Photo by Emma Sheridan

While I’m sure that we all had different experiences dealing with the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, there was one thing that was always there for us, cozy games

Now, what exactly are cozy games? Being more of a subgenre of gaming, cozy games are video games that don’t include violence and often focus on farming, building relationships, and achieving personal goals.

They’re more open-ended, allowing the player to choose what they do, and when they do it. However, it’s unusually difficult to find a comprehensive list of what games to try that fall into similar categories since it isn’t considered its genre. That being said, here are some of my favorite cozy games for when you just want to lay back and relax.

Stardew Valley

Being one of my personal favorites, Stardew Valley is simply a beautiful game to play. Following the story of a farmer (the player) inheriting their grandfather’s farm after his passing, the player moves to a new home called Stardew Valley.

By building skills such as farming, fishing, foraging, and more, you and your farmer can learn more about the residents of The Valley by having social interactions with them, therefore earning hearts.

The player gets a choice of whether they want to pursue relationships with potential bachelors and work on rebuilding the valley’s community center by using all their skills to collect resources. Stardew Valley is one of the best cozy games because of the constant updates that the creator, ConcernedApe, adds to the game. Not to mention, he made the indie game completely independently.

Animal Crossing

One of Nintendo’s flagship franchises, Animal Crossing’s first game, titled Dōbutsu no Mori, was released in 2001. Originating in Japan, the game was eventually introduced in the States as Welcome to Animal Crossing on the “Nintendo 64”. The game’s 2020 predecessor was an extremely big hit.

Nearly a week after the United States went into a lockdown to curb COVID-19, Animal Crossing: New Horizons was released on the “Nintendo Switch.” The game features an open-ended world that allows the player to act as mayor of an island, helping new animalistic residents to move in and help occupy the island. With decorating, landscaping, and features like fishing and catching bugs, it was no surprise that the world found comfort in the game.

The Sims

The Sims has been a prominent series since its release in 2000. However, the origins of the Sim series itself traced back to SimCity released in 1989. Acting just as its name suggests, The Sims is a life simulator. You can create characters in the game, making families, siblings, relationships, and even pets.

You follow through the course of someone’s life, controlling their career, if they fall in love, and even to their death. You can continue to make different families, finding different traits and personalities. What most players do is focus on both building and decorating different plots, which can consist of houses, apartments, restaurants, and more.

Good Pizza, Great Pizza

This game is something that I am infatuated with. Good Pizza Great Pizza was released on IOS back in 2014. The game follows a storyline but allows the player to run a pizza shop. Through unlocking more toppings, sauces, and more, the player must listen to orders being given by customers. Often, the customers speak in riddles and you must dissect the dialogue to find out what they want. With its calming music, Good Pizza Great Pizza is an amazing game to lay back and relax with.

Unpacking

This game is so simple on the surface, but so deep with its story. Unpacking allows the player to follow the story of an unnamed character. We learn about their life through the decorations they decide to bring with them and the places that they end up moving to. While the task of Unpacking someone’s moving boxes doesn’t seem all that interesting, it’s everything you learn about them that makes you love the game. Unpacking was released in 2021 and quickly went viral, soon being nominated for several awards.