unique mark on the community, akin to building your island life in New Horizons. Yonder takes this a step further by introducing different seasons and weather conditions that can affect your activities, adding another layer to the immersion. And if you are a fan of the adorable animal friends you make along your journey in Animal Crossing, you will be pleased to know that Yonder offers a wide range of cute creatures, all of whom would happily become your companions.

Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC; typically priced around $30 USD.

21. Rune Factory 4

The popularities of Rune Factory 4 and Animal Crossing: New Horizons are both rooted in their immersive, addictive exploration and cozy life simulation features. Much like in Animal Crossing, Rune Factory 4 casts you as a character settling into a new town, fostering relationships with the residents who live there, participating in the local festivals, fishing, farming, and even decorating your own home. Both games also run on an in-game calendar, with each day offering new opportunities and events to experience. More so, the whimsical graphics and serene soundtrack, which provided a peaceful yet engaging experience in Animal Crossing, is present in Rune Factory 4, as well, contributing to the sense of ease and calmness.

However, one of the key parallels that may pique your interest, is their non-linear gameplay. In both Animal Crossing and Rune Factory 4, there's no 'right' way to spend your day. You're free to fill your time as you wish, whether that's by completing a quest, working on your farm, crafting, socializing with villagers, or even just wandering around and exploring the world at your own pace. And guess what? In Rune Factory 4, there's a fun fact: you can even pursue relationships leading to marriage, something Animal Crossing players have long been yearning for!

Rune Factory 4 is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, typically priced around $40 USD.

20. Littlewood

If you're a fan of Animal Crossing: New Horizons and looking for similar games, I would highly recommend checking out "Littlewood". It shares the tranquil and charming life-simulation genre, where it's all about creating your own world and living daily life at your own pace. Just like in Animal Crossing, you can gather resources, craft items, and interact with endearing, quirky characters. The charming pixel art style might remind you of earlier entries in the Animal Crossing series, but it definitely brings its own charm and refreshing take on the genre.

What sets Littlewood apart, and might be a transition you'll enjoy, is its deeper focus on customization and building. You're not only decorating your home, but you are creating the whole town from scratch. Each building, pathway, and decorative item can be hand-placed by you, giving the town a truly personalized touch. So, if your favorite part of Animal Crossing: New Horizons was designing your Island, Littlewood provides hours more of the same joy of customizing and shaping your surroundings, all wrapped in a soothing and peaceful package.

Littlewood is available on PC, Nintendo Switch, and Mac, typically priced around $15 USD.

19. Dragon Quest Builders 2

Dragon Quest Builders 2 captures a lot of the charm and appeal of Animal Crossing: New Horizons with its emphasis on creativity and community. Much like Animal Crossing, Dragon Quest Builders 2 has a relaxed, slow-paced style that encourages you to take your time and enjoy the process of creation. In both games, you'll find yourself exploring a blissful world, gathering resources, and designing and building your own dream home or landscape. However, Dragon Quest Builders 2 also adds a captivating, story-driven campaign that provides clear objectives and rewarding progression, enhancing your sense of achievement.

Furthermore, Dragon Quest Builders 2 takes the social aspect of Animal Crossing to another level with its multiplayer mode. You can visit your friends' islands, collaborate on building projects, or simply show off your construction skills. It conveys a similar sense of collaboration and a tight-knit community vibe as Animal Crossing which is so beloved by players. Also, for fans of customization, Dragon Quest Builders 2 offers a wide array of design options allowing you to customise your island just like in Animal Crossing, but adding a touch of RPG progression system that keeps the game exciting and fresh.

Dragon Quest Builders 2 is available on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows, typically priced around $60 USD.

18. Slime Rancher

Slime Rancher shares a remarkable number of similarities with Animal Crossing: New Horizons that you're bound to love. Much like Animal Crossing, Slime Rancher presents a world captivating in its charm and peaceful tranquility, only instead of being an island, it's based on a far-far galaxy. Both games give you a space to make your own and both are very focused on collecting. In Animal Crossing, you might have spent days catching bugs, fishing, or digging up fossils; in Slime Rancher, the universe offers playful little slimes! These colourful bouncy creatures are diverse in character and behaviour, adding an extra layer of fun to the collecting mechanic.

The management aspects of both games also bear resemblance. Animal Crossing allowed you to plan, develop and style your island to suit your tastes, and Slime Rancher provides a similar level of control on your interstellar farm. You have your own tools to catch and contain different species of slimes, your own plots to grow crops, raise chickens for food, and even machinery to make life easier just like in Animal Crossing. Moreover, there's also a market board that works similar to ‘Nook’s Cranny’ where you can sell collected plorts (slime-produced gems) to earn Newbucks, allowing you to buy necessary ranch upgrades or expand your territory.

Slime Rancher is available on various platforms including PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and will soon be available on Nintendo Switch, typically priced around $19.99 USD.

17. Garden Paws

If you love the charming world building of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you'll find a very similar experience in Garden Paws. Both games are compelling life simulators that allow you to create your own adventure. In Garden Paws, you take on the role of an animal and inherit a farm, just as you took ownership of an island in Animal Crossing. You can farm, fish, mine, explore dungeons, and decorate your home, giving you plenty of ways to customize your world. The game also features distinct seasons, each with unique items and events, much like Animal Crossing's changing seasons. Plus, the characters you meet are adorable and full of personality, just like your island neighbors!

One of the highlights of Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the multiplayer aspect and Garden Paws also offers this feature. You can welcome friends to your town and play together in the same world. Just as you could visit your friend's island, help them catch bugs or fish, give them gifts or trade items in Animal Crossing, you can do similar activities in Garden Paws. Plus, the game developers update Garden Paws with new content and events, which keeps the playing experience fresh and exciting, just like the seasonal events in Animal Crossing.

Garden Paws is available on PC, Nintendo Switch, typically priced around $20 USD.

16. Ooblets

If you're a fan of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Ooblets is likely to be right up your alley. Both titles are based on a relaxed, open-ended lifestyle simulation concept where players can shape their playtime according to their preferences. In Ooblets, like in AC: New Horizons, you have your own space to personalize, there's an entire town of funny, quirky characters to interact with, and you can gather, grow and sell resources to upgrade your place. The games also share an adorable, uplifting art style that makes them an enjoyable, friendly escape.

Ooblets differentiates itself by introducing turn-based dance-offs that replace traditional combat, which is a perfect fit for the cute and light-hearted world. Growing and caring for Ooblets adds another layer to the farming element you might have enjoyed in Animal Crossing. Exploring the wider world, meeting new Ooblets, and discovering items brings about the same thrill of the hunt that you'd get from hunting for new villagers in AC. Plus, new updates in Ooblets add seasonal events and new features, keeping the game fresh, similar to how Animal Crossing updates with various seasonal activities.

Ooblets is available on Xbox One and PC, typically priced around $25 USD.

15. Summer in Mara

Well, if you loved the captivating creativity and farming mechanics of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Summer in Mara is definitely right up your alley. Just like in Animal Crossing, Summer in Mara allows you to cultivate your little piece of paradise. You can plant various trees and crops, transform your island into your dream space, shape up the land how you want - more or less terraforming just like you did in New Horizons. The game's warm, glowing atmosphere and lush landscapes are likely to remind you of those tranquil, meditative sessions cultivating your island in Animal Crossing. But Mara ups the ante with an overarching story and quests, giving your farming and crafting a different shade of purpose.

Personal interaction is another major facet that unites these games. Much like networking with the anthropomorphous critters in Animal Crossing, Summer in Mara too has a cast of vibrant characters for you to interact with. You can engage in bartering with them, help them with their troubles, or simply catch up on the local gossip. The kinship and rapport you develop with these characters somehow make your own solitary island a microcosm of a larger, lively community, a theme very much concurrent with the ethos of Animal Crossing.

Summer in Mara is available on Nintendo Switch, PC via Steam, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, typically priced around $25 USD.

14. Farm Together

Just like in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Farm Together gives you the autonomy to float through life at a leisurely pace, nurturing your space as you see fit. You start off with a small plot of land just waiting for your green thumb to transform it into a thriving farm. From planting crops to raising animals, the game lets you chart your course freely and grow at your own speed. You can employ a variety of additions like elaborate fountains or adorable gazebos- whatever touches you want to add to make your property truly feel like home. Additionally, Farm Together's seasonal cycles keep the game fresh, constantly providing new opportunities for beautifying your farm and honing your farming skills.

Another core feature aligning Farm Together with Animal Crossing is its deep emphasis on community. In New Horizons, you interact closely with your cute island inhabitants and even visit your friends' islands for inspiration or co-operative activities. Similarly, in Farm Together, you could invite your friends over to your farm for a co-op farming experience. They can join in your journey, help you with your farm tasks, or you can chose to simply hang out and enjoy a relaxing day amidst your carefully curated farm. This social aspect of the game adds another layer of enjoyment to the cozy farming life.

Farm Together is available on PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4, typically priced around $20 USD.

13. Moonlighter

If you're looking for a game that is similar to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Moonlighter might just hit the spot. Both of these games feature the same relaxing, grind-oriented gameplay that focuses on daily routine and progression. In Moonlighter, you play as a simple shopkeeper by day and an adventurer by night, not too different from living on your deserted island in Animal Crossing but with an adventurous twist. A lot of your time will be spent gathering items and resources, similar to foraging for resources in Animal Crossing. You can then use those items to upgrade and expand your shop, again mirroring Animal Crossing’s mechanic of slowly improving and personalizing your island.

Both games also have a charming pixel-art style, providing a visually pleasing, immersive experience far beyond their simplistic mechanics. They foster a sense of community, with Moonlighter offering various villagers to interact with, each adding to the charisma and soul of your town, much like the memorable residents of your Animal Crossing island. There's also an inherent challenge in both games as you juggle tasks and refine your strategies. The heart of the fun in both Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Moonlighter lies in their ability to grant players with a sense of ownership and freedom while still providing enough challenges to keep things interesting.

Moonlighter is available on PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PC, typically priced around $20 USD.

12. Terraria

While Terraria and Animal Crossing: New Horizons may seem worlds apart, they actually share quite a bit familiarity, especially when it comes to customization and creativity. Just like in Animal Crossing, Terraria gives you the freedom to build and customize your environment as you wish. You'll spend hours crafting structures, designing landscapes, and dressing your character just like you did in Animal Crossing. The game, just like Animal Crossing, also operates on a real-time clock, which means you can experience different gameplay elements depending on the time of day you choose to play. If you enjoyed spending hours designing your dream island, then you'll find equal satisfaction from the intricate layer of customization that Terraria has to offer.

Terraria also thrives on the aspect of collecting and resource gathering that you found in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The world is bursting with a multitude of creatures, materials, and unique objects that you can hunt and gather. But unlike Animal Crossing, Terraria also includes a combat and exploration element. You'll find yourself traversing through various biomes, battling different types of monsters, and discovering treasures. If you enjoyed the grind in New Horizons but were perhaps wishing for a little more action, Terraria's balanced mix of peaceful creativity and thrilling combat is sure to satisfy.

Terraria is available on various platforms including PC, PS4, Xbox One, and even on mobile iOS and Android, typically priced around $10 USD.

11. The Sims 4

In a unique way, The Sims 4 holds numerous similarities to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, providing a similar kind of open-ended, life simulation gameplay. Much like how you’ve been designing your island in Animal Crossing, The Sims 4 gives players extensive control to customize their characters' houses and community, with a wide variety of items and decorations available to choose from. You also get to manage the lives of the characters. These elements combined generate a creative setting akin to Animal Crossing’s tranquil, fun-spirited essence.

Just as you’ve been interacting with the lovable characters of Animal Crossing, in The Sims 4 you’d also develop relationships with a myriad of unique, AI-controlled characters. There are daily tasks to perform, akin to the chores in Animal Crossing, and you can engage in various activities for fun or to earn money, which can be used to improve your home and lifestyle. The charming graphic design, coupled with a light-hearted, calm gaming environment and a dash of wackiness throwbacks to the quirkiness of your favorite characters from your 'deserted island getaway package'.

The Sims 4 is available on Windows, MacOS, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, typically priced around $40 USD.

10. Castaway Paradise

Castaway Paradise is a delightful life simulation game that has a lot in common with Animal Crossing: New Horizons while still maintaining its unique qualities. Similar to the much-loved Animal Crossing, Castaway Paradise gives players the chance to live a life on a tropical island. The game presents its players with endless opportunities to engage in fun activities like fishing, bug catching, and even farming - a satisfying component not found in Animal Crossing. The customisation of your character and your home is also a significant part of the gameplay, allowing you to create a paradise that truly reflects your unique style.

One can easily draw similarities between the lovely and appealing graphics and atmosphere of both Castaway Paradise and Animal Crossing. Furthermore, the social interaction mechanics in Castaway Paradise are very similar to those in New Horizons. You'll meet a range of quirky and lovable island inhabitants, help them with various tasks, and form friendships with them. You can also participate in special themed events that take place throughout the year in the game, bringing in a fresh and dynamic element, much like what Animal Crossing players would be familiar with. Experience the calming routine of day-to-day island life punctuated with special events and the satisfaction of building and improving your personal paradise from the ground up.

Castaway Paradise is available on platforms Xbox One, PlayStation 4, iOS and Android, typically priced around $15 USD.

9. Doraemon Story of Seasons

One notable similarity between Doraemon Story of Seasons and Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the ability to live an idyllic rural life while interacting with a host of unique, endearing characters. Just like in Animal Crossing where you reside on an island and interact with its citizen, in Story of Seasons, you find yourself in a charming town with its distinct citizens. You can communicate and build relationships with these characters, discover their backstories and preferences, and share meaningful experiences, making your immersion into the game much more substantial.

Both games also provide an aspect of customization and creativity, along with resource collection and management systems. Story of Seasons shares the same home and town customization mechanics as Animal Crossing, with freedom to decorate interiors and surroundings as per your preference. Plus, the farming mechanics in Story of Seasons will appeal to fans of the gardening and crafting system of Animal Crossing. You can grow crops, raise livestock, and engage in the cycle of planting, maintaining, and harvesting just like in New Horizons.

Doraemon Story of Seasons is available on Nintendo Switch and PC, typically priced around $49.99 USD.

8. Spiritfarer

If you love the relaxed life simulation aspect of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, then Spiritfarer is likely to be right up your alley. As a Spiritfarer, you'll be taking on the role of a "spirit guide" for the deceased, helping them transition through to the afterlife. It's a calm, soothing kind of game filled with a variety of tasks to carry out, just like in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. You get to fish, cook, mine, farm and craft in this beautifully hand-drawn world filled with charming characters. Just like in Animal Crossing, you can decorate your own space, in this case, your spirit-welcoming ship, and spend time getting to know your spirit companions.

One of the greatest similarities with Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the emotional connection you'll develop with the characters. Similarly, you'll cultivate relationships with an array of in-game characters, with a depth and richness not often found in games. You'll learn their backstories, help them through their issues and ultimately guide them to the afterlife. But this is done in a touching, joyful way, focusing more on celebrating the life they lived. There's a sense of progression, a day-to-day routine, and a series of goals, just like in Animal Crossing. Even though the subject matter might seem somber, the game handles it with grace, warmth, and humor.

Spiritfarer is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia, and PC, typically priced around $30 USD.

7. Viva Piñata

If you loved the freedom to build and personalize in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Viva Piñata is sure to capture your interest with its creative sandbox environment. Similar to Animal Crossing, Viva Piñata offers a colorful world where players are encouraged to tinker, customize, and nurture their surroundings. You are in charge of a vibrant garden area, free to attract, entice, and take care of a host of adorable piñatas - the game's stand-ins for the charming Animal Crossing villagers. With a focus on incremental development and an open-ended gameplay style, players can shape their gardens into unique secluded paradises, evocative of the individual island builds in Animal Crossing.

Friendship also features prominently in both games. In Animal Crossing, you had the joy of connecting with your villagers, learning their habits, personalities, and even gifting them items to win their favor. Viva Piñata utilizes a similar system, albeit with a delightful twist. The piñatas are drawn to specific environmental conditions and plant types which you can strategically cultivate in your garden. As you get to know each piñata species better, you can tailor your garden space to accommodate them, resulting in a truly unique garden brimming with your favorite piñatas. This engaging and personalized interaction enhances a sense of belonging and immersion that's reminiscent of the bond players form with their island inhabitants in Animal Crossing.

Viva Piñata is available on Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows, typically priced around $15 USD.

6. A Short Hike

One game I'd highly recommend if you enjoyed Animal Crossing: New Horizons is A Short Hike. Just like Animal Crossing, A Short Hike has a relaxing and calming atmosphere that allows players to escape to a rural setting. The Animal crossing-esque graphic aesthetic, combined with its heartwarming and open-world nature, makes it a perfect haven for those who enjoy no-pressure gaming. It does not rush you into anything, giving a comforting sense of wandering around at your own pace. You engage with various quirky animal characters, hike around the stunning nature-filled environment, go fishing, dig for treasure, or even just sit down to watch the world go by - much like you do in Animal Crossing.

Another key similarity is the non-linear tasks in A Short Hike, which parallels Animal Crossing's open-ended, player-driven exploration. Like Animal Crossing, there also isn't an "end" to this game, meaning you can continue exploring and interacting with the world for as long as you please. The tasks you decide to undertake are diverse, from helping other characters to completing various mini-games and challenges. Plus, the world of A Short Hike is multi-layered, and much like the seasons-shifting of Animal Crossing, you can traverse mountains, valleys, and forests, encounter different weather dynamics, and have completely varied experiences each time you play.

A Short Hike is available on Nintendo Switch, Windows, macOS and Linux, typically priced around $7.99 USD.

5. Two Point Hospital

One way Two Point Hospital is similar to Animal Crossing: New Horizons is in its focus on creative customization and management. As with your Island in New Horizons, running your hospital in Two Point offers you the freedom to lay out and decorate your environment as you see fit, and there are always new challenges for you to tackle. Deciding where to place each facility, how to optimally utilize your space, manage staff, and handle diseases in your hospital can bring about the same level of satisfaction as successfully designing your dream Island in Animal Crossing.

Just as in Animal Crossing where each villager has their unique personality, Two Point Hospital creates a vibrant world with charming characters that have distinct traits. You will meet various patients, doctors, and nurses, each presenting their own quirks and disorders. The game truly shines in its sense of humor, with creative diseases that mirror the whimsical humor of Blathers’s museum descriptions in Animal Crossing. Moreover, the progression system in Two Point Hospital, where you move from managing a simple clinic to controlling a healthcare empire in multiple locations, will provide you with a similar sense of fulfillment as upgrading your small tent into a grand multi-story house in New Horizons.

Two Point Hospital is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC, typically priced around $35 USD.

4. Fantasy Life

If you loved the open-ended gameplay and immersive world of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, it's highly likely you'll also appreciate the charms of Fantasy Life. Like Animal Crossing, Fantasy Life embraces the concept of living a life in a delightful and fantastical world, but it also expands upon it by incorporating light RPG elements. As in Animal Crossing, you get to customize your character, your living space, and interact with a cast of colorful NPCs that have their own unique personalities and stories to tell. However, where Animal Crossing leans more towards resource management and town customization, Fantasy Life offers an additional layer of exploration and missions that feel rewarding.

One of the most satisfying aspects of both games is the sense of progression and the sheer number of activities available to partake in. Just as you might spend hours fishing, bug collecting, and fossil hunting in Animal Crossing, in Fantasy Life you can choose from 12 various Life Classes (from being a Paladin to a Carpenter), and engage in activities related to these roles. Each life class brings a different set of tasks and goals that not only keep the engagement level high but also make each playthrough feel distinct and personalized. If you enjoy the relaxing pace, charming aesthetics, and immersive world of Animal Crossing, you will probably find Fantasy Life just as delightful and rewarding to play.

Fantasy Life is available on Nintendo 3DS, typically priced around $40 USD.

3. World's Dawn

World's Dawn shares a lot of similarities with Animal Crossing: New Horizons, making it a perfect game to try if you enjoyed the laid-back, community-building gameplay of Animal Crossing. Much like Animal Crossing, World's Dawn lets you create your own character and immerse yourself in a vibrant rural environment. You can interact with a variety of interesting residents, each with their own unique personalities and quirks, just like the animal villagers we all know and love.

In addition to this, World's Dawn also brings farming and mining to the table, which allows you to cultivate your land, raise animals, and gather resources. This essentially adds another layer of depth to a relaxing life-simulation game. The game boasts four distinct seasons, each with its own events and activities. Design and decorate your house, help out with community events, or just enjoy the idyllic rural environment – there is plenty to do in both Animal Crossing and World's Dawn.

World's Dawn is available on platforms like Steam for PC and it is typically priced around $10 USD.

2. Eco

Eco might be just the game you're looking for, as it offers a unique blend of life simulation and educational elements which makes it reminiscent of the charm found in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Just like in Animal Crossing, Eco offers a rich and interactive world that’s teeming with wildlife, flora, fauna and ample opportunities to forge relationships and trade with other players. The central premise also encourages careful management of resources and thoughtfulness towards the environment, and like Animal Crossing, it has a day-and-night and weather cycle, further enhancing your immersive experience.

Another plus point of Eco is its focus on cooperation, which adds a fresh layer to gameplay similar to the multiplayer element in Animal Crossing. Much like how you build and manage your own island in Animal Crossing, in Eco you collaborate with other players to build a civilization within a fully simulated ecosystem, crafting laws to protect that ecosystem. This can give a sense of accomplishment and camaraderie, which is very satisfying to those seeking a sense of community or looking for more interactive opportunities.

Eco is available on Windows, Mac, and Linux, typically priced around $30 USD.

1. Ever Oasis

Ever Oasis bears a striking resemblance to Animal Crossing: New Horizons in several aspects, making it an exciting alternative for fans of the latter. Both games have an engaging world-building element central to their gameplay. Ever Oasis, much like Animal Crossing, allows you to create your own thriving oasis by building facilities, keeping its inhabitants happy, and attracting new ones. Moreover, in both games, your decisions shape the environment and it changes with time. The day-night cycle produces different activities and encounters, just like in Animal Crossing.

Key to both games are the NPC relationships you will build. Ever Oasis takes that mechanic even further with a 'hearts' system indicating how fond residents are of your oasis, much like the relationships you form in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Furthermore, Ever Oasis has a gentle & relaxing pace similar to Animal Crossing. Yet, it spices things up by introducing a combat system filled with charm and whimsy, which is sure to entertain any player.

Ever Oasis is available on Nintendo 3DS, typically priced around $40 USD.

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