Waiting on Stardew Valley’s 1.7 update? Here are 10 of the best games like Stardew Valley on Switch, from cozy farming sims to story-driven heartbreakers.
There’s a reason Stardew Valley has sold more than 50 million copies and still pulls in new farmers every day. It’s a game that offers comfort, happiness, and simple joy. You log in after a rough afternoon, water your starfruit, pet your animals, give gifts to the neighbors, go fishing as the sun goes down, and the world quietly melts away.
Creator ConcernedApe is still adding to it, too, with a major 1.7 update in the works that brings new marriage candidates, a new farm layout, and a wider role for your kids.
A release date hasn’t been locked in, so while you wait, it’s the perfect moment to scout out one or two other cozy games for your Nintendo Switch.
Handheld and cozy sims go hand-in-hand. The Switch library is stacked with games similar to Stardew Valley, from faithful farming sims to story-driven titles featuring dungeon-diving and crafting.
Here are the best games like Stardew Valley on Switch right now, whatever flavor of cozy you’re after.
What makes a good Stardew Valley alternative on Switch?
Stardew Valley provides a daily loop of small, satisfying tasks, characters you need to develop relationships with, progression on your terms that rewards you without any time pressure, romance if you want it, and the freedom to play at your own pace.
The games we’ve selected below all have some of the Stardew Valley elements we know and love. Some lean into farming, some into building or combat, and one sends you diving for fish, but each has its own charm and a world you will enjoy exploring.
1. Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life
If you want to trace Stardew’s family tree, this line of games provided the inspiration for ConcernedApe’s top-tier game. Story of Seasons is the modern name for the Harvest Moon lineage that inspired Stardew in the first place, and A Wonderful Life is a lovingly refreshed version of the 2003 classic.
You grow crops, raise animals, romance one of eight candidates, and settle into a single story that plays out over decades, watching your child grow up and eventually choose their own path.
It’s slower than Stardew, and does show its age, but players still consider this a charming, relaxing game that you can sink hours into on the Switch or Switch 2.
2. Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma
Rune Factory is what happens when you combine a farming sim with a sword. Guardians of Azuma, one of the newest entries on our list, keeps the crops, cooking, and romance you’d expect, then wraps them around real-time combat, forest and dungeon crawling, and a gorgeous Japanese-inspired world.
You raise a village, recruit residents to work the fields for you, dance to revive the land, and ride a dragon across the sky between seasons.
There are plenty of romance options and a sense of adventure most cozy sims can’t match, which makes it ideal for Stardew fans who sometimes wish they could go swing a weapon at something outside of the mines.
It runs on both Switch and Switch 2, and the Switch 2 Edition bumps the frame rate to a much smoother 60 fps if you have the newer hardware.
3. My Time at Sandrock
Where most farming sims put crops front and center, My Time at Sandrock hands you a workshop. You arrive in a dusty, Western-themed desert town as its new Builder, gathering resources, crafting machines, and slowly restoring the community and saving it from hard times.
There’s crafting, planting, cooking, livestock, festivals, and romance, plus dungeons and plenty of combat.
It’s one of the most content-packed picks on this list, with a warm cast of characters and that familiar “I’ll just play one more day” hook. However, as players on the original Switch version have encountered issues with load times and frame rates, it plays best on the stronger hardware of the Switch 2.
4. Dave the Diver
Dave the Diver trades farming for something completely different, and it’s a must-play for anyone who loves Stardew’s daily rhythm but would like to try something a bit different.
By day, you dive into the ever-changing Blue Hole to spear fish, collect treasure, and complete quests. By night, you run a sushi restaurant, setting the menu, serving customers, and pouring an alarming amount of green tea and cocktails. Both halves link to each other, and the game never stops throwing new mechanics, mini-games, and offbeat story beats at you.
It’s perfect for handheld play, commutes, or lunch breaks, and it’s optimized for Switch 2 if you’ve upgraded.
5. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
A list of games on Switch like Stardew Valley isn’t complete without this title. Animal Crossing: New Horizons drops you on a deserted island and lets you shape and manage it however you like, with no fail states and no pressure.
Fish, catch bugs, decorate, pay off your raccoon landlord, and befriend a rotating cast of animal villagers and meet your friends from the real world. Animal Crossing rewards simply having fun.
It’s a Switch exclusive, so this is one you can only get on Nintendo’s hardware, and it remains the go-to when you want pure, low-stakes relaxation. Great for shorter sessions and even better if you like designing spaces down to the last detail.
6. Harvestella
Square Enix’s take on the genre fuses farming with a full-blooded JRPG. You’ll plant and harvest through the seasons, but you’ll also form a party, explore dungeons, fight monsters, and unravel a story built around the mysterious Quietus, a “season of death” that threatens the world you know.
For Stardew players who want a story-driven plot and combat that goes beyond the need to mine for valuable ore, Harvestella strikes a satisfying balance. While it doesn’t have the longevity of Stardew Valley, this farming game stays approachable while the RPG side gives you somewhere to channel all those hard-won resources.
7. Winter Burrow
Winter Burrow is one of the coziest-looking games you’ll ever stumble across, and while it’s perfect for playing while snuggled up on your sofa, it is also quietly demanding. You play a young mouse returning to a childhood burrow that has fallen into ruin, and your days go into gathering food and other resources, crafting tools, knitting warm sweaters, baking pies, and decorating your home.
The catch is that a survival game sits underneath the charming design and decorations. Step outside and you’ll need to manage warmth, hunger, and stamina in winter, while dodging insects and looking for your missing aunty.
It asks for a little more of you than a pure farming sim, which makes it a top pick for Stardew fans who want their coziness with some adventure and risk. It was released in late 2025 and plays well on both the Switch and Switch 2.
8. Spiritfarer
Spiritfarer combines cozy management with one of the most touching and heartbreaking stories in the genre. You play a ferrymaster guiding spirits to their final rest, and along the way you explore, cook, craft, and build out your boat into a floating home for the friends you meet. It’s warm, beautiful, and emotional, backed by an excellent musical track.
The daily tasks and gentle progression will feel instantly familiar to Stardew fans, but the way it handles goodbyes gives it a soul all its own. Keep some tissues nearby, because you’ll need them.
9. Moonstone Island
Moonstone Island mixes three cozy features at once: exploring, creature collecting, and building. You set up as an alchemist on a scatter of over 100 floating islands, grow crops, collect and tame spirits, and battle using a card-based system, all wrapped around the usual sim comforts.
Moonstone Island is a brilliant pick if you love Stardew but also feel the itch to catch and train little creatures. Romance members of the community, build your home wherever you like, and investigate everything from dungeons to temples.
10. Potion Permit
In Potion Permit, you’re the new chemist in the sleepy town of Moonbury, and instead of tending crops, you diagnose ailments and brew cures.
You gather ingredients out in the wild, craft potions through a puzzle-like system, and slowly win over townsfolk who are wary of outsiders.
Potion Permit allows you to game at your own pace; while it can be a bit slow, it’s still a great Stardew Valley alternative for anyone who wants that same feeling, just with a new theme.
While You Wait for the Stardew 1.7 Update
Any one of these Stardew alternatives for Switch will keep you busy until the next Stardew update drops, and most will hold your attention long after.
Whether you want the earnest farm life of Story of Seasons, the sword-swinging adventure of Rune Factory, or the strange, addictive brilliance of Dave the Diver, the Switch has a cozy corner waiting for you.
And once you’ve found your new favorite, there’s something nice about giving it a permanent spot on your wall next to the iconic farming game that started it all, so your gaming space feels as personal as the farms you build.
