Cozy games are like a warm cup of tea for your brain, perfect for when the world feels a little too much lately. If you’ve got Xbox Game Pass, you’re in luck, because there’s a bunch of these chill, feel-good games ready to help you unwind and relax. All for under $10 per month!
Keep reading to see my favorite cozy games available on Games Pass right now.
What is Game Pass? [and Why is It Great]
Game Pass is a subscription service from Microsoft for Xbox consoles and PC. It gives you access to a large library of games that you can download and play as long as you stay subscribed. Here are the key points:
- Access to hundreds of games: Including new releases from Xbox Game Studios on launch day.
- Multiple platforms: Available on Xbox consoles, Windows PCs, and also via cloud streaming on some devices.
- Different tiers:
- Xbox Game Pass for Console: access on Xbox.
- PC Game Pass: access on Windows PC.
- Game Pass Ultimate: includes both console and PC access plus Xbox Live Gold for online multiplayer and other perks.
- Regularly updated library: Games are added and sometimes removed over time.
- Discounts: Subscribers get discounts on games and DLC in the Microsoft Store.
It’s like a Netflix for games, letting you try lots of titles without buying each one individually.
1. Unpacking
Genre: puzzle
Coziness Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Unpacking is part puzzle, part time capsule, and entirely cozy. Instead of battling dragons or saving kingdoms, you’ll be rifling through moving boxes, deciding where your favorite mug (or that slightly embarrassing plushie) belongs in a new home. Each level is a quiet chapter in someone’s life told through their stuff: the GameCube that sticks around, the diploma that doesn’t quite fit, the heartbreak hidden between cramped shelves. There are no timers, no fail states, just the simple, meditative joy of making a space feel like yours. And maybe, along the way, realizing what we choose to carry says more than words ever could.
2. Disney Dreamlight Valley
Genre: Life sim
Coziness Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Disney Dreamlight Valley is what happens when Animal Crossing meets a Disney daydream. You’ll clear thorns, decorate to your heart’s content, and hang out with a cast of Pixar pals who double as your new neighbors. One minute you’re gardening with WALL•E, the next you’re whipping up ratatouille with Remy or fishing with Goofy like it’s the most normal Tuesday ever. The Valley is yours to restore: plant flowers, move houses, design outfits, and maybe snap a selfie with Elsa while you’re at it. It’s equal parts life-sim, adventure, and nostalgia trip, sprinkled with just enough magic to keep you coming back.
3. Moonlighter
Genre: RPG
Coziness Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Moonlighter is part dungeon crawler, part small-town hustle, and entirely addictive. By day, you’re a mild-mannered shopkeeper setting prices, rearranging shelves, and keeping sticky-fingered thieves at bay. By night? You’re diving headfirst through mystical gates into monster-filled realms to stock your shelves with treasures worth a small fortune. It’s a game of balance, risk your life for loot, then haggle it away to keep your dream alive. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll uncover secrets that prove you were never meant to stay behind the counter.
4. Planet of Lana
Genre: Platformer
Coziness Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Planet of Lana is a cinematic puzzle adventure that feels like a watercolor painting brought to life. You’ll journey across sweeping landscapes with your loyal (and extremely adorable) creature companion, solving clever puzzles and sneaking past mechanical monstrosities to uncover a story about harmony, survival, and hope. It’s not about fighting back, it’s about outsmarting, outlasting, and preserving beauty in a world on the brink of ruin.
5. Minami Lane
Genre: Life sim
Coziness Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Minami Lane is a tiny slice of cozy heaven where you design the cutest little street this side of a Studio Ghibli dream. Build ramen shops, boba cafes, and flower stands; keep your villagers happy; and maybe shoo away some stray trash while you’re at it. It’s part management sim, part neighborhood makeover, and all about good vibes, with bonus points for tanukis, cats, and bubble tea.
6. House Flipper
Genre: Chore sim
Coziness Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
House Flipper hands you the tools, and the freedom, to turn fixer-uppers into dream homes. Clean up grimy messes, knock down walls, paint fresh colors, and furnish spaces just right. Whether you’re helping clients or crafting your own cozy oasis, every nail hammered and wall wiped feels like progress. It’s satisfying, hands-on, and just the right kind of productive escape for when you want to build something beautiful with your own two hands.
7. The Gunk
Genre: RPG
Coziness Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Gunk is a moody, lush space adventure where you’re not just cleaning up a mess, you’re restoring a whole planet. Playing as Rani, you’ll zap away toxic slime with your trusty Power Glove, uncover secrets of a lost civilization, and watch a wild jungle bloom back to life under your care. It’s equal parts quiet exploration and intimate storytelling, wrapped in a beautifully eerie atmosphere that makes you want to slow down, breathe it in, and see what mysteries unfold. Sometimes saving the day means getting your hands dirty—gloriously dirty.
8. Cities Skylines
Genre: City builder
Coziness Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cities: Skylines hands you the keys to your very own bustling metropolis (or sleepy town, if that’s more your vibe). From laying down your first patch of pavement to juggling the tricky needs of thousands of citizens, you get to build a city that’s uniquely yours. Whether you want a smoggy industrial powerhouse or a peaceful beachside getaway powered by wind turbines, this game’s got you covered. With day-to-night life cycles, quirky district policies, and traffic puzzles that’ll keep your brain buzzing, Cities: Skylines is city planning with heart and a whole lot of fun.
9. Spirittea
Genre: Task management
Coziness Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Welcome to Spirittea, where the spirits are restless and the tea is magical! You’ve sipped the enchanted brew, so now you see the mischievous ghosts causing all sorts of mayhem in this once-peaceful mountain town. Your job? Befriend quirky spirits, solve their oddball problems (from spicy noodle cravings to lost treasures) and turn the dusty old bathhouse into the hottest haunt in town. Clean towels, chop wood, mix elixirs, and strategically seat your ghostly guests (because some spirits just can’t stand each other). It’s a charming, heartwarming blend of spirit wrangling, cozy management, and heartfelt community-building, all steeped in a soothing, magical brew.
10. Stardew Valley
Genre: Farming sim
Coziness Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
You’ve just inherited your grandfather’s forgotten farm in Stardew Valley, a patch of land tangled in weeds and memories. With only hand-me-down tools and grit, you set out to revive this sleepy town, grow crops, raise animals, and maybe even restore the community spirit. But it’s not just farming here, it’s about friendships, festivals, exploring mysterious caves, and falling in love with your quirky neighbors. Whether you’re crafting, fishing, mining, or just soaking in the seasons, Stardew Valley is the perfect escape to build your dream life, one cozy day at a time.
11. Spiritfarer
Genre: Task management
Coziness Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spiritfarer is a gentle, soul-stirring cozy game about the delicate art of saying goodbye. You play Stella, the ferry captain for spirits making their final journey, building your boat, farming, crafting, and cooking as you explore a magical world. Alongside your adorable cat companion Daffodil, you befriend and care for charming spirits, sharing precious moments before helping them move on. It’s a tender story about love, loss, and letting go, wrapped in warm visuals and soothing gameplay that makes saying farewell feel like a beautiful new beginning.
12. Farming Simulator 22
Genre: Farming sim
Coziness Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Farming Simulator 22 puts you in the boots of a modern farmer with a world of fields, forests, and livestock to tend. From planting vineyards in sun-soaked France to managing sprawling Midwestern farms, this game serves up a feast of agricultural freedom, with over 400 real-world machines to play with. Seasons change, challenges grow, and whether you’re mulching fields or harvesting honey from buzzing beehives, there’s always something to keep your hands busy and your heart full. Plus, you can bring friends along for multiplayer farming fun, making your agricultural empire truly a team effort.
13. Little Kitty Big City
Genre: Sandbox
Coziness Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
You’re a curious little kitty with a big personality, lost in a sprawling city that’s just begging to be explored—though, yeah, maybe finding your way home is kind of on the to-do list. Wander at your own pace, meet chatty animal friends, cause a little (or a lot of) ruckus, and rock an adorable collection of hats that say, “I’m here to play.” Whether you’re napping in a sunny patch or diving headfirst into city adventures, this is a cozy playground where chaos and charm go hand in paw.
14. Donut County
Genre: Puzzle
Coziness Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Donut County lets you play as a mischievous hole in the ground that just keeps getting bigger…swallowing up homes, friends, and all their trash with gleeful abandon. You’re BK, a trash-loving raccoon whose remote-controlled holes cause all kinds of chaos and weirdly delightful puzzle antics. Explore quirky characters’ homes, gobble up their stuff, mix objects for surprising combos, and catapult things back out just to watch the madness unfold. It’s trashy, charming, and oddly heartwarming, because sometimes, swallowing the world whole is just what you need.
15. Firewatch
Genre: Walking sim
Coziness Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Firewatch is less about blazing fires and more about burning questions, quiet moments, whispered over a crackling radio between Henry, a man hiding from his past, and Delilah, his sharp-witted supervisor. Set against the vast, stunning Wyoming wilderness of 1989, you watch the world burn and cool down at the same time, unraveling a mystery as layered as the forests around you. It’s a game about connection, trust, and the heavy weight of choices made in isolation, sometimes all it takes is a voice on the other end of a radio to feel less alone.
Stay cozy, gamers!