on Google Preferred Source Google News Link copied to clipboard By Josh Broadwell Published Aug 14, 2026, 6:00 PM EDT Polygon Lists Cozy critters, fun chores — all the good stuff
Image: Singularity 6 Sign in to your Polygon.com account No matter how much you love Animal Crossing and any of its variants, the critters get too familiar after a while, or maybe the routine starts to feel like a trap you can't break out of. You need a change, in other words. The rise of the cozy genre — and Animal Crossing: New Horizons ' outrageous success — means there's no shortage of games like Animal Crossing to choose from. These are seven of the best, perfect for laid-back life-simmers, farming enthusiasts, decorators, or any combination thereof. They're all available on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 as well. No PC required.
Image: ConcernedApe via FlashShifter /NexusMods Stardew Valley is the standard-bearer for laid-back agricultural life-sims and for good reason. It's got everything — socializing and romance, decorating, farming (of course), adventuring, fairly extensive customization, cooking, the whole lot. If farm-fresh cozy is your preferred flavor of the genre, and you've already given Stardew a go, there's a whole lot more out there.
Hello Kitty and the Sanrio gang set up an idyllic little town on a faraway island in Hello Kitty: Island Adventure , and it's your job to make sure everyone's happy. That sounds like a big task, but since Kitty and the rest are pretty much always happy, your job is more "being part of their daily lives and making them even happier just by existing." Your to-do list includes things like decorating houses, running a cafe, doing errands for neighbors, finding treasure underwater, exploring a volcano, and basically whatever you want. It's soft and adorable with a strong sense of cute humor, and the Sanrio aesthetic is a perfect fit.
Dreamlight Valley is about as close as you can get to Animal Crossing without violating copyright. You, a Disney-loving human, move to a run-down valley and help rebuild it alongside Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and the rest. Scrooge McDuck expands his store a la Tom Nook. You can make your house bigger and stuff it full of eclectic furniture, but developer Gameloft did more than just emulate a style. There's a surprisingly touching story about nostalgia and complicated relationships with the past that ties in wonderfully with the classic Disney emphasis, and since every included Disney character has their own world-appropriate spot to live, you get dozens of distinct climate and landscape types to decorate. There's the usual free-to-play stuff to deal with (paid cosmetics, seasonal "battle pass" type things, and all that) but you can get through the entire game without spending a penny unless you just want to.
Image: Bubble Studio/Mooneye Studios In Haven Park , you, a bird, take charge of a lovely little mountainside campsite after your bird-granny gets too old to handle it. The site is a bit run-down, so your biggest task is making it attractive to potential visitors. They all have their preferences you need to keep in mind while designing, but there's still a great deal of freedom and flexibility in how you design your demesne. When you're not decorating, you can spend some time exploring the nearby forest and digging up its mysteries — and treasure. Haven Park has a lot going for it, including the fact that you don't have to feel guilty if you don't check in every day. Do all of it — or e…