The Wholesome Games Celebration comes to Steam, putting some of my favorite relaxing Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley-likes on sale

It's the most wonderful time of the year for cozy gamers - the Wholesome Games Steam Celebration is up, which means that some of the best indie gems are on sale.

The Wholesome Games Steam Celebration is back this year with countless discounts on all sorts of games - city builders, farming sims, life sims, puzzle games, sandbox games, visual novels, and everything in between. Both new and old games are on sale, too - ranging from titles like Gourdlets that just released yesterday to some of my personal favorites from years past, like Coffee Talk and Gris.

If you're an Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley stan like I am, a few highlights from this sale include Dinkum, Go-Go Town, and Rusty's Retirement. Dinkum is 20% off right now and as one of my go-to farming sims, it offers hundreds of hours of Stardew-like fun. You can catch critters, farm, fish, mine, and even manipulate your entire island's terrain as you can in New Horizons. Go-Go Town, similarly, also has a lot in common with Nintendo's icon.

It just entered early access this summer, and I've racked up almost 100 hours in-game. You play as a mayor in charge of building up a rundown town - but you can also farm, fish, play mini-games, and partake in all of the relaxing game essentials. As for Rusty's Retirement, it's basically like a portable version of Stardew Valley's farming features - if that makes any sense at all. It's a desktop game, which means it's always open over whatever you're doing.

Whether you're catching up on late-night assignments or are watching your fave show, you can farm idly as little Rusty while doing so - it's one I always tend to leave running and I never seem to get bored of it. There are tons of other whimsical games to snag, too - Little Kitty, Big City is on sale, as is Unpacking. You can check the Wholesome Games event out on Steam right now for even more great deals.

Itching for more? Check out some of these upcoming indie games if so.

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