Written by Anthony Jadus. Published: November 23 2025
(Photo: Electronic
Arts)
Not every
game has to contain a high-stakes boss fight or intense, soul
stirring music. These days, things can feel stressful and it is
helpful to have calming places to go and things to do. Cozy video
games in that regard — ones that let you farm, decorate, or just
vibe out — have exploded in popularity as players are craving ways
to unwind. Each of the games on our list not only offer a peaceful,
feel-good experience, but they are also very popular and have
earned strong reviews by many accredited gaming sites!
1. Stardew Valley
Stardew
Valley earned IGN’s review score of 10/10, calling it a “modern classic.” This review,
and many similar to it, regard Stardew Valley as, “the
model for farming games now” and it’s for good reason. The game has
all of the classic, cozy type elements; however, the game itself is
still challenging. There are a lot of different tasks and
objectives, and most of them involve remaining productive and
continuing to chug along as you move through this open-world game
at your own pace. Along the journey, once you leave the big city
and get to the farm, you get to do a lot of actual farming, make
friends with townsfolk, and see what side quests/different paths
look like fun that day. It’s a relaxing, rewarding game, and it’s
one that you can play across Switch, PC, mobile, Xbox, and
PlayStation.
2. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal
Crossing is similar in nature to Stardew Valley, but
there are far more “meeps”, “moops”, and talking animals. It’s a
very popular game, as it broke many records for Nintendo, becoming
the second best-selling Switch game ever (only behind Mario
Kart 8 Deluxe), and the #1 best-selling game of all time in
Japan. The graphics differ from Stardew Valley’s pixelated
aesthetic to what can be best described as Animal
Crossing’s whimsical, cute, and soft environment where
characters are inviting, fuzzy, and furry. The scariest part
of this game is when you leave for too long and run the risk of
bugs entering your home, or weeds growing all over town. Mr.
Resetti, a mole character will also yell at you if you close the
game without saving; however, besides these three not actually so
scary things, this game allows you to be futzing around as you
wish, catching fish, paying off your debt, or just talking with the
locals.
3. Minecraft
It’s
impossible to talk about popular games (cozy or otherwise) without
mentioning Minecraft. Importantly, however, for the
purposes of our cozy list, it features a “Peaceful Mode” with no
monsters, allowing you to run wild, building, collecting materials,
and exploring as you want, free from harm. The game is extremely
simple on its face, with chill music and graphics that don’t strive
to impress or overwhelm, but rather they just add to the overall
style of build-whatever-you-want; there is no rush. Minecraft also has more sales than any game ever. So,
although to some the game doesn’t technically appear cozy or super
relaxing, it’s close enough for us in terms of its no-rush attitude
and tranquil creative outlet gameplay. It’s as if you opened up a
giant digital LEGO box, and you have an entire world to build
on. It can be played by gamers of all ages, and it’s
available on all different platforms.
4. Journey
A somewhat
complicated yet beautiful experience, with Grammy-nominated music
and IGN’s nod for 2012’s GOTY, this game is by far the shortest
game on our list, as you can complete the game in under 3 hours.
It’s described as a beautiful, explorative journey where characters
don’t even speak to each other. You’re exploring a seemingly huge,
expansive desert, figuring out puzzles and taking in the detailed
art work along the way. In efforts of highlighting Journey’s quiet aesthetic, we won’t speak much more on
this game; we’ll let the meditative, incredible scenery and art
behind this game speak for itself.
5. The Sims
Rounding out
our list, The Sims has been around, in one form or
another, since 1989, and it’s regarded as one of, if not the,
single best life simulation franchises. It can get a little less
cozy if you set something on fire, or choose to remove the ladder
in the pool, but this game successfully lets you do your own thing
and attempt to guide your characters’ lives. The Sims 3 went on to be ranked in IGN’s Top 100 Modern Games list, showcasing
its quality and impact. It’s this every day, player-driven gameplay
that keeps the cozy feelings alive. The Sims games let you
play at “life’ without real consequences. It’s even been described
as a virtual dollhouse, which has many elements of cozy and offers
a creative unwind.
All of these
games on this list are great ways to calm your mind, and through
that classic video game approach, they still leave you feeling
accomplished and stimulated if you ever need a wind-down, or just a
few hours to go explore a new world. In times like these, when
things can feel stressful, these games are great outlets and tools,
and they can be a lot of fun too.
