Cozy games often feel like the heart and soul of gaming. At least for me, personally. They offer solace in times of struggle and feel like a warm hug when you play them.
Coziness comes in all shapes and sizes for many people. For me, I find comfort in games like Dark Souls, but I also love games like Stardew Valley and Story of Seasons.
But forget the established names. Let’s talk about the new kids on the block. Last year brought us some truly beautiful, cozy games, and I am very excited to share some of these titles with you.
10
Strange Antiquities | Occult Antiquities and Small-Town Mysteries
2025 | Iceberg Interactive | PC, MacOS
Strange Antiquities is a sequel to the 2022 video game Strange Horticulture. It is a similar premise: you own a shop full of antiquities that customers come in to purchase for a variety of reasons. It comes with some major quality-of-life features based on feedback from those who enjoyed Strange Horticulture.
Now, organizing items has never been easier, and the puzzles are beautifully mind-bending. I’ll admit, I’m not the best at puzzle-solving, but if you like Professor Layton and putting your thinking cap on, Strange Antiquities is the way to go.
If you like arcana, puzzles, and solving mysteries, Strange Antiquities is the perfect game to pick up. Plus, you have a cat that keeps you company. What’s not to love?
9
Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar | Sleepy City, Adorable Animals
2025 | XSEED Games | PC, Nintendo Switch
Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar is the perfect game for those who loved playing Harvest Moon growing up, or even diving into Stardew Valley years later.
Compared to other titles in the franchise, Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar really stands out from the crowd with its unique weather system. You get to use a glider and breeze around town, and the winds make farming easier than ever.
Also Read
In the city of Zephyr, you get to own your own market stall, selling goods that you have grown and tended to with your own hands. Plus, you get to have some adorable animals like cows with adorably large heads.
8
Tiny Bookshop | Traveling Indie Store
2025 | Skystone Games | PC, Nintendo Switch
Have you ever dreamed of owning your own bookshop and giving out recommendations to people of all ages? Then this is the perfect game for you.
I am an avid reader, and this game brought me so much joy. Not only did it have decorative elements and little interactions that added extra charm, but all of the books in the game are real books, where you can read the synopsis and decide to hand it out to a customer.
You have to make sure to meet your customers’ needs with precision, making sure that the book is perfect for the genre they are requesting.
The best part is, I’ve even found book recommendations for myself through Tiny Bookshop!
7
Urban Jungle | Plants Galore
2025 | Assemble Entertainment | PC
Urban Jungle is a beautiful game, especially if you want to get in touch with your inner green thumb. Coupled with caring for plants and making sure they are healthy and thriving comes a tender story with plenty of relatable moments.
I especially love that not only is there diversity representation, but one of the main characters who often appears in the game is queer, and has their own spin-off DLC to tell you all about their journey.
Once you finish the game, there is also the option to decorate it how you please. The game offers you a lot of free rein for a story-based cozy game, and I really enjoyed every moment I had with Urban Jungle.
6
Whisper of the House
2025 | The GD Studio | PC
Whisper of the House is the perfect game for fans of Unpacking or Urban Jungle. You are hired by the residents of your town, who then ask you to help organize and redecorate on their behalf.
Also Read
It also has some beautifully heartwarming stories, and allows you to get in touch with your mischievous side and tinker with items that you should or shouldn’t be playing with. There is plenty of exploration and hidden story moments around every corner.
As someone who sunk an enormous amount of hours into Unpacking, Whisper of the House was everything I needed it to be.
5
Wanderstop
2025 | Annapurna Interactive | PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Wanderstop is a curious, cozy game and is one of the most unique ones to be released this year. Created by Davy Wredden of The Stanley Parable and The Beginner’s Guide fame, Wanderstop offers something incredibly different from their usual content and instead takes you on an emotional journey about owning your very own tea shop.
However, Alta, the protagonist, wants nothing more than to be on the battlefield as a fighter than to own a tea shop.
There will be many conversations had with customers, where heartwarming stories are shared with each other. Prepare some tissues, though. It may just break your heart, as it certainly broke mine.
4
Winter Burrow
2025 | Noodlecake Studios | Xbox Series X|S, PC
Winter Burrow is one of the most unique cozy games to have been released in 2025, and was a perfect play-through for the winter season.
This game blends coziness with survival, and you play as a small mouse who needs to craft and scavenge items to return their childhood burrow to its former glory.
You’ll often find yourself saying ‘just one more day’ or ‘one more hour’ as you are exploring and scavenging, eager to progress your burrow and see it take shape. You may want to set an alarm, just in case.
There are lots of customizations and ways to ensure that the story in Winter Burrow remains your own.
3
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Borrows Time
2025 | Level-5 | Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Borrows Time was one of my most highly anticipated games of 2025. Not only was it refreshing to see a beloved franchise brought back to life after a long while, but it had everything I enjoyed in a cozy game.
If you’re someone who enjoys the grind in a video game, then this is certainly one you’re going to want to check out. There are 14 unique jobs to take on, each offering something different from the others to make it stand out from the crowd.
Good luck trying to keep a normal sleep schedule when playing this, though.
2
Raccoon Cocoon: A Cozy Puzzle Game
2025 | Kekik in the Bag | PC
Raccoon Cocoon is a hidden gem of a cozy game. It’s so adorable and is very reminiscent of the journey you go on when playing A Little to the Left. Completing these puzzles alongside Grandma Raccoon felt somewhat nostalgic and reminded me of my childhood.
This game is much like a compressed version of A Little to the Left, with a more coloring-book art style and 60 levels to play through.
This is such a sweet game, and it’s perfect if you’re looking for some brain teasers in your cozy games. For now, it is only on PC, but there is always hope that this game will end up on other platforms.
1
Two Point Museum
2025 | SEGA | PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC
Two Point Museum is a beautiful time-sink of a game. If you have played any of the other Two Point games, then you’ll know exactly what I mean. You say “just one more level” of the campaign, and next thing it’s 3 AM.
This time, Two Point Museum has you embarking on a journey to open the biggest, best, and most informative museum out there. There are fun artifacts that you can send your staff to retrieve, and there’s a fantasy DLC, bringing mimics to your local museum.
What’s not to love, truly? You can make the game as hard as you like, or as easy breezy as you need. Two Point Museum is a game you’ll want to sink your teeth into.
Cozy games have had a great year, and I can’t wait to see what games are released in 2026 that will have me hooked from day one.
