21 Games Like Harvest Moon
Our collection of games like Harvest Moon features the best management simulation games where farming serves as a key mechanic to your progression for all major video game platforms.
Harvest Moon is a series of farm simulation games launched in 2007 on the Nintendo DS which also offers light role playing mechanics, management aspects and world customisation into the core gameplay loop. While the objectives in each Harvest Moon game vary players are generally challenged to revitalise a run-down farm and the surrounding area. Gameplay has similarly changed and evolved with each new game in the series with the core elements including planting crops, raising livestock, customising your surroundings and befriending the village occupants.
Other features in the franchise have included foraging, mining, pets, resource gathering, fishing, marriage, terrain modification and collecting objects. Ultimately this requires Harvest Moon players to carefully manage their time and energy each day in order to get the maximum number of tasks completed and work towards their objectives.
The games like Harvest Moon on this page are for a variety of platforms (iOS, Android, PC and consoles) where you will operate or restore your own farm, store or a business while you manage your time carefully for maximum efficiency.
Rune Factory 3
Rune Factory 3: A Fantasy Harvest Moon sends the well known popular Harvest Moon series into the fantasy realm with an adventure that offers a familiar blend of simulation and role playing content for players on the Nintendo DS platform. In 2023 Rune Factory 3 was also revived with a special edition that transported the game into the newer Nintendo Switch platform. Released in 2010 this title is actually the fourth in the game franchise despite its name suggesting it is the third with a number o...[Read Review]
Rune Factory Frontier
In terms of chronological order Rune Factory Frontier is the third game to be released in the Rune Factory series. The game is available for the Nintendo Wii making its way to North American shores in 2009. Just like the previous games in the Rune Factory series players find themselves in a fantasy realm where they own and manage their own farm. At the core of your decision process is the season system which is split between the four real world seasons (only three of these seasons support planti...[Read Review]
Stardew Valley
Drawing inspiration from the Harvest Moon franchise Stardew Valley puts you at the centre of your own farming adventure. Using the well known as a foundation Stardew Valley takes the experience further than ever before with its own unique mechanics and superb game design which were refined throughout the games lengthy original development. Starting your adventure in the countryside players inherent a vast plot of land from their grandfather in the area known as Stardew Valley. At this stage char...[Read Review]
Rune Factory 4
Rune Factory 4 continues the popular mix of farm simulation and role playing game that its predecessors set. The game is the first to be released on the Nintendo 3DS platform with a 2013 North American release and was later released on other platforms. The game features some of the biggest overhauls to the Rune Factory series yet to ensure that the game is both enjoyable for long-time fans and new comers to the Rune Factory games. In particular is the improvement in the marriage system and givin...[Read Review]
Atelier Annie: Alchemist of Sera Island
Atelier Annie: Alchemist of Sera Island is a Nintendo DS game that blends role playing elements, resource management and item crafting together to create a fun and interesting adventure that has similarities to the popular Harvest Moon franchise. Released in 2009 to the Japanese and North American markets separately this title will challenge players with 6 major quests during their 3 year adventure on the special Sera island. The game follows Annie who loves nothing more than dreaming about marr...[Read Review]
Rune Factory 2
Rune Factory 2 was released in North America one year after the success of the first game and continues to offer the same mixture of fantasy and Harvest Moon style gameplay as the original game did. In Rune Factory 2 players will return to the same universe as the first game but with a whole new story and characters. This time around players will follow the story of an amnesiac boy who wanders into the town known as Alvarna. Upon arriving in the town he is helped out by a Mana (a local girl) who...[Read Review]
Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale
Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale explores an interesting blend of mechanics as you operate your own item shop and attempt to earn the maximum profit while haggling with your customers. On top of this core mechanic though Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale also encourages players to engage in dungeon crawling to obtain a steady flow of items to sell. Originally released in Japan Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale was translated and brought to Steam in 2010. In Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale you will play ...[Read Review]
Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon
If you love the Harvest Moon series but wanted something with gameplay outside of farming simulation then you’re the target audience for Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon. As the name of the game suggests it combines the farm simulation aspects of the popular Harvest Moon and mixes in fantasy style RPG elements. In Rune Factory players will have the opportunity to explore the small town of Kardia which is mostly made up of farmland. Players assume the role of Raguna (a name that can be change...[Read Review]
River King: Mystic Valley
River King: Mystic Valley (Harvest Fishing in some European regions) takes farming simulation into the fishing simulation genre providing a great alternative especially for fans of fishing. The game is available on the Nintendo DS platform and was released in April 2008. In River King players discover that their sister is unable to wake up due to a mysterious power that has been slowly growing in the forest close to your home. Despite all your efforts she is still unable to wake, your only hope ...[Read Review]
Avalon Code
Avalon Code is a fantasy role playing title for the Nintendo DS platform that allows players to literally shape the world around them by altering the elemental code of everything around you. Playing as your choice of a female or male protagonist you’ll dive into a fantasy world of colourful graphics and innovative core gameplay across a directed storyline. Released in North America in 2009 after success from a 2008 release in the Japan video game market Avalon Code is a Nintendo DS exclusi...[Read Review]
Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Animal Crossing: New Leaf is a popular life simulation game with city building aspects available for the Nintendo 3DS. The game is published by Nintendo and was released in late 2012 (Japan) with international releases in June of 2013. In Animal Crossing: New Leaf players take control of the mayor in a rural village. This is unlike previous games in the series where players assumed the role of a new villager in the town. This isn’t the only new feature to be added to the Animal Crossing series w...[Read Review]
Gemini Lost
Gemini Lost opens with a beam of light transferring you and your friends to a mysterious world where players must pick up the pieces and find their way home. Along the way you’ll rebuild a civilization, conduct research, gather resources and keep your small community of characters happy in the Gemini Lost’s blend of time management, strategy and light touches of life/village simulation. Gemini Lost delivers this experience through a highly structure puzzle and objective based offering whic...[Read Review]
Fantasy Life
Fantasy Life packs in a huge amount of customisation, cute graphics and a large open world for Nintendo 3DS players to explore with the game drawing inspiration from similar simulation role playing titles for this portable console. With a dozen different lives (classes) that each have their own activities and quests it’s easy to get lots of replay value from Fantasy Life as each life promises a unique experience that builds on similar adventures in this gaming sub genre. Set in the world of Reve...[Read Review]
Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise
Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise is the Xbox 360 exclusive sequel to the widely popular Viva Pinata. With similar gameplay but additional biomes and co-operative play the title is everything you loved from the original plus a little extra. The game was eventually made available on Xbox One through the Rare Replay compilation allowing Xbox users broader accessibility to the adventure.. In Trouble in Paradise players will return to the magical island of the original Viva Pinata game and once again...[Read Review]
Farm For Your Life
Farm For Your Life is an interesting indie experience that combines zombies, farming, tower defence and even running your own restaurant into a single game experience. All of these gameplay elements are wrapped together into a cute graphical package and an affordable price that encourages gamers of all backgrounds to step into the colourful world. Set in a game world where a heavy storm has struck your quiet town and in turn unleashed the living dead it’s up to you the player and the few survivo...[Read Review]
Shepherd’s Crossing 2
Shepherd’s Crossing 2 is farm simulation game available on the Nintendo DS that has many similarities to the popular Harvest Moon series and challenges players to efficiently develop their own farm. Released in 2010 for the Nintendo DS the game also serves as a sequel to the PlayStation 2 Shepherd’s Crossing title that was English released in 2008 (originally developed in 2003). At the heart of Shepherd’s Crossing 2 players will find a beautifully crafted anime themed graphic design that h...[Read Review]
Viva Pinata
Viva Pinata turns a unique game concept into a fun sandbox simulation game with beautifully crafted graphics that can be enjoyed by all ages. Challenging players to design their own dream garden and fill it with pinata animals based on real life counterparts. Published by Microsoft Game Studios Viva Pinata is available on PC and Xbox 360 (later Xbox One as well) with some spin-off titles with similar gameplay on alternative handheld consoles like the Nintendo DS. The focus in Viva Pinata is on d...[Read Review]
World’s Dawn
Inspired by Harvest Moon and other farming based simulation titles, World’s Dawn offers up a colourful seaside village in need of player assistance in a social simulation game that will pull you in for over two dozen hours of gameplay as you revive the surrounding village areas. Funded out of a Kickstarter campaign World’s Dawn shows all the signs of a game that was meticulously created which comes through most notably in the writing and design of the townsfolk who all feel unique. T...[Read Review]
Miramagia
Miramagia is a free to play game that combines farming simulation with a magical game world and role playing mechanics to create a unique blend. Originally available through your browser with Adobe Flash the adventure lives on with a downloadable Windows client. This unfortunately also saw the developer ceasing active development which limits players to the content that was available as at May 2020. While substantial in terms of content and promises hundreds of game hours with the content availa...[Read Review]
Funky Barn
Armed with a strange name and Nintendo exclusivity Funky Barn enters into the farming simulation genre, challenging players to build a farm of cute animals and while managing your farm economy on your handheld Nintendo device. Starting at the basics as one would expect players are given a fairly barren plot of farm land, limited resources and only a small number of tools which is built upon slowly throughout the story. Taking over after your uncle Hatsworth’s who died from staying out in the col...[Read Review]
Castaway Paradise
Castaway Paradise brings an Animal Crossing like experience to your mobile device with a game set on your own tropical island. From helping the animal like villagers to catching fish and planting crops there is a lot to do in this free to play experience (on mobile devices) with a paid offering on PC, Mac and consoles which fundamentally similar gameplay between the releases. At the start of the game players will land on the shores of a tropical island and be introduced to Viktoria, a pig lady w...[Read Review]