The popularity of cozy gaming is at an all-time high, which is great for anyone who wants to stray from the traditional competitive nature of gaming in favour of something laid back. But other than the big ticket games like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing, there's a whole library of cozy games to sift through. If you do just love farming though, check out our list of best games like Stardew Valley.
Although the term "cozy game" means different things to a variety of people, the consensus is that the experience offers everything from soft visuals to gameplay that doesn't demand too much. Because of this, the vast majority of cozy game recommendations echo the Stardew Valley farming formula, but there are hundreds of games that fall into the cozy game category that stray from yardwork and raising livestock.
If you're looking for a new bunch to shake up the old favourites, we've pulled together a list of equal parts cute and chill games that won't have you tilling the soil until the sun comes up. If you want something driven by narrative, simple puzzles that put your mind at ease, or pastel-coloured rhythm games, we've got something that is bound to suit you.
Station to Station
Released: 2023 | Developer: Galaxy Grove | Steam
All you have to do is connect railways and watch the world bloom around you. What's more relaxing than that? Station to Station is an incredibly peaceful experience and even though there are a few restrictions on which moves require a little more thought than usual, the pacing of the game and the ability to undo any move you've made helps to take the pressure off.
Sticky Business
Released: 2023 | Developer: Spellgarden Games | Steam
We've all had the dream of creating our own Etsy shop, but the stress of getting set up, creating stock, and shipping products is daunting. Fortunately, Sticky Business emulates the experience without the additional stresses or need for storage space. While you make your own unique sticker designs, you'll also unfold a story with each customer and develop relationships through your business.
Jusant
Release Date: 2023 | Developer: Don't Nod | Steam
Jusant is all about climbing to the top of a world that was once underwater with your tiny magical companion. It's hyper-focused on the rock-climbing system that Don't Nod developed but it's not nearly as intense as that makes it sound. This is akin to a puzzle platformer where you're always trying to figure out how to access the next area by combining the maneuvers you've been taught: belay climbing, swinging, using magical plants or wind to your advantage, and more. This is one that just feels so physical as you grip the left and right triggers on your controller (which Don't Nod recommends, as do I) to move your left and right hands steadily up to each new handhold.
Chants of Sennaar
Release Date: 2023 | Developer: Rundisc | Steam
Chants of Sennaar is an adventure game about learning languages and it was my personal favorite game of 2024. Each area of the tower you're ascending is occupied by a different group of people with their own language. By talking to people around you, examining murals and shop signs, and all the other clues hidden in the environment, you begin to piece together the meanings of each word. Taking notes in your sketchbook is a great record of how your thought process changes as you puzzle each language out while you uncover the truth about the tower and how all these people stopped communicating.
Mineko's Night Market
Released: 2023 | Developer: Meowza Games | Steam
If you want a new way to explore Japanese culture cutely, then Mineko's Night Market will appeal. This narrative-driven social sim will ask you to craft various enchanting items to sell at the night market and befriend a cadre of cats to help you on the journey. You'll also have to complete various quests and challenges which help add a little more structure to the game but maintain the relaxing atmosphere.
Summerhouse
Released: 2024 | Developer: Friedemann | Steam
Summerhouse is the epitome of channeling creativity through cozy gaming. It's a small-scale building game that asks you to create a neighbourhood of beautiful homes in various settings, but with no rules or restrictions, so you are free to let your imagination run wild. We all know that the best part of games like The Sims is building the house, and fortunately this game is just all about free building.
Journey
Release Date: 2012 (2020 on PC) | Developer: Thatgamecompany | Steam
Journey is an old classic that predates the cozy game trend but it holds up incredibly well after getting ported to PC. It's a wordless adventure from a desert up to the top of a mountain accompanied by an incredible soundtrack that was the first from a videogame to ever be nominated for a Grammy Award. Journey will make you experience the full spectrum of emotions with a silent protagonist as you sand surf through ruins, fly with magic carpet whales, and eventually brave the snowy peaks.
Toem
Release Date: 2021 | Developer: Something We Made | Steam
For a game all in black and white, Toem has so much personality. This is an adventure game where you solve puzzles and riddles by using your camera to photograph things around you. The stamp book challenges are really nice classic adventure game stuff that force you to pay attention to all the world's surroundings. It's also a pretty short game which you can complete in three or four hours.
Book of Travels
Release date: 2021 (early access) | Developer: Might and Delight | Steam
This super beautiful RPG is actually the tiny version of an MMO with servers of just seven players. You'll create a character sheet and begin exploring the Braided Shore where magic is done by brewing teas and tying knots. Spend your time fishing and trading, buying spells that create fireworks or turn you into a deer, and engage in a spot of semi turn-based combat if you're feeling brave. It's an exceptionally chill online game where you communicate with others by emotes only, a truly lovely world with an equally cozy soundtrack. Still in early access, Book of Travels is planning more areas of the map to continue its very subtle story.
Melatonin
Release date: 2022 | Developer: Half Asleep | Steam
Rhythm games don't really have a reputation for being chill, but Melatonin is definitely low key and cozy. With its muted colors and lo-fi beats, Melatonin is nearly as relaxing as its name implies. Instead of throwing bars of beats at you, you'll play along via visual cues that help you complete the beat in each of its levels.
A Short Hike
Release date: 2019 | Developer: adamgryu | Steam
For those that want a cozy game that won't consume 100+ hours, this super cute adventure can be completed in around four hours. Explore an island mountain park while helping out the folks around you and uncovering small secrets on your journey to the peak. The park is lovely enough from the ground, but your main character can fly down too, so don't forget to hunt for hidden areas and unseen new friends.
Lil Gator Game
Released: 2022 | Developer: MegaWobble | Steam
If you want a game that scratches an almost nostalgic itch, Lil Gator Game is worth picking up. Inspired by The Legend of Zelda, you will quite literally create your own adventure through arts, crafts, and an overactive imagination alongside your animal friends hiding around the map. But even though it wears its Nintendo inspirations on its sleeve, the dry humour and adorable characters that accompany the adventure as you try to get your sibling to play with you make this an incredibly easy game to lose yourself in.
Dorfromantik
Release date: 2022 | Developer: Toukana Interactive | Steam
Strategy games don't normally strike me as cozy, but Dorfomantik really lets you take the pressure off. I lost an entire weekend to this hex-based tile game the first time I tried it. In its standard mode, you'll use a deck of hex tiles to match up stretches of fields, cities, waterways, and railroads to complete quests and grow your deck until you run out of tiles. For even less stress, creative mode lets you just build a lovely stretch of tiles any way you like from a neverending deck.
Beacon Pines
Release date: 2022 | Developer: Hiding Spot | Steam
Another cozy game that will only ask several hours of you, Beacon Pines is an adventure inside a story book with a super chill narrator. You'll earn new words as you explore the town, allowing you to unlock new branches on the story tree in a Mad Libs-like puzzle. This is one I'd consider cozy horror: a mystery about an old factory town where folks are going missing. There aren't jump scares though, just a creeping sense of dread as young pals Luka and Rolo dig themselves deeper and deeper into the town's history.
Snufkin: Melody of Moomin Valley
Released: 2024 | Developer: Hyper Games | Steam
In an attempt to restore peace to Moominvalley, you will have to help the citizens of the valley complete short but sweet requests like helping a frightened dog evade a spider and helping creatures get around the valley. For those familiar with the Moomin series, the characters you meet will be instantly recognisable which gives it a cozy, nostalgic atmosphere. For those who aren’t, this is a fantastic way to get familiar with its eclectic cast in a beautiful watercolour art style.
Unpacking
Release date: 2021 | Developer: Witch Beam | Steam
Moving house is stressful, but Unpacking is a very chill, light puzzling experience. You'll start small, organizing toys in a bright kids' bedroom, later unpacking multiple rooms worth of possessions as the implied main character grows up and the things they've kept over the years accumulate or change. That pink stuffed pig deserves your loyalty, to make sure to put it someplace prominent.
A Little to the Left
Released: 2022 | Developer: Max Inferno | Steam
Is your house too overwhelming? Has the junk drawer in your kitchen been bogging you down for months? Great, A Little to the Left can help you continue to ignore all these real life issues while still providing you with the satisfaction and pride of cleaning up your space. This puzzle game takes you through cupboards, drawers, sewing kits, and every other nook and cranny to restore peace to your virtual abode in the most simple format.
