5 Cozy Games To Play This Winter

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I am kickstarting my blog for the new year with a post all about something that's not only fun but also perfect for this time of the year and that is cozy gaming.  As I’ve said before, I’ve been a fan of playing video games since I was a little girl and I find that it’s a great way to take my mind off things, especially my anxiety and health issues. In terms of the games included in this post, I could’ve quite easily included the more popular cozy games such as Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Disney Dreamlight Valley and Stardew Valley which are all games that I do love and highly recommend, but in this post, I wanted to include some games which aren’t talked about as much as the above. 

Cozy Grove

Cozy Grove is a charming little game that has hand-drawn graphics and nice relaxing music. The concept of the game is that you are a Spirit Scout which has been sent to Cozy Grove to help the ghost bears haunting the island to move on and as you complete their daily requests, you learn more about each character and their unique backstories.

Their requests can be anything from finding XYZ on the island, making and giving them a certain meal or a request that may require a few days to complete. You also need to complete the requests to feed the log fire Flamey who is your guide. You have to feed Flamey to collect spirit logs which is how you expand the island and meet more ghost bears.

It runs on a real-time clock like Animal Crossing and the game has been designed to be played for no more than an hour or so a day so it’s perfect for someone who wants a game to play on their lunch break or in the evening when winding down. For £10.99 I think it’s a bargain as the gameplay for Cozy Grove has been made to span over months, there’s a DLC pack available to buy and there are also free seasonal events which I personally really like in these kinds of games. 

Cozy Grove is available on PC, Nintendo Switch, Apple Arcade, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.

Fae Farm

Far Farm starts with your character being invited to the magical island Azoria. You’re given a run-down farm to make your own and in return, the mayor hopes you can help return Azoria back to its glory. 

The game is split into chapters and has nice colourful graphics with a large map and you unlock more towns, shops/vendors and farms the further you get into the game. There’s plenty to do as you can farm, fish, catch bugs, forage, go in the mines, cook meals, sell your produce in town and like other life/farm sims your character can build friendships with NPCs and also romance some of them as well. 

Although I do like Fae Farm, I don’t think it is worth the £49.99 that it’s priced at on the eShop. You can find the physical version on Amazon here for £39.99 and if you can find it for even cheaper than that then that’s even better. 

The reason why I don’t think it’s worth the full price as of right now is because the characters lack dialogue and are on the duller side but they are hopefully going to be improving this soon in an upcoming game update. Another thing which I’m hoping they’ll fix is that time seems to go by faster than other similar games which is annoying, especially as you get further into the game and there’s more to do each day. It is still a good game though, hence why I’m recommending it. 

Fae Farm is available on Nintendo Switch.

Ooblets
Ooblets was one of my most played games last year, I even mentioned it in a favourites post. In Ooblets you collect creatures called, you guessed it, Ooblets which you grow from a seed on your farm. However to require an Ooblet seed you have to win dance battles (similar to Pokémon battles but it’s dancing instead) and then you can get them to help run your farm, you can choose certain ones to follow you around and level up and get involved in the dance battles.

You also complete daily tasks and main story tasks, build friendships, take on produce orders to earn money, buy and sell at the local shops, run your own shop (which is optional), you also sometimes have to find one of the locals lost Ooblet in the town and you have to explore the different towns nearby to complete the main storyline. It’s a fun, quirky game and they are still adding new things to the game and have really cute seasonal events too. 

Ooblets is available on PC and Nintendo Switch.

Bear and Breakfast

If you’re a fan of management kind of games then you will love Bear and Breakfast. It’s a chilled-out management adventure game where you play as a friendly bear called Hank who decides to try and run a B&B with the help of his friends.

You first start with an abandoned shack that you have to renovate and you do this by finding the materials needed in the nearby area. When the time comes to open to guests they have requirements and expectations you need to fulfil. As you progress through the game, more areas become accessible and so do more run-down buildings that need renovating. The mechanics of the game include resource hunting, crafting and cooking. There's also a storyline to follow and you have quests to complete throughout (some are optional). The map ends up being quite a large map with distinctive areas which has a fast travel system available to make it easier to get around. 

Bear and Breakfast is available on PC and Nintendo Switch.

A Little To The Left 

If you like puzzle games and organisation then A Little To The Left is definitely one to pick up. In the game you sort, stack, and organize household items into pleasing arrangements while you keep an eye out for a mischievous cat which pops up here and there. There are 75+ satisfying puzzles to tidy up and there are multiple ways to complete each puzzle so you can replay the game after you’ve completed it the first time. There’s also paid DLC available too. 

A Little To The Left is available on PC, Mac and Nintendo Switch.

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