Spiritfarer is one of my favorite games! The plot, art, and music are all gorgeous. It can get a little grindy at times
Cozy Grove is by far my favorite cozy game in the world. Basically you’re a “Spirit Scout” sent on a quest to help these lost souls finally transition to the afterlife by helping them work through their pain from being alive. There are 21 incredible stories in the game with lots of wonderful representation (as a lesbian who doesn’t usually see myself in these games, I cried a couple times). The art is stunning and the music is beautiful. It’s in real time, so there’s only so much you can do in a day. But if you play on console and don’t have qualms against saving and changing the date on your own to keep playing, you can get around that.
It’s not super grindy either imho. You kind of collect the materials you need over the course of regular play. So when someone does want a huge amount of something, you’re usually not starting from scratch to find it. I’ve played the game 3 times start to finish and found something new every time. It also has that animal crossing/stardew valley quality of designing and decorating your island. There are lots of fun decorations to craft, pets to take care of, things to harvest and collect, and mini games to keep you busy.
I’m playing Spiritfarer right now and would like to second it. It seems like it’s gonna get emotional soon and I’m very excited to see how it plays out.
Cozy Grove just recently released a sequel (Camp Spirit), requires a Netflix account and a compatible mobile device, but if you've got both of those then it's free. A lot of the artwork and items are the same as the original, though there are some new things to play with (powerwashing, interior areas other than your tent, brief glimpses of other Scouts in parallel dimensions, trading gift items with other players).
Thank you! I’m excited to try both of these. I’m also a lesbian lol and my partner is out of town for a bit and I need games to take my mind off of how much I miss her :(
Life is strange is a mostly cozy game with great music, very well written characters, a story that will take you on a wild ride, and a game that you will probably never forget once you've finished it.
The witness is a very cozy puzzle game with a unique atmosphere and some out of the box thinking.
If you try any of these, try to go in as unspoiled as possible
Edit: typo
1. If you have the patience for a story platformer I’d like to recommend Wandersong. It has a kind of really defiant optimism and resilience in it that I try to hold on to. It may seem fairly basic at first, but please keep going if there’s anything in there you like! If you enjoy it, the dev has another really lovely game called Chicory: A Colourful Tale that I also am very fond of. I find these two really therapeutic.
2. Unpacking has also helped me reframe past stages of my own life, in really subtle ways. It’s probably not going to hit you in the face, but the quiet environmental storytelling has given me little insights into past relationships, and also into what maybe I want in my own life? Maybe you’d enjoy it too.
3. YMMV on how cosy Chants of Sennaar is (it’s very low-stress and forgiving) but it gave me some feelings about some pretty big things. Don’t know how to elaborate, but it’s not very long so there’s only so much time you can lose to it
I also enjoyed spiritfarer, though there is a fair amount of grief in there, and I played a lot of cosy grove but it didn’t really impact me much personally! Not sure why I played it so much.
I know many who love night in the woods, and I hope to play it in full someday. A few people I’ve met like coffee talk, though it hasn’t held me. Hopefully one of these sounds appealing!
vallhalla cyberpunk bartender ! the name sounds epic but it’s a sweet little bartending game, no time limits and a very thought provoking story. not so great if you’re looking for open world, but it is very cozy and easy to play
Another vote for Spiritfarer, Night in the Woods and Life is Strange (1 & 2 mainly).
Cozy Grove is lovely but I didn’t find it as life-changing as the kind of experience I think you’re looking for, whereas all three of those games were genuinely beautiful experiences that I won’t forget!
Morgan: Metal Detective! It’s yet to come out, but I met the devs at EGX and the game is so fun! You can wander the cute, cosy island with over 1000+ items to find. You can even log notes in your cute note book and design it with stickers ✨
Check their steam page here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2637220/Morgan_Metal_Detective/
The game should be out later this year and I cannot wait! 🩷
Since people are already saying the obvious ones (Spiritfarer, Cozy Grove, The Last Campfire), I'll go for some deep cuts--
Rakuen is a beautiful game about a very sick boy.
Bad Dream: Coma and Fran Bow are both horror games on the surface but have surprisingly cozy hearts.
The Fabulous Screech is an old Flash game that has apparently been preserved on Kongregate, it's a tearjerker in the best possible way.
There's one more that I'm failing to find the name of... someone tell me if you know it, it's a simple 2D point and click where you are on a train full of ghosts. I swear I played it on Steam but can't find it in my collection. EDIT: Apparently it's What Comes After.
I think you're thinking of What Comes After. It's a game by the devs behind Coffee Talk where you just walk around a train full of ghosts and talk to them. It's short but very moving.
I’d recommend Dredge, it has a very nice soundtrack and I just find it relaxing to play. I also highly recommend Strange Horticulture. It’s so cute and cozy, perfect to play curled up with a cup of tea! A Little To The Left is also cute.
Beacon Pines (watercolour fairy tale somewhat pick your own adventure by inserting words you collect. Very pretty and the music is great.
A Space for the Unbound - Almost like a visual novel, but it's set in Indonesia during the 90s. Can get quite heavy, but it has a great story and the pixel art is pretty. It's kind of slice of life but has a lot of fantasy elements.
Starbound is a great+beautiful exploring game with tons of weapons and cosmetics to find a long the way. and the sound track is really beautiful and calming if ur into that :P
Since you liked "I was a Teenage Exocolonist" I think maybe consider Arcadia Fallen. Also a Visual Novel with a puzzle-like minigame instead of combat, and not too grindy. Good main narrative. Has some strong themes throughout, but may not be as mindblowing an experience.
Will otherwise strongly 2nd SpiritFarer. Is fairly farming/grindy though with its minigames as a heads up.
I have been loving Travellers Rest on Steam. You basically run a tavern, cook, brew, craft, farm, and gather supplies. You can also decorate your tavern as well. It's SO simple but I find it super relaxing and fun. I can play for hours!
I have also been loving Cozy Grove and Fashion Dreamer on the Switch! Cozy Grove is fun and task oriented, you can play for an hour or 2 and be caught up with all the tasks for the day. Fashion Dreamer is just perpetual character customization, which I love! You create and collect outfits, dress other players and in game characters, and grow a fake social media following in game.
Everafter falls - came out about two weeks ago and its basically stardew + animal crossing, put a few hours in and its a great experience especially if you happen to be waiting for console to get updated in stardew valley
The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, I will scream it from the rooftops! It’s one of my faves. Beacon pines, Fall of Porcupine and a Night in the Woods. All great stories.
Gris is one of my favorites, and it might fit what you're looking for. The watercolor art is so pretty, and the emotions hit hard, esp. in the beginning. It's a relaxing puzzle/platformer, and such a beautiful experience, I just keep coming back to it.
Seconding Outer Wilds!!! The DLC Echoes of the Eye is definitely not cozy but a lot of the main game is (for me at least). The soundtrack is also phenomenal
I will always recommend Slime Rancher (1 & 2 although 2 doesn’t have achievements yet)
Both are so fun and satisfying to play, and if you don’t want to worry about tar slimes (predators) you can toggle them off and play without worry!
Another game I absolutely adore is Sky Children of Light. It was a game I found when I was in college and it absolutely consumed me!! The aesthetics are so cute and the art direction and music in the game is honestly breath taking. It’s been a few years since I’ve played, but I can still vividly remember how much fun I had exploring all the different maps and territories!
(Edit for spelling error)
Spiritfarer is one of my favorite games! The plot, art, and music are all gorgeous. It can get a little grindy at times Cozy Grove is by far my favorite cozy game in the world. Basically you’re a “Spirit Scout” sent on a quest to help these lost souls finally transition to the afterlife by helping them work through their pain from being alive. There are 21 incredible stories in the game with lots of wonderful representation (as a lesbian who doesn’t usually see myself in these games, I cried a couple times). The art is stunning and the music is beautiful. It’s in real time, so there’s only so much you can do in a day. But if you play on console and don’t have qualms against saving and changing the date on your own to keep playing, you can get around that. It’s not super grindy either imho. You kind of collect the materials you need over the course of regular play. So when someone does want a huge amount of something, you’re usually not starting from scratch to find it. I’ve played the game 3 times start to finish and found something new every time. It also has that animal crossing/stardew valley quality of designing and decorating your island. There are lots of fun decorations to craft, pets to take care of, things to harvest and collect, and mini games to keep you busy.
I’m playing Spiritfarer right now and would like to second it. It seems like it’s gonna get emotional soon and I’m very excited to see how it plays out.
I watched the effect of that game on my girlfriend, it’s for sure going to get sad lol. She was crying quite a bit at certain points
Not normally an emotional person, but I have a kid around Stanleys age and his story has stuck with me. Very much an emotional game.
Came here to suggest this. Cozy + life changing = spiritfarer
Cozy Grove just recently released a sequel (Camp Spirit), requires a Netflix account and a compatible mobile device, but if you've got both of those then it's free. A lot of the artwork and items are the same as the original, though there are some new things to play with (powerwashing, interior areas other than your tent, brief glimpses of other Scouts in parallel dimensions, trading gift items with other players).
Yeah I really like the sequel so far! I’ve been playing on my iPad instead of my phone and it’s been great
Came here to say Spiritfarer
Thank you! I’m excited to try both of these. I’m also a lesbian lol and my partner is out of town for a bit and I need games to take my mind off of how much I miss her :(
Spiritfarer was my first thought. I'm also a big Cozy Grove fan. "Cozy dead people" is kind of my thing I guess.
Life is strange is a mostly cozy game with great music, very well written characters, a story that will take you on a wild ride, and a game that you will probably never forget once you've finished it. The witness is a very cozy puzzle game with a unique atmosphere and some out of the box thinking. If you try any of these, try to go in as unspoiled as possible Edit: typo
The first LiS broke me lol
Oh yes, me too...
Love seeing lis suggested. For me, lis1 and 2 are more -dedicating an entire era of my life and eternally a chunk of my mind and my heart forever-
Well OP asked for life changing games :D
You're not wrong with this one!!
Yes!! Life Is Strange is one of my absolute favorite games of all time!!! It's beautifully put together and such a wild story indeed!!
I'm currently playing Palia and I'm hooked!
Yes! Came here to say this. I started yesterday and I’m already itching for more.
I love Palia so much, it has a really beautiful aesthetic along with cozy music and lovely ambient sounds.
Spiritfarer. Or Sky children of the light.
1. If you have the patience for a story platformer I’d like to recommend Wandersong. It has a kind of really defiant optimism and resilience in it that I try to hold on to. It may seem fairly basic at first, but please keep going if there’s anything in there you like! If you enjoy it, the dev has another really lovely game called Chicory: A Colourful Tale that I also am very fond of. I find these two really therapeutic. 2. Unpacking has also helped me reframe past stages of my own life, in really subtle ways. It’s probably not going to hit you in the face, but the quiet environmental storytelling has given me little insights into past relationships, and also into what maybe I want in my own life? Maybe you’d enjoy it too. 3. YMMV on how cosy Chants of Sennaar is (it’s very low-stress and forgiving) but it gave me some feelings about some pretty big things. Don’t know how to elaborate, but it’s not very long so there’s only so much time you can lose to it I also enjoyed spiritfarer, though there is a fair amount of grief in there, and I played a lot of cosy grove but it didn’t really impact me much personally! Not sure why I played it so much. I know many who love night in the woods, and I hope to play it in full someday. A few people I’ve met like coffee talk, though it hasn’t held me. Hopefully one of these sounds appealing!
These all look so cute, thank you!
I loved Unpacking and Wytchwood.
Unpacking is sooooo good
Unpacking is amazing, love it so much
Came to recommend Wytchwood. Quick but fun
Undertale and Night in the Woods <3 Disco Elysium as well.
Seconding Night in the Woods and tacking on Beacon Pines! Similar vibes for sure and very cozy with a brush of mystery.
vallhalla cyberpunk bartender ! the name sounds epic but it’s a sweet little bartending game, no time limits and a very thought provoking story. not so great if you’re looking for open world, but it is very cozy and easy to play
Spiritfairer, The Last Campfire, A Short Hike, and oddly Spyro the Reignighted Trilogy are some of my favorites.
Yes, Last Campfire!
To The Moon
Spiritfarer a Night in the Woods are both game changers for me :)
Dredge! It's a little spooky but so cozy and a fun fishing adventure.
Venba! It’s a quick game with a beautiful story
This game devastated me.
Another vote for Spiritfarer, Night in the Woods and Life is Strange (1 & 2 mainly). Cozy Grove is lovely but I didn’t find it as life-changing as the kind of experience I think you’re looking for, whereas all three of those games were genuinely beautiful experiences that I won’t forget!
probably firewatch or what remains of edith finch, both are kinda dark, but cozy imo or this mobile game called window garden
Journey, Undertale, Night in the Woods
Goodbye volcano high
Have a look at No Umbrellas Allowed. Different and thought provoking but incredibly cozy in its way.
Abzu
Morgan: Metal Detective! It’s yet to come out, but I met the devs at EGX and the game is so fun! You can wander the cute, cosy island with over 1000+ items to find. You can even log notes in your cute note book and design it with stickers ✨ Check their steam page here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2637220/Morgan_Metal_Detective/ The game should be out later this year and I cannot wait! 🩷
Since people are already saying the obvious ones (Spiritfarer, Cozy Grove, The Last Campfire), I'll go for some deep cuts-- Rakuen is a beautiful game about a very sick boy. Bad Dream: Coma and Fran Bow are both horror games on the surface but have surprisingly cozy hearts. The Fabulous Screech is an old Flash game that has apparently been preserved on Kongregate, it's a tearjerker in the best possible way. There's one more that I'm failing to find the name of... someone tell me if you know it, it's a simple 2D point and click where you are on a train full of ghosts. I swear I played it on Steam but can't find it in my collection. EDIT: Apparently it's What Comes After.
I second Rakuen! I just finished playing it and my heart!!
I think you're thinking of What Comes After. It's a game by the devs behind Coffee Talk where you just walk around a train full of ghosts and talk to them. It's short but very moving.
Yes, that's it!
I’d recommend Dredge, it has a very nice soundtrack and I just find it relaxing to play. I also highly recommend Strange Horticulture. It’s so cute and cozy, perfect to play curled up with a cup of tea! A Little To The Left is also cute.
Lost Ember - this game is a precious gem for the heart and senses. <3
Beacon Pines (watercolour fairy tale somewhat pick your own adventure by inserting words you collect. Very pretty and the music is great. A Space for the Unbound - Almost like a visual novel, but it's set in Indonesia during the 90s. Can get quite heavy, but it has a great story and the pixel art is pretty. It's kind of slice of life but has a lot of fantasy elements.
Starbound is a great+beautiful exploring game with tons of weapons and cosmetics to find a long the way. and the sound track is really beautiful and calming if ur into that :P
Since you liked "I was a Teenage Exocolonist" I think maybe consider Arcadia Fallen. Also a Visual Novel with a puzzle-like minigame instead of combat, and not too grindy. Good main narrative. Has some strong themes throughout, but may not be as mindblowing an experience. Will otherwise strongly 2nd SpiritFarer. Is fairly farming/grindy though with its minigames as a heads up.
I’ve really been enjoying Season: a letter to the future. The art style reminds me of a ghibli film and there’s a lot of neat interactions in the game
Night in the woods
I have been loving Travellers Rest on Steam. You basically run a tavern, cook, brew, craft, farm, and gather supplies. You can also decorate your tavern as well. It's SO simple but I find it super relaxing and fun. I can play for hours! I have also been loving Cozy Grove and Fashion Dreamer on the Switch! Cozy Grove is fun and task oriented, you can play for an hour or 2 and be caught up with all the tasks for the day. Fashion Dreamer is just perpetual character customization, which I love! You create and collect outfits, dress other players and in game characters, and grow a fake social media following in game.
I loved Bear and Breakfast!
Sky children of light and GRIS
Everafter falls - came out about two weeks ago and its basically stardew + animal crossing, put a few hours in and its a great experience especially if you happen to be waiting for console to get updated in stardew valley
Coffee Talk comes to mind first! Spiritfarer might be up your alley, too!
Get the DLC for animal crossing, happy homes paradise. It re-inspired me after I got bored of acnh!
Slime ranchers, the second one I think is a lot more pretty but you should start with the first game.
A Short Hike. You’ll just be mad it’s so short
The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, I will scream it from the rooftops! It’s one of my faves. Beacon pines, Fall of Porcupine and a Night in the Woods. All great stories.
Night in the woods + a short hike are my favorites :)
Slime rancher was a good one for me
Sky: children of the light for a nice visual experience.
Gris is one of my favorites, and it might fit what you're looking for. The watercolor art is so pretty, and the emotions hit hard, esp. in the beginning. It's a relaxing puzzle/platformer, and such a beautiful experience, I just keep coming back to it.
Omg Gris is absolutely one of my favorite games!! I can’t believe I didn’t think of it when giving my recommendation lol
[удалено]
Seconding Outer Wilds!!! The DLC Echoes of the Eye is definitely not cozy but a lot of the main game is (for me at least). The soundtrack is also phenomenal
I can't believe I had to scroll to the end to see this suggested!
I will always recommend Slime Rancher (1 & 2 although 2 doesn’t have achievements yet) Both are so fun and satisfying to play, and if you don’t want to worry about tar slimes (predators) you can toggle them off and play without worry! Another game I absolutely adore is Sky Children of Light. It was a game I found when I was in college and it absolutely consumed me!! The aesthetics are so cute and the art direction and music in the game is honestly breath taking. It’s been a few years since I’ve played, but I can still vividly remember how much fun I had exploring all the different maps and territories! (Edit for spelling error)