New Steam Game Has Serious Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing Vibes

Wildekin is an upcoming cozy adventure and survival game on Steam that, visually and in some gameplay aspects, resembles a mix of Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing. Fans of ConcrnedApe’s pixel-art farming sim already have a lot on their plates, as many indie titles with similar vibes have recently appeared on Steam. However, Wildekin introduces some new features to the familiar formula that might even attract Animal Crossing fans.

August was full of Stardew Valley-like games, with notable examples including Ritual of Raven and Everdream Village. But these don’t appear to be the last cozy simulations trying to capture what ConcernedApe created. On August 21, for example, Discounty was released, a shopkeeping simulation that seems to offer a fresh take on Stardew Valley‘s JojaMart path. And now there is Wildekin.

Wildekin Is a Cozy Adventure About Anthropomorphic Animals

Slated for release in 2026, Cute Newt’s Wildekin presents itself as a 3D pixel-art game featuring humanlike animals. Cute Newt is the studio behind this upcoming title, which will be published by Chucklefish. Like in Stardew Valley, players in Wildekin can build their own home, expand their town, and befriend the townsfolk. There doesn’t appear to be any farming, though some town management tasks may remind Stardew Valley fans of the Pelican Town drama. As for its similarity to Animal Crossing, the entire cast consists of cute anthropomorphic animals, a core element of Nintendo’s cozy sim.

Unlike most newly released Stardew Valley-style games or Animal Crossing copycats, Wildekin focuses on exploration, adventure, and survival. Without giving too much away, the story centers on the player visiting various islands, battling fierce enemies, and saving endangered members of their species.

The good news for cozy life simulation fans is that Wildekin supports online co-op for up to four players. Unlocked items and explored areas are shared among the team, and even boss fights can be tackled together. However, each player’s relationship with the townsfolk is private, and friendship progress with NPCs is not shared. Crafting and decoration are also central to the gameplay, with most aspects of the player’s appearance, arsenal, and home being customizable.

Given that all these games have been released recently, and with even more scheduled to launch soon, Wildekin faces tough competition. Fortunately, the development team is backed by Chucklefish, a well-known name in the genre, which is also publishing another anticipated cozy game called Witchbrook. Still, it remains to be seen whether Wildekin will capture the hearts of cozy game fans at launch or join the roster of forgotten Steam titles.