Key facts
- Cheapest right now
- € Standard · Account · Global · Difmark
- Live offers
- 12 offers · 10 stores
- Our pick
- Standard · eShop Code · US · Gamivo — €
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A lot of farming happens on Switch. In bed with the brightness down, on the train, in the half hour before sleep when one more in-game day sounds reasonable. We picked sixteen farming games for Nintendo's console, from Stardew Valley to four Rune Factory entries and a hobbit village, and checked their prices on 21 September. Each game gets two figures: the cheapest offer in our comparator and, when there is one, the cheapest copy that is actually yours.
Those two figures rarely point at the same purchase. In 13 of the 16 games the lowest price belongs to an Account, and Difmark sells all 13 of them. So before any prices, a few lines on what that format is.
Account, eShop code or cartridge: what each Switch offer gets you
An Account offer gives you access to a Nintendo account that belongs to somebody else. The game was bought on that account and stays there. Nothing is added to your own, you farm on a profile you don't control, and if the seller changes the password, the farm goes with it.
A copy you keep comes in two shapes. The first is the physical copy: a cartridge from Amazon, Fnac or PCcomponentes, which you can lend to a friend or sell once you've had your fill. The second is an eShop code for the European region, redeemed on your own Nintendo account. Mind the region, though. Codes marked US region only work on a Nintendo account set to the United States, and two games in this piece, Stardew Valley and Rune Factory 5, have them among their offers. We don't track the prices on Nintendo's own eShop, so you won't find them here.
We recommend a copy of your own, but every price is below and the call is yours. Reseller prices come in pairs: what the shop advertises, with the coupon code beside it, and what you pay once its payment fee is added. Amazon, Fnac and PCcomponentes charge no fees on their cartridges. The Steam verdicts are for the PC version of each game, since that is where reviews are counted.
Stardew Valley and the Story of Seasons family
Stardew Valley is where most people start, and plenty of them never move on. You inherit your grandfather's overgrown plot outside Pelican Town, and from there it's crops, fishing, the mines and a town full of neighbours to win over, all made by one person working as ConcernedApe. The farm can also be shared with friends in co-op. On Steam it has the best score of the sixteen and, by a very long way, the most reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive, 98 % from 894,911.
On Switch it is also the awkward one to buy. We found ten offers across eight shops and not one of them is a European copy. Five are accounts, starting at Difmark with €7.96 with coupon Gocdkeys (€8.32 with fees), the lowest price in this whole guide, then K4G at €9.03 with coupon GCDK14DEAL (€10.20 with fees) and Kinguin at €10.66 with coupon SEPGOC10 (€11.86 with fees). The other five are US-region eShop codes, from €12.04 with coupon GCDKGamivo (€13.45 with fees) at Gamivo to €17.70 (€17.99 with fees) at G2A, and they only redeem on a US Nintendo account. With a European account, today's choice is an account or a wait: a price alert on the game will tell you when something else turns up. Every offer is on the page to buy Stardew Valley key on Switch.
Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar rebuilds an old DS entry of Marvelous's farming series, published by XSEED. The hook is the weekly bazaar in Zephyr Town, where you set up a stall and sell what you've grown. Very Positive on Steam, 93 % of 3,140 reviews.
Here the account saves you almost nothing. Difmark asks €28.55 with coupon Gocdkeys (€29.83 with fees); a cartridge costs €29.99, no fees, at both Amazon DE and PCcomponentes. Sixteen cents for a copy you can put on the shelf. Past that, prices climb: a Consogame account at €37.99 (no fees), G2A at €42.05 (€42.34 with fees), and the cartridge at €44.93 at Amazon ES and €47.62 at Amazon UK, both with no fees.
Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town, again Marvelous and XSEED, leans hard on crafting: machines, materials and a small town that grows as you do. Very Positive, 82 % of 1,357 reviews. The Difmark account at €9.06 with coupon Gocdkeys (€9.47 with fees) is the second-lowest price in this guide, after Stardew. Consogame sells another at €14.99 (no fees) and G2A a third at €17.74 (€18.03 with fees). The cheapest cartridge is at Amazon FR, €24.98 with no fees, ahead of Amazon UK at €27.34 (no fees). Amazon ES wants €64.99 for the same thing, so skip it.
Doraemon Story of Seasons is a Story of Seasons with Doraemon, Nobita and the rest of the gang, made by Marvelous and published by Bandai Namco. Very Positive, 81 % of 1,845 reviews. Difmark has the account at €10.31 with coupon Gocdkeys (€10.77 with fees), Consogame at €14.99 (no fees), G2A at €17.74 (€18.03 with fees). The only copy of your own is the Amazon UK cartridge at €31.87, no fees, which puts €21.10 between the two figures, the biggest gap among the twelve games that have a copy of your own.
Farming with a sword: Rune Factory and HARVESTELLA
Rune Factory takes the Story of Seasons formula and adds combat and dungeons: you tend the fields in the morning and go monster hunting in the afternoon. There are four of them here, all from Marvelous and published by XSEED, and their prices behave quite differently.
Rune Factory 3 Special stars Micah, a lad who can turn into a Wooly, one of the sheep-like monsters of the series. It has the second-best percentage in the guide, 94 %, but also the smallest sample: Very Positive from just 734 reviews. It is one of the three games where the cheapest offer is already a copy of your own. The cartridge at Amazon FR costs €19.99, no fees, and undercuts the Difmark account at €20.99 with coupon Gocdkeys (€21.93 with fees). Amazon DE (€29.95) and Amazon ES (€29.99) come next, both with no fees; the European eShop codes cost €39.60 with coupon SEPGOC10 (€43.10 with fees) at Kinguin and €42.32 with coupon GCDKGamivo (€44.79 with fees) at Gamivo. PCcomponentes charges €47.75, no fees, for the same cartridge that Amazon FR sells at €19.99.
Rune Factory 4 Special is the one fans point newcomers to: you arrive in Selphia with no memory and end up running the town. Very Positive, 88 % of 2,073 reviews. Difmark sells an account at €12.59 with coupon Gocdkeys (€13.16 with fees); the Amazon FR cartridge is €29.99, no fees. €16.83 more for a copy that stays yours.
Rune Factory 5 moves the series to the town of Rigbarth, where you join the SEED rangers. It is also the lowest-rated game in the guide: Mostly Positive, 76 % of 1,940 reviews. Difmark's account costs €26.03 with coupon Gocdkeys (€27.20 with fees). Next come three eShop codes, all US region: Eneba at €28.88 with coupon Gocdkeys10 (€31.91 with fees), G2A at €32.02 (€32.31 with fees) and Difmark Digital Keys at €32.27 with coupon Gocdkeys (€33.72 with fees). If your Nintendo account is European, the copy of your own is the Amazon FR cartridge at €34.99, no fees.
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma takes the formula to Azuma, a land drawn from old Japan. Very Positive, 88 % of 2,947 reviews. It is the most expensive game to get into on this list: the cheapest offer is Difmark's account at €29.39 with coupon Gocdkeys (€30.71 with fees), and the cheapest copy of your own is the Amazon FR cartridge at €44.99, no fees, the highest own-copy price of the twelve. Fnac ES asks €94.29, no fees, for the same cartridge, more than twice as much.
HARVESTELLA is Square Enix's take on the idea: a role-playing game with real-time fights where the farm pays for the adventure. Mostly Positive, 77 % of 2,071 reviews. Here the order is reversed. The four offers from €23.94 to €34.99 are all cartridges with no fees: Amazon FR at €23.94, Amazon DE at €25.99, Amazon UK at €33.90 and Amazon ES at €34.99. The account is the dearest option: €36.95 with coupon Gocdkeys (€38.61 with fees) at Difmark, €14.67 more than the Amazon FR box.
Building a village: Sandrock, Dinkum, Fae Farm and Dreamlight Valley
My Time at Sandrock, from Pathea Games, is the sequel to My Time at Portia: you run a workshop in a desert town and most of your days go on commissions, salvage and machines rather than crops. Very Positive, 88 % of 24,110 reviews. The Difmark account costs €10.91 with coupon Gocdkeys (€11.40 with fees). The cartridge is €29.94 at Amazon FR and €30.50 at Amazon ES, both with no fees.
Dinkum is James Bendon's game, published by KRAFTON, set in a town inspired by the Australian outback that you build up almost from scratch. After Stardew, it is the game with the most Steam reviews on this list: Very Positive, 92 % of 24,650. On Switch there is exactly one offer, a Difmark account at €11.75 with coupon Gocdkeys (€12.73 with fees). No cartridge, no European code.
Fae Farm by Phoenix Labs adds magic to the fields. Of the sixteen it is one of three rated Mostly Positive on Steam, 78 % of 2,741 reviews. All five offers are accounts: Difmark at €15.95 with coupon Gocdkeys (€16.67 with fees), K4G at €18.02 with coupon GCDK14DEAL (€19.95 with fees), Kinguin at €22.49 with coupon SEPGOC10 (€24.63 with fees), Consogame at €24.99 (no fees) and G2A at €27.80 (€28.09 with fees). No copy of your own in our offers today.
Disney Dreamlight Valley, by Gameloft, fills the valley with Disney and Pixar characters, and part of your job is winning them back to the village. Very Positive, 92 % of 22,030 reviews. There are four accounts, from Difmark at €17.63 with coupon Gocdkeys (€18.42 with fees) up to G2A at €27.79 (€28.08 with fees). The copy of your own is digital: a European-region eShop code at Kinguin for €30.84 with coupon SEPGOC10 (€33.64 with fees).
Three for slow evenings
Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game puts you in a hobbit hole in Tolkien's Shire, with a vegetable patch, a kitchen and neighbours to invite round. Wētā Workshop made it and Fictions publishes it. Very Positive, 81 % of 3,237 reviews. Difmark has the account at €20.99 with coupon Gocdkeys (€21.93 with fees); the cartridge costs €28.00 at Amazon FR, €29.99 at Amazon DE and €33.38 at Amazon ES, all with no fees. At €6.07, the gap to a copy of your own is small.
Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles, by Prideful Sloth, is an island to explore with farms to set up along the way, and no fighting at all. Very Positive, 81 % of 2,908 reviews. It has the cheapest copy of your own in the guide: a European-region eShop code at Eneba for €9.66 with coupon Gocdkeys10 (€11.03 with fees). The Difmark account costs more, €15.94 with coupon Gocdkeys (€16.66 with fees). Gamivo also sells a European cartridge at €21.46 with coupon GCDKGamivo (€23.20 with fees), and Eneba has a second European code at €22.30 with coupon Gocdkeys10 (€24.77 with fees).
Farm Together, from Milkstone Studios, is farming with no combat, built around sharing a farm with friends. Very Positive, 93 % of 17,649 reviews. Only one shop has it for Switch today: Difmark, with an account at €18.47 with coupon Gocdkeys (€19.30 with fees).
The sixteen on one page: Steam verdict and both prices
The third column is the cheapest offer of any kind. The fourth only counts copies that are yours: a cartridge or a European-region eShop code, with the payment fee added where there is one.
| Game | Steam verdict (reviews) | Cheapest offer | Cheapest copy you keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stardew Valley | Overwhelmingly Positive (894,911) | €7.96 with coupon Gocdkeys (€8.32 with fees), Account at Difmark | None European; US-region eShop code from €12.04 with coupon GCDKGamivo (€13.45 with fees) at Gamivo |
| Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar | Very Positive (3,140) | €28.55 with coupon Gocdkeys (€29.83 with fees), Account at Difmark | €29.99, no fees, cartridge at Amazon DE |
| Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town | Very Positive (1,357) | €9.06 with coupon Gocdkeys (€9.47 with fees), Account at Difmark | €24.98, no fees, cartridge at Amazon FR |
| Doraemon Story of Seasons | Very Positive (1,845) | €10.31 with coupon Gocdkeys (€10.77 with fees), Account at Difmark | €31.87, no fees, cartridge at Amazon UK |
| Rune Factory 3 Special | Very Positive (734) | €19.99, no fees, cartridge at Amazon FR | €19.99, no fees, cartridge at Amazon FR |
| Rune Factory 4 Special | Very Positive (2,073) | €12.59 with coupon Gocdkeys (€13.16 with fees), Account at Difmark | €29.99, no fees, cartridge at Amazon FR |
| Rune Factory 5 | Mostly Positive (1,940) | €26.03 with coupon Gocdkeys (€27.20 with fees), Account at Difmark | €34.99, no fees, cartridge at Amazon FR |
| Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma | Very Positive (2,947) | €29.39 with coupon Gocdkeys (€30.71 with fees), Account at Difmark | €44.99, no fees, cartridge at Amazon FR |
| HARVESTELLA | Mostly Positive (2,071) | €23.94, no fees, cartridge at Amazon FR | €23.94, no fees, cartridge at Amazon FR |
| My Time at Sandrock | Very Positive (24,110) | €10.91 with coupon Gocdkeys (€11.40 with fees), Account at Difmark | €29.94, no fees, cartridge at Amazon FR |
| Dinkum | Very Positive (24,650) | €11.75 with coupon Gocdkeys (€12.73 with fees), Account at Difmark | Not in our offers |
| Fae Farm | Mostly Positive (2,741) | €15.95 with coupon Gocdkeys (€16.67 with fees), Account at Difmark | Not in our offers |
| Disney Dreamlight Valley | Very Positive (22,030) | €17.63 with coupon Gocdkeys (€18.42 with fees), Account at Difmark | €30.84 with coupon SEPGOC10 (€33.64 with fees), European eShop code at Kinguin |
| Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game | Very Positive (3,237) | €20.99 with coupon Gocdkeys (€21.93 with fees), Account at Difmark | €28.00, no fees, cartridge at Amazon FR |
| Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles | Very Positive (2,908) | €9.66 with coupon Gocdkeys10 (€11.03 with fees), European eShop code at Eneba | €9.66 with coupon Gocdkeys10 (€11.03 with fees), European eShop code at Eneba |
| Farm Together | Very Positive (17,649) | €18.47 with coupon Gocdkeys (€19.30 with fees), Account at Difmark | Not in our offers |
Take the cheapest offer for each of the sixteen and, fees included, the bill comes to €284.87. Twelve of them can be bought as a copy of your own, and those twelve add up to €343.35 with fees. For a like-for-like view, the cheapest offers for those same twelve total €227.85, so keeping the games on your own account or shelf costs €115.50 more across the set.
What we would put in the basket
Three purchases need no thought, because the copy that stays yours is already the cheapest: Rune Factory 3 Special at €19.99 and HARVESTELLA at €23.94, both Amazon FR cartridges with no fees, and Yonder at €9.66 with coupon Gocdkeys10 (€11.03 with fees) as a European code at Eneba. Grand Bazaar belongs with them: the Amazon DE cartridge at €29.99 (no fees) costs sixteen cents more than the account.
Where the gap is wide, as with Doraemon (€21.10), Sandrock (€18.54) or Rune Factory 4 Special (€16.83), the account is tempting, and it is your money. Just remember what you are buying: a game on someone else's Nintendo account. Dinkum, Fae Farm and Farm Together are only sold that way in our offers today, and Stardew Valley has nothing European, so for those four an alert on the game page is the sensible move.
Every price in this guide was taken from our comparator on 21 September.
I have been a gamer for as long as I can remember, and for the last 14 years I have been making life easier for other gamers. CEO and co-founder of Gocdkeys.
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