In this cozy survival game you're a mouse who knits tiny wool sweaters, bakes pies for his friends, lives in a furnished tree trunk, and I can't even go on because it's so darn cute

A mouse in warm clothing by a fire — (Image credit: Noodlecake)

One of the reasons I love survival games is there's something inherently cozy about them. You may struggle and starve and bleed, but at the end of a long perilous day when you decompress in front of a fire with a belly full of food in a shelter that keeps out the cold and rain (and sometimes the monsters), what could possibly feel more safe or satisfying than that?

Fully embracing the coziness of survival is Winter Burrow, a survival game from Noodlecake and Pine Creek Games, where you're a tiny little mouse trying to make it through a harsh winter. It's hard to imagine a more cozy sight than a furry little mouse sitting on a comfy chair in its house inside a furnished tree trunk, knitting a woolen hat in front of a roaring fireplace, isn't it? Check out the trailer below, revealed today at the Wholesome Snack showcase:

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I do love the idea of being a mouse in a survival game, especially because in Winter Burrow you do a lot more than just munch on crumbs under my oven. (I briefly had a mouse intruder in my first apartment. I named him Cheesy). Craft a wee little stone axe at your tiny little workbench and then head out into the woods to chop down mushrooms to burn for fuel. Bake pies—wee little pies—and make friends with the locals in your tree-bourhood.

Sit in your armchair by the fire and knit yourself a warm hat and sweater from grass or wool, not just for vibes but because that armchair is actually your crafting station for knitting. That's so darn cute.

This is a survival game, though, so there's peril as well. Defend yourself from wildlife, like angry beetles, by bonking them with one of your tools, keep yourself nourished, warm, and energized (you sleep in an adorable little hammock), and undertake quests that will send you out into the frosty wilderness. This all looks great to me, and I can't wait to knit some little sweaters and bake some tiny pies. Winter Burrow is coming in 2025.

Chris started playing PC games in the 1980s, started writing about them in the early 2000s, and (finally) started getting paid to write about them in the late 2000s. Following a few years as a regular freelancer, PC Gamer hired him in 2014, probably so he'd stop emailing them asking for more work. Chris has a love-hate relationship with survival games and an unhealthy fascination with the inner lives of NPCs. He's also a fan of offbeat simulation games, mods, and ignoring storylines in RPGs so he can make up his own.