Since it first took the world by storm some twenty-odd years ago, Animal Crossing has fast risen the ranks to become one of Nintendo’s heavy hitters. The sleepy, dreamy franchise champions the idea of living life at your own pace — interacting with the townspeople, completing small tasks, and dabbling in even more weed collection than Seth Rogen with the munchies.
Other than a dalliance on mobile, however, these titles will never leave Nintendo’s watchful eye, leaving those on the green side of the fence seeking out alternative options. Luckily for us, there are a few potential games that could just quench that animalistic thirst. Let’s take a cheeky little squiz into games like Animal Crossing for Xbox One.
Games Similar to Animal Crossing for Xbox One
Castaway Paradise
Fancy a game where you can fulfill your dream of living in a township of animals as the only human resident? I mean, it seems like a very specific dream to have, but we’re not here to judge.
Animal Crossing may be a Nintendo exclusive, but that hasn’t stopped some other cheeky developers from throwing their hats into the ring. Never is this more apparent than in Castaway Paradise, a life simulation game where you catch bugs and fish, grow crops, and complete missions set by your helpless menagerie of neighbors.
There’s no beating around the bush here, this game basically is Animal Crossing in the most shameless manner, but since its arrival on the Xbox One, it has afforded eager cat, moose, and pig fanciers a chance to reap the benefits without having to invest in a Nintendo console.
The only way it could be any more brazen would be if they made a Happy Home Designer spinoff, which sounds like a terrible idea that should never happen except oh wait it totally did.
Viva Pinata
Should you be looking for something a little less on the nose (if your village has a doggo, does that mean it is a nose that you must boop?), you may prefer this unique spin on the simulator genre.
Viva Pinata sees you as a gardener on Pinata Island, who must tend to the soil, plant seeds, and bring back enough life to coax the colorful residents onto your property. Along the way, you’ll have to deal with rogue pinatas, fatal illnesses and an antagonistic fellow named Professor Pester. Frankly, if my parents had named me ‘Pester’, I would also be inclined to be a pain in the ass.
Because of your commitments and attention to detail, Viva Pinata is a lot less leisurely than Animal Crossing, a series where there are very few punishments for laziness, even when it means that the lighthouse doesn’t get turned on at night. Scandalous!
Though Viva Pinata wasn’t released as a standalone title for Xbox One, it’s a backward compatible 360 game, along with its superior sequel, Trouble in Paradise. Alternatively, you can grab both as part of the Rare Replay compilation. That way, you’ll also get gems like Banjo-Kazooie and Perfect Dark. Needless to say, neither of those happen to be similar to Animal Crossing.
Stardew Valley
See how we took you on a journey there? From animal game to animal farm game, to just farm game. Welcome to Stardew Valley, the most versatile indie offering this side of Vroom in the Night Sky.
There aren’t any talkative animals in this title (aside from Elliott, who is clearly a beast between the sheets), but you’ll still get to enjoy becoming a productive member of society as you turn around the fortunes of an ailing property.
There’s a little bit of everything to get done in this game, from exploring the mines in search of gems to wooing the local floozies en route to starting a family of your own. You’ll never be short of things to do, the only thing you’ll run out of are hours in the day. Or stamina. Seriously, watch your stamina, I’m not heading back into those caves to drag your ass out. I’m too busy trying to seduce Elliott.
Hokko Life
One of the newer kids on the block (kid in this instance being a baby goat), Hokko Life is another AC imitator that borrows liberally from the latest entry, New Horizons.
What this means is that there will be plenty of opportunities for you to craft as you take over the old workshop, in an effort to shape the town of Hokko in your own image. Only your steady hand can transform the drab and dreary village into something super trendy, and if you’re creatively bankrupt, you can simply steal ideas via the Hokko Community Store.
Short of perhaps Castaway Paradise, this is likely the closest Xbox players will ever get to bringing Animal Crossing to their console of choice. Logic dictates I should have therefore placed this entry further up top, but I’m too darned attached to that animal farm game connection we established.
Lastly and most importantly, the player characters have a really satisfying running animation. Just putting that out there.
The Sims 4
Ahh, good old Sims. As you would probably expect, this series is synonymous (Simnonymous?) with the life simulator genre, and each entry adds more wonderful things for your merry little people to experience, as well as more dreadful things that will make their lives just that much more miserable.
For the uninitiated, Sims 4 lets you build a house, fill it with people, and watch as they try to endure the rigors of day to day life. Will they find love? A career? A futuristic shower that spins their nude bodies around like obtuse installation art?
A lot of that depends on how you — the hopefully benevolent hand of God — choose to guide them. You’ll be able to influence a lot of their decisions through the power of suggestion, but part of the charm comes with the Sims’ own burgeoning independence (Simdependence?) as they occasionally operate in spite of you and better judgment.
Often, it ends with them catching fire and dying painfully. But for every pile of ash, there are at least two happy Sims that have eked out a mediocre life, and those are pretty good odds.
Disney Dreamlight Valley
Animal Crossing fans might gloat when they’ve finally coaxed Raymond to move in on their island, but you know what they can’t do? Befriend Simba. This is something you can only do by playing Disney Dreamlight Valley, or penning your own fanfiction. A possible title being, “Hakuna Matata Forever: MC/Lion Romantic Comedy”
In this wildly popular title, you’ll travel the various biomes, solving issues as you worm your way into the hearts of your favourite Disney heroes. There is an absolute wealth of things to do and places to see, and with new content constantly being added, the experience is only going to grow bigger and bigger.
And for the record? Scar headcanons are much more satisfying to read. They’re so steamy and angsty, they get me all verklempt.
Cozy Grove
Animal Crossing’s closest parallels often have distinctly similar vibes, aesthetically or tonally, so getting to try out a title that feels a little bit different is a treat. Enter Cozy Grove, a game set on a haunted island where most of the residents are g-g-g-ghosts!!
Playing the role of a Spirit Scout, it’s up to you to scour the dark forests as you attempt to bring the dearly departed some semblance of peace. Like the Nintendo originator, Cozy Grove runs on a realtime clock, though there is a greater emphasis on progression, with the spirits having their own backstories for you to discover.
I’m also a sucker for its crisp 2D visuals. This game really does try to put its own unique spin on a tried-and-true formula, so it’s definitely one that is well worth investigating.
Ooblets
If you want a splash of color and a pinch of whimsy, Ooblets could be just what you’re looking for. If you don’t want these things, then that’s fair enough too, you monochromatic grinch.
Self-proclaimed as being a marriage of ‘Harvest Moon meets Pokemon meets Animal Crossing’ — the literal definition of bigamy — your goal is to amass and train the eponymous Ooblets. Work the land, customize your character’s look, interact with the village people (preferably at the YMCA), and become a master Ooblet trainer. It’s more Pokemon than Animal Crossing, but there’s only so many darned friendship sims we can sift through for one article.
If you’re something of a Microsoft purist, you might be delighted to know that this is one of the few games that hasn’t already landed on that filthy rival, the PS4, allowing you to have some gratifying bragging rights. Most PS4s aren’t actually filthy, though mine is due to poor personal hygiene.
Hopefully, that has sufficiently crossed your animals for now. This was, for your viewing enjoyment, games like Animal Crossing for Xbox One. If you’re still itching for more, make sure to check out our list of games like Animal Crossing for PC, as well!
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