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Best Games like Stardew Valley & Animal Crossing 2021: Expert Review
No Nintendo Switch? No problem! We tested the mobile versions of Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, and other alternatives to find the best games.

A truly immersive farming experience
- Only costs $4.99, but there are no in-app purchases, so you can enjoy the full game without any pay-to-play walls
- Understated graphics make this game even more enjoyable.
- Great way to relax and unwind
- Simple and fun gameplay
- Contains a huge world for you to explore to keep you engaged for hours on end
- Over 1 million downloads of this incredible game, and for good reason
A Facebook classic gets an upgrade
- Free to play game, but you can make in-app purchases if you want to grow crops faster or unlock other perks
- Variety of in-game activities and challenges to keep the game interesting.
- Great animation makes this game fun to play.
- Ability to play with friends.
- Option to progress faster by purchasing extra keys in bundles up to $95
We found it was a nice change of pace to play this way and it was still extremely fun. There are a range of activities and events that happen in-game to keep you interested and engaged and a lot more interaction with the "farming experience," which made for a good time.
Best simulation game with a twist
Why we chose Animal Crossing Pocket Camp:
- Free to play game but you can make in-app purchases if you wish to buy items for your campsite at a quicker pace
- Great animation makes this game super fun to play
- Interactive character experiences make the game more enjoyable
- Easy gameplay with straightforward controls allows you to play this with ease
- Wide variety of tasks and activities in the game
Everything We Recommend
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Our PickConcernedApe's smash hit farming RPG comes to Mobile!
Move to the countryside, and cultivate a new life in this award-winning open-ended farming RPG! With over 50+ hours of gameplay content and new Mobile-specific features, such as auto-save and multiple controls options.
Now with brand new end-game content! Discover more heart events, new crops to grow, new pets, and so much more...
**Winner of the Golden Joysticks' Breakthrough Award**
**Nominee of Game of the Year 2017 - BAFTA Games Awards**
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BUILD THE FARM OF YOUR DREAMS:
■ Turn your overgrown fields into a lively and bountiful farm
■ Raise and breed happy animals, grow a variety of seasonal crops and design your farm, your way
■ Customize your farmer and home! With hundreds of options to choose from
■ Settle down and start a family with 12 potential marriage candidates
■ Become part of the community by taking part in seasonal festivals and villager quests
■ Explore vast, mysterious caves, encountering dangerous monsters and valuable treasure
■ Spend a relaxing afternoon at one of the local fishing spots or go crabbing by the seaside
■ Forage, grow crops and produce artisan goods to cook up as a delicious meal
■ Rebuilt for touch-screen gameplay on Android with mobile-specific features, such as auto-select to toggle quickly between your farming tools and auto-attack to swiftly take down fiendish monsters in the mines
■ Newly Updated Single Player Content - Including new town upgrades, dating events, crops, fishing ponds, hats, clothing, and new pets! Plus more to be discovered...
■ Play the game your way with multiple controls options, such as touch-screen, virtual joystick, and external controller support.
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“The best version of Stardew Valley is the one you have with you … This game is absolutely incredible, and will not disappoint.” - TouchArcade
"Stardew Valley beautifully combines farm simulation with RPG elements to create an intriguing, absorbing rural world." - IGN
“Far more than just a farming game... filled with seemingly endless content and heart.” Giant Bomb
"Village life has never been so accessible and satisfying" - The Telegraph
“Stardew Valley has been the most rich and heartwarming experience I’ve had in a game in years.” CG Magazine
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Note: Features new 1.4 update story content, multiplayer functionality not supported. No in-app purchases.Cost4.994.99In-App PurchasesNoNo -
Runner UpEscape to the world of farming, friends and fun! Go on farm adventures to collect rare goods and craft new recipes. Raise animals and grow your farm with friends. Join a farm Co-Op to trade and share or play on your own in Anonymous Mode. You can play FarmVille anytime, anywhere… even when not connected to the internet. Best of all, the world’s most popular farming game is free to play!
** ”FarmVille is back and this time, it’s portable!” – TIME **
** “”Officially not just for Facebook anymore”” – Los Angeles Times **
** “” They may have built the best FarmVille game of the series”” – Kotaku **
- CRAFT a variety of baked gourmet goods like classic country apple pies
- HARVEST farm fresh crops of your favorite fruits and vegetables
- CUSTOMIZE your own farm for charming country living
- COLLECT hidden and rare items as you discover a new coastal farm
- NURTURE and raise a wide variety of adorable animals like your very own farm dog
- EXPLORE a new FarmVille story filled with special farm adventures
- BUILD a lush family farm by the coast so all your friends can visit
- GARDEN by the beautiful blue ocean as you decorate your farm with flowers and fresh produce
- TRADE and chat with friends or play anonymously with people from all over the world
- ESCAPE to the coast then connect to your Facebook farm to send free water
- EARN daily rewards with the Mystery Chest and take a spin at the Prize Wheel”
Additional information:
• The game is free to play; however, in-app purchases are available for additional content and in-game currency.
• Use of this application is governed by Zynga’s Terms of Service, found at www.zynga.com/legal/terms-of-service.
• For information about how Zynga uses personal data, please read our privacy policy at http://www.zynga.com/privacy/policy.CostFreeFreeIn-App Purchases$0.99 - $99.99 per item$1.99 - $99.99 per item -
Also GroovyFind furniture you like and design a campsite that suits your style!
Tents, hammocks, fireplaces, a stuffed-animal sofa...mix and match to your heart's content! Make a trendy open-air café, or line up some microphones and guitars to create an outdoor music festival! In the mood for a little extra fun? Set up a merry-go-round and open a theme park. You can even make a pool, or fill the sky with fireworks!
◆ Design your campsite, camper, and cabin however you want
◆ Collect themed items from Fishing Tourneys and Garden Events that happen throughout the year
◆ More than 1,000 pieces of furniture and 300 pieces of clothing and accessories are available to choose from, with more being added all the time
◆ Features more than 100 animals with quirky personalities
Fulfill animal requests and watch your friendship with them grow! Once you become close enough friends, you can invite them to your campsite. The more the merrier!
Design a show-stopping campsite, invite your favorite animals, and take an in-game photo to show your friends. If your friends like what you've done, they may even give you kudos!
The great outdoors has so much to offer!
Notes: This game is free to start, with in-app purchases available. Internet connectivity is required to play Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp. Data charges may apply. May include advertising.CostFreeFreeIn-App Purchases$0.99 - $79.99 per item$0.99 - $20.99 per item
The 411 from our Appventurer
How we tested?
My search began with a hunt for the highest-rated and most popular farming simulation games on the market, and once I found them, I downloaded them onto my phone and began to play. I did this over 10 days and spent approximately an hour testing different games each day, although sometimes I played for longer.
As I tested each one, I took note of how well they compared to each other, but I also had criteria that I was testing against, which helped me to rank the games accurately.
This included focusing on:
- How easy the game was to play
- The characters and story simulation
- The graphics
- How frustrating or relaxing the games were
- How easy it was to control the characters
- How long it took to progress in the game
- How much these games were "pay-to-win," and if there was too big of an emphasis on in-game purchases
Using these criteria, I was able to more accurately test, compare and rank the games and get a clever picture of which ones were the best, which was extremely useful with these games as many of the games were quite similar.
Why get the app?
It’s always on you, and by playing on apps, instead of other platforms, you can play your favorite games and relax whenever and wherever you want.
If you want to be able to play on the go and you don’t want to wait until you get home, an app is the best way to play.
More About Stardew Valley: Our Pick
As games go, it’s a great choice not only among farming simulation games but among any other mobile games as well. The one-time purchase of $4.99 (though the game was on sale for $3.99 at the time of testing,) and you’ll get all the features.
Good graphics bring the game to life and make it fun to play. It features an interesting story that keeps you coming back to see what happens next and further explore the Stardew world. Straightforward gameplay with a user-friendly interface that’s both easy and fun to play, plus all the traditional farming elements that you would expect in a game like this. However, where Stardew Valley comes into its own is with how expansive the simulation is.
Not only can you fix up your farm and build your business, but you can live an entire life too.
It’s one of those games that you can play over and over again without getting bored, and it’s not unrealistic to say you may end up investing hours of your life into this game.
It is worth noting that, at times, it can be a little slow-paced, and you do have to wait for some events to unfold, but in our opinion, that just adds to the relaxing experience of the game.
Snags but not drags:
When we first started paying we did feel like some of the instructions could have been clearer as there were a few times when we got lost and couldn’t figure out the next steps.
We did get to grips with things after a while, but it would have made things much easier to have in-game instructions from the beginning. It doesn’t need to be anything too crazy, but a better map for when you’re moving around and some instructions on how to handle the equipment on the farm would have been great.
We also felt that the character movement could be improved. You do get used to it, but when you first start playing, movement is a little sticky.
More About FarmVille 2: Runner Up
It means you get to spend more time building your farm, and you won’t have to spend time away from the main purpose of the game.
Completing these next steps, whether it’s planting crops or making flour, can take time; however, there is an option to buy keys in the game that you can use to speed things up. These aren’t essential, but they do give you a good way to progress through the game at a quicker pace.
More About Animal Crossing: Also Groovy
It’s extremely popular on Nintendo Switch and we couldn't wait to test it now it’s on mobile. We’re happy to report that the move has been seamless.
The game as a whole is very fun and is a great way to relax and unwind as you play at your own pace.
The game itself is simple to play and the controls are straightforward. You can move your avatar, complete tasks, and interact with others with ease. You can also play one-handed if you want to, which is a huge plus for us.
Although you can make in-game purchases, this certainly isn't a game that relies on them, so you’ll be happy to know that you can make good progress without having to spend any money.
Other Apps Considered
This is a great farming RPG and one you’ll love if you’re looking for something similar to Harvest Moon or Stardew Valley. It has a ton of content for a free-to-play game, although there are in-game purchases if you want to level up faster. You can buy diamonds from the store, which you use to buy items in the game, and there’s a pack for every budget, from $0.99 for a pack of 80 diamonds up to $99.99 for a pack of 1300.
Fans of the original farming simulation game will love to play this as it brings back so many great memories. Its unique characters and storylines are interesting and fun to experience, and you’ll love the gameplay as you do your best to run a successful farm and make new friends.
This is a really good game with great graphics and good characters. It’s easy to play and easier to control than some of the other games we tested. However, the only thing holding it back is the load time. Starting the game takes quite a while, and in between each scene, there’s a small wait again. It isn’t huge, and you can still have fun, but it's frustrating when you have to continually wait.
A decent farming game, especially if you’re a fan of retro 16-bit graphics; however, we felt it didn’t do enough to warrant a place above the other apps we tested. At times the gameplay was a little slow, and some of the actions weren’t as smooth as we would have liked.
Overall this is a pretty good game. It has good graphics and straightforward gameplay, and a range of activities to keep the game interesting. We did find that some crops took a while to produce, which slowed the gameplay down a little, but otherwise, it’s a solid game.
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About the Appventurer
Anton Mark
WriterAs a freelancer, I use all types of different apps so that I can manage my time and remain organized with ease. I’m always on the go so I love anything that can help me to stay on top of my tasks but for fun, I love playing games or watching movies.
I’m a huge sports fan so I’ll usually be checking the latest scores or following up on my teams and I also like to expand my mind with audiobooks and podcasts. Using apps allows me to get through so much more in a typical day that I simply wouldn’t be able to cover otherwise and I love it.
Being able to write about apps is pretty great as I get to research the best apps out there and find the hidden gems that people may not know about then share that information to help others discover their new favorite apps.
Introduction
Want to find a relaxing way to pass the time and reduce stress? You're in the right place. We tested the 8 best farming and nature simulation games of 2021 to see which would be the best one for you. After all of our research, Stardew Valley came out on top for its quality of gameplay and frequent app purchase deals, but it was a close race for our runner-up and third-place choice. Read on to find out why Stardew Valley was number 1 and which apps rounded out the top 3.