Harvest Days, a charming 3D open-world take on Stardew Valley, has launched a free demo on Steam.
The premise of Harvest Days is that you're another worn-out cog in the wheels of the capitalist machine, tired of working for the weekend, so you move out to the country to start a farm. So, again, obviously inspired by Stardew Valley, though studio Family Devs also lists genre classics Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons as influences.
Your job in Harvest Days is to restore the rundown town of Duda's Village to its former glory. As you might expect, that involves taking care of farm animals, growing fruit and vegetables, and selling your produce to boost the local economy. But don't forget why you ditched your old job in the first place! Harvest Days encourages you to take some me-time and go fishing, get to know your neighbors, and explore a quaint but expansive world full of minerals, a ruined and mystical temple, a mysterious swamp bubbling with secrets, and loads more.
If you like what you play in the demo, you can support the game's development over on Kickstarter and earn exclusive rewards like pets, clothes, and discounts on the game. If you pledge enough you can leave a permanent impact on the game, with the second-lowest supporter tier adding your name to an unspecified section. Superfans might want to go with the €250 Founders Pack, which immortalizes you as a statue in the Founder's Hall, or the €2,000 Character Designer pack, which lets you create your own NPC complete with custom dialogue.
Can't get enough? Here are some more games like Stardew Valley to check out.
One of the most enchanting games like Stardew Valley I played in 2024 just got a big new update, placing the medieval life sim RPG back on my radar
The Sims creator's first game in over 10 years is an AI life sim that uses your real memories: "The more I can make a game about you, the more you'll like it"
