How many of us spent those first few months of lockdown finding solace in an island-building game where a greedy raccoon would shake us down for rent money? Odds are, quite a few.
Since the pandemic, there’s been an influx of cozy games. These range from cutesy farming games like Animal Crossing, that let you build a town, to titles like Palworld, which let you arm Pokémon-like creatures with guns. We seriously haven’t been able to go a single Nintendo Direct without ten farming simulators being announced.
Cozy gaming has been seen as a way for “less hardcore” gamers to break into the hobby. By focusing on simple, repetitive tasks with freedom of customisation and treating people with kindness, cozy gaming has attracted an audience of gamers looking to unwind and de-stress (preferably without shooting someone’s head off).
So, with all that, what exactly is a cozy game? And why was the pandemic such a big catalyst in hard-launching them into the stratosphere?
What is a ‘cozy game’?
Cozy gaming is my favourite redundant term. All gaming is cozy (in theory), but not all games are cozy games? What da helly?
As its name suggests, a cozy game is one that prioritises the player’s relaxation. Most cozy games let the player explore their unique world, cook meals, tend to adorable cows, and grow livestock.
In contrast to some of the more popular video games out there, cozy gaming aims to offer a stress-free experience. Think of the most popular games on the market. In Call of Duty, Fortnite or Valorant, you need to perform well to have fun. Otherwise, you’re a prop in someone else’s power fantasy. In a cozy game, skill isn’t a requirement to play.
Because the genre has had a massive surge in popularity, plenty of games have been released with different spins. Because cozy gaming has become so varied and hard to pin down, some even wonder if it can be labelled as a “genre”.
Ruby Innes, a presenter at Backpocket TV and self-titled ‘Big Cheese’, personally disagrees with labelling cozy gaming as a genre.
“I would say that in regards to games, ‘cozy’ is not a genre but more a theme”, shared Innes. “You’re seeing more and more games come out that are completely different genres that describe themselves as ‘cozy games’, purely based on the feeling they elicit or aim to elicit. I mean, there are ‘cozy horror games‘ now. What does that even mean?”
Why did cozy gaming blow up?
Cozy gaming has been around for ages. The original cozy game was Harvest Moon, which came out in 1996 on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Harvest Moon would go on to influence later titles like The Sims and Animal Crossing.
One of the biggest aspects of cozy gaming is its emphasis on community, both in-game and outside of it. Players often find themselves showing off their characters on social media, participating in forums to share tips, and even writing fanfiction for characters.
A recent example is Stardew Valley. The game was released in 2016 and created by Eric Barone (who goes by the alias ConcernedApe online). Over the years, thanks to its passionate fanbase, the game has received consistent updates to add more content.
The game starts after your character receives a letter from their dying grandpa, revealing he’s leaving his farm in your name. You, a desk-working city slicker, suddenly get your first taste of small-town living and must restore the farm to its former glory.
You can also become friends with the villagers, helping them through their biggest struggles. After resolving a conflict with them, you can choose to marry one of them. This can look like giving someone a salad every day for three seasons until they suddenly like you enough. It’s just like real life!
Of course, we wouldn’t be talking about cozy gaming today if Animal Crossing: New Horizons had not been as massively successful as it was.
The game was released in March 2020. What started as a short game to keep us company for a few weeks quickly became a vital source of escapism during one of the decade’s most traumatic events.
Thanks to the game’s social aspects, players could find their friends and interact with them, literally joining them on their island (which is what our homes all felt like during lockdown).
As a result of everyone jumping on cozy gaming as a social hobby, as of 2023, cozy gaming has become such a trend that cozy gaming videos on YouTube were viewed over 110 million times. According to video game store Steam, the platform also saw over 350 cozy games released on its platform in 2024.
What are the benefits of cozy gaming?
I don’t mean to say anything controversial, but video games are good, actually. Not just as a hobby, but also for your brain.
In fact, cozy gaming has been found to have plenty of benefits for people’s mental health. Science has found that cozy gaming can improve an individual’s sense of belonging, introduce positive coping mechanisms, and help players practice mindfulness.
Most significantly, it’s been proven that having players focus on simple and calming activities can help lower stress levels. Lord knows, throwing on a podcast and collecting herbs in Final Fantasy 14 has me forgetting about what’s happening in the news.
In a world that’s continually feeling more isolated, it only makes sense that cozy gaming has picked up steam. As Innes put it, “The cost of living is rising, people are tired and overworked, and society seems to be becoming meaner as a whole. Why wouldn’t you want to come home from a long day of work and sit down with a game that brings you comfort?”
Lumi Interactive, developers of the mobile game Kinder World are one such example of this. After a long period of lockdowns in 2020, the small team of three set out to make a game that would directly soothe players’ anxieties.
“We all [became closer] to nature over the harsh Melbourne lockdowns, and wanted to examine why houseplants had become part of a self-care routine for so many people we knew,” Lauren Clinnik, Co-Founder of Lumi Interactive, told PEDESTRIAN.TV.
“Houseplants and ‘cozy culture’ had become a big trend, so we wanted to see how houseplant care could be brought into a digital space.”
The result eventually became Kinder World, a free, restful mobile game in which players take care of different houseplants and, by extension, themselves. Clinnik said they developed this kind of game after researching self-care activities and working with a professional wellbeing researcher.
“Players are encouraged to perform simple acts of mindful kindness, like emotional naming or daily gratitude, then share [them] with other players as a way not just to improve their own individual wellbeing, but that of the entire player community.”
Like many of us, the team at Lumi Interactive had tried several meditation and calming apps to help them through lockdown. However, they felt like they weren’t having the desired result.
“The apps and services we were using at the time just felt like homework,” shared Clinnik. “They made our well-being feel like just another thing to add to the to-do list, which had the complete opposite effect we wanted when it came to our mental health!”
So, they took matters into their own hands.
“Developing Kinder World reflects our vision for a kinder future through kindness towards ourselves and others,” shared Clinnik.
“We love the cozy games movement overall because it highlights that for a great many of us, we aren’t activated by the ‘hero’s journey’ or a power fantasy anymore. Our dreams aren’t about destruction, they’re about nourishing ourselves and one another, mutual aid and community, softness and gentle moments.”
What are some cozy games worth playing?
So, if you’ve managed to get this far in life and haven’t played any cozy games before, I’m about to give you a laundry list to match your tastes.
If you want to catch the greatest hits, you can’t go wrong with Animal Crossing: New Horizons or Stardew Valley. This is the staple cozy game with endless things to do with a satisfying gameplay loop that’ll draw you in and not let you go (like a good hug).
Want a cozy game with a bit more narrative depth? Consider looking into Spiritfarer, Wanderstop or Unpacking. You’ll get your cozy fix, and maybe a good cry at the same time.
Or, if you want a game with no story that’ll have you completing simple tasks, I’d recommend PowerWash Simulator or Kinder World.
Lastly, if you wanna indulge in the more ‘cutesy’ elements of a cozy game, you can’t go wrong with Infinity Nikki, which lets you dress your character in stellar fits.
With winter just around the corner, there isn’t a better time to dive into a cozy game of your choosing. Because, in my humble opinion, nothing beats spending a wet, rainy day more than turning yourself into a human burrito, loading up that Nintendo Switch and planting some turnips.
Spiritfarer (PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series S X, PC)
Buy it from: Amazon ($34), Nintendo eShop ($42.95), PlayStation ($37.95), Xbox ($43.45), Steam ($43.95)
Infinity Nikki (PS5, Mobile, PC)
Download it from: Steam, PlayStation Store, iOS Store, Android Store
Stardew Valley (PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PC)
Buy it from: Amazon ($65.68), Nintendo eShop ($16.99), PlayStation ($10.47), Xbox ($19.95), Steam
Kinder World (Mobile)
Download it from: iOS Store, Android Store
Unpacking (PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PC)
Buy it from: Nintendo eShop ($28.95), PlayStation ($30.95), Xbox ($29.45), Steam ($28.95)
Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo Switch)
Buy it from: Amazon ($86), Nintendo eShop ($79.95)
PowerWash Simulator (PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PC)
Buy it from: Amazon ($70.37), Nintendo eShop ($30.95) PlayStation ($21.66), Xbox ($37.95), Steam ($34.95)
Image Credit: Stardew Valley / beepsignal
The post Why Cozy Gaming Should Be Your Go-To Hobby This Winter For Stress Relief appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
