Even if you didn’t grow up on games like Harvest Moon to feel nostalgic enough about farm simulation RPGs, there are so many reasons to give them a spin. For starters, there is a certain charm to being able to fantasize awhile about a simple life where your goals are less serious than getting a good grade or earning a raise at work. This is probably why Harvest Moon games have inspired countless similar sims that let you spend time tending to crops, harvesting fruits, looking after cattle and taking care of a farm in general. We’ve gathered the best among them to give you a comprehensive list of offerings that throw you into various simulations from a simple agrarian life to a farm which you’ll be forced to manage while keeping zombies at bay to living in a hut in a swamp where you’ll need to summon helper spirits and much more. That being said, here goes the list of farming sims you came looking for.
Best sim games like Harvest Moon in 2022
- Stardew Valley
- Summer in Mara
- Plantera
- Ooblets
- Voodoo Garden
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin
- Kynseed
- Moonlighter
- Staxel
- Hay Day
- My Time at Portia
- Terraria
- Farm For Your Life
- World’s Dawn
- Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles
- Funky Barn
- Verdant Skies
1 – Stardew Valley
Like you and me, Eric Barone was a massive Harvest Moon enthusiast, and one day, he just decided to create a modern version of the game that also addressed some of his grievances with those classic games. After four years of hard work, Stardew Valley came into existence and subsequently, created history by selling more than a million copies in just two months.
Download : ($14.99)
2 – Summer in Mara
This is one Harvest Moon alternative you wouldn’t want to miss. Described by its makers as “a summer adventure with farming, crafting, and exploring mechanics set in a tropical archipelago,” Summer in Mara is distinguished by its rich 3D visuals that are quite different from other similar games on this list.
Download : ($14.99)
3 – Plantera
If you’re looking for browser games similar to Harvest Moon, we’ve got something for you as well. Plantera is free if you’re playing on a browser and extremely cheap if you’re playing on other platforms like the Wii U and the 3DS, though there’s no Nintendo DS version available out there. Plantera is more about gardening than farming, which gives it a little novelty factor.
Download : ($1.34)
4 – Ooblets
Ooblets is a very different game. Don’t get us wrong; it is still worthy of being included in this list, but there are plenty of other things that distinguish it from the titles on this list. Prime among them is the fact that it features creature collecting and battling mechanics of Pokémon games, apart from all its farm simulation elements.
Download : ($24.99)
5 – Voodoo Garden
Here’s a farming sim with some outlandish visuals that will immediately grab your attention. Developer M. Hanka has equipped this game with a visual signature that’s unique to it. It’s got all the gameplay elements of a regular farming simulator, as it allows you to plant trees, shrubs, and herbs in order to grow various fruits, leaves, mushrooms, and more.
Download : ($2.99)
6 – Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal Crossing: New Horizons has much more to it than just farming. It’s a life simulation game that puts you in the shoes of a customizable character that has just moved to a deserted island. Available exclusively on the Nintendo Switch, it moves forward in an open-ended fashion as you explore the island, and develop its community of anthropomorphic animals. The island is replete with different items that can be used as decorations.
Download : ($59.99)
7 – Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin
Another addition to this list of games similar to Harvest Moon is Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin. This game is made unique by the fact that it combines its farming simulation elements with straight-up hack and slash platforming. And this makes for an exceptional amalgam that’s hard not to fall in love with.
Download : ($39.99)
8 – Kynseed
If you’re a PC gamer and are only looking for games like Harvest Moon on Steam, Kynseed is an ideal choice for you. Kynseed is an addictive life simulator with RPG and farming elements packed into it. It revolves around the mystical Kynseed that can be used for growing your family legacy over generations and passing down your skills and powers to your kin.
Download : ($9.99)
9 – Moonlighter
Moonlighter is yet another Harvest Moon alternative that marries two genres. It’s primarily an RPG but also features business simulation elements. You can manage your shop during the day and go exploring dungeons at night. While the shop-keeping allows you to upgrade your town and add services like those of a potion-maker and a blacksmith, the dungeon crawling portions enable the collection of precious loot.
Download : ($19.99)
10 – Staxel
Staxel is inspired not just by Harvest Moon, but also by Minecraft, and so espouses enjoyable aspects from both games. It has you building a farmhouse in its voxel-based world as you manage your village life and interact with quirky characters. One of the things that stands out about Staxel is that it lays a lot of focus on socialization. You can help other villagers in their tasks, or invite them to hang out with you.
Download : $19.99
11 – Hay Day
As we promised you at the start, here’s a farming game that you can play on your Android phone for free. It is one of the games like Harvest Moon for Android that actually has substance to it. Developed by the same folks who gave us Clash of Clans, Hay Day will immediately immerse you in its addictive farming brilliance.
Download : (Free)
12 – My Time at Portia
Released in 2019, My Time at Portia is a life simulation offering that identifies with a number of Harvest Moon elements. The life sim begins with you starting to restore your Pa’s neglected workshop to its former glory. You do this by fulfilling commissions, growing crops, raising animals, and befriending others inhabiting the world around you.
Download : ($29.99)
13 – Terraria
Terraria is a 2D sandbox game featuring procedurally generated worlds, but it does have a number of elements in common with Harvest Moon. Terraria encourages you to explore its environments, while you mine precious resources and try to survive the wrath of dangerous creatures. This extremely popular offering features both single-player and multiplayer gameplay.
Download : ($9.99)
14 – Farm For Your Life
A strange storm has resulted in an apocalypse and unleashed zombies into the world. Your job now is to band together with other survivors and get life back to normal, while fending off the undead. That’s the plot of Farm For Your Life, so we assume you know what to expect from it. It’s farming and zombies if you haven’t figured it out yet.
Download : ($9.99)
15 – World’s Dawn
The setting of World’s Dawn is a sleepy seaside village with a huge cast of quirky characters to meet and develop relationships with. It is directly inspired by Harvest Moon, so it’s no surprise that it includes activities such as harvesting crops, tending to livestock, customizing your farmhouse, competing in festivals, fishing, foraging, mining, cooking, and much more.
Download : ($9.99)
16 – Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles
Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles is essentially an adventure game that adds Harvest Moon feels with its farming, fishing, and crafting systems. It takes place in an open world environment and tasks you with seeking and collecting magical creatures, known as sprites in order to get rid of a threatening shroud known as the Murk.
Download : ($24.99)
17 – Funky Barn
Funky Barn places you right in the countryside and challenges you to create farmland that’s filled with animals, crops, trees, and more. This game may have a few things in common with Harvest Moon, but it differs from the said game thanks to its strategy elements. It’s a pretty old game, yet has plenty of fun moments packed inside it.
Download : ($14.99)
18 – Verdant Skies
Verdant Skies is described by its own makers as a game meant for those who love Harvest Moon and have a “desire to create something unique with modern gameplay and deep storytelling.” It takes place on an alien planet called Viridis Primus and asks you to ensure the success of the colony while making friends and pursuing romances with a diverse cast of characters.
Download : ($19.99)
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What kind of game is Harvest Moon?
Harvest Moon is the name of a series of games that have been getting released since the 1990s. A Harvest Moon game would usually start with the player inheriting a rundown farm and being challenged to restore and maintain it by managing its resources and animals.
Q. Is Animal Crossing similar to Harvest Moon?
Animal Crossing is basically Harvest Moon without the events, marriage, farming, etc. It’s a social simulation game that focuses more on interactions with NPCs. It is also more open-ended in nature compared to Harvest Moon.
Q. When was Harvest Moon’s name changed?
Story of Seasons is what Harvest Moon games are called in Western regions now, since the official name change in 2014. The latest game from the series is called Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town.
Q. Why did the name change happen?
To cut a long story short, its publishers for different regions had a dispute over its distribution, leading to both of them parting ways. This led to Harvest Moon being renamed Story of Seasons in Western markets.
Q. Is Stardew Valley a good Harvest Moon alternative?
Definitely! Stardew Valley has been created by a person who happens to be a huge fan of Harvest Moon games. It has plenty of elements in common with the much-loved game series, yet has a lot of fresh experiences to offer as well. It’s the number one alternative to Harvest Moon that you can indulge in right now.
Plenty of Harvest Moon type games to choose from:
With the options listed above, we hope to have fulfilled your wish of playing more beautiful games like Harvest Moon. Pick any one of the offerings we’ve mentioned and you’re in for some fun-filled farming and simulation gameplay.