Cozy games are good for any time of the year. After all, there’s no seasonal requirement on feeling chill. But there’s something already extra comfy about the holiday season for many, so why not double down on that action?
Whether or not you live in an area that gets all snowy and such during the last months of the year, it’s a great time to wind down and play something nice and serene. Even for those that find the holiday season more hectic than comfortable, a nice collection of delightfully cozy games could be exactly what you need.
Lets you go snowboarding without all the bother.
Perfect For
Fans of momentum-based platformers who don’t want to deal with enemies.
Ever wanted to go out snowboarding without all the preparation and risk of frostbite? That’s where The Alto Collection has your back. A two-in-one pack of Alto’s Adventure and Alto’s Odyssey, thissimple 2D gamesees you sailing down hills and over jumps through a variety of environments.
Sure, it’s a game, so there are scores and goals to reach. Butif you want some cozy actionwith all the possible stress removed, there’s an optional Zen Mode that lets you simply enjoy the mountains and dunes at your own pace, all without ever having to worry about how many layers you’re wearing.
Anyone who wants to explore and make friends with creatures.
For some, there are few settings as cozy as a snowy Nordic countryside, and while playing Roki, it’s not difficult to see why. This vibing adventure game sees you playing as young Tove as she explores a chilly and unknown wilderness to save her family.
Along the way, Tove solves puzzles and encounters creatures out of Scandinavian folklore, punctuating the already engaging exploration aspect. It’s a great little game perfect for those who want to escape the current reality for a little while without being told to git gud in the process.
PC, Switch
Why It’s Good For The Holidays
Set in a snowy wilderness with a truly striking art style.
Animal lovers.
The greyscale visual wonder Blancis a game perfect for those looking to enjoy a simple and cozy co-op experience. You and another player embody a young fawn and wolf cub working together to find their families. you may even play by yourself controlling each character with a different control stick.
Every frame of this snowy monochrome title looks like a painting, and you don’t have to worry about any sudden tragedy ruining your time with the cute animals. So combined with the relatively simple puzzles, it’s a great ‘turn your brain noise down and enjoy the experience’ game for the holidays.
People who like winter and oddball comedy.
Just because a game is cozy doesn’t mean it can’t be a little devious. Everybody Wham Wham, which should have already gotten your attention from its name alone, sees you playing through a story where your goal is to win a snowman-building competition. Through sabotage if necessary.
If you’ve played developer Bonte Avond’s more recent game, Once Upon a Jester, you already have some idea of the sense of humor to expect here. The characters are wacky, the voice acting is delightful, and the simple gameplay doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Visual novel
Set during the winter of 1999.
Visual novel fans and anyone who agrees there needs to be more queer stories in gaming.
There are a number ofcozy LGBTQ+ visual novelsout there, and Life After Magic is yet another lovely addition to the list. But it’s more appropriate in this case due to its setting, taking place in a regular city during the final days of 1999. Oh, also you’re a former magical girl who grew up.
You play as Akiko, no longer doing the Sailor Moon-style gig and now working retail. She lost touch with her old team and settled into a new life. But when her magic starts fading, she realizes she might have to reunite the gang one last time to figure out what’s going on. Plus, the game is free. You have no reason not to check it out.
A partially snowy setting and central plot revolving around family
Anyone with fond memories of family camping trips as a kid
It’s nice when a game’s title tells you exactly what you’re getting. Well, that’s sort of the case with A Short Hike. It’s definitely about a hike and is quite short, but it involves a little more than just walking along a path in the woods. For one thing, you play as a bird.
It’s basically a tiny little open world that you tackle at your own pace. Talk to the other people around, earn more feathers to climb higher up the mountain, and just take in the satisfyingly crunchy low-fi visuals. The snowy upper reaches are particularly relevant to the holiday season, but the whole game is absolutely worth a late-year playthrough.
PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S
Lots of presents being delivered, plus the DLC is set during Christmas time in 1985
Walking simulator fans, anyone who would prefer Death Stranding without the monsters
A bit afterDeath Stranding confused and captivated gamers, another game came out with a decidedly less pee-centric take on package delivery. Lake is a 2019 game with the Hallmark-esque premise of a big city woman in the 1980s returning to her small town home to take a break, and she passes that relaxation on to you, the player.
For Meredith Weiss, that break involves delivering packages to the locals and maybe finding love along the way. But what really makes this a holiday game is its DLC prequel, Season’s Greetings, where you play as Meredith’s dad during a much snowier time in the town’s recent past.
Fans of unboxing videos.
The holiday season is prime material for unboxing videos. If you haven’t gotten your fix of unwrapping and opening things at home, you may watch those videos. If even the videos aren’t enough, Unpacking keeps that train rolling.
Unpack a box, pick a spot for the thing inside, repeat. That’s what the game is, and it’s wonderful. The clean, isometric pixel graphics add to the already incredibly satisfying gameplay, and it’s a perfect complement for a season already full of boxes and bags and a few of your favorite things.
The seasonal Wintertime Event
Fans of Pokemon who don’t much care for all that fighting.
What if Pokemon didn’t focus on battling and was instead just about enjoying your life with these weird little guys? Ooblets aims for something like that, but it’s absolutely got an identity all its own. It’s got creature collecting, life sim elements, farming, and lots of dancing. Plus it’s just so darn cute.
That alone is already enough to make Ooblets a cozy game for any time of the year. But it also includes seasonal events to keep things festive during the fall, spring, and winter months with special Ooblets and special decorations in the game’s main setting of Badgetown.
Just look at it
Stardew Valley fans with a festive urge
Let’s be real, you’re able to’t talk about cozy games without bringing up building and management sims. But Stardew Valley already gets enough attention and besides, this similarly charming 2D crafting game is about Santa himself.
Santacraft sees you taking the role of the big guy as he’s rebuilding Santa’s Village in the wake of a catastrophic blizzard, and it’s up to you to gather the materials. The rocks you mine are made of chocolate, the trees you chop are gingerbread, and you go fishing for saltwater taffy. Does the North Pole even grow any vegetables?
