when is early/mid/late game?

[Wolf Haley]

I was asked this question and didnt really know how to answer, which peaked my interest. I want to see all of the opinions and kind of put them together to make a rough estimate of when early game turns into mid game, and when mid game turns into late game.

 

[Benhimself]

Personally, I'd say early game turns to mid game around fall of year one, (when, in my experience, my economy starts to kick off relative to what it had been up until then, such that time becomes a more important limiting factor than energy, and when the greenhouse is (usually) unlocked which opens a lot of options) and mid game turns to late game when the golden walnut room is opened.

That said, I also do a lot of short runs too, which can skew perspective. Like my current run, early game was getting Harvey to four hearts so I could dance with him at the spring festival, mid-game will be ramping up to marriage, and late game grinding out those last 14 hearts (and second house upgrade) to see his 14-heart event.

 

[HaleyRocks]

For me, midgame starts post completing the Community/Joja and unlocking Ginger island.

Late game theoritically is, when you unlock Mr. Qi's room and tackle Special Orders, Qi quests and start actively hunting down completion.

 

[FilthyGorilla]

From the most content unlocking-perspective the early game is pre cc/joja completion, midgame is that point until the walnut room, and the endgame is beyond that.

These are the points in the game where you generally unlock a large amount of content all at once, and that are locked behind something considerable. It also mostly fits the gameplay progression, you start up and get your farm going up to the cc completion, get to the island and spread your roots when you unlock it, then finally you get to the walnut room with a pretty established farm and it sets you up to pursuing perfection.
Of course, everyone plays differently and could be well into a gameplay midgame before they complete the cc (you can have something like 70% perfection complete before completing the cc) while another person may have rushed the island (as I usually do) and only have basic/copper tools and very little in terms of farm progression.

 

[HelloCake]

Late game? After unlocking Qi's Walnut Room.

 

[Slimeglasses]

I agree with @HaleyRocks, @FilthyGorilla, and @HelloCake.

 

[PoppyForPenny]

I was thinking in terms of updates to the game as well as how gameplay progresses for an individual playthrough.
When I first started playing 1.3, after the community center and theater you'd be late game. So I still kinda consider Ginger Island late game. It was added late!
Early game could be the whole time you're working on the community center, but I've deliberately slowed my gameplay a few times. So I might have a fully thriving farm, maxed friendships, full museum, and lots of money, but still need to collect a few items, maybe as late as year 3.
I used to feel like the theater, level 100 skull cavern quest, magic ink and witch swamp were late game. Since 1.5 that's shifted. Now I feel like, the early part of Ginger Island is still mid game- opening the walnut room and getting to the forge is when I say, this is late game.

 

[Wolf Haley]

yea for me, I finished the cc around the end of year two, or early three, and I didnt actually know I could dupe until about end of year four. rn im on summer of year six and its my first real play through, so I didnt really know what was regular. you guys have helped me clarify so thanks a ton! now I can say im in late game