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Best Cozy Games: Embracing Relaxation and Comfort

In the fast-paced world of gaming, there's a different kind of gaming experience that beckons — a realm of tranquillity and comfort.

In a gaming landscape defined by high-octane titles, intense competition, and adrenaline-pumping challenges, there’s a corner of the world that offers a different kind of experience — a space where relaxation, comfort, and joy are the name of the game instead.

Welcome to the wonderful world of cozy games!

What Exactly is Cozy Gaming?

Rooted in the general feeling of ‘coziness’, cozy gaming is about removing any threats or pressures related to risk and loss when playing. Basically, if you follow the game’s storyline and quests, put in the work it asks you to, then you will be ‘winning’ the game without having to prove high skills or play with a looming sense of danger.

Cozy games are a safe space without the high stakes, as a player you can express yourself freely without having to ‘prove’ anything to anyone – including the game itself.

There are some other key factors which we believe are intrinsic to the cozy game identity:

Of course, you can also mention here things like a soothing musical score, toned down color palettes, or chibi-like characters, but there are plenty of games which don’t have these and are still considered ‘cozy’. For example: Gris, another top cozy game .

Are there exceptions?

As with almost everything in life, yes.

Cozy gaming, at the end of the day, is highly subjective. Many players consider Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and its sequel, Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, to be cozy games. Objectively, both games break almost every factor or rule we mention above. You have combat, high stakes, time pressured situations, and a very real sense of danger whenever a random enemy pops out at you.

But – if you play it your way – it can also have space for community building, self-reflection, and calm. Heck, you can find ‘calm’ in a lot of games not built for that purpose. Personally, there was nothing as soothing as roaming the hills of Skellige in Witcher 3 with Fields of Ard Skellige playing in the background when I was knee-deep in it.

You get the picture, as long as you’re in a relaxed state of mind, at peace with the world, then you’re essentially cozy gaming.

22 Coziest Games to Help You Unwind

There’s a lot to explore and dive into in the world of cozy games. For example: some gamers don’t have a Switch, so need games compatible with different consoles. Some are only interested in cozy multiplayer games (no, not Mario Kart).

The lists can be endless!

We’ve reviewed our top favorites and what might be objectively considered some of the best cozy games around. We keep adding more every week (in fact we can barely keep up with all the wonderful ones coming out right now), and also try to categorize them in ways that make sense.

Our Cozy Game Reviews

These are all of the reviews published so far on our site, in alphabetical order.

If you want to read the full reviews, click on the titles and be whisked away to the more comprehensive opinion and guide.

  1. Abzu review

  1. Animal Crossing: New Horizons review

  1. A Short Hike review

  1. Cat Cafe` Manager review

  1. Coffee Talk review

  1. Cozy Grove review

  1. Disney Dreamlight Valley review

  1. Fae Farm review

  1. Gris review

  1. Haunted Chocolatier review

  1. Kirby and the Forgotten Land review

  1. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild review

  1. My Time at Portia

  1. My Time at Sandrock

  1. Ooblets review

  1. Resonance of the Ocean review

  1. Spiritfarer review

  1. Stardew Valley review

  1. Unpacking review

  1. Untitled Goose Game review
  1. Witchbrook review
  1. Wytchwood review

Top Consoles for Cozy Gaming

We all know how subjective and hotly debated the question of what gaming platform is best is.

At The Video Game Tavern, we’re pretty divided on this ourselves. I myself grew up playing Disney ripped games and Theme Hospital on my PC. Jenny, our designer, was fed a steady diet of Kingdom Hearts on her Playstation. And we both have cozy mobile games on our phones.

For cozy gaming, there are some platforms that do better than others. You can delve more into this by clicking on the links below, but here’s the general gist:

  1. Nintendo Switch : most cozy games are compatible with the Switch, and also the console itself just pairs perfectly with the idea of bundling under a mountain of blankets with a mug of cocao by your side on a perfect fall day.
  2. PC : all cozy games are playable on a PC format, and the setup will make it easier for you to see every minute pixel detail on your game. Plus, a lot of cozy gamers enjoy customizing their PC space to add to the cozy vibe.
  3. Mac: Just like with PC, most cozy games are compatible with Mac platforms and get added benefits like customizability, easy game controls and higher definition gaming.
  4. Playstation 5 : While this new gen console makes for beautiful graphics, sometimes the controls aren’t as smooth to navigate as Switch and PC play.
  5. Playstation 4 : A lot of cozy games are playable on PS4, although the newer ones coming out aren’t always compatible.
  6. Xbox: The least common cozy gaming platform, Xbox still allows for cozy gameplay, but runs into the same issues as the PS5 without the high definition graphics. Players still love it because of the great deals provided by the Xbox Game Pass though.

Cozy Gaming Community

The players who love cozy gaming form a thriving and amazing community that you can be a part of too!

Aside from small sites like VGT itself, the r/CozyGamers subreddit always has a cozy gamer or two happy to discuss games, answer questions, help you with game tips, or share cozy game recs!

It’s this same community that put together a master list of all cozy games, which you can sort by platform, price, genre and more: Subreddit Masterlist . A wonderful resource and a testimony to the love and passion there is behind this genre.

Frequently Asked Questions about Cozy Gaming

  1. What is the coziest game?

Many cozy gamers consider Stardew Valley to be the coziest game ever. First released in 2016, it has sold almost 14 million copies worldwide and averages 170 hours of gameplay. With complex relationships, fun farming and events, and integral character building – Stardew Valley is definitely the coziest game to date.

  1. What is cozy gaming?

Video gaming where the main aim is to immerse yourself in a new world and relax at your own pace. There are no high-stakes or intense pressure situations. Fulfilling missions, quests or goals, while adding a fun element to any game, are not the pivotal point. Soft soundscapes, cuter aesthetics, building meaningful relationships with other characters, are also key elements of the cozy gaming experience.

  1. What makes a game ‘cozy’?

The top factors are no high stakes or threats of danger in the gameplay, and feeling a sense of community and calm instead. There are many other things to consider, which you can read more about in the section above if you’re interested.