Nature is amazing. But unfortunately, it can be hard to immerse yourself in it what with work, weather, and social commitments. Therefore, we’re bringing you our top choices for the best wildlife games on Nintendo Switch and mobile, so you can experience lush fields and sprawling forests all from the comfort of your own screen.
Really, this list could go on and on, but we’ve got some other picks if you want something slightly different: here are the best farm games on mobile and the most relaxing games to play this year.
Without further ado, here are our picks for the best wildlife games.
Abzu – Switch
If you want the joy of snorkeling and discovering the ocean without the effort of having to go into it, then we recommend Abzu. The game is a super relaxing experience where you can search for coral, follow whales around, or float amongst a shoal of tropical fish. But keep your wits about you – there are sharks in these waters!
Wilderless – mobile and Switch
Wilderless brings the outdoors inside as a delightful walking and photography simulator, available on mobile and Switch. Featuring a procedurally generated open world, you wander through forests, fields of flowers, and riverside areas. You can choose which seed to build a world in, or let it take you on a randomized path.
Beasts of Maravilla Island – Switch
Welcome to Maravilla Island – your new home where you spend your time practicing wildlife photography. The mysterious forests are home to tons of bright and beautiful creatures, all existing in their magical ecosystem. Your aim is to fill out your wilderness journal and discover all the critters around you!
Shelter Generations – Switch
Shelter Generations is the Switch-exclusive bundle of Shelter games, featuring Shelter 2, and a spin-off title all in one. Take on the role of a lynx mother and her cubs and guide them to safety as they mature around you while making sure they’re fed and happy. Your journey takes you through plains, snowy fields, and many more biomes – so keep your eyes peeled for the scenery!
Cozy Grove – Switch and mobile
Cozy Grove mixes Animal Crossing with even more outdoor behavior; you’re a camp scout and must build up the island around you, and assist the many bear-shaped friends you find. On top of that, you can fish, forage, hunt for bugs, and collect seashells all day and night, all of which count towards completing your collections (and earning you coveted scout badges).
Cozy Grove runs in real-time and prides itself on being a short, daily activity you can come back to for days to come. Different daily activities pop up each day, so don’t forget to check back regularly. wanna know more? Here’s our Cozy Grove review.
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure – Switch and mobile
Alba has a mission: to save her island and all the wildlife that inhabits it. She’s here for the summer and has huge plans involving exploration and photographing wildlife while discovering all the feathery and furry friends around her. While witnessing the wonderful wilderness (try saying that four times fast), you need to recruit volunteers to help clean up the island and sustain it for future generations.
Endling – Extinction is Forever – Switch and mobile
Unfortunately, we sometimes need reminding of what’s happening in the real world, and Endling works to do that. The story follows the last fox on Earth, desperately trying to avoid humans and save her cubs. Each day you come up against new issues that humans have created and must avoid them in order to keep your family safe. Won’t someone please think of the kits?
Forest Island – mobile
Sometimes the best way to get away from the concrete jungle is with a simple idle mobile game, and Forest Island fits the bill perfectly (get it, because there are ducks in the picture?). There are plenty of biomes to build up and entice new animals to join – everything from flamingoes to bears, and turtles to foxes can appear at any moment. You can hatch eggs for even more animals, and capture some super cute photos of them too.
Apico – Switch
Do you like bees? Then you are in luck, friend – Apico is essentially an apiarist simulator. Tend to your family’s home business in Port Apico and continue your lineage as a beekeeper. You leave your city job behind to bumble around in the forest and bee the best keeper there is. Discover the wide encyclopedia of bees available on the island, and breed them into new species, while repopulating the wilderness.
Pikmin 4 – Switch
Really, any and all of the Pikmin games would work in this list, but we’re picking – or should we say, pik-ing? – the latest installment. In Pikmin, you land on an unknown planet, where small plant-like creatures gather. Part of your mission is to collect a lot of them in all different colors and sizes, and discover a plethora of villainous critters while you’re there.
Still not enough wildlife for you? Check out the best bear games for a roaring good time, or pick up one of the best Switch RPGs and take on a new identity.
