The Game Awards has come and gone once more, leaving us with a cinematic clip of Larian Studio’s next game (Divinity), Leon S. Kennedy’s return to the Resident Evil franchise with a new Porsche, and Clair Obscura: Expedition 33 cleaning house with a final trophy count of nine.
The Game Awards isn’t a traditional “cozy gaming” space, but there are a smattering of highlights I thought you all might appreciate. Here are some cozy game mentions, awards, or trailers from The Game Awards last week.
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The Free Shepherd trailer
The Game Awards opened with a very good pup herding some sheet across idyllic rolling hill landscapes.
The Steam intro reads: “Run fast and free as a sheepdog in a beautiful but troubled world. Herd masses of lost sheep to a secret refuge. Discover a mysterious calamity that only you can stop.” Which clarifies almost nothing. It’s tagged as adventure, exploration, atmospheric, immersive sim, and 3D.
To be honest, I haven’t the foggiest of what this game is about or how it will work. But I’m so ready to find out.
The Free Shepherd comes to PlayStation 5 and Steam in 2027. You can Wishlist it on Steam now.
Bradley the Badger trailer
Is Bradley the Badger cozy? I really couldn’t tell. But it was unique, funny, and eye-catching. Plus, I had to show my cozy audience this excellent froggy clock.
@bearerofbadnews1375 on YouTube comments that “Assuming Bradley the badger is gonna be platformer/ a meta commentary about the current gaming landscape. Like how the old Ratchet and Clank games had commentary about consumerism.” And let me tell you, I would go crazy for that.
Oh, and Evan Peters is in the game.
Release date is currently TBD but you can Wishlist it on Steam.
Coven of the Chicken Foot Trailor
The Coven of the Chicken Foot developers clearly “Inceptioned” me to find out the exact kind of game I want to play. The art! The creatures! The little old lady’s chicken feet! The witchy vibes!
Wildflower Interactive made this game just for me and I can’t wait to learn more about it.
Look at it! The aesthetics of this game scream cozy.
Release date is TBD but you can Wishlist it on Steam now.
LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight Trailor
While I don’t play them as much as I used to, LEGO games will always be cozy to me. They are silly, light-hearted, not-too-difficult, and filled to the brim with nostalgia. And this one is coming out the day before my birthday! Woo!
Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight releases everywhere May 29, 2026.
Orbitals trailer
A new cozy co-op launches on Nintendo Switch 2! Orbitals has a Toriyama-esc art style that screams “early 90s anime.” It’s always nice to find a split screen co-op game in the modern library, too.
I’m not super clear on what kind of game it is yet, but it gives big Split Fiction vibes. This seems to be a game worth buying the Switch 2 for, that’s for sure.
Orbitals is coming exclusively to Nintendo Switch 2, release date 2026 TBD.
Out of Words trailer
Okay, the “no mouths” thing is a bit unsettling, but I think there are some cozy vibes here. Stop-motion animation has the ability to be entirely cozy or entirely unsettling. So this could really go either way.
The fact that it’s a co-op game is nice, too. Working together with a friend can sometimes give a game a cozy edge, even if you are exploring a world with creepy oversized fish and sprinting monsters.
It looks like Out of Words is coming to the Epic Game Store, PS5, Xbox, and Switch 2. It will be an online cross-platform co-op, which is also cool. Always love to see a new cozy game on PlayStation.
Aniimo 2nd Beta Announcement Ad
This one seems to be a cozy creature collector, which you know I am all about. Aniimo has already invited a group of players for their first beta test, and now they are ready for round two.
Aniima will be a free-to-play cozy game about exploration, presumably Pokemon-esc battling, and maybe even a little farming (per the footage). I guess we’ll have to wait and see how disruptive the microtransactions end up being. I’m imagining something gacha-like.
TBD on a release date for Aniima, though you can Wishlist it on Steam.
Cozy Game Winners & Nominees
Here are my favorite cozy game award winners and nominees.
Best Family Game Award: Donkey Kong Bananza
To absolutely no one’s surprise, Donkey Kong Bananza takes home the award for best family game. Nintendo first party titles tend to be a shoo-in in this category when they are available.
Best Sports/Racing Game: Mario Kart World
Mario Kart World went up against EA Sports FC 26, F1 25, Rematch, and Sonic Racing: Crosswords in this category. Mario Kart continues to have the industry and gaming world in a chokehold for literal decades. So cool!
Best mobile game: Umamusume: Pretty Derby
I just learned about this cozy mobile game at The Game Awards, to be honest. I’m not one for gacha games, racing games, horse games, or anime girl games, so it’s not unusual that it didn’t come across my feed. If I understand the trailer, Umamusume: Pretty Derby is a game about raising anime girls like horses and racing them? IDK.
Despelote nominated for Debut Indie Game
I first saw Despelote at PAX West 2023 and I was so excited to see that it was getting industry acclaim. The indie category was stacked this year, so it didn’t win, but seeing it mentioned on-screen was awesome.
Despelote is a slice-of-life narration about childhood, soccer, and early 2000s Ecuador. You can buy it on Steam.
Girls Make Games Spotlighted at TGA 2025
One of the best parts of cozy gaming, in my opinion, is that it is female-centric and welcoming of inclusion and diversity. So I was happy to see Girls Make Games get a spotlight at the event.
Girls Make Games is a summer camps and workshops program designed to get young girls into game development in a safe, welcoming environment. They have flagship summer camps, international demo days, summer fellowships for 18+ interested in the industry, game design contests partnered with Unity, and both in-person and virtual events.
What was your favorite cozy announcement at The Game Awards 2025? Let me know in the comments!
Stay cozy, gamers!
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