Cozy games are a popular umbrella genre that completely ignores most genre conventions – these games are about relaxing and feeling good, regardless of the flesh of the gameplay itself. The term lacks a clear definition, but if a game makes players feel satisfied and at ease, the mission is accomplished.
Between the picturesque atmospheres of the world, the wonderfully soothing soundtrack or the gameplay that is intuitive enough to grasp quickly, it’s not hard to see why people love fun games. We’ve found some of the best in this healthy genre you can find on Steam for a comfortable night’s sleep.
10 Calico
Cat cafes first popped up in Taiwan in the 1990s, and Japanese tourists enjoyed them so much that the practice was brought back to Japan and quickly expanded. Go to your local cat cafe for a cup of coffee and permission to pet any cat you want. It’s a real dream come true.
And in Calico you design your own cat cafe. Interact with the animals in exciting ways, design your space and create recipes for your new hotspot. There are also potions available that allow you to do all sorts of fun things, such as, but not limited to, making your cat huge so you can ride it around.
9 Dinkum
Anyone who has ever thought of moving to the Australian outback to try and create a farming empire will be deeply impressed by this cute, comfy sim game. Heavy on Australian slang and straight into its The Land Down Under influences, this game is often too cute to put down.
The game reads like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing had an Aussie baby, and it’s awesome. Play alone or with friends and watch your territory slowly but surely flourish with your improvements. Farm, catch bugs, fish, find resources and make cute NPC friends along the way.
8 My time in Portia
Farming sims are a common theme in cozy gaming, and My Time at Portia is in this vein as well. The only difference here is that this game is canonically set right after an apocalypse.
The townspeople of Portia are on a mission to rebuild, and with the help of your dad’s workbench and the few things he left behind, you’ll try to become the undisputed best workshop in town. You can also interact with the crazy characters of the city, make friends and discover long-lost secrets about the world around you.
7 bear and breakfast
Have you ever wanted to play the part of a bear who runs a bed and breakfast in a cozy little forest area? Are you interested in making cute animal friends and unknowingly accepting quests from gods? Well, Bear and Breakfast is your chance to do all three, somehow.
Design multiple scenic hotels in different locations with increasingly strict specifications, book your guests and run around improving the area around you as people slowly but surely return to it. The game is as much about ecological balance and friendship as it is about becoming an established hotelier.
6 islanders
We all know how city planning games can consume a lot of our time – it’s so easy to get lost in building your metropolis that the world around you fades away. Islanders tries to provide a simple solution to this problem by offering bite-sized versions of the same. Expand across islands and create your city in a variety of landscapes, styles and sizes.
Developed by a small team of three, this small game has a big impact. The developers are inspired by games like Sim City and The Settlers, and the influence is felt and appreciated as you explore what the game has to offer.
5 Planet Zoo
Planet Zoo gives you the freedom to design, populate and manage your own zoo without the risk of compromising animal welfare. Design the park of your dreams and fill it with different animals, food stalls, gift shops and more, and watch the customers come in from there.
Frontier Developments’ games have been at the top of the fun gamer’s list for a while now, while other entries like Planet Coaster are fantastic as well. But with the wholesomeness of animals and the childish wonder of a day at the zoo at the forefront of this title, it had to take the cake.
4 Cozy Grove
Fans of the Animal Crossing series will certainly enjoy Cozy Grove, a wonderfully soft game based on the same style as the Nintendo series. The gameplay focuses on daily check-ins and creative hobbies, with the real-life flow of time factored in. You will be shopping, dressing up and encountering the local ghosts along the way.
Wait what? Yes, it turns out Cozy Grove is haunted. But even the ghostly ghosts and other supernatural ghosts are here to help. The game’s tagline was “Come for the view, stay for the friends”, and we can safely say we’ve done that for both accounts.
3 Story Of Seasons: Pioneers Of Olive Town
Originally debuting as Harvest Moon in the West, this game series has continued as Story of Seasons to mark a new chapter in the series’ history (and get around licensing issues). The art style has been updated, the gameplay has been smoothed out and we were just as entranced here as we were in Harvest Moon back in the day.
Pioneers of Olive Town is just the latest installment in this long-running series where you inherit a farm and move to the countryside to restore it to its former glory. Start from the ground up and turn it into a bustling produce paradise.
2 trip
Journey is a unique game in that while you’re playing it with other people, you’re not actually talking to them. In the game, you communicate through a series of chimes, working together to solve puzzles and progress on your, well, journey.
Sometimes it felt like this game was more of a work of art than anything else. The scenery feels infinite and makes you feel comfortably small, the music is epic and swells as you travel, and the gameplay itself is smooth and easy. It’s not hard to see why this one has won so many Game of the Year awards.
1 Stardew Valley
This game has been a huge achievement from the start: it was developed entirely by one person. Eric Barone, who develops under the name ConcernedApe, wanted to improve his computer skills right out of school and developed this farm life simulator. With its colorful graphics, endearing soundtrack and diverse cast of characters that make it impossible not to pick favorites, this game would undoubtedly be iconic.
Your grandfather left you the old family farm in small, serene Pelican Town after his death. In this game that still gets somewhat frequent updates and new features, you can grow crops, raise animals, plan your harvests, get to know the townspeople, explore the mines, enter a cute but harrowing combat system and spend your days in farm bliss .
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