Best games like animal crossing for android
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is out on the Switch. It’s the first console game with five million in digital sales in its first month and it’s the top selling game of March 2020. Naturally, some people are curious if there is a similar game on Android. We’ll dash those hopes right on the onset. There isn’t a game like Animal Crossing on any other platform. It is in a class all on its own. However, there are some games with some similarities and come rather close in some parts of its execution. After all, at its core, it’s a social and life simulator with crafting, exploration, and plenty of adorable animals. Those interested can can check out the best games like Animal Crossing for Android just below.

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Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp

Price: Free to play

Nintendo actually has an Animal Crossing game on mobile. The official game isn’t nearly as open or as large as the Nintendo Switch version, but it has a lot of the same elements. You start out with a campsite and then you add to it with a bunch of stuff you discover as you play. The game boasts over 1,000 pieces of furniture, 300 pieces of clothing, and a variety of mini-games for plenty to do. It’s as close as it gets to a true Animal Crossing experience on mobile because it is an actual Animal Crossing game.

Castaway Paradise

Price: Free to play

Castaway Paradise was the premiere Animal Crossing clone on mobile for a few years. It has a lot of the same stuff. You start out on an island and then do things like fish, catch bugs, decorate your house, plant stuff, and even do quests for villagers. The UI is a tad cluttered and difficult for new players and the camera movement could definitely be better. Plus, there are some other bugs. It’s not quite the game it once was, but it’s still one of the decent games like Animal Crossing on mobile.

Don’t Starve: Shipwrecked

Price: $4.99

Don’t Starve: Shipwrecked doesn’t have the cutesy, relaxed nature of Animal Crossing. It does have a lot of the same ideas, though. You start out on a deserted island and you set out to collect things and craft things to make it yours. The primary difference is a survival element so you have to actually stay alive long enough to do all of the activities. The game is a bit buggy on occasion and the controller support could be better. Other than that, it’s a decent survival sim about fixing up a deserted island to make it your own.

Emulators

Price: Free / $4.99

There are several Animal Crossing games on older consoles. Unfortunately, some of them aren’t available without emulation and so we recommend an emulator. The three we think are best for this are DraStic DS Emulator (linked at the button), M64Plus FZ (Nintendo 64),  and Dolphin Emulator. With those three, you can play the original Animal Crossing (Nintendo 64 or GameCube, your choice) and Animal Crossing: Wild World (Nintendo DS). We don’t condone piracy so please have original copies of the game so it’s not illegal. Emulators are the best way to experience Animal Crossing on mobile as long as you do it legally.

DraStic best Nintendo DS emulators for Android

Harvest Moon: Seeds of Memories

Price: $9.99

Harvest Moon is one of the biggest Animal Crossing competitors and there is a full game on mobile. The game is heavily based on Harvest Moon 3D: The Lost Valley but it’s not an actual port, but an original game in the series. You can do a lot of the usual stuff like plant stuff, engage with villagers, find pets, and more. It’s a little bit closer to a farming sim than it is a life sim such as Animal Crossing so the tone and feeling is a lot different. However, the activities are similar and the game is fairly relaxing and chill. The game goes for $9.99 with no in-app purchases or ads, but is often on sale for half price. There are also some bugs associated with this one, so make sure to give it a good testing before the refund period ends in case it doesn’t work on your phone.

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Happy Street

Price: Free to play

Happy Street is a 2D hybrid of a city building sim, farming, and social sim. You build up a town for the benefit of its citizens, collect various resources, farm stuff, customize your character, and explore the surrounding areas. It’s not quite as in-depth as a real Animal Crossing game, but there is definitely enough there to scratch that proverbial itch. It’s a reasonably chill game and you can play it at your own pace. The only downside is it seems to really want you to use a Facebook account.

Minecraft (or Terraria)

Price: $6.99 with in-app purchases

Minecraft is a classic game. It’s a decent alternative for the same reason Don’t Starve works as an alternative. You can farm things, craft things, explore, build your own buildings, and do basically whatever you want. It’s true, you don’t get the relaxing feel of Animal Crossing nor are there cute talking animals. However, every other part of the game is here in some capacity. You can go fishing, although it’s admittedly not as entertaining in Minecraft as it is in Animal Crossing. Terraria is obviously a great alternative to Minecraft. You can go with either one.

Poom Games

Price: Free to play

Poom Games is a developer on Google Play with a couple of games like Animal Crossing. The first is Cat Forest. You start out at a campsite, collect visitors, and do a bunch of other things. Players can gather stuff, build stuff, grow stuff, and a little bit more. The second option is Animal Camp and it’s a building sim about an island resort town. It plays very much like Cat Forest except there are more animals than cats and it’s on an island instead of in a forest. Both of them are decent choices as time killers.

Seabeard

Price: Free to play

Seabeard is one of the older staples for games like Animal Crossing. You start out as a pirate and from there you can do basically whatever you want. Some of the stuff you can do includes exploring the nearby islands, cook food, meet characters, trade stuff, and even rescue other shipwrecked people. The free to play elements are a little less than desirable, but the game doesn’t really require them all that much. This one has been around for about six years now and it has six years of maturity to build in its content.

Stardew Valley

Price: $6.99

Stardew Valley is an excellent alternative to Animal Crossing for the same reason Harvest Moon works as an alternative. You don’t get the cutesy animals or the super chill feel, but everything else is there. You build up your abandoned farm, do stuff for and with the local townspeople, go fishing, craft things, grow plants, and a lot more. To be honest, we’d recommend this one first over Harvest Moon because it is in active development and seems to have way fewer bugs. Plus, this one is free if you use Google Play Pass and $6.99 without it (with no in-app purchases).

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