You know how I always wish for more good simulation games on the Switch? Slowly but surely Iâm getting my wish. More and more sim games flock to the system, and I suspect that we havenât seen the last of it yet. Not with the Switch Lite here not, which is reaching even more people
Letâs see the list of great simulation games that are available right now on the Nintendo Switch! And if you like our lists, be sure to check out the Best Wholesome Games on Switch too!
These are simulation games that include farming and some kind of harvesting. Some make a combo with fighting or crafting. They arenât in any kind of order, I donât have a clear favourite yet. But all are good fun sim games!
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Letâs be clear: there is no game more entertaining, creative, social and just plain cute and sweet, then Animal Crossing (can you tell Iâm a fan So New Horizons is a sure choice if you want to go for many, many hours of gameplay. Retreat to an undiscovered island and live with the animals that all have their quirky and special personality. Decorate your house, catch bugs and fishes. Dig for fossils and be creative when it comes to making patterns on the clothes your character wears
There are no goals, play as you see fit and take you sweet time. Nintendo is sure to keep you entertained by introducing events and festivals, like having searching for eggs when Easter approaches and many, many more
Our review for the game is here! But we do have guides up for the game, and I wanted to share my feelings about Animal Crossing with you too!
Proud to be an Animal Crossing Gamer
Summer in Mara: a Kickstarter project by Spanish studio Chibig is a simulation adventure of the kind that the Switch still needs more entries of in its library. The game is based on quests: Koa helps out people on the islands and gets things in return. Thatâs the way to progress the story, and itâs also the way to make your Home Island more efficient, combining farming, taking care of animals and crafting along with a colourful cast of characters
When you debate whether or not Summer in Mara is for you, you have to keep this in mind: you donât play the game to go from A to B. You donât play it to just to do all the quests and live the adventure. No, you do the quests to make the Home Island of Koa more beautiful, more bountiful and a real home. And meanwhile, you discover new islands, learns the story of new people and live through new adventures
My review on Summer in Mara is here. Plus, we have a set of guides to help you along too
Since the first days this game appeared on Steam, it has been a firm fan favourite. It does feel like an old day Harvest Moon, with retro graphics included. So when you love Harvest Moon, check out Stardew Valley. On top of all the good gameplay we love in HM, they have thrown in everything and the kitchen sink! Not just the farming, but side questing too, finding stuff for people, making things, a wizard to make things interesting, mining..too much to mention really
Stardew Valley is available on all platforms including mobile. My thoughts on the game are here:
Stardew Valley Farm is open for business
The story begins with a twin brother and sister learning to cook and manage a small café under their motherâs tutelage. All was peaceful and routine until one morning when the twins discover that their mother has fallen into a deep sleep and wonât wake up. Suddenly, a strange old man appears to inform them that they must raise a dragon in order to save her life. Working together with three quirky café employees, the two siblings must figure out how to a wrangle a dragon and manage the family business while finding a way to save their mother
Little Dragons Café canât be compared to Harvest Moon, Animal Crossing, Yonder or any of the fan favourites. You canât farm, you canât design patterns or even decorate a house. There is no dating and no marriage either. But then thatâs not what the developers were going for.There is a strong emphasis on exploration like in Yonder but thereâs a clear goal too: to find out what each characterâs personal story is and help him or her reach their goals
Our review for the game is here: Little Dragons Cafe
A game that is very similar to Stardew Valley, but this time you are not managing a farm and lifestock. Instead, you are a managing the deceased, and all kinds of other dark aspects of life. The game does so with a a lot of humor, that makes you quite forget what you are dealing with
It has an interesting storyline, tons of side quests, an intricate logistic system to craft thingsâ¦.If you can get your head around the cutting up and burying off the dead, make no bones about it. Graveyard Keeper is a great addition to the Nintendo Switch, and it seems the life of an undertaker can certainly keep a player busy for hours with a wide array of gameplay activities
Our review is here: Graveyard Keeper Review Switch
In this simulation game you donât portray a hero who has lost his memory and takes up a derelict farm. No, you are well aware of who you are, and you realize disaster has struck when you are shipwrecked. And to think it should have been so much fun, joining your father on his exploration vessel to discover new shores!
Your father meanwhile is gravely injured, so it falls to you to search for the missing crew members and to set up camp. Thatâs the first order of business, you have to survive this ordeal after all. Only when you have found all the scattered crew members, and have them settled in shacks and eating well, you can take on the next task
What mysteries does this exotic archipelago hold? A lot of it is covered by an impenetrable wilderness. Are you and your crew alone on the islands? And will you be able to build another sea worthy ship to escape? At least for now, youâve got a little rowboat that you can steer across the sees to explore the cluster of islands!
Our review for the game is here: Stranded Sails Review for Switch
Pikodoodle wrote in her review: âIâm impressed with the ways Cattails is different from farming RPGs: a fun hunting mechanic, colony relationships, and meaningful interaction with children
These 23 hours of gameplay have been relaxing and satisfying. A light survival element in the form of a hunger mechanic adds stakes without adding stress. While I donât foresee myself continuing the game much longer or replaying it, I would recommend it to gamers who love cats and the farming RPG genre
Cattails is a smaller, less diverse game than Stardew Valley but well-executed. While thereâs no farming, itâs no loss. The substitute for farming â hunting â is actually more enjoyable and provides instant gratification once youâve levelled up enough.â
Our review for the game is here: Cattails review for Switch
In Farm Together you get a plot of land, and plenty of seeds to make a beautiful farm out of it. Expand it to make a huge farm that extends further than the eye can see. Unlock new items to place on your farm, unlock animals and even more seeds. Go with the seasons, and pore all your creativity in the game
Visiting and farming with friends is fun and works well in that it is pre-determined what you can do in your virtual friends farm. So no mishaps with accidentally pulling out crops or such
When I reviewed the game it reminded me of HayDay, the mobile game that I sunk many, many hours into over the past years. Farm Together has the same addictive vibe as HayDay but better, without the need for micro transactions and a much, much more vast playing field
Our review for the game is here: Review Farm Together
You inherit a workshop at the start of the game, and by collecting resources and completing commissions for the townspeople you try toyour workshop. Itâs your home too, and can be upgraded into a bigger house, adding more rooms to hold all the furniture you manage to collect
You can farm in the game, but not the kind were you have to water your crops everyday. Youâll be able to use a semi-automatic irrigation system. You can mine in abandoned dungeons and forage for the other stuff you need in your workshop. Thereâs fishing too, in rivers, swamps and even on a tropical island. All this farming and fishing comes in handy because the game will have cooking too
For fans of simulation games, My Time at Portia has all the elements: farming, questing, fighting and socialising. Not only that, they are all implemented equally well. My Time at Portia offers a very well rounded package with spades of content. A veritable time sink
Our review for the game is here: Review My time at Portia
An island that is beautifully detailed and colorful, but plagued by a mysterious dark purple fog known as the Murk, which is causing distress to the islandâs residents and is effectively polluting the environment. No surprise then that itâs your mission to gather sprites. They are the only ones that are capable of dispelling the Murk. Gathering sprites isnât all you have to do, this game simply is heaven for gamers who love side-questing. Every area you find on Gemea has several side quests to fulfill
Yonder is the kind of casual game the Switch could use more of in its library. In this game, there are no enemies or monsters to fight. There is some farming and tending to animals, but not in the hands on way of Harvest Moon games. The game is about exploring, about farming for materials, about fishing and crafting and mostly about collecting. Just for the fun of it, and to help the fellow inhabitants of this beautiful land. Even though there are main quests to further the story of activating the Cloud Catcher and ridding Gemea of the murk, the storyline isnât what itâs about
Our review for the game is here: Yonder the Cloud Catcher Chronicle