Usually it’s one that you know very well, and have likely played a thousand times. But certain games give players a comfy feeling simply because of the way they’re designed. The exact characteristics can vary, as comfy games are actually more defined by what they don’t do. They don’t cause you to rage over strenuous challenges. Or strike fear in your heart with creepy horrors, or leave you crying over a heartbreaking story. They just provide a chilled-out atmosphere, one you could snuggle up into all night long. That’s what I’m covering in this list.
15. Skate 3
Not every comfy game needs to have a cute art style or an independent developer behind it. EA’s Skate 3 provides a pleasurable skateboarding experience. Yes, the game can get a bit aggravating if you’re attempting to complete the most difficult challenges in career mode. But those who want a more peaceful time can just hop into freeskate and roll around all they want. You don’t need to be able to pull off extremely complicated tricks to have fun, either. And here’s another idea: stave off that loneliness by joining friends online and simply skate together.
14. Fantasy Life
What’s more comforting than living your own fantasy life? Well, that’s exactly what you can do in this aptly-named life simulation game for the 3DS. In the beginning, you get to choose what life you want to lead. Do you wanna be a hunter? A cook? A blacksmith? Those are just three of twelve different options to choose from, which all come with their own quests and activities. And luckily, you’re not locked into whichever you pick. As you can switch jobs throughout the game. What’s comfier than that? The freedom you’re given is beautiful. Plus all those leisurely quests coupled with an adorable art style makes Fantasy Life a delight to play.
13. Astroneer
Exploring planets in System Era’s Astroneer is just straight-up soothing. The worlds are quiet and include very few dangers. So you’re mostly safe to gather resources, build up your base of operations, and admire the game’s vibrant colors to your heart’s content. There isn’t even a set objective you need to complete. It’s just raw space exploration at its finest. Also the procedurally-generated environments keep the game pretty exciting, and make every trip to a new planet a real adventure. It’s easy to lose hours here trying to see everything that each new world has to offer.
12. The Legend Of Zelda: The Breath Of The Wild
Dangerous puzzles, countless monsters, and a powerful villain might not seem like all the ingredients for a peaceful adventure. Yet it’s difficult to get stressed out while you’re playing this huge RPG. There’s just something so calming about exploring the quiet and colorful world of Hyrule. Plus the openness of the game makes you feel like you can accomplish things how & when you want. And I should add, there’s never a feeling of urgency. Despite the looming threat that Ganon could break free and run roughshod over the world at any moment… But if you grew up on LoZ games, this one is surely a modern comfort.
11. The Sims 4
While caring for a house and a family in real life can be stressful, it’s oddly relaxing in The Sims. The early stages of a new save can be tricky when you have very little money, and when your Sim’s inept cooking skills make them a fire hazard. But once you get into a groove, maintaining your Sim’s life and getting them to achieve their goals is really quite soothing. The Sims 4 is the most complete game in the series, and we’ve written a lot about it. With all the design options available, plus expansion packs, plus thousands free custom content items you can download online, the world of The Sims feels like it could never get boring.
10. Yoshi’s Crafted World
Despite their cute art-styles, Mario games have rarely been relaxing adventures. I mean, usually they’re just fast-paced platformers. The Italian Plumber’s buddy, however, delivers a more mellow experience in Yoshi’s Crafted World for the Switch. It plays similar to the old-school Yoshi Island games where you eat things and turn them into eggs to throw around. There’s also plenty of forgiving platforming to boot. The title was developed by Good-Feel, which is an appropriate name, as jumping through the game’s arts and crafts world is genuinely a joy to behold. There isn’t much challenge here either, so you’re free to have some laid-back fun for as long as you’d like to induldge.
9. VA-11 Hall-A
“This game is best played getting comfortable. Grab some drinks, some snacks, and enjoy!” This is the message you receive when starting a new game in VA-11 Hall-A, and whoever wrote it, they’re not lying. Here you play as a bartender who works at a small dive bar in a dystopian world. It’s more of a visual novel than a bartender simulator, though. There’s no time limit to make drinks, nor is there any real punishment for getting an order wrong – although it might change what a customer says to you. The interactions between you and the people you serve are the main focus of the game. You’re just meant to sit back, relax, and enjoy the interesting dialogue.
8. Little Big Planet 2
Even though it was released way back in 2011, there still aren’t many games that can match Little Big Planet 2’s wealth of creation options. It’s possible to make some unbelievably clever and imaginative levels if you’re inventive enough. For those not interested in testing their level design capabilities, there’s still plenty of other relaxed fun to be had in Little Big Planet 2. For instance, the story mode is great. It offers is an abundance of levels to play through that’ll keep you busy for hours (read: weeks). Most of these levels contain simple and entertaining 2D platforming, so it’s pretty laid-back.
7. Minecraft
Whether you find Minecraft a comfy game or not, really depends on how you play it. If you put the game on hard, then it can get nerve-racking very quickly. But if you choose the peaceful difficulty you’ll have a more laid-back time since no monsters will spawn. This allows you to focus solely on the sandbox aspect of this survival game, as you can mine for materials and build structures at your own leisure. And much like all the biggest modern PC games, there are a ton of mods to try out as well. The experience is also enhanced by the incredibly satisfying sound effects in the game, from the little popping noises of picking something up, to the crisp sound of a shovel digging up gravel.
6. Seasons After Fall
Few games are as atmospheric or as sweet as Swing Swing Submarine’s “Seasons After Fall”. In the game you control a wild Fox as you solve puzzles and use your platforming skills to traverse a magical forest. At one point, you even gain the ability to change the season to help you on your journey. For example, a switch to Winter could create a new path by freezing an obstructive lake. Winter’s already sending in those comfy vibes. But truly, the comfy feeling of this game comes from its presentation. From its brightly-colored environments to its enchanting music, Season After Fall makes you feel good while you play it.
5. Abzû
For years underwater levels have had a reputation for being… frustrating. We can thank Mario for that. But Abzû proves that spending time below sea level can be quite cozy. In this exploration game, you delve into the depths of a vast ocean filled with brightly-colored fish and plant life. And you get to admire it all without fear, as neither sharks nor any other dangerous aquatic animals can attack you. It also feels good to move around in the underwater environment, as the controls handle superbly. Which is a rarity for video game swimming.
4. Flower
On the face of it, Flower seems like a game that’s too simple to be enjoyable. You play as the wind, and you blow a single flower petal around collecting other petals as you go. Wow, right? Only people who have played the game realize how surprisingly satisfying it is. Guiding the little petal around while taking in the charming visuals and listening to this game’s lovely soundtrack, it’s gotta be great for stress relief. And it’s the perfect game for those who simply want to chill out for a bit.
3. Journey
You’d be hard-pressed to find anything that’s as outright beautiful as Journey. In this 2012 adventure game, you control a mysterious robed individual whose goal is to reach a mountain in the distance. Although as the title suggests, the game is all about the journey, not the destination. And making your way through the stunning desert is a calming and magical journey you won’t forget. It gets even better if you come across a fellow player too. Their name isn’t shown, and you can’t chat with them, yet it’s still easy to work together. It’s a wholesome and unique form of multiplayer that you really don’t see much in other titles.
2. Animal Crossing
Speaking of the word “wholesome”, that may be the single best word to describe the Animal Crossing series. If you’ve played any of the games before then you shouldn’t be surprised to see this here. Perhaps the best in the entire series is Animal Crossing: New Horizons, as continues the franchise’s tradition of just being cozy in your own little AC village. You’re given an island at the start, and you can explore and build it up at your own leisure. After spending some significant time on your island building structures, decorating your place, and getting to know its adorable anthropomorphic inhabitants, it really starts to feel like home. And it’s most evident if you visit other players’ islands, just to go out exploring y’know? I should mention that a lot of other AC games are worth looking into, the whole series is really pretty comfy. But if you’ve never played any of these titles before then definitely look into AC:NH.
1. Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley is the ultimate comfy game. This farm simulation and RPG hybrid gives you a bunch of things to do, but nothing that’s totally required. You can interact with people around town, mine for resources, and of course farm your way to riches. Farming sounds like hard work, but this game isn’t your stodgy uptight boss. With Stardew Valley you get to choose when and how often you do any kind of activity. It’s this level of freedom that makes the game so relaxing. Only the hardest-working players who are obsessed with creating the most impressive farms in human history will be the ones treating this like a challenge. For everyone else, living a cute virtual farm life is the perfect way to decompress and get into that “I’m home” feeling.
