Animal Crossing moves you into a village of animal neighbours and lets you live there for as long as you like. Players have no defined objectives. You fish and catch bugs, then sell what you find for Bells to pay back the loan Tom Nook gave you for your house. The game runs on your console's clock and calendar, so the season in your village is the season outside, and K.K. Slider plays on certain nights.
Few games copy all of that, but many share the parts fans love most. These are the 11 games players recommend most to Animal Crossing fans, ranked by how many different people named each one.
11 Games Like Animal Crossing Where You Make a New Home and Settle In
Nintendogs (2005)
Nintendogs shares Animal Crossing's habit of following the real clock. It uses the DS's internal clock and calendar, and your dog grows hungrier or dirtier while you are away. You pet it on the touch screen, call its name into the microphone and teach it tricks such as "sit" or "roll over". Walks to the park fill the rest of the day, along with contests that earn money for supplies and home decor.
The big difference is the cast. There is no village, only you and your puppies, and they stay puppies for good. Shigeru Miyamoto came up with the idea after his family bought a dog. Players recommend it as a cute, relaxing pet sim. Play the original on DS, or Nintendogs + Cats on 3DS.
Harvest Moon: A New Beginning (2012)
A New Beginning is the Harvest Moon closest to Animal Crossing's love of decorating. You arrive in Echo Village, a town that has fallen into disarray after many villagers moved away, and your job is to bring it back. You put up buildings to coax residents home and convince new people to move in. Along the way you design your house and its furniture, and even the look of the village itself.
The big difference is romance. Twelve marriage candidates live in town, six women and six men, and some only appear as the village grows. Friends can visit over the internet and bring their cows and alpacas along. Players who tried it speak fondly of it, especially for shaping the town. Play it on 3DS.
Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns (2016)
Trio of Towns gives you three towns of neighbours instead of one. Besides your own farmland, you visit three towns, each with its own culture and lifestyle. One is based partly on North America, one on Japan and one on tropical island countries. The developers built it for the series' 20th anniversary and wanted to try something new.
The big difference is the farm. You move to Westown to live with your uncle Frank and learn how to be a farmer from him, and the crops come first. Like the game before it, it has a Super Mario tie-in, this time as costumes. Players who love Animal Crossing's calm pick it as the next game to play. Play it on 3DS.
Disney Magical World (2013)
Disney Magical World drops your Mii, or a new character, into the town of Castleton. Its days are full of Animal Crossing chores: fishing, card collecting, gardening and making clothes. You also run the town's cafe, where you decorate the room and make the food to be sold. It shipped 500,000 copies in Japan.
The big difference is the Disney worlds. You help the main characters of each world by battling ghosts in dungeons, and the weapons and armour you need are made from materials you find there. Animal Crossing fans keep pointing to it, especially if they like Disney. Play it on 3DS. Disney Magical World 2 followed on 3DS in 2015 and on Switch in 2021.
Ever Oasis (2017)
Ever Oasis turns Animal Crossing's village into a desert oasis you build yourself. You play a Seedling who works with the water spirit Esna to build the last oasis in a vast desert, helping new residents as they arrive. Critics singled out the town-building side and the orchestral score. IGN's reviewer felt the design made even necessary maintenance tasks feel worthwhile rather than chores.
The big difference is combat. Outside the oasis it doubles as a dungeon crawler, with real-time fights and up to three residents in your party. Some critics found the opening slow. Grezzo developed it and Nintendo published it. Players put it on their lists for Animal Crossing fans. Play it on 3DS.
Magician's Quest: Mysterious Times (2008)
Magician's Quest is the closest copy on this list. The game is strikingly similar to Animal Crossing: Wild World, on the same DS. You learn new magic spells from the other characters in the school and put them to use in a series of 52 adventures. It uses the DS internal clock for random events, and you can customize your character and decorate your room.
The big difference is magic. A mysterious key starts "Mystery Time", when the Nutcracker score plays and you can catch exclusive bugs and fish, many of them mythical or prehistoric. It also came out as Enchanted Folk and the School of Wizardry. Three sequels have only been released in Japan. Players recommend it to Animal Crossing fans by name. Play it on DS.
Story of Seasons (2014)
Story of Seasons starts with a flyer announcing the recruitment of farmers in Oak Tree Town. You move there, and four other farmers teach you how to run your new farm. You produce crops and raise livestock, and you can set up a wildlife safari with exotic animals such as monkeys and parrots. It was the first game not under the Harvest Moon franchise title in North America.
The big difference is trade. Your goal is to unlock all seven vendors and make Oak Tree Town a renowned international trade city, selling your crop and dairy products to other countries. Players looking for a calm farm life pick it first. Play it on 3DS.
Stardew Valley (2016)
Stardew Valley starts with your late grandfather's dilapidated farm and a whole town to get to know. You clear land, grow seasonal crops and raise animals. You can build relationships with the townspeople, with the option to marry and have a child. Eric Barone created it by himself over five years, heavily inspired by Harvest Moon.
The big difference is the calendar. Animal Crossing games are played in real time, and Stardew runs through four 28-day seasons on its own clock. The cave adds monsters and some combat. It sold 50 million copies by February 2026 and is credited with causing a resurgence in popularity for the farming sim genre. Play it on PS4, Vita, Wii U or Switch.
Rune Factory 4 (2012)
Rune Factory 4 lands you in the town of Selphia, where you are mistaken for a member of royalty who was due to help run the town. The actual prince, Arthur, is happy to let you take over his job. As acting royal you take Orders, from requesting a town event such as a harvest festival to pushing back a storm before it wipes out your crops. Farming and marriage return from the earlier games.
The big difference is the dungeons. Crafting makes all your equipment, from shoes to many types of weapons, and you take it into dungeons to fight. Players say it adds a little combat to the farming and the neighbours. Play the original on 3DS, or Rune Factory 4 Special on Switch and PS4.
Tomodachi Life (2013)
Tomodachi Life fills an island with Miis, and they live their own lives. They form relationships on their own and ask you, an external observer, to help with problems, from requests for food or clothing to relationship guidance. Fulfilling a request makes the Mii happier, and as more Miis move in, new places on the island open up.
The big difference is who your neighbours are. You make them yourself, so the island can be full of your friends and family. There is no end condition: your only goal is to add Miis and keep them happy. Critics praised its comedy and presentation. Players who love Animal Crossing keep comparing the two. Play it on 3DS. A Switch sequel, Living the Dream, came out in 2026.
Fantasy Life (2012)
Fantasy Life is a role-playing life simulation game from Level-5, and its world of Reveria runs on jobs called Lives. You pick from the 12 available Life paths and climb each one from Fledgling to Legend. Master a Life and you can produce and gather materials on your own instead of buying them in a shop. Players call it the closest thing to Animal Crossing.
The big difference is the story. A strange purple meteorite falls into your house and sets off an ancient prophecy about Reveria's goddess and the moon Lunares. Digital Spy's review headline put it as "Animal Crossing meets Final Fantasy". It came out in Japan in 2012 and internationally in 2014, and a sequel, Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, followed in 2025. Play it on 3DS.
Which one to play
There you have it, the whole list of games like Animal Crossing. Each one takes a piece of village life and builds a whole game around it.
If you loved the neighbours, start with Tomodachi Life. If fishing and decorating kept you playing, go for Fantasy Life or Magician's Quest. For a farm that changes with the seasons, play Stardew Valley or Story of Seasons. If you want to build a town up from nothing, try A New Beginning or Ever Oasis. And for a younger player, Nintendogs and Disney Magical World are gentle places to start.
