Not every video game needs pulse-pounding action and high stakes, with players finding plenty of appeal in social and farming simulation titles. The two biggest franchises within this comfortably slice-of-life genre are Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley, but which is right for you?
Animal Crossing has been a staple on Nintendo consoles since 2001, with a Japanese-exclusive release on the Nintendo 64 before launching worldwide on the GameCube. The latest release in the long-running series is 2020’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons, second to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as the best-selling game on the Nintendo Switch. Many installments, including New Horizons, has players become an active member of a growing neighborhood, improving their home and community as they explore, forage, and craft.
2016’s Stardew Valley is one of the most successful indie games of all time, designed, developed, and published by ConcernedApe on a variety of platforms. The spiritual successor to one of the pioneers of the genre, Harvest Moon, Stardew Valley revolves around a similar premise to many Harvest Moon games, with the player character inheriting a dilapidated farm on the outskirts of a small town. As players renovate their farm and build a small agricultural business, they become a more important figure in town and can start a family of their own.
Stardew Valley vs. Animal Crossing: Which Is Right For You?
Animal Crossing offers a more streamlined and accessible experience for those unfamiliar with the farming/social simulation genre, gradually adding more elements as players progress. With an easygoing vibe, anthropomorphic characters, and a tangible sense of progression as players revamp their communities, expand their homes, and build out museums, Animal Crossing is the more relaxing experience. Animal Crossing does feature an in-game clock, showing the passage of night-and-day and seasonal changes, rewarding players who stay active regularly, though this can get tedious for players on a tighter schedule.
By contrast, Stardew Valley can be a bit more intimidating to casual players by the sheer amount of things they can do right out the gate, though it does have its own internal scaling. While there’s more players can do with community-building and farming than Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley also offers mining and light combat, with gameplay sections that feel spiritually similar to Minecraft. Stardew Valley is the bigger, more varied experience, and for players looking for something more expansive and immersive, it’s the better choice. Players looking for a more laid-back experience would do better to check out Animal Crossing: New Horizons instead.
