Cosy Video Games ~ My Favourites / Recommendations
ID: A graphic with a cream background with a multi coloured geographic pattern on it. The words cosy Video Games is written in the middle. In the top left and right corners are two console controllers and in the bottom right corner is an illustration of a person wearing a gaming headset.
Hello Friends,
I’ve mentioned that I play Animal Crossing a number of times in various articles I’ve written, but what you may not know is that it isn’t and has never been the only video game I play. My introduction to video games was very early in my life, I vaguely remember my brothers and dad playing on the Atari. Then not long after I turned five, my parents got my brothers a Nintendo Entertainment System which came with the first Super Mario Brothers and Duck Hunt games ~ honestly I think I spent more time playing Mario than my brothers did and I loved every moment of it. If anyone is interested, I’d be happy to write about my "gaming history” in more depth, just let me know.
As I grew up, I continued to play video games in some form or another, either on whatever console I had at the time, or that my one of my brother’s had. When I got my own PC, I began playing some games on that as well. So I consider myself a life long Gamer, though my niche games and the ones I enjoy the most come under the tag of “Cosy Games” and as such I class myself as a “Cosy Gamer”
So as the cosy seasons are upon us, I thought it would be nice to share a few of my all time favourite cosy games, along with some recent cosy game favourites…
Minecraft
I’ve been playing Minecraft for a very long time. I started on Java and have since moved to playing Bedrock on my Nintendo Switch. If you don’t know what Minecraft is, let me try to explain…
It’s a single / multi-player game where just about everything in the world comes in block form and the generally idea is that you go mining for materials and then build or craft other items with them. There’s two game modes ~ Survival or Creative. In the latter mode, you don’t have to mine for anything and can just build and create whatever you want. In Survival, while you are gathering materials you can choose whether you want to deal with hostile mobs or not. There’s more you can do within the game but that is the general idea.
ID: Louises’ Minecraft character still in the bedroom an office section of her Minecraft house.
Personally, I have always preferred playing in Creative as I quickly discovered going mining actually makes me feel claustrophobic, especially if I begin to feel I’m lost. I know how strange that sounds because it’s a game and I cannot explain it myself but there we have it. So I will often play in Creative to gain my resources and then swap to Survival, I do this especially when playing Bedrock {console edition} as I find the “flying” function a little finicky.
But finding a lovely spruce forest or mountain range to live in and the whole act of just placing blocks and creating things, whether it’s your own little home or an entire village, I find it really relaxing and I love seeing what I am building come together. Plus the occasional music in the game really adds to the whole cosy mood of the game.
Stardew Valley
SDV is another game I’ve been playing for a while and enjoy more each time I play it. I’ve mainly played the iOS version but not long after I got my Switch, I decided to give the console version a go and now I swap between my two saves, depending on whether I want to play on my Switch or not.
If you’re not sure what SDV is, let me explain…
ID: The Grey Switch stood on a white shelf. It has some animal crossing amigo figures on either side of it and a garland of autumn leaves below it. On the screen is a the title screen for Stardew Valley.
It’s a farming simulation game with a story element to it. You develop your farm by planting crops, getting different animals, gathering resources, and building relationships with the people who live in Pelican town with you. Each day is about 12 playable minutes and the game year is split into the 28 days of four seasons ~ each season has some fun little events that you can take part in as well.
I always find my time playing SDV is lovely and relaxing and personally I feel it’s especially cosy when you’re playing through autumn as the game captures that season beautifully.
Animal Crossing
I’ve mentioned Animal Crossing many times so I’ll go into this one a lot. If you would like to know about my long history and experience with this franchise, then I would suggest reading this article here.
ID: A Switch Lite with a creamy skin with autumn trees on it. It’s sat on a fake log tray with three toadstool decorations around it. On the screen is Louise’s animal Crossing character sat next to a wolf villager called Wolfgang.
But in general, from the first moment I began playing Wild World and now playing New Horizons, I’ve found it a very relaxing, enjoyable time. Visiting my villagers each day, harvesting fruit and decorating my islands and my houses is just a lovely way to spend a bit of time escaping reality.
Like SDV, I especially love the Autumn season in Animal Crossing and making my houses and islands extra cosy is just one of my favourite things to do in this game.
If you play ACNH and would like to visit my islands via a Dream, here are the DA’s for you:
Hessa: DA-8596-8027-6312
Panem: DA-2714-6570-7243
Risa: DA-0158-1982-7386
Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild
ID: A Grey Switch stood in front of a Breath of the Wild guide book. The book has a illustration of Princess Zelda on the front. On the screen there is Link sat on one of his Horses.
I know BOTW might not come to mind when you’re looking for a cosy game to play but hear me out on this one. While there’s of course a danger of element to this game and your main quest is to save Zelda and Hyrule, I have found that there is a certain aspect of this game that I find really cosy and relaxing…
Riding Horses through the spectacular scenery of this very open world. For me, having been an Equestrian for many, many years until my health failed me, heading to a stable and taking out on of my lovely Horses and just going for a ride is really fun and relaxing. Honestly, if you’ve played this game and never bothered with taming Horses or completely the side quests that are Horse related, then I suggest giving it a go. I also really recommend the area around Sanidin Park Ruins to go for a ride as there’s no enemies and there’s always Horses around if you want to tame more.
Toem
I saw a trailer for this game a while ago and I recent added it to my collection and the only regret I have is that I wish I’d bought it sooner!
ID: A Grey Switch sat on a fake log tray. also on the tray is three little toadstool decorations and a fabric pumpkin. On the screen is the title screen for the game Toem.
Toem is a Photography Adventure game and honestly that was all I needed to know because having any kind of camera / photograph taking function in a game {other than taking screenshots} will always peak my interest. As you travel to you destination, you catch a bus to other places along the way and help other characters by taking photographs of the things they need.
The graphics are so lovely and I love that game is fully black and white, it makes it feel unique to the other games I play. There’s so much to find as you explore that you just can’t help but take pictures, which helps you complete the compendium. The music is also great and you collection different tracks to listen to along your journey.
I’ve played this for about 3 or so hours and after all of the Animal Crossing I’ve been playing lately, it was a wonderful change and honestly, I think it’s one of the cosiest, more relaxing games I’ve picked up in a little while.
A Short Hike
This is a lovely, short game that, if you’re able to, could complete within a few hours as the story isn't long at all. But you can easily spend more time, exploring the world.
ID: A Grey Switch stood infant of some different coloured books. On the screen is a screenshot from the game A Short Hike.
You play as a little bird who is spending Summer at a Park and the aim is essentially to go on a hike to the top of the mountain. Along your journey you meet other fun characters that you can help find items for. There’s also certain items you can collect for yourself which will help you on your hike.
I will be honest, I haven’t picked this one up for a while but I enjoyed every moment that I played it. It’s not only relaxing but there’s some really fun elements to it that may or may not involve a speed boat ~ yes you read that correctly!
So if you’re looking for a fairly quick cosy game to play and complete, maybe give A Short Hike a try.
Haven Park
When I saw someone I follow in the cosy gaming community on Instagram playing this, I knew I had to pick it up. It actually reminds me a lot of A Short Hike because the graphic style is the same and you also play as a little bird.
ID: A Grey Switch sat on a tartan background. On the screen is the title screen for the game Haven Park.
In Haven Park, you’re tasked with helping your Grandma to fix up the campsites and the Park itself, so visitors will enjoy their stay. As you explore the park, you will come across the little sites and then are tasked with adding certain features. However, to add those features you also have to collect material to build them.
While this is a longer game than A Short Hike, if you’re able, you could probably complete all the tasks within a day of playing it. Honestly, it’s just a fun, relaxing and cosy time and I absolutely loved playing as Flint, because he’s adorable.
So, again, if you’re wanting to play a shorter, cosy, fun game and you’ve played and enjoyed A Short Hike, I’d definitely give Haven Park a try. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed at all.
So those are my top cosy games either of all time or recent finds.
A couple more I’d recommend picking up would be Legend of Zelda Link’s Awakening ~ the graphics and music for this LoZ game are just wonderful and for a game in this franchise, it’s too long to complete. I’ve also recently started playing a game called Lost Words: Beyond the Page ~ this is just an absolutely beautiful looking game with a duel storyline that is one for book loving gamers as you help to write a fantasy story and use words to help your main character complete their quest.
If you enjoy playing video games, have you played any of these? Alternatively, leave me a comment telling me what video games you enjoy playing as I’m always looking for new games to try.
Also if you weren’t aware, I have a cosy gaming Instagram where you can keep up with all my cosy gaming adventures: @cosygamer_lo
Stay Safe. Play Cosy Games.
L x
