Animal Crossing: New Horizons couldn’t have come at a much better time for the world right now. It’s the perfect blend of idyllic scenery, wish fulfillment, and creativity that gives gamers a welcome respite from the state of affairs in the real world. The cute critters that populate your deserted island almost fill the friend-shaped void in your life and let you socialize safely.
Unfortunately, it seems like every person out there has jumped on the Animal Crossing hype bandwagon - and because of that Nintendo Switches are sold out in shops almost everywhere. If you’re unable to experience the joy that this Nintendo classic can bring, don’t worry. Here are 10 PS4 games that will let you live out your dreams of customizing your own paradise.
Updated April 24th, 2022 by Russ Boswell: Animal Crossing: New Horizons remains one of the most entertaining “town building” sims on the Nintendo Switch, with players still flocking to their getaway islands each and every day. With updates, events, and even new characters joining the fray, there always seems to be something to occupy players’ time. Unfortunately, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is only available on the Nintendo Switch, which has PS4 owners missing out on the fun and festivities. Thankfully, though, there are some great games similar to Animal Crossing that can be played on the PS4. To showcase some of the best games that PS4 players can hop onto in lieu of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the following list has been updated with more entries.
13 Dragon Quest Builders 2
Those looking for some RPG elements sprinkled in with their town-building mechanics should definitely check out Dragon Quest Builders 2. This robust and entertaining title borrows elements and characters from the Dragon Quest franchise and offers up a fairly engaging single-player experience that has players building structures and fighting back against a destructive cult. What makes this release even better is that it offers a pretty in-depth multiplayer mode that allows players to enjoy an online experience with up to three other friends (four players at one time). Dragon Quest Builders 2 may not be as “slice of life” as Animal Crossing: New Horizons is, but it still offers a lot of enjoyment and a good town-building experience.
12 Minecraft
Those that enjoy playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons because they like building and designing an island may want to consider hopping onto the Minecraft train and building their community from the ground up. The best part about Minecraft is its blockular building system with has players constructing massive towns, buildings, and even islands with Lego-like cubes. The best part of Minecraft is that it also includes combat elements, farming, and even basic contraptions thanks to its Redstone.
Players can even join servers and create their own multiplayer worlds to invite friends and family to play along. There’s a reason that Minecraft stands as one of the best selling Indie titles of all time, and its success is the reason it’s grown into such a phenomenon over the years.
11 Dreams
One of the most engaging things to do on Animal Crossing: New Horizons is visit other players and take a stroll around their island. There is something so fun and interesting about taking a look at what other players have built, whether it be for inspiration in a player’s own world or to simply stare in awe at some of the amazing things that players are able to build with a simple set of tools. Dreams takes this concept to the next level by giving its players an intuitive game engine that lets them build their own completely playable games.
Those that want to see what other players are capable of can load up Dreams and look through all of the interesting and entertaining games available, while also taking a crack at making their own!
10 Stardew Valley
This indie darling from ConcernedApe is a pixel art dream. You play as a disenfranchised office worker, tired of the monotonous routine of a 9-5 job, who inherits their late grandfather’s farm in the quaint setting of Pelican Town. Much like Animal Crossing, you’ll come across a variety of residents, each with their own quirky qualities.
By giving them gifts, having a good old chat with them, and helping them out when they need it, you’ll form heartwarming relationships that make Stardew Valley a special game. Whilst the days in Stardew Valley are set to 10 minutes, rather than Animal Crossing’s real-life progression, the game still lets you decide what you want to spend your day doing as well.
9 Stranded Sails: Explorers of the Cursed Islands
Just like in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Stranded Sails: Explorers of the Cursed Islands is based on a deserted island. Sadly, there’s no furry billionaire philanthropist to guide you on your journey to the latest chic getaway - the player is immediately shipwrecked and faced with supernatural creatures. You’re in charge of bringing your fellow survivors together and forming a community - feeding them, catering to their requests, and exploring the land you’re stuck on. The only REAL difference between these two games is that there’s no friendly Orville and Wilbur to safely bring you to paradise. And the fact the island is cursed. But the sound of the waves crashing against the shore is almost enough to make you forget about that.
8 Forager
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the first console Animal Crossing game to introduce the mechanics of crafting. Grinding has always been a key part of the series - farming fruit trees, hunting for the money rock, and catching bugs and fish are necessary to make bells and thrive in your town.
This means that grinding for crafting materials in New Horizons feels natural - as it should. If this is your favourite part of the game, Forager is definitely for you. The developers at HopFrog say they took inspiration from Stardew Valley, Terraria, and Zelda, so if you’ve enjoyed any of those games, it’s another reason to pick up Forager.
7 My Time at Portia
The bright colors and charm of My Time at Portia are reminiscent of Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ cartoon-like world. But this cutesy art style hides a dark secret that sets it apart from Animal Crossing (as far as we know) - it’s set after the apocalypse. It follows Animal Crossing’s laid-back approach to gaming as players are free to spend their days how they like, whether that be fishing, crafting buildings, or getting to know the residents. But if you’re not sure on Animal Crossing’s hands-off approach, you’ll be glad to hear there is a bit more of a narrative structure to help you along your way.
6 Moonlighter
Moonlighter is an Action RPG with rogue-like elements. So it may surprise you that it’s on a list of games similar to the laid back life sim that is Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Whilst this latest installment in the Animal Crossing franchise doesn’t have you work on a part-time basis, long-time fans of the series will know that once upon a time your character worked for Tom Nook in order to pay off your house loan.
But that’s not the only reason it’s similar - working in a shop, talking to customers, and stocking shelves creates the same kind of relaxing atmosphere that wandering around your island listening to the waves has. Sure, you might not take on dungeons and smite evil creatures that are lurking in Animal Crossing, but if you’ve ever had an ugly villager move onto your island, you might wish you could.
5 Yonder: Cloud Catcher Chronicles
This chill open-world adventure takes you on a magical journey across the island of Yonder to find your calling in life. You can be anything you want, from a chef to a farmer. With the recently added addition of terraforming to the Animal Crossing franchise, creative souls across the world have been constructing their own cafes, restaurants and shops on their once deserted island. This freedom to create areas with their own distinctive style is reminiscent of Yonder, which has its own areas separated by different environments. You can even make friends with the unique creatures who roam the land by feeding them treats, which would also work very well for lazy villagers on your island.
4 Castaway Paradise
You might have heard of Castaway Paradise as a mobile and PC game before, but this successful life simulator is now on Xbox One and PS4 for all the console gamers out there in need of a holiday.
Described as an “Instant vacation on your own tropical island,” players can decorate their island, try out the latest fashion trends, catch bugs, grow crops, and become BFFs with your new neighbors. Some of the residents are even animals, so if you’re a PS4 player looking for a tropical island getaway, look no further.
3 The Sims 4
If you’re looking for a classic life simulator, there are very few games out there that sum up the genre better than The Sims. If interior design is your thing in Animal Crossing, it stands to reason you’ll love designing the perfect homes for all your sims.
Whilst you probably won’t have robot frogs and horrifying clown sheep move in next door (although, who knows what the next Sims expansion pack will bring), the intuitive home building and creative freedom definitely put this game on the list. Be warned though, in this game your landlord won’t accept 3 yellow butterflies as a suitable method of payment.
2 Little Dragon Cafe
Brewster isn’t in Animal Crossing: New Horizons (yet). So players have taken to making their own cafe areas on their islands. Little Dragon Cafe is a step up in your coffee-scented holiday dreams. Who doesn’t want to fall in love, open a coffee shop, and raise a baby dragon? In this game from the original creator of Harvest Moon, you can do just that. Packed with heart and whimsy, this fantasy game lets you explore the world on the back of your pet dragon and solve the mystery of your mother’s illness.
1 Slime Rancher
If you enjoy the Stalk Market in Animal Crossing, Slime Rancher is a must-buy. You run a “Plort” farm, which are blobs that look similar to slimes in Stardew Valley. Each Plort is based on different animals and object, just like villagers in Animal Crossing. The likening to your villagers should probably end there though. You can trade Plorts on the Plort Market, which fluctuates just like the real stock market. Another similarity is that you can create hybrid Plorts, just like hybrid flower patches. But Slime Rancher is a charming, chilled out experience. Until you end up having to incinerate Tabby Slimes because you misjudged the market.
NEXT: Animal Crossing: New Horizons Villager Tier List
