New PS5, Switch Game Has Serious Stardew Valley Vibes

A new wild west-themed life simulator called Cattle Country is making waves online after its debut, drawing comparisons from prospective fans to Stardew Valley for its art style and gameplay loop. Set to launch on the PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC in 2025, Cattle Country takes a lot of the usual life-sim elements fans have come to know and adds a unique western twist and new mechanics.

So-called “cozy” games have been all the rage in the last decade or so, popularized by Stardew Valley and the iconic Animal Crossing series, both of which task players with building and managing a town or homestead. Games in this niche have been known to blow up in popularity fairly quickly due to their casual appeal and focus on long-term growth through short, simple tasks along with some role-playing elements.

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Set to launch in 2025 for the Switch, PS5, and PC, Cattle Country appears to be taking the genre in another direction, as the new trailer for the game reveals the Wild West setting and a unique pixel art style. According to the trailer, players will be able to manage a ranch, fight off bandits, prospect for treasure, and build romantic connections with the locals in a similar vein to Stardew Valley.

Cattle Country Puts A Historical Twist On The Cozy Game Genre

Cattle Country comes from the publisher of the popular platformer Yooka-Laylee, Playtonic Games, and indie developer Castle Pixel, adding a few new elements into the mix to set itself apart from the competition. Aside from the usual management and lifestyle elements, players can also explore mines, fight bandits, and hunt animals for food and resources in a slight departure from the usually more passive gameplay stylings of the genre.

In other words, the game is seemingly pulling from a few more inspirations than just Stardew Valley, as the heavier focus on resource management and mining gives it a little Minecraft DNA as well. Still, the trailer and screenshots for the game show off its unique, chibi-style character sprites and pixel aesthetics that help to give it its own identity in a sea of other farming sims.

There is still no official release date for the game as of now or how much it may cost upon release, with Playtonic only confirming a broad window of 2025 for the game’s launch. In the meantime, there is no shortage of “cozy” games out there to tide fans over, such as the recent MySims collection that just launched on the Switch last month.

Nintendo Switch

Brand

Nintendo

Weight

.88 lbs

Storage

32 GB

Display

6.2-inch LCD Screen / 1280 x 720

Battery

Approximately 4.5 – 9 hours