Few things compare to the sense of accomplishment one feels when defeating a video game's difficult task or winning against other competitors. Sometimes, however, gamers just want a fun way to spend a quiet afternoon. This desire paved the way for "cozy gaming."
The gaming community defines "cozy games" as games with pleasant art styles, simple learning curves, and intuitive mechanics that foster a comfortable and enjoyable experience for gamers of all skill levels. While this trend isn't limited to any console or genre, the Nintendo Switch offers an impressive library of cozy games.
Updated on December 11th, 2022, by Sarah Martin: Cozy games are one of the most popular subgenres on Nintendo Switch. These games typically have great aesthetics and immerse players into their atmosphere. With the holidays right around the corner, we've updated this list with a few cozy games that are perfect for this time of year.
20 Bear & Breakfast
$19.99
Bear and Breakfast is about bears trying to manage a bed and breakfast in the middle of the woods. After Hank and his other anthropomorphic friends discover an abandoned shack, they're inspired to spruce the place up and turn it into a welcoming bed and breakfast for tourists.
It's similar to Animal Crossing, but with a slightly warmer and less kawaii aesthetic that's nonetheless endearing. Bear and Breakfast is the perfect game to curl up with on a cold winter night and unwind for a while.
19 Beacon Pines
$19.99
Beacon Pines is an aesthetically pleasing story game where players step into Luka's shoes. Luka is the protagonist of this mysterious storybook, and players must decipher its perpetually shifting narrative.
Taking place in the titular Beacon Pines, players can utilize a magical storybook to alter the past, write what the future will be, and solve the mysteries throughout Beacon Pines. Recently released in September 2022, Beacon Pines' warm aesthetic, gorgeous character designs, and nonstop mysteries will keep players entertained for hours.
18 Harvestella
$59.99
Harvestella is a life simulation RPG that combines fantasy with city management. In Harvestella, players will explore the game's world while cultivating a life for themselves by harvesting crops, caring for the local wildlife, and inhabiting different cities during their time in the game.
Harvestella came out at the beginning of November, and it's been a hit ever since. Not only does Harvestella have cozier elements, but it also has an element of mystery since players must investigate a devastating event in Quietus.
17 Railbound
$12.99
Railbound is a puzzle game where players must connect or sever different railways to ensure everyone gets home safely. Railbound's environments may look stressful, but the gameplay is anything but.
Railbound is a relaxing, cozy game with adorable characters for fans to fall in love with. Combine that with its gorgeously whimsical aesthetic and over 150 unique puzzles, Railbound is a great deal for its low price point on the Nintendo eShop. Plus, it's a perfect game to play during the stressful holiday months as a way to unwind.
16 The Outbound Ghost
$24.99
For players looking to recreate The Nightmare Before Christmas' cozy yet eery atmosphere this holiday season, The Outbound Ghost is a perfect choice. The Outbound Ghost takes place in a town haunted by ghosts struggling to move on to the afterlife.
Players will help see them through to the other side by fighting their past demons and solving puzzles. Most importantly, players will uncover the truth about this mysterious ghost town to set the souls of their new ghoulish friends free. Players will love the game's excellent cast of characters and colorful designs.
15 Kubinashi Recollection
$11.99
Kubinashi Recollection is a calm 2D puzzle game about Sekibanki, a girl who must go on an adventure in a dreamy landscape to recollect her memories after waking up with amnesia. She's a supernatural entity who can multiply her own head and use it as a weapon or springboard.
Players can go through different stages and solve puzzles while collecting pieces of Sekibanki's memory. Kubinashi Recollection has a calming pastel aesthetic and an adorable art style that inspires relaxation, and its 8-bit soundtrack matches the game's soothing atmosphere.
14 Kirby And The Forgotten Land
$59.99
Kirby And The Forgotten Land is one of the latest games starring Kirby, one of Nintendo's most adorable characters. It's a calming adventure game where players can battle monsters and save the hidden Waddle Dees across the map.
Kirby can inhale vending machines, cars, staircases, and even his enemy's powers to use as tools. Its 3D gameplay is immersive and can keep players entertained for hours. The game's soundtrack is upbeat, catchy, and never gets old. With 40 overall stages and plenty of minigames, Kirby And The Forgotten Land ensures hours of fun for players of all ages.
13 Calico
$11.99
Everybody loves cat cafés and magical girls. In Calico, players can immerse themselves in a mystical, cozy environment as they manage a cat café and turn it into the perfect habitat for plenty of furry friends.
Cats are frequent visitors, but dogs, bunnies, foxes, and even raccoons have claimed residency. Calico is a low-stress community simulator with a unique art style and adorable pastel aesthetic that's perfect for unwinding after a stressful day. The game's soundtrack is relaxing, playful, and magical all at the same time.
12 Inbento
$2.49
Inbento immerses players into the wordless story of cats. Each stage of the story rolls out as players build bento boxes and solve puzzles. The game is super relaxing and doesn't require much effort or commitment. It delivers an immersive story, and the overall atmosphere feels inviting and cozy.
There are over 100 puzzles for players to complete, with a few bonus stages. Each puzzle requires players to create intricate bento boxes with a variety of unique ingredients. Inbento has a soothing soundtrack that makes players want to kick back, relax, and get creative.
11 Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion
$5.99
Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion is about a seemingly harmless and cute turnip boy who actually loves wreaking chaos wherever he goes. He's been evicted from his home and committed tax evasion, so now he must endure a series of quests to pay his debt to none other than Mayor Onion.
Players can solve plant-themed puzzles, battle the monsters who seek to destroy the garden, befriend the town's produce, and overthrow the corrupt vegetable overlords making everyone's life miserable. Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion also features a few different endings players can explore on various playthroughs.
10 Donut County
$12.99
Donut County by indie developer Ben Esposito is a delightfully strange adventure where the in-game mechanics impact the world within the game. The player controls a hole in the ground that devours objects as it moves underneath them, and the more things that the hole consumes, the larger it becomes.
This continues until all of Donut County's citizens and all their belongings are deep beneath the ground, seeking survival and a way out. While Donut County's story embraces the chaos, there's a soothing satisfaction to clearing out each level and discovering which items cause new effects in the hole.
9 Untitled Goose Game
$9.99
In a beautiful English village, players can wreak absolute havoc as an ambitious little waterfowl in Untitled Goose Game by House House. The goose can interact with any of the villagers or objects around them, provoking various reactions as they do so.
Wherever the goose roams, shenanigans are sure to follow. Untitled Goose Game lets players steal, sneak, and honk their way through locations like a garden, a local market, and the neighborhood pub. By the end, players will be delighted to see they've gotten the goose banned from nearly every place in town.
8 The Legend Of Zelda: Link's Awakening
$59.99
The modern version of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening takes inspiration from the older version of the game and claymation art styles. This design choice gives Link, his allies, and even their enemies an adorable aesthetic.
Outside of the typical Legend of Zelda locations, Link's Awakening brings players to a tropical island where Link, of course, awakens on the beach after a storm. As he ventures to locate the magical instruments that will allow him to return home, players are treated to an environment full of bright colors and sly references to other Nintendo properties.
7 Yoshi's Crafted World
$59.99
The beloved Nintendo character, Yoshi, heads out on a journey through an extremely cute setting in Yoshi's Crafted World. While the gameplay and mechanics may be remarkably simple, Yoshi's surroundings feature incredible detail.
Everything players see in the game is meant to look like it's made from everyday objects and craft supplies, such as construction paper, felt, or buttons. With Yoshi's Crafted World's cooperative mode, players can even enjoy their crafted escapades with a friend or two and experience the game's nostalgic arts-and-crafts feeling together.
6 Animal Crossing: New Horizons
$59.99
When it came out in early 2020, Animal Crossing: New Horizons took the world by storm. It seemed like anyone who had access to a Nintendo Switch suddenly developed a double life, in reality and on their island. With the significant updates and Happy Home Paradise DLC that have been released since the game's original arrival on the scene, it's only become more populated with fun things to explore.
However, one of Animal Crossing's best qualities is also one of its greatest weaknesses: the game progresses in real-time. This means gamers can enjoy holidays and birthdays with their villagers, but it also means that if something prevents them from playing for a period of time, the game has noticed their absence.
5 Stardew Valley
$14.99
The incredibly popular indie farming simulator Stardew Valley was ported to the Nintendo Switch in October 2017 after significant success on other platforms. While there's potential for players to speedrun the game or attempt to maximize their farm's efficiency, there is no in-game pressure to do so.
Time stops when players exit the game, and there's no enforced timetable for any of Stardew Valley's many milestones or accomplishments. Instead, it encourages players to pursue the most interesting activities: farming, fishing, or flirting with the local singles.
4 Spiritfarer
$29.99
In Spiritfarer, players take on the role that the title indicates: they help ferry spirits to the afterlife. Part resource management, part action-adventure, Spiritfarer takes players along as Stella helps a beautiful cast of passengers reach their final destinations.
Spending plenty of quality time with their passengers along the way, Spiritfarer lets players make excellent use of its hugging mechanic. Fans of the game recommend having plenty of tissues on hand, though, as the bonds players form with their passengers can lead to several tearful moments throughout.
3 Coffee Talk
$12.99
Coffee Talk invites players to step into an urban-fantasy Seattle where humans and mythical creatures live in relative harmony. Gameplay leads players along the different, branching story paths based on their choices while serving customers in their café.
The fantastical elements of Coffee Talk hold a gentle mirror up to real-life struggles and conundrums, encouraging gamers to take a new perspective on their own stories. The carefully crafted color palette and music curate a restful atmosphere for players as they uncover the rich and fulfilling narratives of the citizens of alternate Seattle.
2 A Short Hike
$7.99
Developed by Adam Robinson-Yu, A Short Hike was released in 2019 and then got adapted for the Switch in 2020. The game's protagonist, Claire, is staying with her Aunt May, a park ranger, at Hawk Peak Provincial Park for the summer. Claire must hike up Hawk Peak to get enough reception for an important phone call.
Even though A Short Hike's main objective can be completed in a single sitting, the game presents a beautiful open world. Players can spend hours enjoying this charming adventure full of characters, items, activities, and side quests.
1 Unpacking
$19.99
Part puzzle game, part interior decorating, Unpacking follows its main character as she moves into different spaces and homes, bringing box upon box of her belongings with her. While the gameplay concerns where items are placed, players can join the main character on her journey and unwrap the story based on where she moves to and what she chooses to bring with her.
The slow-moving, low-stakes mechanics, comfortable visuals, and pleasant sound design make Unpacking the ultimate cozy game. Likewise, the lingering question of "what if that could fit there instead?" keeps players coming back for more, even after the ending.