The top cozy video games of 2024
Check out our selections for the best games like Animal Crossing or the best mobile games if you want to play even more incredible games. Visit our list of the most relaxing games if you truly want to feel the cool sensations.
The top comfy games are listed here:
Bar Conversation
A graphic novel that combines the warmth of Coffee Talk with everyone's love of Dungeons & Dragons is called Tavern Talk. Get gossipy stories, listen to your pals brag about their thrilling exploits, practice your bartender skills by creating some delectable magical cocktails, and eventually, rescue the world.
In this game by Gentle Troll Entertainment, you take charge of your own business, which is a very well-liked drinking spot situated in the breathtaking region of Phesoa. Whether you're making a potent potion of strength or a fiery cup of dexterity with an intelligence chaser, you need to customize your drinks for every adventurer you encounter. You may also keep an ear out for all the latest whispers to transform plain old hearsay into missions for your patrons.
Tavern Talk is a fantastic small independent game that merits its praises. It began as a Kickstarter campaign. If you need a vacation from reality and want to draw a few literal pints, check out our review of Tavern Talk here. Otherwise, try it out for yourself. Salutations!
Earth Spirit
Spirittea is a sweet, small-town role-playing game that expertly combines aspects of business and living sims, giving off a kind of Stardew Valley meets Studio Ghibli atmosphere. In this really touching and enchanted game, you assume the character of a fantasy writer who relocates to an ancient mansion in a secluded rural village in the hopes of finding inspiration for your next work.
When you take a taste of Spirittea and realize you can see spirits, however, you definitely get more than you bargained for. Together with Wonyan, a fabulously feisty ghost cat, you must assist your new neighbors—both alive and nonliving—by resolving their problems and bringing the former bath house for spirits back to its former splendor.
The gameplay loop revolves on a rather relaxed setting with little puzzles and tasks to complete, goods to gather and purchase, and a bathhouse to operate, all of which manage to feel both familiar and new at the same time. It's quite endearing, and it's impressive how much effort the one-man game developer The Cheese Master Games is putting into future content and problem repairs. To learn more about this small treasure, be sure to read our Spirittea review in the interim.
Coffee Conversation Episode 2
Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus and Butterfly is a sequel to the popular 2020 game that brings back all of our favorite café personalities and touching tales. It asks you to pretend to be a barista in a cute small coffee shop once again, finishing minigames that include pouring drinks and having in-depth discussions for hours on end.
Coffee Talk Episode 2 is set in an alternative universe where mythological creatures coexist in civilization, each with their own distinct view on life and challenges to conquer, even though the story takes place in Seattle in 2023. In addition, serving up delectable drinks is only one aspect of your work as a barista; you also have to become friends with the customers, listen to their concerns, and assist them in finding solutions.
This sweet little bundle, reminiscent of a visual novel, is a cozy chatting sim that will warm your heart as much as your preferred hot beverage. So, if you're in the mood for some coffee, be sure to check out our review of Coffee Talk Episode 2 () and have a cup, or pick up the Coffee Talk double-pack () on Switch.
In Time and Stars
Monochrome lo-fi role-playing game In Stars and Time is about friendship, family, and time cycles. As the renegade traveler Siffrin, your mission is to prevent a villainous ruler from freezing the whole planet in time. You discover that you're trapped in a time loop, repeatedly living the same day after first meeting a gruesome demise.Even though this seems like a bit of a nightmare, you really get to learn more and more about the world around you, Siffrin's broad group of endearing acquaintances, and the psychological effects of repeatedly experiencing these awful occurrences.This one isn't as cozy as some of our other picks, but we still think it belongs on the list because of its wonderful feelings, cute artwork, and creative approach to LGBTQ+ representation. See our In Stars and Time Switch review and our In Stars and Time interview for additional information about this emerging indie classic.
Nunu: A Tale from League of Legends
League of Legends is the last series you'd think a friendly game would emerge from, yet here we are, given the community's terrible reputation. However, Song of Nunu really does provide plenty of homey sensations, in contrast to its very competitive MOBA sister.It tells the tale of ten-year-old Nunu and his closest buddy Willump, the only remaining yeti, as they set off on a quest to track down Nunu's mother, who has been missing for a long time. Set in a gorgeous, frozen tundra, it's a genuinely lovely narrative about the power of friendship and how it can help you overcome almost any hazard that life throws at you.Song of Nunu has a variety of gameplay components, such as platforming, exploration, riddles, and more. All things considered, however, this is a very narratively focused journey that will make you feel good. Check out our review of Song of Nunu here, or read our festive feature on how Song of Nunu opened our hearts to wholesome games here, or read our Song of Nunu review.
Minieko's Night Market Mineko's Night Market, which bills itself as a narrative-driven social simulation game honoring Japanese culture, tells the tale of a little child named Mineko who goes to a remote island with her father. The Sun Cat, Nikko, and many other cats used to live on the island. But now that Nikko seems to be gone, the island is just a shadow of its former grandeur. Mineko embarks on a mission to discover what happened to Nikko and return the cats to the island after making friends with the neighborhood children. It's a nice, warm game to play when you need to decompress because of its simple yet effective gameplay and graphic design. It's a wonderfully laid-back experience with purr-fect vibes, whether you're gathering materials via foraging, making crafts to sell at the night market, sneaking around and liberating cats from cages, or just cuddling those kittens in a breezy field. Check out our whole Mineko's Night Market review if you can't resist those toe-beans.
Fae Farm Fae Farm is a mystical farm game that that perfectly embodies the spirit of the classic "cozy games." You play as a fairy who has just taken over a farm, as you can obviously infer from the name, and it's your responsibility to make sure all the animals and crops thrive.It's not all green-thumbed bliss, however, as the game's captivating narrative transports you to other parts of the island where a plethora of additional objectives and thrilling gameplay aspects wait. There's always something to do, whether it's fishing on the docks, searching for riches in the mines, or assisting the people.Fae Farm does have a basic fighting system, but don't worry, there are plenty of equipment, potions, and spells to keep you safe. Additionally, it enables multiplayer, so you can join together with some other fairy pals to share in the coziness. Are you still unsure whether the fae life is right for you? To find out whether we can persuade you, see our Fae Farm review.
The Island Adventure of Hello Kitty
Greetings, Kitty, my beloved buddy. Your grin resembles a blossoming flower. It's time to start singing a cheerful song as we set off on our Hello Kitty Island Adventure. You actually don't need any previous knowledge of Sanrio to get started, so even if you're not a fan of the cutesy, snug gems, you can't dispute that they appear like the ideal piece of paradise. Come on, everyone loves Sanrio.Create your own Sanrio-esque mascot in the Apple Arcade game Hello Kitty Island Adventure. Everyone on your aircraft leaps to safety when the cake-baking machine breaks, and you end yourself washed ashore on a tropical island.As you would anticipate from a life sim, the game includes crafting, fishing, cooking, collecting resources, capturing bugs, and more. However, the primary gameplay mechanism centers upon you forming connections with every other attractive person on the island. Although there's a lot to do, there's no need to do it all at once, making it the ideal relaxing experience. Grab your bow and go over to our Hello Kitty Island Adventure review if you're interested in learning more.
Cupboards and Drawers DLC A Little to the Left
A small to the Left is a really fulfilling small tidying-themed puzzle game. Although the core game was released in November 2022, we really like the fantastic Cupboards and Drawers DLC that added even more content to the game.With its exquisite artwork, subdued color schemes, straightforward gaming mechanics, absence of time limits or point systems, and the satisfying feeling of achievement it gives you when you finally get everything to line up perfectly. We all like cats here at SmartRead, and there's even an adorable cat you can touch. This charming and calming little puzzler is strongly recommended, regardless of whether you've played the original game and want a little bit extra or you're fresh to the entire thing and seeking for something really warm and oddly soothing. You can also read our A Little to the Left: Cupboard and Drawers DLC review if you're still not sure what all the excitement is about.
Fickle Enterprise
Assemble Entertainment's inventive small store simulator makes us feel very creative and comfortable. In Sticky company, you may feel the sheer thrill of managing your own quaint little company. You'll need to wrap up orders, make special stickers for your customers, and learn everything about their life.You may make your own sticker collection using hundreds of available parts and sell them to your intended market, but don't let your creative juices stop there. The more stickers you make, the more clients you'll draw in. Additionally, the game has complete Twitch integration, which enables spectators to convert to buyers. For those of you comfortable broadcasters out there, this is a perfect game to add to your library and engage with your audience.As long as the developers keep adding new features, the game will remain a great option for unwinding and seeing adorable graphics on a screen. Everyone has needed it at some time, and Sticky Business provides it; when you place that purchase, you will too!
Paleo Pines Even with its early release bugs, Paleo Pines is quite cute, with incredibly comfortable feelings. Even while it's unquestionably a farming game, the addition of dinosaurs gives it a fantastic new spin on the subgenre.You step into the cartoon shoes of a homesteader raising dinosaurs in this three-dimensional living and farming simulation. Moving at a dilapidated ranch in Veridian Valley, you bring Lucky the Parasaurolophus, your closest dinosaur friend. Growing your own crops, studying and making friends with a variety of dinosaur species, and solving the world's grandest mysteries—including the whereabouts of all the other Parasaurs—are your primary goals.It's a really endearing little experience with its very lovely graphics, a varied cast of eccentric characters, the easygoing gameplay loop, and, of course, all those adorable dinosaurs. If that still isn't enough to persuade you to play this dino-mite game, I don't know what more to tell you than sending you to our review of Paleo Pines, which is at .
Stardew Valley Stardew Valley, the original game, is a must-have on any list of the greatest cozy games. We are aware that this game is quickly nearing its tenth anniversary (it was released in 2016, can you believe it? ), yet there is always something new to explore thanks to ConcernedApe's outstanding free content updates. After the release of the Stardew Valley 1.6 update, it seems that we will have an abundance of amazing new content for many years to come.For those who have been living under a rock for the last several years, Stardew Valley is an RPG, farming sim, and life sim combined with a ton of other fun features. You take on the part of a character who moves out into the country to escape the bustle of city life after inheriting their late grandfather's property.There, you create your very own little piece of rural paradise by cultivating crops, rearing animals, forming friendships (and even romantic relationships, if you're like that), exploring mines full of creatures and other spooky things, and more. It's one of the most beloved games in recent memory and a contemporary cult classic. See our Stardew Valley review for additional information.Describe snug games.
Cozy games are difficult to categorize as they rely solely on the emotions and vibes that each player experiences. For example, Joel of Vinsauce definitely disagrees with the general consensus that Signal Simulator and Voices from the Void are comfortable. In a similar vein, despite all the action (and sometimes horror), I find Far Cry 5, the Resident Evil games, and The Witcher games cozy because they're well-known to me and I associate them with pleasant memories.However, when people speak about "cozy" or "hygge" games, they usually mean a certain kind. This genre includes puzzle, construction, farming, adventure, and general life simulation games. These games are often characterized by calm color schemes, calming soundtracks, and an absence of tension or danger. Though they do sometimes emerge, time limitations and fighting are seldom the major emphasis. On the other hand, the main characteristics of a cozy game are its simple gameplay and enjoyable, soothing atmosphere.The Cheese Master Games write in this Twitter thread, "I hope that playing Spirittea brings a feeling of comfort to whatever life you lead." In the same way, concept artist Iona Vorster says in our 2022 Wylde Flowers interview that "creating a relaxing and welcoming, friendly world was one of [the Studio Dryrock team's] key goals," as they "wanted a place for players to feel safe." "Of course, I hope you all find the game fun, but my other goal was to make it feel like a little place you can escape to when you need a break from a busy day, month, or year."These two quotations, in our opinion, sum up what a pleasant game is exactly. It's escape from the real world, a warm and inviting place that you may come to when things get too much to handle. We all need a little downtime from time to time, which is why they are so unique and appealing to such a broad audience.