Should I play Stardew Valley or Grow Your Pets first?

If you want chronology, Stardew Valley (2016) came out before Grow Your Pets (2023). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.

Are Stardew Valley and Grow Your Pets similar?

They overlap on Indie on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.

Does Grow Your Pets have multiplayer like Stardew Valley?

No. Stardew Valley supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op), while Grow Your Pets is listed as single-player only.

Does Stardew Valley run on Steam Deck?

Yes — Stardew Valley is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Grow Your Pets doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.

Stardew Valley vs Grow Your Pets

Stardew Valley and Grow Your Pets both land in Indie on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both are Indie games on Steam. Stardew Valley (2016) is 7 years older than Grow Your Pets (2023). Stardew Valley scores higher on Steam reviews (98.9% positive) than Grow Your Pets (70% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.

Which should you pick?

Choose Stardew Valley

Choose Stardew Valley if you want a Simulation and RPG game with Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Online Co-op. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 384,187 Steam reviews back the pick.

Choose Grow Your Pets

Choose Grow Your Pets if you want a Casual experience. On Steam, it's currently about 67% cheaper on the Steam Store. Grow Your Pets launched in 2023.

Both Stardew Valley and Grow Your Pets sit in Indie on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.

Stardew Valley vs Grow Your Pets — Steam metadata comparison
	Stardew Valley	Grow Your Pets
Released	2016	2023
Genres	Indie, Simulation, RPG	Indie, Casual
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows
Steam Deck	Deck Verified	Unrated
Price	14.99 USD	4.99 USD
Steam reviews	98.9% positive (384,187 reviews)	70% positive (10 reviews)
Multiplayer	Multi-player, Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op	Single-player only
Developers	ConcernedApe	Soulwarmers Games

Side by side

Both are Indie games on Steam.
Stardew Valley (2016) is 7 years older than Grow Your Pets (2023).
Stardew Valley scores higher on Steam reviews (98.9% positive) than Grow Your Pets (70% positive).
Grow Your Pets is currently ~67% cheaper on Steam than Stardew Valley (4.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD).
Stardew Valley has co-op; Grow Your Pets does not.
Stardew Valley is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Grow Your Pets has no Deck rating yet.