Steam's new free Stardew Valley-like is blowing up right now

If you’re yet to check out Palia, I have just one question for you: Why?

Palia is equal parts Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Stardew Valley, with a light dashing of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild thanks to its handy glider.

Developed by Singularity 6, Palia has been available on Nintendo Switch for a couple of months now, but it’s just launched on Steam this week.

It’s already going down a storm with players and oh, I’ve yet to mention the best part. Palia is totally free-to-play.

“Palia is a vibrant new world made just for you. Craft, cook, fish, and farm with friends as you live the life of your dreams and discover an enchanting adventure filled with colorful characters and a mystery to unravel,” teases the synopsis.

Take a look at Palia in action below.

A quick trip over to SteamDB proves just how popular Palia is proving to be. While we’re not talking Palword numbers, Palia did reach an all-time peak of 11,540 just two days ago - with there being just over 10,000 players in the game right now.

Those are very respectable numbers, especially for a cosy sim. If you compare it to Fae Farm, a game that’s very much in the same vein that launched last year, that game’s all-time peak sits at 5,692 - achieved seven months ago, with a 24-hour peak of just 246.

Of course, Fae Farm is a paid-for game and Palia is free but it’s just a point of comparison to help put Palia’s playerbase into perspective.

You should also check out Fae Farm if your funds permit. I granted it a very commendable eight of out 10 in our review.

Back to Palia though, it features everything you could want in a cosy sim. You can catch and collect insects, tend to your own farmstead, forage for items, foster relationships, fish, hunt, craft, build your own home, and team up with friends.

There’s also an intriguing mystery to unravel surrounding the ancient humans that suddenly appear in this small town too.

Despite its respectable numbers, Palia’s Steam rating currently sits at Mixed.

The main point of contention dragging Palia down is that it’s not as co-op friendly as many first imagined.

Instead, you mainly help those on your friends list acquire items, or they help you. It’s certainly an area that could be expanded.

Elsewhere though, reviews praise Palia’s worldbuilding, design, quest lines, and overall relaxing nature.

As I mentioned, it’s totally free to download and play - with devs constantly dropping updates and patches.