10 Cozy Games to Play to Get to Know Me

Posted on by Carmen

My name is Carmen and I own the site Cozy Game Reviews.

And I have a confession to make. I didn’t like Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. I liked Breath of the Wild a bit better, but not by much. Neither of them will ever rank on my personal top 10 Zelda games list, which feels a bit blasphemous to say out loud!

Why am I telling you this? Just to start some drama? No, it’s because game reviews are subjective. Game recommendations are subjective. That’s why I couch my reviews in conversations like:

  • At what price would I buy X game?
  • What other games is X game similar to?
  • How does it compare to other games in X franchise?
  • What are the pros and cons of X game?
  • What type of player would dis/like X game?
  • How is the price-to-value of X game?
  • What does X game do that is new, different, innovative?

Every game has a fanbase, and every reviewer has preferences and bias. Even my mood of the week can effect whether I am immersed in a new game or annoyed by it. So before you like/follow/subscribe to my socials and my blog feed, I thought it would be helpful to introduce myself to you as a cozy gamer. What games do I enjoy, and why?

This can help you decide if my advice is worth following. If we have polar opposite preferences, then you may find the content from another creator to be more helpful to you!

Here are 10 Cozy Games to Play to Get to Know Me

If you agree with these picks, then my reviews are for you! And if not, check out my lists, news, and features sections, where I cover cozy games with a more holistic lens without worrying what I personally think of each one.

1. Stardew Valley – One of my favorite games ever, period

I hate to be a basic B, but Stardew Valley is easily one of my favorite games of all times. Farming sims are a top tier genre for me and pixel art appeals to me more than a lot of “bobble-head” 3D styles that plague competitors these days. I was late on the Stardew Valley bandwagon (I didn’t play it until it came to PS Vita lol) but I’ve sunk hundreds if not thousands of hours into at least a dozen saves files across 3-4 different devices/platforms. My first marriages were Alex and then Haley, in that order, in case you really want to dig into my psyche (please don’t).

Now, I’m constantly on the hunt for new games like Stardew Valley, be it farming sims or life sims with a dating/romance element. I’ll take them all!

What I love about Stardew Valley:

  • Never-ending farming grind
  • Pixel graphics that hold up to time
  • Repetitive/meditative gameplay loop
  • NPC story arcs are some of the best in the genre

My least favorite part of Stardew Valley: Combat in the mines, particularly Skull Cavern.

Favorite way to play Stardew Valley: On a handheld device like Nintendo Switch, PS Vita, or Steam Deck. Min-maxing to finish the community center in 5 months or fewer. Marrying a new villager every save file.

2. Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Easily my most-played game on Nintendo Switch

Animal Crossing: New Horizons just hits different when you are isolating and unemployed during a pandemic. Not only did ACNH keep me sane during lockdown, but it rewrote the memories of 2020 to be…mostly positive? Staying inside and playing Nintendo games all day was so “summer vacation” coded. The combination of my terraforming addiction, a light sprinkle of online co-op options for easy distanced socialization, and tracking the stalk market with day trader obsession—together, these traits blended into a potent serotine high that will likely never be matched in my lifetime.

It’s honestly so hard to find a game like Animal Crossing, though I can see more and more cozy games taking notes from the acclaimed franchise.

What I love about ACNH:

  • Roald & Klaus (my cat is named after Klaus)
  • Daily task lists that are always changing
  • Terraforming and decorating
  • Real-time clock and calendar w/ holiday events

My least favorite part of ACNH: Not being able to have more than one island/save file.

Favorite way to play ACNH: Full screen on the TV, Pinterest open for island inspo, and a bag of sour candies to keep me awake.

3. Wylde Flowers – My favorite modern twist on the farming sim genre

Wylde Flowers is a bit of a slow slow burn to start but by the end of Spring year 1, I was hopelessly hooked. This cozy RPG let’s you play as Tara, a cis woman, which means that characters in the game are canonically bi or gay instead of just “player-sexual.” The game is fully voice acted, filled with characters from diverse backgrounds that they actually talk about in meaningful ways, and it put an unexpected twist on the “inherits a grandparent’s farm” trope that still has me emotionally reeling to this day. Plus: Amira is best girl…in anything, maybe ever.

What I love about it:

  • Spells/potions enhance farming sim chores
  • You can pet the cat; you can also become the cat
  • A great story with mysteries and twists included
  • Diverse cast of characters, incl. race, nationality, sexuality, and gender ID

My least favorite part of X: The game ends in year two, and although you can grind beyond that to complete all the elements of your farm, the game wasn’t originally meant to go beyond that and feels content-light.

Favorite way to play X: Headphones in and fully engaged, with a cup of tea and some sugar cookies on the coffee table next to me.

You can read my full Wylde Flowers review here.

4. Summer in Mara – My favorite cozy world exploration game

Summer in Mara is Harvest Moon meets Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, with just enough farming simulation to scratch my eternal itch while keeping gameplay fresh with tons of exploration, quest lines, and crafting. The world is filled with aliens and pirates, mysteries and treasure maps, sheep floating in crates in the sea, and city markets where you can buy seeds and scraps and everything in between—a delightfully whimsical mishmash of creativity and chaos. With a music score that feels like wrapping myself in a thick, fuzzy blanket, Summer in Mara is such a unique twist on a classic genre that I find myself returning to it often.

What I love about it:

  • Sailing around on my boat uncovering secrets on the map
  • The hand-drawn art and music is to die for
  • Wholesome gameplay, nothing too dark or serious
  • Filled with charm and whimsy

My least favorite part of Summer in Mara: All the sailing back and forth can get repetitive after a while.

Favorite way to play Summer in Mara: Sitting in the sun on the patio, playing on my Nintendo Switch and letting the music compliment the sounds of summer all around me. A cold Corona Sunbrew fizzing with a lime by my bare feet.

5. My Time at Sandrock – My favorite crafting & resource collection game

My Time at Sandrock is the second game in the “My Time at…” franchise, and it’s clear that the developers are hitting their stride big time. While I loved My Time at Portia, it left a lot to be desired story- and mechanics-wise. But Sandrock solidified everything I love about the series (characters, premise, exploration, crafting) while also fleshing out the setting and narrative in important ways. I know it’s a cliche, but the town of Sandrock genuinely became one of the main characters in this game. And I enjoyed every second I spent there. It was quaint, wholesome—all while championing the importance of close community and environmental stewardship.

What I love about it:

  • 140hr+ of deep exploration & story content
  • An endless list of stuff to do, build, and find
  • The perfect blend of community-living and open-world lite
  • A story with twists and turns galore

My least favorite part of My Time at Sandrock: The combat is pretty clunky and clumsy, and also unavoidable and story-critical.

Favorite way to play My Time at Sandrock: On PC, Steam Deck, or PlayStation—something with enough power to keep up. Slow and steady, exploring every nook and cranny. Grind resources on the bus in transit, but tackle deep story content after work with 100% focus.

You can read my full My Time at Sandrock review here.

6. Rune Factory 4 – My favorite cozy game with combat + adventure elements

Rune Factory 4 comes from Marvelous and XSEED, the same folks who own the Story of Seasons franchise and who worked on Harvest Moon before Natsume split up into two factions. Rune Factory defined the “combat + farming sim” subgenre and continues to do it a hop and a skip better than most of it’s contemporaries. Absolutely every skill levels up, from walking to different areas of combat, which creates for a frantic slot machine-like dopamine explosion across each in-game day. I also adore the art style, a charming half-way point between chibi-3D and pixel 2D.

What I love about it:

  • Perfect balance between farming/life sim and dungeon crawling
  • Detailed pixel background art that hold up to time
  • A cute, compelling cast of village characters
  • Monster pet mechanics for resources and battle help

My least favorite part of Rune Factory 4: Odd pick-up and storage mechanics, every action takes one or two too many clicks to complete. The control scheme is convoluted and not at all intuitive to pick back up after a break.

Favorite way to play Rune Factory 4: During the winter months when you have long hours to kill inside in front of holiday movies you’ve seen a hundred times before, or while watching the Yule Log burn on YouTube.

Rune Factory 4 just barely beat out Harvestella for the honor of being my favorite combat-inclusive farming sim. Harvestella would be a good choice if you prefer something more modern, though!

7. Pokemon: Let’s Go – My favorite creature-collection adventure franchise

I’ve played both Pokemon: Let’s Go Eevee and Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu to completion, along with nearly every generation of Pokemon games from Red/Blue all the way to Arceus and Scarlet/Violet. Creature collection games are a favorite genre of mine, and I thought hard about what to include here. Do I recommend something new and innovative? Do I pick something indie and underrated? But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that nothing does it quite so well as the OG. The Pokemon games are why I’m a gamer. They got me into the hobby during my formative years. And I owe them so much.

What I love about it:

  • Nostalgia, childlike wonder, absolute whimsy
  • Great entry-level games for turn-based RPGs
  • Easy, familiar story pathing that feels like coming home
  • Creatures so iconic I have several of them tattooed on me

My least favorite part of Pokemon: No difficulty slider, too linear, not enough to do outside of combat—the usual complaint that Nintendo and GameFreak haven’t taken seriously for decades.

Favorite way to play Pokemon: Download on release day, buy the dual-pack knowing I’ll play both games eventually, relax on the couch watching Pokemon Indigo League in the background and drawing packs in Pokemon TCG Pocket on my phone.

8. The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood – My favorite interactive fiction, choices-matter experience

I played The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood a few years after it came out and, wow, am I sorry I waited that long. Interactive fiction is one of my favorite cozy genres, and add cozy witchy game vibes on top? Perfection! I played the game 4 times in a row, checking out all the different paths I could take and unlocking different endings. Thinking about the characters, like Behemoth Abramar or galactic explorer Grethe, makes my stomach knot up even now. The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood made me sigh, laugh, cry, shake… oh, and rip the cosmos apart to save the one I love.

What I love about it:

  • Pick-your-path, choices matter evocative narrative
  • A cast of characters I will remember forever
  • A tense, emotional climax that had me in tears
  • Made me fall in love with a behemoth….er, I mean…

My least favorite part of The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood: The “graphic design” component of the tarot card deck could be more flexible and customizable.

Favorite way to play The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood: Headphones in and music up, fully emersed in every little details of the story. Paying close attention to each character, and letting myself feel every consequence of my actions up close.

You can read my full The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood review here.

9. Botany Manor – My favorite cozy point-and-click puzzle game

Botany Manor is a point-and-click, explorative cozy puzzle game about cruising through a family estate to learn the secrets to resurrecting mysterious forgotten flora from around the globe. You’ll start by uncovering different rooms and locations, finding bags of seeds—then, you must learn what each plant needs to thrive, and cobble together the perfect recipe for growth using whatever you can find around the property. The puzzles aren’t too hard and watching each plant finally blossom really made me feel a sense of green-thumb accomplishment, even though I can barely keep a cactus alive IRL.

What I love about it:

  • Easy, straight-forward puzzles with intriguing solutions
  • A beautiful, colorful, and serene landscapes
  • Captivating 19th century England setting
  • Compelling, emotional commentary on women’s exclusion from the sciences

My least favorite part of Botany Manor: No re-playability. Once you know the answers to all the puzzles, there isn’t much left to do in the game.

Favorite way to play Botany Manor: Lofi soundtrack running in the background on YouTube, favorite stationary by my side for note-taking, cozied up in my weekend onesie, and cruising through the game in a free evening or two.

You can read my full Botany Manor here.

10. Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town

Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town is a quiet, easy, and relaxing farming sim with no combat, minimal story, and zero reason to rush. For those who find newer, busier life sims too complex to keep up with—or for anyone who just needs a Zen brain break—Friends of Mineral Town is my go-to recommendation. Not only is it one of my favorite Story of Seasons games, but it hosts the cast from Harvest Moon 64—the first cozy game I ever played. It was ported to Steam and consoles summer of 2020, which also make it one of the more accessible “retro” titles for folks who want to see where it all began.

What I love about it:

  • Cute, chibi graphics and a charming cast of characters
  • Tons of secrets and easter eggs to uncover at your own pace
  • Mindless, repetitive tasks are almost meditative
  • The “original” farming sim franchise, featuring the original cast

My least favorite part of Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town: Compared to newer games, there is not a lot going on in FOMT. Not to mention, tons of quality-of-life updates we have come to expect in our farming games do not exist here yet.

Favorite way to play Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town: Catching up on my true crime podcast library while I speedrun the first 2-3 years of the game grinding for resources and upgrades. Embrace the mindless hustle and leverage the game’s flow state to disassociate from life’s daily stress.

— Other Article to Get to Know Me —

Games I love, to give you a sense of what I’m enjoying recently:

Games that were a miss, to give you a sense of what doesn’t always appeal to me:

My favorite articles I’ve ever written, just some sappy stuff et al.:

Conclusion

So, what do you think? Did this article make you nod your head in confirmation or quickly hit “unfollow” on all my socials? Really, I take an approach of: What audience would love each game when I make lists of recommendations or focus on what news to cover. I’d rather spend the majority of my time online uplifting my favorite indie titles than worrying too much about what didn’t click.

I started writing game reviews because I found myself “reviewing” games in my head while I was playing them. It was more of a desire to write down my thoughts—a desire to collect them and be able to look back on them—than a need to objectively “score” something or to complain online.

I, first-and-foremost, want to make sure that you don’t waste your money on games that don’t appeal to you. But reviews…they are subjective. And you have to follow gaming personalities you agree with to get the most out of them. I hope that’s me! But no offense taken if not. 😉

Stay cozy, gamers!