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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GamingTranscript
00:00most genres are self-explanatory puzzle stealth simulation but when it comes to cozy games you
00:11can't always quantify what makes something cozy instead it's about the gentle feeling the experience
00:17elicits that lovely sensation of being able to curl up on the sofa under a blanket and play
00:22without any stress so that's what this list is all about the titles that make us want to drink tea
00:28and listen to the rain on the window outside as we play here are the best cozy games to play right now
00:41let's start with one of the og cozy game shall we stardew valley is basically a welcoming hug
00:47masquerading as a life sim and the beauty of this agricultural paradise is that you can play it
00:52entirely at your own pace with your own goals do you want to build a farming empire selling
00:58truffle oil to make your fortune or do you want to shun farming and cultivate relationships with
01:03the residents of pelican town instead every season of stardew valley feels different and there's
01:08constant variation with town events and fresh quest lines and if somehow you've missed the coziest game
01:14of all time there's been so much new content added since its release that it's basically now eight
01:20games in one and you probably won't need to play anything else just be warned once stardew gets its
01:26charming hooks in you're going to be under that blanket for a long long time
01:38a cozy management game about death doesn't sound like an attractive prospect how do those words even
01:44fit together and yet spiritfarer is exactly this and somehow one of the most beautiful and rewarding
01:50games on this list you play as stella a ferry master for the dead shuttling souls across the water to
01:56their final resting place this means building rooms farming gardening and fulfilling the last wishes of
02:03those on board it's gentle but evocative and there's even a dedicated hug button for your passengers
02:09spiritfarer is a rare treat and while there is eventually an endpoint this is a beautiful experience that
02:15ticks all of the cozy boxes plus it may well bring a tear or six to your eye as well along the way oh
02:23and did we mention there's a local co-op two player where a friend can join and play as a cat called
02:28daffodil see sold let's face it 22.4 million players in four months can't be wrong the now legendary
02:44animal crossing new horizons was a revelation for older new players in 2020 and is still a perfect cozy
02:50game mirroring the day with real time new horizons immediately slows things right down letting us fish
02:57catch bugs or just admire the sunset at our very own pace there are no deadlines here no stressful
03:04quests to fulfill just a mortgage without an end date that you're going to want to pay off anyway
03:10so you can fill your in-game house with more perfectly crafted and customized furniture
03:15whether you just want to spend time with your villagers or focus on filling the museum with fossils
03:20everything is gentle and charming even better is the fact that once you've spent hours perfectly
03:25cultivating the perfect island you can invite friends over to show it off
03:36it's not a hard and fast rule but chances are that if there's an abundance of smiling
03:41blobs on your game there's a distinct possibility that it's in the cozy category slime rancher is a
03:47joyous life and farm sim with a jelly-like twist as you set out to capture a variety of bouncing slimes
03:54once you've got them sucked into your vacuum pack you can then pop them into an enclosure
03:59make sure they've got plenty to eat and even play music to keep them calm to help prevent escapes
04:05you'll then quickly become intimately acquainted with slime biology because slime poop or plorts
04:11fetch a pretty penny on the plort market that's right this is a game about farming cucka
04:16it's a gentle one though with a lovely warm and fuzzy feel just remember to wash your hands yeah
04:30maybe the agriculture of stardew valley isn't your thing and you prefer a life of magic then little
04:36witch in the woods will be much more your cup of potion this pixelated wonder is another engaging
04:41management sim as you take on the role of ellie helping the residents of a ramshackle village bring
04:47life back to the place just like stardew there's plenty to do every day as you learn new spells
04:53and potions in between quests hunting down ingredients is especially good fun as you head
04:58into the woods to find all kinds of magical creatures and harvest their resources that's just
05:04as painful as it sounds for the creatures adding a just granular enough potion brewing mechanic and
05:09little witch in the woods manages to be a satisfying deep dive into the world of elixirs and spells
05:23if you're looking for a short but oh so sweet experience that evokes a giddy feeling of childhood
05:28joy you can't miss alba a wildlife adventure this is an experience built on that brilliant sensation of
05:35endless potential you had as a kid on holiday with no responsibilities other than to find fun
05:42alba though does find responsibilities as she tries to stop a hotel firm from building over an animal
05:48sanctuary on the mediterranean island where her grandparents live this means you need to
05:53photograph the flora and fauna of the island chat to the townspeople and generally take in the delight of
05:58this wholesome world everything is geared for pure relaxation and the gentle knowledge that everything's
06:04going to be okay which is really all we ever need
06:16we are always immediately suspicious of a game idea that clearly started as a pun but the ultra laid-back
06:22bear and breakfast has proved itself a worthy addition to the cozy genre there's nothing too onerous here
06:29just a bear called hank deciding to work in the hospitality industry and aiming to bring tourism
06:34back to an abandoned valley thankfully our guests don't seem to be too upset that hank's a bear so
06:40there are plenty of opportunities to make everyone as comfortable as possible in each location you can
06:46decorate keep everything clean and even ensure that guests have true fine dining experiences with
06:51resources scavenged from the forest people pay a lot for those kinds of menus you know mmm moss
06:58here's to an excellent review on trip advisor
07:09but if what you're looking for is something a little more puzzlier well to finish the list
07:14Dorf Romantic is a gentle puzzle game and it's not just a city builder but a country builder too
07:20each beautiful hexagon tile has to be placed on the map to connect with more trees rivers train tracks
07:26and towns in order to fulfill requirements the more goals you hit the more tiles you earn and the bigger
07:32the colorful map becomes it's simple but constantly compelling as our creation grows in all directions
07:39even better is that the sprawling landscape starts to come to life boats chug along the rivers fountains flow in
07:45town squares and windmills turn as you transform the empty map into a lush countryside it's just
07:52relaxing and cozy enough that like a good jigsaw puzzle you could even list to a podcast at the same
07:57time perfect so that's some of the best cozy games you can play right now all you need to do now is grab
08:05your favorite hot drink and settle down on the sofa although if it's not too much effort why not suggest
08:11some of your own ideas in the comments below before you get too comfy