We all have moments when we need to take a break from the hustle and bustle of life, but what if there was a way to take that break without leaving our homes?
Enter cozy games—a genre of video games that are designed to be relaxing and calming. Let’s explore what exactly constitutes a cozy game and why it has become such a popular pastime for gamers.
What Makes Something A Cozy Game?
At its core, a cozy game promotes relaxation and comfort. It should be something you can easily pick up and play for 10 minutes or an hour, depending on how much time you have available.
Generally, the goal of these types of games is not necessarily to win or lose but rather to simply enjoy the experience.
They should be visually pleasing with soft colors and calming music to evoke feelings of peace in the player. Some examples include Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, and The Sims.
Over the past few years, the number of cozy games that have come out has exploded, particularly in genres like farming sims and life simulator games.
Examples of popular cozy games include Cozy Grove, Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing New Horizons, My Time at Portia, Bear and Breakfast, and much more.
On Twitter, I regularly share cozy games that show up on my feed and let me tell you—there’s a lot! But hey, this is great news for a cozy gamer like me.
The Benefits Of Cozy Games
The benefits of playing cozy games are plentiful! For starters, they help reduce stress levels by providing an escape from reality; they give players something peaceful and enjoyable to occupy their minds with while still stimulating enough to keep them engaged.
Additionally, many people find that their productivity improves when they regularly take breaks throughout the day for some quality gaming time.
Finally, these types of games often promote social connections between friends as well as strangers since many feature cooperative gameplay options or chat functions where players can interact with each other.
Essential Elements Of A Cozy Game
A successful cozy game should include vibrant visuals which provide an immersive experience for the player; soothing soundtracks which set the tone for relaxation; intuitive controls which make it easy to learn how to play; engaging stories that allow players to get lost in their little world; replayability which keeps gamers coming back for more; and finally multiplayer features which provide opportunities for social interaction with others who share similar interests.
10 of the Best Cozy Games to Wishlist on Steam
Lots of cozy games have been developed recently, and this list does not include all the big releases this year but instead focuses on some of the smaller indie titles that are more likely to get overlooked.
Which one are you looking forward to the most?
1. Coral Island
Of course, I’ve got to talk about this game first. As my current number one cozy game, Coral Island features a vibrant island life and an amazing cast of characters.
Like many other farming game simulators, you can plant crops, mine in the caves, forage, explore the island, go diving, fall in love, decorate your house, and more.
My favorite part of the game? How much life the characters bring into the game. Every day of the week, you’ll see the islanders doing something different! Some days you’ll see folks playing volleyball at the beach. On other days you’ll see Rafael clean the gravestones at the graveyard lol.
I remember seeing so many ads on Facebook during the Kickstarter campaign. The goal was $70,000, but over 36,000 people pledged more than $1.6 million!
The game officially released on Early Access back in October, so you can play it now on Steam. I can’t wait to see future updates!
2. Dinkum
The next on this list of cozy video games is Dinkum. Dinkum features a unique setting that I’ve never seen before, the wild Australian outback!
TBH, I haven’t played it yet, but it’s on my wishlist. In this game, you start a new life and build your new home out in the bush. You’ll get to explore tropical eucalyptus forests and scorching deserts, take care of giant wombats, play with friends, hunt, mine, fish, craft, farm, and more.
Currently garnering more than 8,000+ reviews on Steam, Dinkum is one cozy game to check out for sure. As a user puts it, “The perfect farming game if you ever found Animal Crossing too slow and Stardew Valley too fast + broad!”
3. Moonstone Island
I’ve gotta admit, I was never a big fan of pixel games until after Stardew Valley. Now, pixel games are all the rage and for good reasons, too 😌 You’ll find pixel art prevalent in many games being developed by indie game developers, cozy games included.
Moonstone Island is an open-world deckbuilding life-sim about a young alchemist starting a new life on an island in the sky. This game aesthetic is giving me OG Pokémon vibes—which is why it made it on my list of top cozy games.
With more than 100 islands to explore, spirits to tame, items to craft, and secrets to discover, this one’ll be one hell of a ride. It’s set to release in 2023.
4. Forlorn Memories
When I think of cozy games, RPG doesn’t usually fall at the top of the list. But these past few years, many cozy games feature RPG elements, which is a much-needed element in my opinion.
I think this is what ultimately makes other cozy games like Stardew Valley shine. Mining was so much fun in the game because the developer added a fighting system in the game. A relaxing game is fine, but sometimes I want something different and RPGs give me that something else to enjoy.
Forlorn Memories is a steampunk fantasy retro-inspired RPG that revolves around a group of heroes who have little in common except their shared quest to recover their lost memories. You get to play as one of 16 (wow!) characters each with their own unique abilities, classes, and backstory.
Fight enemies, fall in love, explore the world, craft, raise pets, or garden – the choice is yours.
5. Witchbrook
From the same publisher as Stardew Valley comes the spellbinding social RPG, Witchbrook! In this game, you embark on a magical coming-of-age adventure where you enroll as a witch-in-training at Witchbook College.
Journey from the familiar to the fantastical as you learn to harness the magic around you in this detailed life simulation and social RPG. Explore campus, make friends and memories, attend classes, and become the best b—I mean—witch you can be!
This is one of my most anticipated cozy games. I love the aesthetics and can’t wait to play the game when it’s out on Steam.
6. Pixelshire
In Pixelshire, you get to build your town and grow your community. This unique RPG sandbox game mixes life sim elements with town building, exploration, and combat.
Express yourself by planning the town to your liking, mastering trades, getting to know your neighbors, and exploring the continent of Arcadia. Coming soon in 2023!
7. Hokko Life
In Hokko Life, you start a new life in the village of Hokko! You’ll take over the old workshop and get creative by using crafted materials to design everything in town!
This cozy game features so many things to do: crafting, designing materials in your workshop, painting, building, decorating, fishing, bug hunting, and much more!
As a user puts it, “It’s a really good game with lots of potential. It follows the Animal Crossing formula, new kid in town earning money, decorating homes, and expanding the town.”
8. Littlelands
Littlelands is an action-adventure game being developed by indie game developer Rafael Martín (@HyperMegaPixel).
Not much is known about the game, but as the author described it, “Experience the daily life of the Littlelands at your own pace, exploring all its mysterious nooks and crannies as you get to know and help the region’s quirky inhabitants. Grow berries, hunt for treasure, fish or sit on a wooden bench and watch the sunset.
9. Orange Season
Make your farmer’s dream come true in Orange Town. In the beginning, you’ll start with a plot of land and build your way toward a thriving farm. You’ll explore the charming village and befriend its eccentric residents, grow crops, raise animals, fish, and mine to establish your farm in town.
With a high focus on exploration, you’ll surely have hours of gameplay content in your hand. The gameplay also includes the typical farming game content: festivals, farming, raising animals, etc.
10. Tears of Magic
Tears of Magic is a fantasy RPG where you play a dragon in a world featuring a rich storyline and colorful cast of characters. Unleash the dragon within you and explore a world of remarkable characters as you define your personality, create bonds with allies, and learn about the true origin of magic to stop a second Calamity.
The game went live on Kickstarter a few weeks back and despite not reaching its goal of $96,290, shoutout to the development team—@GoodOldPixel—for still moving forward with the project! You can read their updates in this tweet.
Bonus Games!
And, of course, we can’t forget to mention these two bonus cozy games to play!
- Fields of Mistria: Start your new life! Build the farm of your dreams and discover magic, romance, and adventure!
- Roots of Pacha: Experience life in the stone age! Grow your village, plant crops, befriends animals, and more!
What game are you playing next?
Cozy games are becoming increasingly popular as more people look for ways to relax in their free time without having to leave home.
These types of video games offer immersive experiences that allow gamers to escape into their little world while still being stimulating enough, so they don’t become bored too quickly.
With vibrant visuals, soothing soundtracks, intuitive controls, engaging stories, re-playability options, and multiplayer features—there’s something special about this genre that makes it stand out from all other forms of entertainment.
So if you’re looking for an escape from reality or just a pleasant distraction during your downtime—then grab yourself a controller and get ready for some cozy gaming!
Want more cozy gaming content? Check out this blog post on how to create a killer purple gamer setup!
Good list. I’m going to check out Witchbrook!