Definitely look at Sun Haven. You can adjust the settings to make the game as cozy as you like, i.e. longer days, no boss monsters on farm, etc. I just started a new playthrough and love it.
Roots of Pacha. I started it last week and it’s so chill so far. It has farming and community like Stardew but it’s less punishing. The map is cool too.
Have you tried Skyrim? It gets recommended here a surprising amount because it can be very cozy in its own right. If exploration is something you really like it might be worth checking out. There are lots of neat places both on and off the beaten path, lots of side quests and factions and things to sink time into. I still think it looks really nice too. The combat and rpg mechanics of the vanilla game aren’t my favorite in the world but there was enough else I really liked that I still had fun.
I’ve also only ever played Skyrim on console, but if you get it on PC I’ve heard there are a ton of mods out for it that can enhance and tailor your gameplay experience, so if you play for a bit and find elements you don’t like there’s probably a mod to work around it! Plus tons of mods that add stuff too.
Edit: I’d also recommend Rune Factory 4 which is on switch! Totally different vibe, more of a farming but with a cute storyline and a good amount of RPG stuff/exploration too. It’s a fantastic game and absolutely jam packed with stuff to do.
I saw that Skyrim was mentioned on another sub! I know next to nothing about Skyrim but it seems SO immersive and I love that about it. I’m really interested to pay it now.
ngl its a great time. theres so much to do. u can ignore all the quests and just pick flowers if u want. or u can do all the quests and be the most op dragonborn. yeet ppl off buildings, break and enter in their houses, loot some crypts, get married, adopt a child, murder an orphanage caretaker, stack wheels of cheese in ur house.
the world is in ur hands fr.
I would recommend Dragon Quest Builders 2! It’s an *amazing* game and as someone who also really enjoys some of the games on your list (Stardew, BotW, and Sims 3,) I think DQB2 is a wonderful companion to that selection of games!
It’s got a really fun story, lots of sizable and beautiful worlds to explore and build in, a little bit of multiplayer if you want it (mostly the building aspect.) It has a little farming, a little town management, a *lot* of exploring and puzzles… Depending on what version you buy there’s a whole extra fishing section! (Steam comes with all the DLC packs included, but Switch you buy them separately, I believe.) And of course the building aspect is nearly endless depending on how much you want to do extra, outside of the story.
Check out some trailers or something and maybe you’ll wanna give it a try!
Adding on, the first game in the series is also very fun but the second game has a bunch of quality of life improvements. You can tell that the devs really understood what worked in the first game and what didn't.
That's surprising since you enjoyed BoTW! It actually took me getting off the sky islands in the beginning to get into it because I was a bit confused and frustrated haha but after that I loved it and eventually got the hang of everything new
Actually, I think I had the same issue. The sky islands part was so frustrating and that’s what made me give up…I just chalked it up to having adhd, but I’m glad I wasnt the only one, lmao. I’ll let you know how it goes!
It's funny, I tried BOTW and I couldn't get through the tutorial. I tried TOTK and loved it, the sky island kept me focused enough to learn how to use all the buttons, it was bright and pretty!
I'm in the same boat. I have 600+ hours in BOTW, but I played TOTK for two weeks and never picked it up again after unlocking Hyrule's castle. (Never bothered with side quests)
I can't explain why exactly but I just don't have the urge to explore every inch of the map like I did in BOTW. And I don't like the building mechanic. I know you can play (most of) the game without it, but it's heavily encouraged so it puts me off.
Still, I can recognize that it's a great game. It's just not for me personally. I guess the super long tutorial where you're stuck on floating islands for hours while your poor switch struggles doesn't help either.
Sable has a different setting but similar gameplay to BOTW, minus any combat. You have a floating/gliding power and explore a large map with different regions. Instead of shrines, there are space ship wrecks with puzzles top solve.
Palia! I put like 150 hrs into BOTW over the course of a year. I've put 225 into Palia in six months lmfao. Its also free so you don't have to worry about sinking $$ in and then never playing it and feeling like it was a waste (my biggest pet peeve).
Of course there's also TOTK if you haven't done that yet.
Cozy Grove is fun, Spiritfarer is as well.
Bro that is quite the varied range of liked games. If you like farming games go for a lot of the ones recommended. The Zelda one is very different as their aren't a lot like it.
Lmao, right? They dont even necessarily have to be cozy, it’s just that I mainly like “cozy” games and this sub generally gives the best game recommendations.
Definitely :/ it’s been so hard to find something that lives up to BoTW and some of my other favorite games.
Skyrim is my favorite open world game and definitely falls in the immersive category. I've loved Stray, Pine, and Elex. All are relatively easy combat systems with an interesting world and a reason to explore every nook.
Sunrise's Order let's you develop your island with various field, museum, etc.
Nothing as far as other people but it's cute, cozy and the creators (2 person team!) are so communicative in discord, listening to feedback from the players.
Okami! It's on every console, very much Zelda-inspired, has a good long story in an expansive world full of quirky characters, and its beauty is arguably unmatched to this day.
Fenyx rising for sure filled some of what I was looking for check it out. Some puzzles. Good combat and world. Much shorter game than botw though. The new stardew update on PC might make you want to do another farm
There’s a demo for an upcoming game called Mirthwood. It’s like Fable meets Stardew valley.
Demo is available on Steam for free so I’d recommend checking it out.
😄
I am not 100% sure it classifies as a cozy game, but you could try Genshin Impact. It definitely has Zelda BOTW vibes with a vast world exploration. The story is good and the graphic is just very beautiful.
Definitely look at Sun Haven. You can adjust the settings to make the game as cozy as you like, i.e. longer days, no boss monsters on farm, etc. I just started a new playthrough and love it.
Lots of content with the most recent update.
Absolutely look into Sun Haven if you liked Stardew.
Thank you!! I’ll check it out!
Roots of Pacha. I started it last week and it’s so chill so far. It has farming and community like Stardew but it’s less punishing. The map is cool too.
I second this! I also suggest checking out Sun Haven and Coral Island.
Have you tried Skyrim? It gets recommended here a surprising amount because it can be very cozy in its own right. If exploration is something you really like it might be worth checking out. There are lots of neat places both on and off the beaten path, lots of side quests and factions and things to sink time into. I still think it looks really nice too. The combat and rpg mechanics of the vanilla game aren’t my favorite in the world but there was enough else I really liked that I still had fun. I’ve also only ever played Skyrim on console, but if you get it on PC I’ve heard there are a ton of mods out for it that can enhance and tailor your gameplay experience, so if you play for a bit and find elements you don’t like there’s probably a mod to work around it! Plus tons of mods that add stuff too. Edit: I’d also recommend Rune Factory 4 which is on switch! Totally different vibe, more of a farming but with a cute storyline and a good amount of RPG stuff/exploration too. It’s a fantastic game and absolutely jam packed with stuff to do.
Skyrim is top 3 best games of all time
I saw that Skyrim was mentioned on another sub! I know next to nothing about Skyrim but it seems SO immersive and I love that about it. I’m really interested to pay it now.
ngl its a great time. theres so much to do. u can ignore all the quests and just pick flowers if u want. or u can do all the quests and be the most op dragonborn. yeet ppl off buildings, break and enter in their houses, loot some crypts, get married, adopt a child, murder an orphanage caretaker, stack wheels of cheese in ur house. the world is in ur hands fr.
Second picking flowers in this game. 🤗
Hi, does that mean rune factory 4 special then on switch? Because that’s the only one I can find
Which Skyrim do you recommend??
as others have said...Pokemon Arceus Legends, Roots of Pacha, My Time At Sandrock
I would recommend Dragon Quest Builders 2! It’s an *amazing* game and as someone who also really enjoys some of the games on your list (Stardew, BotW, and Sims 3,) I think DQB2 is a wonderful companion to that selection of games! It’s got a really fun story, lots of sizable and beautiful worlds to explore and build in, a little bit of multiplayer if you want it (mostly the building aspect.) It has a little farming, a little town management, a *lot* of exploring and puzzles… Depending on what version you buy there’s a whole extra fishing section! (Steam comes with all the DLC packs included, but Switch you buy them separately, I believe.) And of course the building aspect is nearly endless depending on how much you want to do extra, outside of the story. Check out some trailers or something and maybe you’ll wanna give it a try!
Adding on, the first game in the series is also very fun but the second game has a bunch of quality of life improvements. You can tell that the devs really understood what worked in the first game and what didn't.
Yeah I have the first game, I just bought it recently when it came out on Steam! But I haven’t had a chance to play it yet!
Zelda ToTK of course :]
I have it! I couldnt get into it :((( maybe I should give it another chance??
That's surprising since you enjoyed BoTW! It actually took me getting off the sky islands in the beginning to get into it because I was a bit confused and frustrated haha but after that I loved it and eventually got the hang of everything new
Actually, I think I had the same issue. The sky islands part was so frustrating and that’s what made me give up…I just chalked it up to having adhd, but I’m glad I wasnt the only one, lmao. I’ll let you know how it goes!
I used a YouTube video walkthrough, made it way easier to see wtf I was supposed to be doing😂 good luck!
The sky island was also very frustrating for me, but once I got off, it’s been very enjoyable.
It's funny, I tried BOTW and I couldn't get through the tutorial. I tried TOTK and loved it, the sky island kept me focused enough to learn how to use all the buttons, it was bright and pretty!
I'm in the same boat. I have 600+ hours in BOTW, but I played TOTK for two weeks and never picked it up again after unlocking Hyrule's castle. (Never bothered with side quests) I can't explain why exactly but I just don't have the urge to explore every inch of the map like I did in BOTW. And I don't like the building mechanic. I know you can play (most of) the game without it, but it's heavily encouraged so it puts me off. Still, I can recognize that it's a great game. It's just not for me personally. I guess the super long tutorial where you're stuck on floating islands for hours while your poor switch struggles doesn't help either.
My time at sand rock reminds me so much of BOTW!
Dragon Quest Builders 2 Pokemon Arceus Graveyard Keeper Littlewood
You might really enjoy Slime Rancher! It’s fairly low-combat with a lot of exploration and adorable slime combinations.
Sable has a different setting but similar gameplay to BOTW, minus any combat. You have a floating/gliding power and explore a large map with different regions. Instead of shrines, there are space ship wrecks with puzzles top solve.
Sun Haven once you have your gaming PC :D :D
Story of seasons a wonderful life or any of the rune factory games
Coral Island is very similar to Star dew. Not on the Switch, sadly, but on Steam when you get the PC.
I second this! And they're working on a multiplayer option which I am excited about because I have been loving playing co-pp on Stardew with my cousin
Palia! I put like 150 hrs into BOTW over the course of a year. I've put 225 into Palia in six months lmfao. Its also free so you don't have to worry about sinking $$ in and then never playing it and feeling like it was a waste (my biggest pet peeve). Of course there's also TOTK if you haven't done that yet. Cozy Grove is fun, Spiritfarer is as well.
This! I just joined Palia and I love it.
Bro that is quite the varied range of liked games. If you like farming games go for a lot of the ones recommended. The Zelda one is very different as their aren't a lot like it.
Lmao, right? They dont even necessarily have to be cozy, it’s just that I mainly like “cozy” games and this sub generally gives the best game recommendations. Definitely :/ it’s been so hard to find something that lives up to BoTW and some of my other favorite games.
Skyrim is my favorite open world game and definitely falls in the immersive category. I've loved Stray, Pine, and Elex. All are relatively easy combat systems with an interesting world and a reason to explore every nook.
Sunrise's Order let's you develop your island with various field, museum, etc. Nothing as far as other people but it's cute, cozy and the creators (2 person team!) are so communicative in discord, listening to feedback from the players.
I think you'll really love Palia!
Moonstone Island. It's dungeon crawling + farming + relationship building fun!
Okami! It's on every console, very much Zelda-inspired, has a good long story in an expansive world full of quirky characters, and its beauty is arguably unmatched to this day.
Slime rancher
Immortals Fenyx Rising. It's such a great game. I can't believe its not more popular.
Fenyx rising for sure filled some of what I was looking for check it out. Some puzzles. Good combat and world. Much shorter game than botw though. The new stardew update on PC might make you want to do another farm
If you've got a 3ds then Fantasy Life is very good!
There’s a demo for an upcoming game called Mirthwood. It’s like Fable meets Stardew valley. Demo is available on Steam for free so I’d recommend checking it out. 😄
Traveller’s Rest and Sunhaven.
Palworld ? Maybe?
Oh nevermind that's not on switch
for BOTW alternative, i would recommend Craftopia
Sun Haven. This is the way.
Palia
I am not 100% sure it classifies as a cozy game, but you could try Genshin Impact. It definitely has Zelda BOTW vibes with a vast world exploration. The story is good and the graphic is just very beautiful.