One of my #resolutions this year is to save more money. I even downloaded the cutest budgeting app called Money+ (Android), as well as a savings tracker called JamJars (Android)—yes, even my finances have to be aesthetic. But cozy games are a source of relaxation, distraction, and mental health love for me. So even when I’m not spending any money on new games, I want to have a pool of stuff to play.
What about you? Are you are ready for a new cozy game but you are currently between paychecks and flat broke? Or are you just sticking to goals to spend less and save more this year? Or, are you a new streamer with a smaller budget for games to play?
I have been here a thousand times before. I need to scratch that cozy game itch but I don’t have a cent to my name (rent prices, am I right?). Here are some cozy free games on Steam that you can check out. No credit card required!
Free Cozy Games for You to play Right Now
Here are the best free games on Steam for cozy gamers:
1. Batography — Cute, atmospheric photography game
Drifting through a midnight world of soft lantern glow and rustling treetops, Batography invites you to soar, scamper, and snap your way through a cozy, moonlit town teeming with charm and cheeky animal companions. As a plucky bat with a dream of capturing the perfect lunar photograph, you’ll bound across rooftops, glide between branches, and lend a wing to the quirky residents in exchange for mooncakes and mischief.
Every shadowy alley and wind-swept perch holds a secret, every encounter brims with warmth (and just a little sass), and at the heart of it all lies your ultimate goal—the full, luminous beauty of the moon, waiting to be framed.
2. Sheepy: A Short Adventure — Free indie puzzle platformer with rave player reviews
Lost in a world of faded memories and quiet decay, Sheepy: A Short Adventure follows a small, abandoned plushie stitched to life, wandering through the ruins of something once whole. With every delicate step and daring leap, Sheepy uncovers fragments of a forgotten past, his soft fabric frame contrasting against the worn, broken landscapes he explores.
Wrapped in the melancholic glow of handcrafted pixel art and an ethereal soundtrack by Seeking Blue artists, this brief yet poignant journey invites players to embrace the beauty in loneliness, the strength in small things, and the echoes of a world left behind.
3. Palia — Multi-player life sim with tons of exploration
Step into the warm embrace of Palia, a cozy multiplayer world where friendship, adventure, and creativity intertwine in a vibrant tapestry of life. Whether you’re farming beneath golden sunsets, casting a line into sparkling waters, or sharing a home-cooked meal with newfound friends, every moment is yours to shape.
Explore the rolling hills of Kilima Valley and the shores of Bahari Bay, uncovering hidden secrets and lively characters along the way. With a welcoming community and endless ways to thrive, Palia isn’t just a place to visit—it’s a place to belong.
4. Sky: Children of the Light — Cozy MMORPG in a stunning world
Drifting through a dreamlike kingdom of light and wonder, Sky: Children of the Light invites you to soar across vast, enchanted realms, uncovering the echoes of an ancient civilization while forging heartfelt connections with fellow travelers. From windswept ruins to glowing caverns, every corner of this ever-evolving world holds mysteries to unravel, spirits to free, and quiet moments of beauty to cherish.
Whether you’re solving puzzles, composing melodies, or simply basking in the warmth of a kind and inclusive community, Sky offers a place where adventure and serenity intertwine, and where every flight feels like a story waiting to unfold.
5. Fallout Shelter — Idle clicker base-builder for Steam & mobile
Fallout Shelter is a cozy settlement management game available on Steam and mobile. Personally, I play it on my Google Pixel but I love that it’s free-to-play on Steam/PC, as well (Windows only). You will start with a few survivors and slowly build out your Vault, adding lodgings and resource facilities and putting your settlers to work to keep things up and running. You can also send NPCs out to explore the wasteland for treasure, but they may not come back! It’s a fun and addicting mix of base-building, survival, and idle clicker.
6. The Sims 4 — The OG life simulation game, now F2P
The Sims 4 is officially free-to-play! And those of us (me) who paid full price for it are kicking ourselves. I debated whether or not to add this one to the list because although it is technically “on Steam,” you need to download EA Play to use it so it adds an extra hassle. But it is an awesome deal as far as free games go. You can lose countless hours customizing your character, designing tiny homes, chasing a career, raising a family, and being surprised by silly only-in-The-Sims moments with some of the goofiest NPC AI around.
7. Tailor Tales — Free romance visual novel, Otome style
Tailor Tales is a free-to-play dating sim in the Otome style (one woman, many male dating prospects). In this game, you play as an aspiring fashion designer who owns her own boutique. There are some fashion design and business management elements, as you will be required to style customers to earn gold in order to progress the story. You can finish each route in under 5 hours but each bachelor has two endings, meaning tons of replayability. And, there are no bad endings! Very cozy-chic.
8. Blush Blush — LGBTQ+ friendly dating & business sim
Blush Blush is another free-to-play dating game, this time with some sexual content and more inclusivity in dating options (LGBTQ+ friendly). It blends dating elements with idle game mechanics and time management. You can choose to spend your time working, increasing your stats, or planning and executing dates.
The crux of the story is that 12 boys are “cursed” and your love is the only thing that can free them, but it’s super tongue-in-cheek so you don’t have to worry about cringing through the whole plot. You can also play Crush Crush, the “femme love interests” version of the game!
9. GWENT: The Witcher Card Game — Standalone version of the card game from The Witcher 3
GWENT, for the uninitiated, is a card game minigame/sidequest from The Witcher franchise. But CD Projekt Red broke it out into its own game and made it totally free to play! You can do single-player and play against an AI or participate in PvP online.
If you like deck building and trading card games, you should give GWENT a try. It’s highly competitive so it might not be everyone’s cozy cup of tea but it’s a great game with rich and compelling mechanics. “Easy to learn, tough to master,” as they say, so you’ll get out of it what you put in.
10. LAY — Poetic and contemplative exploration
LAY is a third-person exploration game developed by students from Objectif 3D, offering a poetic and contemplative adventure. Players step into the shoes of Elise, a young and energetic explorer, as she dives into a mysterious world brimming with color and life.
The game features an open world where players can travel the skies on a manta ray, exploring four large islands filled with secrets and puzzles. These enigmas and interactions with the environment are key to solving mysteries and bringing life back to the world.
11. Fishing Planet — Serene, calming realistic fishing simulator
Fishing Planet is a relaxing first person fishing simulator with realistic graphics and beautiful, serene settings on the water. You can play online co-op, as well, so it could be a great hangout idea between long distance friends who used to fish together IRL.
It has over 170 fish to catch, each with detailed AI-driven behavior researched by real life fishing enthusiasts. My absolute favorite part of the game is the scenery, though. You can pick between 25 different waterways and enjoy the reflections, ripples, and splashes. It’s super meditative and aesthetic.
12. Crusader Kings II — Go at your own pace political strategy game
Now that Crusader Kings III is out, Crusader Kings II is totally free to play. The Crusader Kings franchise is a medieval strategy “board game” where your goal is to grow your kingdom, increase your influence, and avoid the pitfalls of greed, lust, and hubris along the way.
It often plays out like a soap opera, with grand betrayals and melodramatic twists (demonic possession, anyone?). It’s a sandbox game, so you can truly take it in any direction you see fit. Though it can be fun to dramatically rise to power, sometimes you just want to cozy up and watch the world burn.
13. Emily is Away — Text-based interactive narrative about growing up
Emily is Away is an interactive narrative story about two friends hanging out on an old school instant messaging service. You can pick your screen name and profile picture from tons of “early 2000s flashback” bangers: Blink 182, Muse, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and Eminem.
The mechanics are point-click-and-read, with the player guiding the conversation between themselves and NPC “Emily” by picking from different dialogue options. The entire story takes place in an instant messenger screen via a decision-based branching narrative. You follow these same two characters over the course of 5 years of their life and, with them, experience the highs and lows of growing up.
14. Our Life: Beginnings & Always — Romance visual novel where choices matter
Our Life: Beginnings & Always is a romance visual novel that covers the 15-year story of falling in love with the lonely boy next door. It covers childhood all the way through adulthood with a fully customizable, choice-heavy narrative that will feel a little bit different each time you play it.
The way you interact with the game will determine how your love interest, Cove Holden, turns out. Your choices may change his appearance, personality, and interests over time. You can pick your name, appearance, and pronouns, so the game is also LGBTQ+ inclusive. If you enjoy it, wishlist their follow-up game.
15. Shop Titans — Business simulator with light RPG elements
Shop Titans is a business simulator with light RPG elements. You will set up a storefront in a bustling town full of adventures and try to forage and craft items that they might need for their travels. You can go adventuring yourself to gather more resources, recruiting NPCs or your online co-op companions. You can also join a guild and compete in team quests for big rewards.
Though there is a guild system, you are never “under attack” so the game remains a good cozy, low pressure choice. There are microtransactions and the game can feel a bit play-to-win-y at times. But there are plenty of non-competition elements to enjoy if you don’t mind dancing around that.
16. A Date with Death – Romance chat simulator where you date the Grim Reaper
I know all you “cult cozy” girlies are going to love this one. A Date with Death is a supernatural romance chat simulator visual novel where players engage in a unique relationship with the Grim Reaper. In this game, players find themselves narrowly escaping death throughout their life, only to be confronted by the Grim Reaper through a mysterious program on their computer.
The game revolves around a week-long bet with the Grim Reaper to keep one’s soul. Players can create and customize their character, including appearance and pronouns, and decorate their apartment.
17. one night, hot sprint – A sweet, heartfelt LGBTQ+ visual novel
One night, hot springs is a visual novel that tells the story of Haru, a young transgender woman, who is invited by her old friend Manami to spend a night at the hot springs in Japan. The game focuses on Haru’s experiences and the challenges she faces as a transgender woman in a traditional setting.
It sensitively explores issues relevant to transgender individuals in Japan, offering players a glimpse into the personal and sensitive topics they might encounter. The game is designed for all ages and provides about 30 minutes of playtime with seven different endings.
18. Every Letter – Narrative-driven typing game
AKA the “typewriter clacking ASMR simulator.” Every Letter is a cozy, single-player letter-writing game where players take on the role of a letter writer using a typewriter. In this narrative-driven game, players receive requests from clients and express their messages and emotions through letters, ranging from casual greetings to love letters and theater scripts.
The game features a charming cast of characters and intertwining stories that unfold across multiple clients’ requests. Players will experience the unique quirks of typing on a typewriter and discover the deeper meaning and impact of letter writing.
19. Witches x Warlocks – Halloween Otome dating sim
Witches x Warlocks is a charming and light-hearted Halloween-themed Raising Sim game. The game features a customizable protagonist, where players can adjust the character’s hair and skin color, name, and pronouns. The story revolves around Fay Nightshade, a witch who has only seven days until Halloween to learn spells for their final exams, failing which they risk being expelled from school.
Players can explore relationships with four different love interests of varying genders (two male, one female, one nonbinary). The game includes 28 spells or scenes to unlock, partial voice acting, and six different endings, providing around one hour of gameplay per playthrough.
20. I Love You, Colonel Sanders! A Finger Lickin’ Good Dating Simulator – Comedy/meme dating sim
Yet another example of corporations trying to be #relatable…only, this time the attempt kind of lands! I Love You, Colonel Sanders! A Finger Lickin’ Good Dating Simulator is a unique and humorous dating simulator created by KFC, where players take on the role of a culinary student attempting to date their classmate, Colonel Sanders.
The game is set in a culinary school environment and involves making life-changing decisions that affect the player’s chances of friendship and love with Colonel Sanders. The game features nine lovable characters, multiple hours of play-through, dateable Colonel Sanders, a secret ending, secret recipes, cooking battles, and even “battle battles.”
21. Postmouse – Cute, 3D platformer about a mouse
Postmouse is a third-person single-player puzzle platforming game developed by students of the Animation Workshop. The game follows the story of a timid mouse named Postmouse, who embarks on their first adventure to deliver mail in a world full of challenges and dangers. Set in the ruins of a 19th-century abandoned mansion, the game features a handcrafted, overgrown teslapunk landscape for players to explore.
As Postmouse, players will meet various charming animals, solve environmental puzzles, and navigate through treacherous conditions to ensure timely mail delivery. The game also includes a collectible aspect where players can gather stamps to unlock beautiful concept art and background stories.
22. 100 Asian Cats – Hidden object puzzler
100 Asian Cats is an adorable and engaging adventure game set in Asia, where players embark on a quest to find 100 charmingly hidden cats. The game features beautifully hand-drawn artwork depicting Asian temples and other picturesque settings. As players explore these serene environments, they are tasked with the delightful challenge of locating and identifying a variety of cats, each uniquely integrated into the game’s scenery.
The game’s design emphasizes a cozy and relaxing experience, inviting players to immerse themselves in the tranquil and artistically rich landscapes of Asia while enjoying the simple pleasure of discovering hidden felines.
Conclusion
Those are my suggestions for current cozy free Steam games! Check back often, as I always update my lists when something new emerges.
Here are some other lists that contain many free cozy game titles, as well:
Stay cozy, friends!