| Disney Dreamlight Valley | |
|---|---|
 Primary key artwork used since the game's early access period in 2022[a] | |
| Developer | Gameloft Montreal |
| Publisher | Gameloft |
| Engine | Unity[3] |
| Platforms | |
| Release |
|
| Genres | Life simulation,adventure[4][5] |
| Modes | Single-player,multiplayer |
Disney Dreamlight Valley is a 2023life simulationadventure game developed byGameloft Montreal and published byGameloft.[5] The game has players tend to a magical valley populated by variousDisney andPixar characters who previously underwent a curse that caused them to lose their memories of their lives in the valley.
The game was released inearly access forNintendo Switch,PlayStation 4,PlayStation 5,Windows,Xbox One, andXbox Series X/S on September 6, 2022,[6] while themacOS version released in early access on December 6, 2022, alongside the game's second content update.[7][8] It was initially planned to be afree-to-play game,[4] with the purchase of a "Founder's Pack" or an activeXbox Game Pass subscription needed to play the game in early access.[6] However, its early access success led to Gameloft cancelling the free-to-play plans in October 2023, making the game a premium title permanently.[1][2] The game was fully released on December 5, 2023, alongside its first paid expansion,A Rift in Time.[1][2] AnArcade Edition forApple Arcade, supportingiOS,macOS andtvOS was also released the same day.[9] The game is set to release inNintendo Switch 2 in 2026.[10]
Disney Dreamlight Valley takes place in the titular "Dreamlight Valley", a magical valley with various biomes populated by Disney and Pixar characters. The game featuresnonlinear gameplay similar toNintendo'sAnimal Crossing games where players take control of a customizable humanplayer character living in the valley. The valley is synced toreal time based on the time set on the player'sconsole orcomputer. The game's multiplayer mode involves visiting other players' Valleys.
The player can explore the valley to gather resources and use theirmagic to clear away "Night Thorns", unwanted plants with dark magic that spawn throughout the valley. Foods can be cooked into various meals at a cooking station such as an oven or a campfire, while other resources can be crafted into materials or furniture at a crafting station. The player can eat food to replenish energy, which is required to use magic-imbued tools including a pickaxe, a shovel, a fishing rod, and a watering can; meals can replenish greater amounts of energy than foods grown, harvested, or purchased in the valley, and can make the player "well fed", which gives them a movement speed boost, increased luck at getting resource bonuses, and the ability to sprint across the valley faster by gliding on magic (albeit at an energy cost). Furniture and certain objects can be placed and rearranged in the valley or inside the player's house, and the player can also move and rotate buildings in the valley to their liking. The player can also change their outfit and appearance at any time, clothing can be customized further by the player with a clothes and furniture designer option called "Touch of Magic". Unlike in theAnimal Crossing games, the player's tools, clothing, and furniture do not take up space in their inventory; tools are selected using an option wheel and never break from use, while the inventory screen contains separate "wardrobe" and "furniture" options for clothing and furniture respectively.
The player can earn a currency called "Star Coins" during gameplay, usually by selling most items in their inventory toGoofy at various stalls run by him throughout the valley. Star Coins can be spent on crops and seeds sold by Goofy at his stalls, materials sold byKristoff at his stall, certain foods that are only available atRemy's restaurant Chez Remy or fromGaston's stall (the latter found on theA Rift in Time expansion's Eternity Isle), or on clothes and furniture sold byScrooge McDuck at his store. They can also be spent on new buildings or building upgrades (all handled in-universe by Scrooge's "McDuck Construction" company) that provide additional benefits, such as more items available at Goofy's stalls or more space in the player's house, or on wells strewn throughout the valley that allows the player tofast travel to different biomes.
The player can interact with and befriend the villagers, including heroes andvillains. The player can build up a "friendship level" with that villager by having a daily discussion with them, giving them gifts, completing quests they assign the player, and (except for characters who can only swim in the valley's waters) hanging out with them and doing activities, including gardening, mining, digging, harvesting, and fishing; doing specific activities with a land-based villager, depending on the role the player assigns the villager at friendship level two, will earn the player more resources related to that activity. Raising a friendship level (up to level ten) with a villager will give the player rewards including Star Coins, exclusive furniture and clothes, and exclusive motifs for "Touch of Magic", as well as increased resources from hanging out with them and new quests.
The game follows the player as they decide to spend some time away from the hustle and bustle of the city and return to their old rural home, falling asleep in their old backyard play area and entering a dream world as their memories of childhood return. Upon appearing in the titular Dreamlight Valley, the player is met by Merlin, who explains that Dreamlight Valley used to be full of villagers living in harmony, but after the valley's ruler disappeared, Night Thorns began growing and causing the villagers to lose their memories in an event known as "The Forgetting". While many villagers fled to their home realms for protection, others stayed and became trapped as Dreamlight Valley was overrun by Night Thorns and fell into disrepair. The player decides to help restore Dreamlight Valley and get rid of the Night Thorns.
With Merlin's help, the player is able to use their own magic, known as "Dreamlight", to clear away the Giant Night Thorns blocking access to the house resembling their own from back in reality. Recovering a memory hidden in the Night Thorns inside, the player and Merlin decide to investigate the Dream Castle, only to find the entrance blocked by giant Night Thorns. After meeting some of the villagers who stayed behind and recovering the Royal Tools, the eternal night spell over the valley is broken and the player clears away the giant Night Thorns, regaining access to the Dream Castle. Inside, they find doorways to various realms where the other villagers had fled when The Forgetting came, all sealed by Night Thorns. The player collects more Dreamlight and unlocks the doors, visiting the realms and helping the characters there with their problems, bringing them back to Dreamlight Valley to help restore it. Along the way, they help restore Dreamlight's local businesses and provide housing for the characters returning to Dreamlight Valley.
The player also opens up other regions of the valley blocked by giant Night Thorns, restoring them by returning the magic Orbs that protect the valley to their respective Pillars. As they restore Dreamlight Valley and help more villagers, the player gradually learns that they were the former ruler of Dreamlight Valley, having stopped visiting as they grew up and thus causing the Valley to fall into disrepair. The villagers also explain that the Forgetting and the appearance of the Night Thorns was caused by a dark being called the Forgotten.
As the player is about to restore the final Pillar, the Forgotten appears and steals the Orb, revealing themselves to be the player character's inner child, who was corrupted by negative emotions and fell into a deep depression. The Forgotten intends to use the Orb in a spell to create a rift that could destroy the valley. The player follows the Forgotten to their dark castle and talks to them, reminding them of their past memories and helping them accept themselves. The Forgotten shows remorse and works with the player to close the rift, and they are forgiven by the villagers and reintegrate into Dreamlight Valley with the player's help.
Jafar contacts the player, asking for their help to fix the damage he wrought on Eternity Isle, as his actions have severely damaged the space-time continuum there and he needs their help to undo it as he's trapped there until it is fixed. Merlin helps find the access route in the Dream Castle, which leads to the Stardust Port, where many docks are found that lead to other locations throughout Dreamlight Valley, and the player sets off for Eternity Isle. Once on Eternity Isle, the player gets to work under Jafar's direction to reopen the Ancient Gate that leads to more of Eternity Isle. The player also helps Goofy, Remy, and Scrooge reopen their Eternity Isle businesses that had been abandoned when The Forgetting happened. Mickey also reintroduces the player to Scramblecoin so they can play it with all the villagers.
Upon reaching the main area of the isle, Jafar reveals that the area is split in two by a rift in time that needs to be fixed before it destroys everything, and he is confined to the palace at the other end. Jafar directs them to recover the Royal Hourglass, a new Royal Tool that will help mend all the damage on Eternity Isle, and anything that appears back in Dreamlight Valley. However, EVE is in possession of the Royal Hourglass and the player must gain her trust before she is willing to return it to them, as not even telling her the player is friends with WALL-E convinces her to hand it over as she was told by the player when they were younger to guard it until further notice. Once the player completes regaining EVE's trust, they get the Royal Hourglass, and after recovering the first of three Jewels of Time to help repair the bridge leading to the rest of the isle, they are granted access to the rest of Eternity Isle, including the biomes where Gaston and Rapunzel were stranded in the Glittering Dunes and the Wild Tangle, and continue to fix all the damage wrought on the isle by Jafar, and what has developed back in Dreamlight Valley as a result of recovering the new Royal Tool.
Once the Royal Hourglass is fully repowered with the three Jewels of Time, the player clears away the time anomalies around the palace, freeing Jafar. Unfortunately, this was what he wanted as he was now free to hunt for the legendary treasure known as the Spark of Imagination. He escapes, for now, while the player prepares to deal with him in the future. Trying to prevent Jafar from getting the Spark of Imagination, the player is able to encounter the legendary Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and help him out. When Jafar does return to use the Spark of Imagination, the player successfully escapes being thrown back into a black-and-white version of Eternity Isle where they encounter Mickey from "Steamboat Willie", and manage to trap Jafar in his genie lamp, stopping his plans. Only later do they agree to let Jafar out in return for helping him try to atone for his villainous actions.
Receiving a call for help in their mail from a mysterious figure known only as "The Keeper of the Lore", the player travels from the Stardust Port to a new island known as Storybook Vale. Arriving on the island, the player meets up with Merida, who introduces the player to a talking tome known as the Lorekeeper. The Lorekeeper's magic is fading, and it needs the player's help to recover it. With Merida's help, the player recovers another Royal Tool known as the Royal Net, allowing them to catch the magical creatures known as Snippets, that are needed to restore the Lorekeeper's magic. It is also revealed that the loss of the Lorekeeper's magic was due to something she calls the Neverafter, which was created by a conflict between two Disney Villains that lived on Storybook Vale: the Olympian God of the Underworld, Hades, and the Mistress of all Evil herself, Maleficent.
The player travels across Storybook Vale, including the biomes of Everafter and Mythopia. In Everafter, the player discovers Flynn Rider, who was cursed by Maleficent into thinking he was a wolf. After freeing Flynn and recruiting him for help, the player also finds Hades in Mythopia, who only agrees to work things out with Maleficent if he is returned to Mount Olympus. The players learns that in order to reach Mount Olympus and Maleficent's castle, they must complete various Fairy Tale and Mythic Trials across Storybook Vale.
After finally returning Hades to Mount Olympus, as well as meeting Maleficent in her castle, the two villains refuse to reconcile, blaming each other for curses that happened to them before the Neverafter. Realizing that the Neverafter must have been caused by something other than their feuding, the Lorekeeper brings Hades and Maleficent together, and they finally make amends, only for Maleficent to mysteriously vanish afterwards. In order to solve what's really going on, the Lorekeeper realizes the player must find the final missing villager of Storybook Vale; Princess Aurora.
However, shortly after Maleficent's disappearance, the Vale changes: The tapestry behind the Lorekeeper changes, as does the puzzle image on the floor in the center of the Library of Lore. Also, Merida, Hades, and Flynn are starting to disappear, due to apparently being erased. After the player rescues them by recovering their anchor point pages from whirlwinds containing them and some new Dark Snippets, the Lorekeeper explains that Maleficent was sent to the Unwritten Realms to be erased. When the player accesses them via the same puzzle they got the Royal Net from, the Magic Quills inside explain that Maleficent's erasure was authorized by an unknown person who wished to remain anonymous. As the player recovers Maleficent's anchor point pages from the Unwritten Realms to save her, just as they retrieve the third piece, one of the Quills has a message from the Lorekeeper, saying that Maleficent is responsible for what's happening to Storybook Vale and Dreamlight Valley and must be erased. When the player speaks to Maleficent about this, she senses treachery. Once she is fully restored, the player and Maleficent return to the Library of Lore to confront the Lorekeeper on what was learned in the Unwritten Realms from the Quills.
Faced with the player's actions in the Unwritten Realms, the Lorekeeper blames them for causing the Neverafter, saying their presence in Dreamlight Valley is what triggered it, and suggests they leave permanently, but the player argues that there has to be another answer, especially with Aurora's whereabouts still unknown. The player turns to Flynn since he was the last one to see Aurora. Progressing with his friendship quests reveal that he did find Aurora and turned her over to Maleficent, but there's more to it as he would never betray her. It is through further investigating that they soon figure out where Aurora went to protect herself from her hated arch-enemy. It turns out that Aurora entered the world within the tapestry behind the Lorekeeper and is trapped there. When the player follows Aurora's footsteps and completes the trials set before them by Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather's echoes they left behind before going missing, they find her, and learn that the Lorekeeper was behind everything regarding the Neverafter and Aurora was trying to stop it. The Lorekeeper then arrives to confront Aurora and the player, revealing her deception and it being caused by paranoia and fear brought on by the Forgotten when they caused the Forgetting back in Dreamlight Valley, and decides to erase Dreamlight Valley and Storybook Vale in one fall swoop in a blind attempt to keep the stories in her pages safe and unchanged, dragging the player and Aurora into the Unwritten Realms as she unleashes her endgame. Once the player is able confront the Lorekeeper over her actions, the player is able to help the Lorekeeper realize her mistakes due to her misguided beliefs regarding Dreamlight Valley and apologize for them, accepting Dreamlight Valley for all that it is thanks to the player. The player manages to reverse the Lorekeeper's actions and return things to normal, and as the Lorekeeper profusely apologizes to the villagers for her actions and hopes for forgiveness, to show no hard feelings, she changes the tapestry to show the new story that the player rebuilt in her pages, thus ensuring peace and unity again in Storybook Vale. Afterwards, the player sees to providing Aurora a home and welcome her back to the Valley.
In the third DLC, the player travels to Wishblossom Ranch to aid Snow White, Tinker Bell, and Tigger with dealing with Cruella De Vil's mismanagement of the ranch in the player's absence. While there, the player will get the aid of Maximus, Khan, and Pegasus to help fix the damage Cruella wrought on the ranch while she was in charge.
To start, they receive three letters in their mailbox upon installing the DLC to the main game. Two are marked as spam letters, but the third one includes a voucher for a free vacation at the ranch. Boarding the train provided at the Stardust Port, the player travels to the Wishblossom Mountains to see the ranch, only to find Snow White at the gates, which are sealed off by a blockade from a beehive and swarm of angry bees. It is then that the player finds a Wishblossom, which grants them their own horse to customize and name and ride around for a bit before helping Snow White deal with the bees to get to the ranch proper. Through her, the player learns that Cruella De Vil is responsible for the condition of Wishblossom Ranch, having duped Snow White into leaving to tend to some helpless animals, and when Snow White returned, Cruella had reduced the ranch to ruins since she couldn't get along with the horses. She argued with Maximus, and then when Khan came to the ranch's defense, Cruella bolted for it in her trademark car as Khan gave chase. Later, upon finding a feather that belongs to Pegasus, the player and Snow White discover that Cruella is seeking the Heart of Wishblossom Mountains. Lore states that if the Pixie Dust magic that keeps the ranch and the Wishblossoms alive is misused with selfish intentions, the Wishblossoms will wither and die, and the mountains will crumble. Using their new horse to help Snow White, the player clears the way to the Heart of the Wishblossom Mountains, the Giant Wishblossom, and meets up with Tinker Bell upon freeing her from the Giant Wishblossom that she had been imprisoned in by Cruella's actions.
Tink is using every last bit of her own Pixie Dust to keep the Giant Wishblossom alive to prevent the mountains from collapsing and destroying the ranch. With the player's help, they are able to gather enough Pixie Dust that it is able to resuscitate the Giant Wishblossom and, for the moment, stabilize things, but Tink figures that Maximus, Khan, and Pegasus are trapped somewhere within the Giant Wishblossom's roots and the player will need to find the keys necessary to unlock the paths to finding them, rescuing them, and repairing the damage Cruella wrought on the ranch. When the player returns to the ranch and tends to their new horse, they end the blizzard that had engulfed the ranch, allowing Scrooge, Goofy, and Remy to arrive to reopen their businesses on the ranch, provide Snow White a new home after her original one was wrecked, and begin clearing the way to reach the other biomes where the other residents of the Wishblossom Mountains reside while rescuing Maximus, Khan, and Pegasus from their imprisonment by the Giant Wishblossom's roots.
As the player continues to help rebuild and restore the ranch, they meet Tigger from the Hundred Acre Wood, along with finding Cruella and confronting her for her actions against the ranch due to her own villainous intentions brought on by The Forgetting when The Forgotten caused all the original chaos back in Dreamlight Valley with the Night Thorns. Once Cruella has been dealt with and agrees to seek some form of repentance, despite her villainous nature as a Disney Villain, the ranch and Wishblossom Mountains are saved and the player continues to tend to it and the horses there with the support of The Forgotten and other residents of the Valley.
Disney Dreamlight Valley features several Disney and Pixar characters who reside in the valley as "villagers":[11]
Several other characters have been announced to be added in later updates:
Additionally, multiple characters appear as unlockable companions (pets) and/or rideable mounts for the player, including Pua and Heihei fromMoana, Figaro, originally fromPinocchio and Minnie Mouse's pet in later media, Max fromThe Little Mermaid, The Magic Carpet fromAladdin, The Footstool fromBeauty and the Beast, Maleficent’s Raven fromSleeping Beauty, Dinah fromAlice in Wonderland, Lucky fromOne Hundred and One Dalmatians,R2-D2 fromStar Wars, Nana fromPeter Pan, Khan fromMulan, Maximus fromTangled, Baby Pegasus and Pegasus fromHercules, and Sven fromFrozen. These companions are typically unlocked as premium purchases.
Disney Dreamlight Valley was developed by Gameloft Montreal as a life simulation adventure game. Manea Castet, Game Manager ofDisney Dreamlight Valley at Gameloft Montreal explained, "Our development team is a big family of Disney and Pixar fans and have poured all of our passion into the development of Disney Dreamlight Valley, especially in the way we depict characters and their story arcs," and continued, "We can't wait for fans to join the Early Access this summer and help us bring this new ever-evolving Disney and Pixar-inspired world to our excited community."[primary 1]
Announced in June 2022, the game was released inearly access forNintendo Switch,PlayStation 4,PlayStation 5,Windows,Xbox One, andXbox Series X/S on September 6, 2022,[6] while themacOS version released in early access on December 6, 2022, alongside the game's second content update.[7][8] A physical release for the console versions featuring exclusive content and physical extras, titled theCozy Edition, was released for Nintendo Switch in North America on October 27, 2023,[14] and will be globally released for Switch, PlayStation platforms, and Xbox platforms on November 10, 2023.[primary 2][2] The PlayStation and XboxCozy Edition releases contain a disc, while the Switch'sCozy Edition is a code-in-a-box release (containing a printed code instead of aSwitch Game Card in the box) due to platform limitations.[14]
The game was initially planned to be afree-to-play game after leaving early access.[4] However, in a blog post published in October 2023, Gameloft announced that they had decided to reverse their free-to-play plans, leaving the game as a pay-for title upon full release on December 5, 2023.[primary 2][1][2] In the same post, Gameloft also announced that a new expansion titledA Rift in Time will be added on the same day as the full release, which will be included with a newGold Edition digital release and will be a separate purchase for all other players.[primary 2][1][2]
The game features the voice acting of Ashley Adler,Tony Anselmo,Tim Allen,Jeff Bennett,Jodi Benson,Danielle Bisutti,Abby Trott,Ben Burtt,Cam Clarke,Chris Sanders,Pat Carroll,Kaitlyn Robrock,Auli'i Cravalho,Enn Reitel, Barbara Dirickson,Patton Oswalt,Bill Farmer,Donna Murphy, Jake Green, Matt Lowe,Jim Hanks,Moira Kelly,Jess Harnell,Bret Iwan,James Horan,Christopher Daniel Barnes,Jonathan Freeman,Richard White,Mandy Moore,Chris Sarandon,Stephanie Beatriz,Carlos Alazraqui,John Goodman,Robby Benson,Susanne Blakeslee,Ruth Connell,Jim Cummings,Anika Noni Rose, David Errigo Jr.,Kate Higgins,Elissa Knight,Linda Larkin,Zachary Levi,Tress MacNeille,Julie Nathanson,Catherine O'Hara, Andre Robinson, Isaac Robinson-Smith,Ernie Sabella,Kevin Schon,Laura Silverman,Phyllis Smith,Hynden Walch,Scott Weinger,Ming-Na Wen &James Woods reprising their roles fromvarious Disney films and television series.[15][16]Dreamlight Valley marks the final appearance of Pat Carroll as Ursula, following her death in 2022.
On September 6, 2022, Gameloft released a trailer announcing three "Founder's Packs", which were available during the game's early access period.[primary 3][17] The Founder's Packs, which were required for early access, included Moonstones (the game's premium currency), wearable items, decorative items, cosmetics animal companions (a "celestial" sea turtle animal companion for Deluxe and Ultimate and a "regal" fox animal companion for Ultimate only), a jersey, and a Mickey Mouse headband (for Deluxe and Ultimate).[17] Additionally, Founder's Pack players received theGold Edition's exclusive cosmetic items (consisting of a "flowery"capybara companion, a "summer flowerycottage" house style, and wearable artist's overalls for the player) and an additional 2,500 Moonstones.[primary 2][1][2]
Dreamlight Valley's first paid expansion,A Rift in Time, was released on December 5, 2023, alongside the full release of the game. It adds a new area called "Eternity Isle" featuring new biomes and new villagers.[primary 2][1][2]
In October 2024, Disney Dreamlight Valley introduced several upcoming expansions and updates in a showcase. TheStorybook Vale expansion, set to launch on November 20, 2024, will introduce new characters, including Flynn Rider, Merida, Hades, and Maleficent. A second content update, titledThe Unwritten Realms, is scheduled for July 9, 2025. Additionally, theSew Delightful free update, arriving on December 4, 2024, will add theFrost & Fairies Star Path and floating islands to expand biome space. Future content planned for 2025 will feature characters and themes fromAladdin,Alice in Wonderland, andPeter Pan.[18]
A third expansion pass,Wishblossom Ranch, is set to release on November 19, 2025.[19]
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| IGN | 8/10[21] |
| Nintendo Life | 7/10[20] |
| Common Sense Media | 5/5[22] |
Disney Dreamlight Valley received a positive reception from critics upon its early access release in September 2022.
Ivy Liscomb ofWirecutter complimentedDisney Dreamlight Valley for not replicating theAnimal Crossing series, appreciating the music, story and gameplay, callingDisney Dreamlight Valley "appealing for both kids and adults alike," and wrote positively about the amount of quests and the customizable content.[23] Travis Northrup ofIGN called the game an "awesome life simulator that flexes its iconic characters to riveting, satisfying effect," asserted the story manages to be clever and creative, appreciated the relationships players can forge with the villagers across their different quests, and complimented the customization of the player character and their environment, stating, "Disney Dreamlight Valley feels impressively like a finished product for an early access game."[21] Carrie Lambertsen ofScreen Rant saidDisney Dreamlight Valley "quickly became one of the most popular of cozy games," found the gameplay to be entertaining and peaceful, saying the ability to farm, gather resources, craft, and decorate make the game enjoyable, and called the player customization pleasant and immersive.[24]
Holly Alice ofPocket Tactics namedDisney Dreamlight Valley one of the best life simulation games available onNintendo Switch andmobile devices.[25] Claire Crossman ofCommon Sense Media praised the game's depiction of positive messages and role models, saying the game promotes the importance of helping others and encourages creative expression, applauding the diverse representations across the customization of the player character, and appreciating the interactions between the player character and their environment.[22] Swapna Krishna ofWired saidDisney Dreamlight Valley succeeds to exceed the limits imposed by the life-simulation genre regarding what players can do through its quests, compared it to the life-simulationindie gameCozy Grove, saying it manages to be the "perfect balance between binge-playing and pacing yourself" owing to the combination of the life-simulation genre and the adventure genre.[26]
Tom Steel ofCBR.com comparedDisney Dreamlight Valley toStardew Valley, saying while the game is immersive and nostalgic though Disney properties, it also depicts an "interesting" story and embodies the quality of being a "perfect game for whatever the player's mood requires" likeStardew Valley.[27] Sam Loveridge ofGamesRadar+ appreciated the quality-to-life improvements to the game's tools in contrast toAnimal Crossing and liked the presence of the Disney characters that lived in the titular Dreamlight Valley, which she said had "some truly brilliant dialogue and narrative flourishes,"[28] while saying that certain resources were too scarce.[28] Josh Broadwell ofNintendo Life wrote that he found the game to have "strongworldbuilding", finding its plot to be "an unexpected and even poignant bit of commentary about growing up in general", but believed that the game's Switch optimization was subpar with significant menulag and game crashes.[20]
Disney Dreamlight Valley earned spots on several year-end best games lists following its early access release.Common Sense Media included the game in its roundup of the "Best Video Games of the Year: 2022",[29] whileEsquire featured it in their own list of the year’s best games.[30]Dexerto ranked it 8th on its list of the “Best Games of 2022”,[31] followed byVulture at 9th in their "Best Video Games of 2022",[32] andPolygon, which placed it 21st in their "50 Best Video Games of 2022".[33]
Disney Dreamlight Valley received a positive reception from critics upon its full-release in December 2023.
Alexandra O'Leary ofGame Rant foundDisney Dreamlight Valley to be a "great choice for cozy gamers" who want to experience a calm exploration-based game, said while the game is non-linear, the selection of quests remains substantial, and wrote the world and characters represent "Disney at its most immersive level so far."[34] Christina Alexander ofIGN compared the game to theAnimal Crossing series, found enjoyable how the player can interact with their inventory, complimented the outfits available to customize the player's avatar, and described the game as one of the bestDisney games released on Nintendo Switch.[35]
Jack Brassell ofPocket Gamer gaveDisney Dreamlight ValleyArcade Edition a score of 4.5/5 stars and described it as an engaging life simulation experience, appreciated the setting, gameplay, and the cosmetics, saying the game offers the "best aspects" ofThe Sims franchise to iPhone and iPad devices.[36] Mikhail Madnani ofTouchArcade also reviewed the Apple Arcade version of the game and gave it the score of 4/5 stars, calling it one of the "best additions to the service in a long time", found the gameplay to be relaxing, complimented the absence of in-app purchases, and described the expansion "A Rift in Time" as "pretty amazing so far".[37]
Disney Dreamlight Valley earned placements in several curated rankings and end-of-year lists following its full release. In 2024,Game Rant ranked it 2nd among the "Best Disney Games",[38] whileTheGamer also placed it 2nd in their list of the "Best Disney Video Games of All Time".[39] It was also included inIGN’s roundup of the "Best Video Games of 2024".[40] In 2025,VG247 featured it in their list of the "Best Apple Arcade Games".[41]Pocket Tactics named it one of the "Best iPhone Games for 2025".[42]
On September 6, 2022,Disney Dreamlight Valley topped theSteam sales charts.[43][44][45] By September 15, Gameloft announced the game had surpassed one million players ten days after its release.[46][47][48] During September, it was the 7th most downloaded game on PlayStation 5 in the United States and Canada, and the 6th in Europe.[49] In October, it was the 19th most downloaded PlayStation 5 title in Europe for the month.[50] In November, Gameloft announcedDisney Dreamlight Valley had surpassed 2 million players, including 1 million copies sold, while the game also ranked as the top title on Xbox Game Pass for September.[51] Vivendi revealedDisney Dreamlight Valley, alongsideAsphalt Legends Unite,Disney Magic Kingdoms,March of Empires, andDragon Mania Legends, represented altogether 50% of Gameloft’s total revenues, and ranked as one of their five best sellers in 2022.[52][53]
As of March 2023,Disney Dreamlight Valley had been downloaded over 3 million times, with more than 2 million copies sold and 1 million players on Xbox Game Pass.[54] Gameloft reported that the game contributed significantly to the company’s 2022 revenue, which reached €321 million, being a 21% increase compared to the previous year. Of that, just over €50 million came fromDisney Dreamlight Valley, accounting for 16% of the total. Six months after its release, the game was still Gameloft’s top-performing title.[55] In December, Gameloft revealed that over five million players have played during the early access period ofDisney Dreamlight Valley.[56][57][58] Later, Steam announced the game was one of the top Early Access titles graduates by gross revenue on the platform in 2023.[59][60][61] Vivendi saidDisney Dreamlight Valley, withAsphalt Legends Unite,Disney Magic Kingdoms,March of Empires, andDragon Mania Legends, represented altogether 56% of Gameloft’s total revenues, and ranked as one of their five best sellers in 2023.[62][63]
In March 2025, Vivendi stated the second expansion ofDisney Dreamlight Valley was a "success." Together withAsphalt Legends Unite,Disney Magic Kingdoms,March of Empires, andDisney Speedstorm, the game contributed to a group that accounted for 57% of Gameloft’s total revenues, placing them among the company’s top five best-sellers for the year of 2024.[64][65] In the first half of 2025, these five titles,Disney Dreamlight Valley,Asphalt Legends Unite,Disney Magic Kingdoms,March of Empires, andDisney Speedstorm, continued to be Gameloft’s top-performing games, generating 57% of the company’s total revenue. Vivendi reported improved revenues for Gameloft compared to the same period in 2024, citingDisney Dreamlight Valley as delivering a “strong performance.”[66][67]
At the end of June 2025,Gameloft CEO Alexandre De Rochefort announced thatDisney Dreamlight Valley had become the biggest success forGameloft Montreal and evenGameloft, generating over $300 million since its release. A third expansion for the game was released in November 2025.[68]
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Golden Joystick Awards | Best Early Access Launch | Nominated | [69] |
| NAVGTR Awards | Outstanding Game - Simulation | Nominated | [70][71] | |
| Shacknews Awards | Best Early Access Game of 2022 | Won | [72][73] | |
| PC Gamer's Game of the Year Awards | Best Early Access | Won | [74][75] | |
| Pocket Tactics Awards | Nintendo Switch Game of the Year | Won | [76] | |
| 2023 | Steam Awards | Sit Back and Relax | Nominated | [77] |
| D.I.C.E. Awards | Family Game of the Year | Nominated | [78] | |
| British Academy Games Awards | Family | Nominated | [79] | |
| Gayming Awards | Gayming Magazine Readers’ Award | Nominated | [80][81] | |
| Pocket Tactics Awards | Mobile Game of the Year | Won | [82] | |
| Indie Game of the Year | Won | [83] | ||
| Webby Awards | People’s Voice - Best Game Design | Won | [84][85] |
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