The cozy game launches of June are a really crafty bunch

Good thing the days are looking longer around here, because I'm going to need my full stamina bar and an irresponsible 2am bedtime to keep up with the cozy game launches in June. The calendar may not look as long as the list from May yet but just you wait until we clear the first week of June. I think things are going to drop in hot all month long.

June cozy game forecast: Sudden launch watch 🌪️

June is always a whirlwind in gaming because of the many, many publisher and platform showcases where we'll hear announcements and reveals for upcoming games (check our Summer Game Fest schedule for more). Sometimes games will even surprise launch during a showcase, or reveal a very imminent release date, so there are probably going to be even more cozy games this month that aren't on the calendar yet. Here's a couple events to be aware of in cozy gaming this month:

• Wholesome Direct: A showcase dedicated just to cozy games that will air on YouTube on June 6.
• Steam Next Fest: Another one of Steam's regular big demo events runs June 15 - June 22 and lots of cozy games tend to participate.

Most Anticipated

Solarpunk | June 8
As of the start of the month, Solarpunk has hit spot #16 in the list of most wishlisted games on Steam (via Steamdb). No surprise there, everyone still loves a crafting and exploration game.

Our cozy game picks for June

Andrea Shearon

I've had plenty of stints with cozy shop sims selling potions, books, and food, but somehow all of the floral arrangement sims keep slipping past me. Puni the Florist should fill that gap in my resume this month, and as excited as I am about the crafting magical bouquets part, I like that there's a little more to it with townsfolk to befriend and a store to decorate. I'm not the straight numbers and stats kind of shop simmer, but set me down with something like Tiny Bookshop, Wax Heads, or Puni, and I'll be good for a while. As long as it strikes a good balance between my career as a fledgling florist and socializing, I suspect this one will keep me entertained for a while.

Kara Phillips

They say the way to a person's heart is through their stomach, but I've got to admit, I'm not a particularly inspired chef. Luckily, Beastro seems to present the inspiration on a silver platter for you. The village of Palo Pori looks like the kind of place I could quite happily forage and farm for ingredients before cramming them all into a pot and somehow making something delicious. The cooking minigames are particularly exciting too, but the main appeal has to be the flaming raccoon-like creature hanging around and waiting for you to need some assistance. I just know Beastro is going to have a bunch of lovable characters, and hey, maybe I'll get the inspiration I so desperately crave to cook something new.

Jess Kinghorn

Ever since I was a wee gremlin, I wanted to be a magical girl—the powers, the gal pals, the transformation sequences! Well, the more things change, the more they stay the same and these days I'd settle for blooming into a beautiful bog witch. Witchspire very much meets me where I'm at; while I'm largely burnt out on the survival genre, waggling a wand to chop wood, mine resources, and fight definitely compels me. What's more, you can either adventure through this fantastical open world alone or with a whole squad of aspiring boggy babes. Pointed hat getups and broom flight sweetens the deal, but I'm particularly taken by the fact that astral projection is a core part of base building. Throw in a few cute critter familiars, and Witchspire has definitely set a spell on me.

Mollie Taylor

Okay, LISTEN. Would one usually consider an entry in a series of management games—where each customer has a specific order that they then rank you on in four different categories—cosy? Technically no, but the Papa Louie games have been my chaotic comfort ever since it was just about the only thing I could play on my school-assigned laptop.

Is the art style a little atrocious? Yes. Is it the same as every Papa Louie game you've ever played? Probably! But cosiness comes from many corners, and there is bound to be something ungodly satisfying about getting the perfect toppings on that ridiculously sugary mocha I'll be able to make in Papa's Mocharia Deluxe. Sorry, not sorry.

Lauren Morton

Here I am again, picking the crafting survival game as my next cozy detour. Mollie, Andrea, and I were disappointed by Outbound last month but that won't stop me from trying another crafting game this month. Truly I have a disease and the only cure is more resource refining. Obviously building on a floating sky island is catnip to a building lover like me, but the concept of renewable energies and living symbiotically with the animals you keep is really nice too. I've got high hopes (no pun intended), so I really hope Solarpunk is the co-op diversion that's worth dragging my friends into.

June cozy games calendar