Baldur's Gate 3 Meets Stardew Valley In This New Fantasy Sim

Published Sep 12, 2026, 9:00 AM EDT

Tom Wilson is a Gaming Features Writer at Screen Rant. Over the past five years, Tom has worked as the Editor-in-Chief at The Game Crater, as a Staff Writer for GamingIntel, a List Writer at TheGamer, and, of course, as a Senior Writer at ScreenRant. Tom has experience writing reviews, guides, news, and features, and has been responsible for teams of writers, training them and editing their work.

Tom graduated with a Masters in Multimedia Journalism, and has since gone on to build up his portfolio of games journalism work.

Ever since Baldur's Gate 3 stole the show during the 2023 Game Awards and became the pinnacle of gaming and RPG design for many, fans and newcomers alike have been searching tirelessly for anything even remotely close to it. Baldur's Gate 3's immersive world, memorable cast of characters, and intertwined systems of complex mechanics that cater to practically every whim and playstyle the player can imagine are tantalizing, engrossing, and will perpetually facilitate an insatiable appetite for more.

Fortunately, there are a handful of games like Baldur's Gate 3, many of which ape its gameplay and fantasy setting with aplomb. These titles are ideal for those who want a verbatim replication of BG3's genre-defining mechanics, but for those who want the feeling of Baldur's Gate 3, perhaps coupled with a whole new genre, they'll likely fall flat. That's where the latest BG3-alike comes into play: a game that marries the best aspects of Baldur's Gate 3 with the equally groundbreaking Stardew Valley to create an experience that aims to be just as compelling, albeit just a tad cozier.

Cozy Baldur's Gate 3 Works Perfectly

Between all the merciless killing of goblins and kobolds and rats in Baldur's Gate 3 are moments of quietude, a handful of blissful seconds of peace as you enter a new town and soak in the atmosphere, stumble across a farm and delight in its simplicity, or simply hang out back at camp reveling in good company. For many, these moments will be fleeting, mere seconds wasted not bashing in the head of a new foe or completing a several-hour-long quest chain just to realize it's merely led to yet another quest chain.

However, for those who enjoy these cozier moments, this brand-new game that's Dungeons and Dragons meets Stardew Valley could be for you. Titled Dungeons & Dragons: Long Rest Tavern, this officially licensed D&D game set within the Forgotten Realms puts players in control of the tavern you'd likely visit in Baldur's Gate 3 between questing and battling. Coming exclusively to Steam, it sees you create new menus, invent recipes, design the layout of your humble establishment, and befriend the patrons.

In many ways, Long Rest Tavern takes the assorted friendship and companion-focused mechanics and supplants them in a Stardew-esque cozy experience centered around the management of a hero-filled tavern. There are still dice rolls, which take place when sending out brave heroes to do your bidding (i.e, gathering ingredients), and tensions will certainly arise when things are slowing down and the money stops rolling in, but, at its heart, Dungeons & Dragons: Long Rest Tavern is a far cozier version of Baldur's Gate 3, and that sounds immensely appealing.

Dungeons & Dragons: Long Rest Tavern Could Be The Start Of A Bold New Era

It is great to see more Dungeons & Dragons-related games being announced and released in fairly rapid succession. Long Rest Tavern isn't the only recent D&D game to be announced, nor will it be the last, as Hasbro (and thus Wizards of the Coast) is determined to elevate its presence within the world of video games and produce bigger projects.

What is so appealing about Long Rest Tavern, however, is that it's a far cry from the traditional D&D experience, offering both those intensely familiar with the IP something new to experience and those who traditionally only play cozy games the opportunity to explore this vast and wonderful universe. While we're not exactly starved of cozy management sims, one that utilizes the D&D branding, and thus comes with a slightly higher production value, could prove to be the bridge some need to jump from the likes of Stardew to RPG and narrative-heavy experiences like Baldur's Gate 3.

Of course, it remains to be seen whether Dungeons & Dragons: Long Rest Tavern even manages to succeed. The game is scheduled to be released in 2027, with a more specific release date still yet to be announced. It is coming from developer Homo Ludens, which has previously developed one other game, another cozy management sim titled Blooming Business: Casino, which currently has a Mixed rating on Steam. One can remain hopeful, however, that Long Rest Tavern is successful, as anything that promises to blend Baldur's Gate 3 with Stardew Valley is, in my opinion, a dream experience in the making.