Cosy games put fun and relaxation at the centre of their stories.
From building the things of your dreams, growing things or caring for characters, to exploring new lands and more, these games can help you hit pause on a busy day in a fun, creative way.
No matter if you have five minutes to spare or five hours, a cosy game can make all the difference during your downtime. Stuck for what new titles or cosy classics to play? Below is a mix of some of the biggest, best and most recent hits to check out:
House Flipper 2 (PS5, Xbox X/S, PC)
As the name suggests, House Flipper 2 is a game that allows you to renovate houses, transforming them from utter ruins into regal mansions. Think Room to Improve, but with no budgets, time constraints or Dermot Bannon in sight.
Players can choose two modes to play through, both of which are relaxing to master. Story mode sees you take on renovation projects across the fictional town of Pinnacove, where you tick off specific tasks and design to a brief across a variety of levels.
But if you want to create houses from scratch, then you can jump into the game's impressive Sandbox mode, where the only limitation to your creations is your imagination.
Disney Dreamlight Valley (PS4/5, Xbox One & Series X/S, PC, Nintendo Switch)
Disney Dreamlight Valley is the ultimate multi-verse experience, where you build up your own magical kingdom, straight from the Disney playbook. The game features all your favourite heroes and villains across franchises like The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Toy Story, and many, many more.
It has everything you need in a cosy life sim game, including farming, cooking dishes, fishing, designing costumes, and building friendships with iconic villagers. Story quests often revisit iconic plots from films, allowing you to revisit your favourites in a fun, nostalgic way. And with plenty of free content on offer, and two expansion packs to date, the magic is set to continue well into the future.
Tiny Glade (PC)
Tiny Glade is an interactive diorama maker where you can sculpt out beautiful castles, quaint cottages, dreamy ruins and more, simply by clicking and dragging. This is the kind of game that makes you feel great about yourself, as you transform empty spaces into scenes of spellbinding beauty with ease.
I'm so happy to share that the stairs update is liiiiiive. This is by far our biggest update that we've been cooking since *checks calendar* omg, since March x_x Huge thanks to everyone who helped us test it while in beta <3
— Tiny Glade 🏰🌿 out NOW on Steam ✨ (@PounceLight) July 29, 2025
Now lemme walk you through some of the new shinies 🧵 pic.twitter.com/9DHyNTggeb
Despite no real objective, Tiny Glade sets the bar incredibly high for design games. Placing something down on your plot will almost always cause a chain reaction to other objects, inspiring you to experiment, maximise your space, and fit in as much detail as possible.
Ekoh Beach (PC)
Irish game alert! I repeat, a new Irish game is out! Ekoh Beach is an intergalactic casual sim game recently released by Zenland Games, which is brimming with potential and possibility, and has a distinct futuristic tropical art style.
The game sees you take on the role of an ambitious town planner who ventures across the galaxy to the isolated planet of Ekoh 99. A recent job posting seems like a golden opportunity, until you realise that a robot rebellion has left the planet's new town in a pretty dire state.
By collecting resources, exploring the local environments and forging friendships with locals, you'll gradually restore it to its former glory - and then some. All the while, the mysterious disappearance of a renowned scientist, Dr Terra, hangs in the background, begging you to investigate the hidden secrets of the strange new land.
With a host of customisation options, dazzling art design, a dash of combat, and a soundtrack that I'm still humming along to, Ekoh Beach will surely tick all the boxes for players on the hunt for a new casual sim game to get behind.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo Switch)
Selling over 47 million copies and counting, New Horizons is one of the most successful and critically acclaimed cosy games ever made. And despite a criminal lack of updates from Nintendo, the game continues to be a massive source of inspiration for almost every other game on this list.
As a social simulation game, players are tasked with developing a deserted island on behalf of crafty businessman, Tom Nook. From the outset, you're given incredible freedom to do what you want, when and where you want. The island is yours, after all.
From gathering resources, crafting furniture, collecting critters, to inviting the ideal villagers to pitch up a tent, players new and old can still log on and enjoy hundreds (even thousands) of hours here. And with the recent release of the Switch 2, who knows, Animal Crossing 2 could be right around the corner? One can only hope.
A Short Hike (PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch)
It doesn't get more peaceful than A Short Hike, a quaint and zen open-world exploration game. Playing as the young bird Claire, you travel around a picturesque park, where the only phone signal to be found is on the mountain peak.
To get there, you must hike, climb and soar around the land, either choosing to stick to the marked trails or creating your own route across delightful scenery. All the while, you'll meet a plethora of other animals, enjoy a lush soundtrack, and discover a host of collectables and hidden treasures.
At about two hours, A Short Hike is easy to pick up and play, but impossible to forget, reminding us that some of the best relaxing games can come in bite-sized form.
Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Nintendo Switch)
Ever wonder what life for the Hobbits would have been like, without all the pain, death and destruction courtesy of Saruman and the Orcs? Tales of the Shire is a recently released cosy life simulation game where you can satisfy that curiosity.
Here, you create your own Hobbit and settle into the tranquil village of Bywater, and do whatever peaceful Hobbits do – fish, garden, cook and forage to your heart's content. You can also customise your own home, decorating it with rustic Middle-earth furniture.
While quite similar to other cosy games in this genre, the real appeal of Tales of the Shire is its distinct setting. Fans of Tolkien will no doubt enjoy this immersive trip down memory lane (just try not to think of the upcoming wars). And with the right patches and developer support, who knows what feats these recently released Hobbits can reach?
PowerWash Simulator (PS4/5, Xbox One & Series X/S, PC, Nintendo Switch, Meta Quest)
PowerWash Simulator puts the fun back into spring cleaning, where you can satisfy the urge to rid the world of dirt with no setup, no mess, and no stress involved. It's one of the best examples of the rise of simulation games in recent memory.
Set in the aptly named Muckingham, players must spray everything from vehicles like the Mars Rover, to houses, gardens, playgrounds and everything in between, slowly raising the profile of their small cleaning business.
A massive variety of expansion packs, ranging from the likes of Spongebob Squarepants, Shrek and Tomb Raider, ensures the fun will continue to sparkle. And with a hotly anticipated sequel, PowerWash Simulator 2, scheduled to release later this year, now's the time to get your practice in with this cosy staple.
Botany Manor (PS5, Xbox One & Series X/S, PC, Nintendo Switch)
Set in a Victorian English manor, Botany Manor is a first-person point-and-click puzzle game that sees you research and cultivate magical plants. With zen music and gorgeous environments, you can easily get lost in this game's unique premise.
You play as retired botanist, Arabella Greene, who is determined to document the ideal conditions of raising forgotten flora. Players can collect clues across the stunning mansion, gradually figuring out the best conditions to care for their seedlings. Equal parts puzzle and peaceful, this is the perfect fantasy gardening adventure to explore.
Two Point Museum (Ps5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Nintendo Switch 2)
Some of the best cosy games can be cleverly disguised. Two Point Museum is an example of just that. Although it is a business simulation game that may look challenging from the outside, it actually gives players incredible freedom to design and decorate the museum of their dreams, on their terms.
New mechanics are introduced gently, meaning that the learning curve to managing a budding museum feels like a piece of cake. A beautiful sandbox mode lets you simply decorate to your heart's content, with no worries over budgets or functionality. So if you're hungry for a relaxing puzzler, book your tour tickets now.
Spiritfarer (PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch and mobile devices)
Spiritfarer is a management game that deals with the difficult topic of death in a truly unique and surprisingly cosy way. You play as Stella, who, with her cat Daffodil, takes over from the mythological ferrymaster, Charon.
In your new role, players must look after, care for and complete tasks set by the many spirits who come aboard your ship for safe passage toward the afterlife. All the while, you'll enjoy their rich backstories, play a variety of creative minigames, expand your roaming B&B, and ultimately help them pass on.
Despite the beautiful graphics and low speed of gameplay, Spiritfarer does hold a mighty emotional punch to its story, and players should ensure they're in the right headspace before pressing play. If you don't mind shedding some tears across its 25+ hour length, then climb aboard.
Stardew Valley (PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices)
No cosy lineup would be complete without the iconic masterpiece that is Stardew Valley. Selling up to 41 million copies, and regarded as one of the best video games ever made, it continues to inspire and set the pace for current and future sim games.
The premise is simple. You inherit your grandfather's run-down farm, which is yours to do with as you see fit. But ultimately, you'll want to make a success of your new land and help in reviving the local town, which has seen better times.
Thankfully, the Valley is brimming with opportunity, and is a blank canvas for you to make your fortune, as you'll clear land, grow crops, raise animals, and befriend the local townspeople, each of whom has unique routines, personalities and secrets to discover.
With endless customisation options, Stardew Valley is a blank canvas for you to create on. And with over 2 hours of original music, and an 8-player multiplayer mode, it is (and will always be) the definition of a cosy classic.
