Stardew Valley
Hacker ApprovedThe most recommended of 6 life simulation games
People recommend it for its cozy, varied farming gameplay, its no-ads port of the PC version, and its long-running free updates. Critics say it is derivative.
People recommend it for its cozy, varied farming gameplay, its no-ads port of the PC version, and its long-running free updates. Critics say it is derivative.
38 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 37
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 97%
Recommended in 12 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 37 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 37 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 12 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Cozy, calming, comforting to play
“It really captures the same cozyness as the video game, and it's cooperative.”
Comment from 16 Feb 2026 in “I Love Board Games: A Personal Obsession Explained by Psychology” “Cozy: Tiny Bookshop and Stardew Valley”
Comment from 25 Jun 2026 in “GTA 6 Physical Copies Won't Include a Disc, Will Just Be a Code in a Box” “It's the pinnacle of cozy, I suppose.”
Comment from 31 Dec 2025 in “Stardew Valley developer made a $125k donation to the FOSS C# framework MonoGame” - Comment from 26 Feb 2026 in “Stardew Valley at 10: The pixel art farm game that became an unlikely phenomenon”
- Comment from 14 Dec 2025 in “The Rise of Computer Games, Part I: Adventure”
Lots of variety and replayability
“the variety of things to do and different ways to play the game kept me coming back”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “Ask HN: What game have you replayed more times than any other?” “I have gotten so much value out of that one game over the years”
Comment from 12 Oct 2026 in “A decade after Stardew Valley, Eric Barone is still going it alone” “offered up countless hours of addictive gameplay”
Comment from 7 Nov 2025 in “Game design is simple” - Comment from 31 Dec 2025 in “Stardew Valley developer made a $125k donation to the FOSS C# framework MonoGame”
Runs on many devices
“Runs on everything, not just "viable" OSs, made by a single person”
Comment from 20 Dec 2025 in “Android introduces $2-4 install fee and 10–20% cut for US external content links” “I love that game, I got it on my PC and handheld.”
Comment from 12 Oct 2026 in “A decade after Stardew Valley, Eric Barone is still going it alone” “you can just buy them on every device you have”
Comment from 28 May 2026 in “SimCity 3k in 4k” Complete PC port with no ads
“I don't regret it at all. It's a direct port of the PC version, meaning it's a complete experience, but also not a single ad.”
Comment from 7 Jan 2026 in “Vienam Bans Unskippable Ads, Requires Skip Button to Appear After 5 Seconds” “It's a direct port of the PC version, meaning it's a complete experience, but also not a single ad.”
Comment from 7 Jan 2026 in “Vienam Bans Unskippable Ads, Requires Skip Button to Appear After 5 Seconds”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Did not fully scratch the itch
“while Stardew Valley was nice, it never fully scratched that itch”
Comment from 10 May 2026 in “Ask HN: What Are You Working On? (May 2026)” “it never fully scratched that itch”
Comment from 10 May 2026 in “Ask HN: What Are You Working On? (May 2026)”
Other life simulation games people recommend
The four most recommended other life simulation games, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stardew ValleyThis page | 37 | 1 | 97% | 12 | — | Approved |
| The Sims | 7 | 5 | 58% | 7 | — | — |
| Spore by Maxis | 7 | 11 | 39% | 5 | — | — |
| Pokémon Pokopia | 7 | 1 | 88% | 2 | — | — |
| Animal Crossing | 5 | 1 | 83% | 5 | — | — |
What people said
39 of the 45 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“There are some others that are similarly placed”
“I have gotten so much value out of that one game over the years”
“I love that game, I got it on my PC and handheld.”
“Stardew Valley, Celeste, Bastion and other Supergiant titles, Terraria come to mind”
“the continual content updates for the latter come from a place of respect to the community”
“Try Stardew Valley instead.”
“The best behaved ones are the native ones (Factorio, Stardew, Celeste)”
“Cozy: Tiny Bookshop and Stardew Valley”
“you can just buy them on every device you have”
“the variety of things to do and different ways to play the game kept me coming back”
“I think Stardew Valley is an exhibition of pastoral fascism disguised as a liberal cozy game.”
“while Stardew Valley was nice, it never fully scratched that itch”
“it never fully scratched that itch”
“universally acclaimed and not graphically intensive at all”
“It feels like a lot of people just overlook these games.”
“which had a huge female following (and sales to match)”
“Stardew Valley is a great example of this, and that more is not always better.”
“It's literally magic for someone with a restless anxious mind.”
“the clock doesn't pause in menus and so on like it does in singleplayer”
“It really captures the same cozyness as the video game, and it's cooperative.”
“Stardew Valley did it, for example”
“I don't regret it at all. It's a direct port of the PC version, meaning it's a complete experience, but also not a single ad.”
“It's a direct port of the PC version, meaning it's a complete experience, but also not a single ad.”
“Turns out the Linux version (was default) had an unfixed bug, and choosing the Windows version with proton "Just Worked".”
“continued free updates and DLC along with reasonable pricing”
“it is great because there is genuine passion for the subject in the execution”
“was such an obvious need it was surprising it took that long to arrive”
“He really had perfect timing with its release.”
“It's such a beautiful game and reminds me what you can do when you follow what feels right.”
“It's the pinnacle of cozy, I suppose.”
“I have 3000 hours on this game, so definitely not biased against indies or something.”
“Stardew Valley is a great game.”
“He's an extremely rare person focused on quality, value, and competency.”
“Runs on everything, not just "viable" OSs, made by a single person”
“Stardew Valley has so many QoL improvements over harvest moon though.”
“it is _incredibly_ derivative.”
“the game was literally therapy for them and showed them a vision of domestic life”
“Terraria and Stardew Valley show that it isn't just about graphics.”
“offered up countless hours of addictive gameplay”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.