Looking to relax with some peaceful gardening games? You’ve come to the right place
If you search the word "garden" on the Play Store, you'll find a tidal wave of content that hits basically every genre mobile gaming has to offer, which isn't that surprising. Gardening is a versatile subject that, in game terms, can refer to farming, jungles, vegetation-based hostile turf wars, and more. As one would assume, this theme results in games that look great, especially on quality Android tablets. Some of the best Android games on the Play Store perfect simple gameplay loops independent of theming, something gardening games offer in abundance. Let's dig in!
Starting with a title that's nice and simple, Nom Plant is an infinite ascension game that focuses on a plant that grows by any means, all while devouring coins and avoiding enemies. It's not the most complex of games, but its uncomplicated and streamlined gameplay loop evokes the feel of classic mobile time-waster games like doodle jump, even down to the unlockable costumes. A tiny download that runs well and responds smoothly, Nom Plant is an excellent time waster. It's easily worth a try if you're bored and want the clock to hurry up.
Terrarium: Garden Idle simulates the actual practice of growing plants very slowly. The main loop is an idle clicker mechanic, where you can place different plants and tap them to earn points that are also accumulated when you aren't playing. Said plants grow towards tiered heights that grant rewards. This is a rare example of a garden game's theming being congruent with its gameplay, as growing a plant in real life takes ages too. Very immersive if you're into that sort of thing.
An unusual entry, Pocket Plants blends a few different elements to create something fairly original. You are tasked with revitalizing several different worlds with plant life, discovering new plant types, and growing your collection. The worlds are comprised of grids resembling the best match-3 games with stylized backdrops, which alongside the cute plant designs, make for some nice visuals while you play. The most interesting mechanic is the ability to fuse certain plants together to make new ones, an actual gardening practice! Pocket Plants is a neat idle-style game with some interesting twists.
The first example of a garden game with some combat elements, Mushroom Takeover, is rather self-explanatory. You control an army of angry red mushrooms in towers, and your goal is to conquer the towers of your rivals, the blue mushrooms. This is achieved by tapping on your towers to grow their strength, and when they are powerful enough, tapping on a blue tower to watch your minions stream into it. Control of your troops is a little loose, but it's satisfying to watch the stream of tiny mushrooms move as a single unit to presumably do horrible things to the blues.
Here's a familiar name. Plants vs. Zombies Heroes is a Hearthstone-style turn-based card game using the style and designs of the classic tower defense title. The gameplay offers a classic Plants vs. Zombies setup, deploying offensive and defensive measures in a series of lanes to resist undead assault. The difference with this game is you have an opponent behind the enemy ranks, a zombie with a health bar that must be whittled down just like yours. This doesn't change the formula as much as you might think; you build up a powerful offensive to overwhelm the opposition. Worth a look if you're a Hearthstone fan and want to revisit the PvZ series.
Technically more of a god game, Toco Nature shares the theme of the great outdoors, giving you sway over a living breathing wilderness. Bend and shape the landscape to your will, populate it with life and zoom in to observe the creatures up close. This Sims quality goes well with the ability to feed the creatures their preferred food to make them thrive. This game recreates the feeling of tending to a personal garden, that Zen quality of developing something personal and natural. Add to that a visually engaging art style and a sweet soundtrack, and you have a relaxing, meditative experience.
Odds are, you’ve likely seen an ad for a game like this; Gardenscapes is a collection of mini-games themed around gardening activities. These puzzles can range from match-3 games to Cut-the-Rope-style physics puzzles. While this game is a prime example of how some gameplay loops can just slide into any theme or aesthetic, Gardenscapes is competently put together and gets the job done. An enjoyable title all around.
We just had to include Stardew Valley. The farming and settlement-building life sim that has exploded in popularity among casual gamers needs no introduction. Set in a world of beautiful pixel art, you play as a fresh opportunist, having just moved to the valley seeking a new life. Gameplay involves building a home, generating crops and supplies to trade with local businesses, and chatting with charming NPC characters. The world itself is brimming with style and personality, with season and weather changes affecting your surroundings as well as the valley's inhabitants. While it can be a bit slow at times, and there can be annoying RNG elements, Stardew Valley is an exemplary example of its kind, up there and possibly surpassing Animal Crossing. Well worth your time to try out, and you can even mod the game to extend its gameplay.
If you're looking for a roundup with great variety, expecting something fresh and colorful in every update, gardening games is the perfect place to look. But if you fancy another hot category, feel free to visit our best sandbox games on Android roundup for some more diverse theming and gameplay that's perfect for the best Android phones. Garden games are pretty huge on the Play Store right now, so suggestions for additional entries that stand out are welcome in the comments. Let's make this roundup grow!
John has a degree in creative writing, a masters in media, and publishes evergreen content for Android Police. Although novels are in the pipeline, John’s dream has always been to write about games professionally. He believes Bleach is better than everyone remembers. John once ripped a PS4 controller clean in half while playing Dark Souls 2, but denies it to this very day.
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