Best Cosy Games To Play
Most genres are self explanatory. Puzzle… stealth… simulation… But when it comes to cosy games you can’t always quantify what makes something cosy. Instead, it’s about the gentle feeling the experience elicits - that lovely sensation of being able to curl up on the sofa under a blanket and play without any stress. So that’s what this list is all about. The titles that make us want to drink tea and listen to the rain on the window outside as we play.
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00:00 Most genres are self-explanatory. Puzzle, stealth, simulation. But when it comes to
00:10 cosy games, you can't always quantify what makes something cosy. Instead, it's about
00:15 the gentle feeling the experience elicits. That lovely sensation of being able to curl
00:20 up on the sofa under a blanket and play without any stress.
00:24 So that's what this list is all about. The titles that make us want to drink tea and
00:28 listen to the rain on the window outside as we play. Here are the best cosy games to play
00:33 right now.
00:41 Let's start with one of the OG cosy games, shall we? Stardew Valley is basically a welcoming
00:47 hug masquerading as a life sim. And the beauty of this agricultural paradise is that you
00:52 can play it entirely at your own pace, with your own goals. Do you want to build a farming
00:57 empire, selling truffle oil to make your fortune? Or do you want to shun farming and cultivate
01:02 relationships with the residents of Pelican Town instead? Every season of Stardew Valley
01:07 feels different, and there's constant variation with town events and fresh quest lines. And
01:12 if somehow you've missed the cosiest game of all time, there's been so much new content
01:17 added since its release that it's basically now 8 games in one and you probably won't
01:22 need to play anything else. Just be warned, once Stardew gets its charming hooks in, you're
01:28 going to be under that blanket for a long, long time.
01:36 A cosy management game about death doesn't sound like an attractive prospect. How do
01:43 those words even fit together? And yep, Spiritfarer is exactly this and somehow one of the most
01:49 beautiful and rewarding games on this list. You play as Stella, a ferrymaster for the
01:54 dead, shuttling souls across the water to their final resting place. This means building
01:59 rooms, farming, gardening, and fulfilling the last wishes of those on board. It's gentle
02:05 but evocative, and there's even a dedicated hug button for your passengers. Spiritfarer
02:10 is a rare treat, and while there is eventually an end point, this is a beautiful experience
02:15 that ticks all the cosy boxes. Plus, it may well bring a tier or 6 to your eye as well
02:21 along the way. Oh, and did we mention there's a local co-op 2 player where a friend can
02:26 join and play as a cat called Daffodil? See? Solved.
02:38 Let's face it, 22.4 million players in 4 months? Can't be wrong. The now legendary Animal Crossing
02:45 New Horizons was a revelation for older new players in 2020, and is still a perfect cosy
02:51 game. Mirroring the day with real time, New Horizons immediately slows things right down,
02:56 letting us fish, catch bugs, or just admire the sunset at our very own pace. There are
03:02 no deadlines here, no stressful quests to fulfill, just a mortgage without an end date
03:08 that you're going to want to pay off anyway so you can fill your in-game house with more
03:12 perfectly crafted and customised furniture. Whether you just want to spend time with your
03:17 villagers or focus on filling the museum with fossils, everything is gentle and charming.
03:22 Even better is the fact that once you've spent hours perfectly cultivating the perfect
03:26 island, you can invite friends over to show it off.
03:36 It's not a hard and fast rule, but chances are that if there's an abundance of smiling
03:41 blobs on your game, there's a distinct possibility that it's in the cosy category. Slime Rancher
03:47 is a joyous life and farm sim with a jelly-like twist as you set out to capture a variety
03:52 of bouncing slimes. Once you've got them sucked into your vacuum pack, you can then pop them
03:58 into an enclosure, make sure they've got plenty to eat, and even play music to keep them calm
04:03 to help prevent escapes. You'll then quickly become intimately acquainted with slime biology
04:09 because slime poop, or plorts, fetch a pretty penny on the plort market.
04:13 That's right, this is a game about farming caca. It's a gentle one though, with a lovely
04:19 warm and fuzzy feel. Just remember to wash your hands, yeah?
04:30 Maybe the agriculture of Stardew Valley isn't your thing, and you prefer a life of magic.
04:36 Then Little Witch in the Woods will be much more your cup of potion. This pixelated wonder
04:40 is another engaging management sim as you take on the role of Ellie, helping the residents
04:46 of a ramshackle village bring life back to the place. Just like Stardew, there's plenty
04:51 to do every day as you learn new spells and potions in between quests. Hunting down ingredients
04:57 is especially good fun as you head into the woods to find all kinds of magical creatures
05:01 and harvest their resources. That's just as painful as it sounds for the creatures.
05:06 Add in a just granular enough potion brewing mechanic, and Little Witch in the Woods manages
05:11 to be a satisfying deep dive into the world of elixirs and spells.
05:23 If you're looking for a short, but oh so sweet experience that evokes a giddy feeling of
05:28 childhood joy, you can't miss Alba A Wildlife Adventure. This is an experience built on
05:34 that brilliant sensation of endless potential you had as a kid on holiday with no responsibilities
05:40 other than to find fun. Alba though, does find responsibilities as she tries to stop
05:46 a hotel firm from building over an animal sanctuary on the Mediterranean island where
05:50 her grandparents live. This means you need to photograph the flora and fauna of the island,
05:56 chat to the townspeople and generally take in the delight of this wholesome world. Everything
06:00 is geared for pure relaxation and the gentle knowledge that everything's going to be okay,
06:06 which is really all we ever need.
06:16 We are always immediately suspicious of a game idea that clearly started as a pun, but
06:21 the ultra laid back Bear and Breakfast has proved itself a worthy addition to the cosy
06:26 genre. There's nothing too onerous here, just a bear called Hank deciding to work in
06:31 the hospitality industry and aiming to bring tourism back to an abandoned valley. Thankfully
06:37 our guests don't seem to be too upset that Hank's a bear, so there are plenty of opportunities
06:42 to make everyone as comfortable as possible in each location. You can decorate, keep everything
06:47 clean and even ensure that guests have true fine dining experiences with resources scavenged
06:52 from the forest. People pay a lot for those kinds of menus, you know. Mmmmmmm, moss? Here's
06:59 to an excellent review on TripAdvisor.
07:10 But if what you're looking for is something a little more puzzlier, well to finish the
07:13 list, Dorfromantik is a gentle puzzle game and it's not just a city builder, but a country
07:19 builder too. Each beautiful hexagon tile has to be placed on the map to connect with more
07:24 trees, rivers, train tracks and towns in order to fulfil requirements. The more goals you
07:29 hit, the more tiles you earn and the bigger the colourful map becomes. It's simple but
07:35 constantly compelling as a creation grows in all directions. Even better is that the
07:40 sprawling landscape starts to come to life. Boats chug along the rivers, fountains flow
07:45 in town squares and windmills turn as you transform the empty map into a lush countryside.
07:51 It's just relaxing and cosy enough that, like a good jigsaw puzzle, you could even list
07:56 to a podcast at the same time. Perfect.
08:00 So that's some of the best cosy games you can play right now. All you need to do now
08:05 is grab your favourite hot drink and settle down on the sofa. Although, if it's not too
08:09 much effort, why not suggest some of your own ideas in the comments below before you
08:14 get too comfy.
08:18 (whooshing)
08:20 (laughs)