Opening Steam, the app store or Nintendo eShop in search of a new cozy comfort game to take up your time can be a daunting task. There are so many games — new and old — with great reviews covering the front page. This can make finding your perfect game incredibly difficult. If you’re in search of a strange selection of cozy games, this is the list for you.
A Strange Horticulture
You’re a mysterious shopkeeper selling fictitious herbs to people in town. Slowly, you uncover the mysterious cults that hide within the everyday customers. As the player, you never leave your shop, but you get descriptions of your travels in notes that include illustrations to further help you uncover the mystery. Offering plants, mysteries, cults and monsters, A Strange Horticulture is the perfect cozy game for the spooky season.
Available: Steam (PC), Nintendo Switch, iOS (App Store), Android
Cattails
In Cattails, the player is a feral cat traversing the wild along three other feline colonies. The story has a heartbreaking start, as you take the role of a recently abandoned cat who is lost and confused after being dumped. As you progress, you learn how to survive in the forest, fulfill quests and build your own custom colony. Cattails is followed by a sequel named “Cattails: Wildwood Story.”
Available: Steam (PC), Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 / PlayStation 5, Xbox One / Xbox Series, iOS (in some versions)
Cult of the Lamb
In Cult of the Lamb, the player is a rogue lamb saved by a god-like figure called “The One Who Waits.” Your duty is to repay the figure by creating a loyal cult following dedicated to yourself. The player rescues animals to recruit as members into their cult, gathers resources, collects weapons and fights rival cults and non-believers. With so many spooky things to offer, this construction and management simulation game can be perfect for players that love sandbox games with a dash of action.
Available: Steam (PC), Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 / PlayStation 5, Xbox One / Xbox Series, iOS / Android (mobile version)
Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood
Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is a woman-centered story game based around witchcraft and tarot. In the game, you are Fortuna, a witch who has been exiled to an asteroid for a thousand years after predicting her coven’s fall. Thus, you make a bargain with a strange creature in exchange for freedom. The primary focus of the game is the creation of your own custom tarot cards and using them to read others’ fates. The game tells a compelling story and deeply integrates the player’s decisions.
Available: Steam (PC), Nintendo Switch, iOS (App Store), Android
Night in the Woods
In Night in the Woods, you are Mae, a college dropout who finds herself returning to her run-down hometown after grappling with mental-health problems. You’re tasked with exploring the town every day, uncovering secret spots and mini-games. The events pursued throughout the story are entirely up to the player. This story covers themes of love, nostalgia, time and a haunting you’ve discovered in the woods.
Available: Steam (PC), Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, iOS / Android
DATA WING
Mobile players are not forgotten in this list. In DATA WING, you play as — you guessed it — a data wing, a critical component inside of the smartphone you live in. You follow the orders of a program called Mother without question, attempting to fulfill her goal of ascending into a human being. However, the system falls victim to an attack from a virus called Rogue, which drives Mother crazy. As you race through the retro-styled game, you start uncovering the story of Olivia, the smartphone’s teenage user, through the files Rogue corrupts.
Available: iOS (App Store), Android
For a multitude of students, gaming is the go-to hobby to wind down after a hard day of class. It not only helps keep you off your phone, but it challenges your mind with new stories and mechanics to learn.
Whether you’re into a more action-packed cult story, a plant-riddled mystery, or dream of becoming a little triangle delivering payloads, there is something in this list for you.
