Highlights
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Stardew Valley are popular games that emphasize the importance of cultivating friendships and building communities.
- 1bitHeart and Tomodachi Life offer players the opportunity to meet new people, resolve conflicts, and form relationships in unique and futuristic settings.
- Fire Emblem Fates and Harvestella provide players with the ability to strengthen friendships through support conversations and bonding with party members while embarking on epic adventures.
With so many games about epic journeys, helpful side quests, and sprawling environments getting all the attention, it is also important to remember the more relaxing games available to players. In particular, some of the most popular games ever revolve around players meeting new people and developing friendships with them.
Like with many casual games, players can develop as many friendships at their own pace and without any constraints. While some games may have a plot to go along with their friendship mechanics, they nevertheless stress the importance of finding new people and cultivating friendships that will last a long time.
7 Animal Crossing: New Horizons
To this day, Animal Crossing: New Horizons remains one of the most beloved lifestyle simulators in gaming. In the game, the player must turn a deserted island into a thriving community with the tools at their disposal, with additional customization options being available in this particular installment.
Naturally, the player can meet various villagers, both old and new, on their island, each with a unique trait to call their own. Players can also connect with others, so they may visit other islands and exchange items and consumables.
6 Stardew Valley
Another extremely popular lifestyle simulator out there, Stardew Valley is well-known for its cozy atmosphere and its overabundance of in-game content. The game revolves around the player renovating the plot of land they inherited from their grandfather and creating a lively community from the supplies they have on hand.
Along the way, players can attend local events, meet the inhabitants of Stardew Valley, and learn more about them, such as their interests, birthdays, and backstories. With a bit of effort, players can solve any problems the inhabitants may have and unlock unique cutscenes about each citizen.
5 1bitHeart
Set in the year 2222, 1bitHeart is a great game for fans of futuristic settings and mystery solving. With four possible areas to explore, players can enjoy meeting a wide variety of people while working to solve the mysterious happenings within each location.
The story of 1bitHeart revolves around the ditzy shut-in Yoshi Nanase, better known as Nanashi, working with Misane Mikoto, a girl who hails from the future, to stop a small group of hackers from causing trouble within the community. When not trying to stop the hackers, however, players can have Nanashi befriend the residents from all four areas by giving them gifts and resolving any conflicts they might have.
4 Tomodachi Life
Similar to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Tomodachi Life sees the player finding a deserted island and turning it into a lively community. From there, the player must see to the needs of their Mii look-alike and the other residents of the island, which the player can name anything they please.
Naturally, the player must help each resident make friends with each other, a rather common occurrence in the apartment complex in which all residents reside. From there, these friendships may turn into full-blown romantic relationships, which may result in a family. In other cases, some friends may get into the occasional argument, which requires the player to step in and make things right.
3 Fire Emblem Fates
At first glance, Fire Emblem Fates follows in the footsteps of its predecessors, namely with its support conversations to increase the camaraderie between each unit, which also improves their effectiveness in battle. Players are naturally able to develop their characters and marry them off to each other at their own pace or at the story's pace.
One of the unique features in Fates, however, is the introduction of the A+ Support Rank. Should the player raise two units to the A-Support Rank, they have the option to upgrade to the A+ Support Rank, which will allow either unit to take on the other's class with the help of a Friendship Seal.
2 Harvestella
Developed and published by Square Enix, the company behind the esteemed Final Fantasy series, Harvestella certainly borrows elements from the iconic series. This can especially be seen in the dungeons the four main characters must complete in order to protect the Seaslight crystals.
When not exploring dungeons, however, players have the opportunity to bond with their party members and find out what makes them tick. Using their own house as a home base, players can also interact with the residents of each of the four locations surrounding the Seaslight crystals.
1 Sun Haven
Much like Stardew Valley, Sun Haven has players stumble upon the town of the same name and create a brand-new farm life within its walls. In this case, however, the player must also defend the town from the mysterious magic that plagues it, adding in some basic elements of combat in the process.
In terms of making friends, Sun Haven allows players to celebrate community holidays and bond with the town residents of their choice. While the possibilities of bonding with each resident are endless, players naturally have a chance to court any of the fifteen love interests within their town, solidifying their place in the community they helped build.