[4][5] Story of Seasons, a series that began in 1996 and is often compared to Animal Crossing,[6] has also been described as a social simulation game.
[11] This includes several sequels and expansion packs, as well as games like Singles: Flirt Up Your Life with heavy similarities.
A direct connection can be drawn from early games in the genre such as Harvest Moon (1996) to the more recent Stardew Valley (2016).
Other games, such as the Rune Factory series and Harvestella (2022) put a fantasy spin on the genre,[13] while there are also sci-fi examples such as Lightyear Frontier.
[14] The 2.0 update of Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2020) added the ability to create a farm and grow produce.