The BEST (and WORST) Cozy Games of 2023

Mineko’s Night Market released on September 26th.

This game is like a cozy gamer’s dream wrapped in a love letter to Japanese culture. So you get to play as Mineko, this super cool girl who ends up on this island at the foot of Mount Fugu. And the best part? The island is obsessed with Sun Cat Abe. Yup, you read that right—CATS!

This game isn’t just pretty; it’s packed with stuff to do. You can put on disguises to sneak into secret spots, get in on some wild cat races (I mean, come on, how cute is that?), and even haggle with the locals. Trust me, you’re gonna be hooked with hours of exploring and quests.

Mail Time is a cozy cottagecore adventure about delivering mail. I adored the art style and premise of being a delivery girl, like the driving-sim Lake, it’s super cozy and hits all the right notes. Playing the demo was the first time I got a chance to check out the music and I must say, it gave me serious Kingdom Hearts vibes. I liked it!

Venba is a short cooking game where you play as an Indian mom who recently immigrated to Canada. Set in the 80s it’s more than just another cooking game though. You’ll be talking to your family to help figure out the missing ingredients from your cookbook so you can return home through each dish you create.

Palia is a cozy life-sim MMO that was released on PC and Nintendo Switch in 2023. It quickly consumed my life as I began making videos of my gameplay and playing it every hour of the day. It’s free-to-play with a low barrier to entry. You may not know this but it’s also crossplay enabled, so you can play the same character on both PC and your Switch.

I didn’t start playing Tears of the Kingdom until late into 2023. Having not played any other Zelda game I had no interest in starting now. But my fiance bought the game for himself and as I sat and watched him play it he encouraged me to give it a try. I was adamant I wouldn’t get into it. How wrong was I!? Highly recommend it, even if, like me, you’ve never played the series.

A Space for the Unbound is a pixel adventure game set in the 90s. Ever wondered what it’s like to be a high school couple facing, oh, you know, the apocalypse?

Meet Atma and Raya. They’re just like any other high school sweethearts, except they’ve got this wild supernatural force shaking up their senior year. The story is about overcoming anxiety, depression, and the relationship between a boy and a girl with supernatural powers.

I was gifted a copy of Blanc to play before release and it’s quickly become one of my all-time favorite co-op adventure games.

Blanc is a black-and-white artistic story of a wolf cub and fawn and their unlikely friendship. It reminded me of The Snowman, which I watch every year at Christmas, and I just know it’s a game I’ll be playing each Christmas with my finance.

Inspired by real-life events, The Wreck intimately portrays a pivotal day in the life of failed screenwriter Junon. Alter the past, present and future to help Junon find peace with herself as she’s called to the ER to find her estranged mother in a critical condition.

I particularly liked the mature theme of this game which covers sisterhood, motherhood, grief and survival.

Build a farm, forge friendships, and go on magical quests in Sun Haven. This multiplayer allows up to 8 players to play in co-op or solo as you go on an epic adventure filled with dragons, monsters, and lots of magic.

Alongside the main story, you can also develop your character’s skills, cultivate relationships with townspeople, and expand your agricultural homestead.

Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus and Butterfly is a coffee brewing and heart-to-heart talking simulator. You play as the barista and owner who is more like a therapist to her customers. If you go into this expecting lots of gameplay you’ll be disappointed. It’s all about the conversations. Episode 2 follows on from the first game but also stands alone if you’ve never played the original. You don’t feel like you’re missing out in any way really.

Minabo – A walk through life, is a social simulation game where you walk the path of life while your turnip grows and thrives (or not) in its social relationships.

Build your social circle by maintaining and caring for the relationships that matter the most to you, and run away from the ones that don’t. You can adopt many radish-pets and spend your life with them, start a family and breed little turnips or live fast and die young.

A planet that used to be a place of undisturbed balance between human, nature, and animal has now become something else entirely.

The disharmony that had been in the making for hundreds of years has finally arrived in the form of a faceless army. But this is not a story about war. This is a story about a vibrant, beautiful planet –and the journey to keep it that way.

If it’s short gameplay and simple puzzle solving you’re after then Smushi Come Home might be your kind of game! You’ll be stepping into the tiny but mighty shoes of a lovable mushroom named Smushi, who’s on a mission to find its way back home.

Smushi is all about exploring the magical forest, making new friends among the forest creatures, and using your clever tools to find your way back.

A narrative-driven experience, Dordogne is as much a visual experience as it is a video game.

While technically for all-ages, Dordogne is made for adults. You’ll be playing as a kid-version of Mimi, a woman exploring her childhood memories to better connect with her family.

Heartwarming and nostalgic, it’s the poster child for short and sweet cozy games that you can get on Xbox Game Pass.

Even better, you’ll only need to set aside three and a half hours to experience Dordogne’s unique story.

Little Friends: Puppy Island is an adorable dog-sim. Discover exciting locations, dig up hidden treasures, build and expand your holiday resort, and meet plenty of lovable little friends to care for on your very own un-paw-gettable, tropical island adventure!

DAVE THE DIVER is a casual, singleplayer adventure RPG featuring deep-sea exploration and fishing during the day and sushi restaurant management at night. Join Dave and his quirky friends as they seek to uncover the secrets of the mysterious Blue Hole.

Sticky Business is a cozy business simulation game where you get to run your very own small sticker-making business.

Unleash your creativity and craft thousands of unique stickers, manage sales, pack orders, and even decide what sorts of goodies customers receive in their boxes. Your goal is to build the cutest e-shop on the internet, where sticker enthusiasts from all around the world can find their perfect little delights.

You need to find cute musician cats who may feel a little bashful about showing off their musical talents in this musical hidden object game. Shy Cats Hidden Orchestra is an adorable puzzle game that makes finding cats even more rewarding.

Enjoy the serenity of the Amazon rainforest in this cozy short nature exploration game. As a butterfly researcher on a five-day camping trip, explore nearby tracks, take photos, meet animal friends, and journal the discoveries found along the way!

The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is a narrative game with a branching storyline about Fortuna, a Witch living exiled on an asteroid who forms a pact with a forbidden creature in the hopes of regaining her freedom.

She needs to craft her new tarot deck and enlist the help of her sister and friends to get off this space rock. There’s so much humor in this game and you get to influence the outcome through reading the fortune of each character. 

Station to Station is a minimalist & relaxing game about building railway connections. Grab your conductor’s hat and bring the voxel-art world to life through the magic of trains!

Hop on board and steam through colorful biomes. Breathe life into the desert sands, and transform the untamed mountain terrain. Build and watch your tranquil world come to life with an ever-widening tapestry of flora and fauna!

A Tiny Sticker Tale is a cozy miniature adventure about changing the world, using the power of stickers! In this wholesome bite-sized adventure, step into the tiny boots of Flynn, the donkey, and journey across Figori Island, discovering the vibrant quests that will require the power of a very special magical sticker album.

Join Clicky on a new, enchanted adventure in Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic! Search for hidden objects scattered around hand-drawn worlds, and unlock more as you go. With both a single player campaign and an online mode where you can create your own dreamworld, the adventure never ends!

Jusant is an action-puzzle climbing game that is surprisingly meditative considering it’s set on the side of a giant tower!

Play at your own pace. As you climb, you’ll come across breathtaking biomes full of flora and fauna, accompanied by a peaceful and atmospheric soundtrack. Take your time and enjoy the view as you make your way to the very top to discover the history of the tower.

For a point-and-click free game about cute cats, you’d be hard-pressed not to like this. Just a quick scroll on their Steam page and you can see some overwhelmingly positive feedback from fans of the game. I think the retrowave-inspired soundtrack doesn’t hurt either.

I adore hidden object games! I could spend hours looking for these cute kitties.

Fashion Dreamer is a much-anticipated fashion game that invites you to unleash your unique style and shape the digital fashion landscape with your bespoke haute couture. As a fashion grad, I was looking forward to this but it was a miss. The wardrobe is amazing don’t get me wrong, but I found the models unoriginal and the overall game lacked depth.

Disney Dreamlight Valley is a life-sim where you can befriend all your favorite Disney characters. When this was first released I was obsessed with it, I couldn’t put it down. But it quickly became a money pit because I never had the motivation to finish the paid DLCs. Plus I found I cared less about the new characters coming in. So I just stopped playing it.

Park Beyond is a theme park simulation game that gives you the freedom to create and manage the Parks of your Dreams! I first played this at Insomnia 2023 and I loved the bold colors and customization. I actually couldn’t wait for the full release. But then I got stuck in the tutorial and never left! There was so much information to take in with the controls that I lost interest. I’d like to give it another go one day though. I’m not writing it off entirely.

I regretfully have to add Fae Farm to this list. Fae Farm is an adventure game for up to 4 players where you’ll cozy up in your own snug little home in the magical world of Azoria. Personalize your character, become a whiz at crafting and potion-making, and romance the characters.

I loved this game to begin with, but after 4-5 hours I found constantly going to the mines boring and there was so much fishing that I checked out. I never finished the story and I’m sure it’s wonderful, but it wasn’t for me in the end.

The Witch of Fern Island is an RPG life simulation adventure game about Abrill, who arrives on the island after a fateful crash during her journey to a magical academy. And this was the start of the end for me. The beginning cut scene jumped about so much I got whiplash. Once I was hugely overwhelmed and lost track of what I was doing so again, checked out. I don’t know if I’ll pick this up again but I’ve heard a lot has changed since the 1.0 release.