I bought my Switch just after Covid, mainly because I had seen Animal Crossing absolutely everywhere online and eventually needed to see what all the hype was about. I don’t think I realised quite what I was starting because I have been hooked on cosy games ever since. And I mean big time.
They have easily become one of my favourite ways to relax. I love beautiful, whimsical worlds, decorating and building things exactly how I want them, and having a storyline to follow without a game ever feeling stressful. I want something calming, but I still need enough going on to keep me interested, and these games get that balance just right. These are my absolute favourites…
Animal Crossing – Obviously, I have to start with Animal Crossing because this is where the obsession began. I love everything about creating your own little island, collecting furniture, decorating your house and slowly turning the entire place into your own world. The changing seasons and events keep it exciting, but there is never any pressure to actually do anything. You can spend hours redesigning an area or literally just wander around fishing and talking to your villagers. It is still the ultimate cosy game for me and one I will always go back to.
Disney Dreamlight Valley – Dreamlight Valley took everything I loved about world building and added Disney into it, so obviously I was going to love this one. There is sooooo much to do between decorating, unlocking new areas, completing quests and meeting different Disney characters. I especially love how beautiful you can make your valley and how much freedom there is to create your own aesthetic. It has a proper storyline and plenty to keep you busy, but still has that lovely calming quality I want from a cosy game. They just keep adding and adding worlds and characters to the game too, so the possibilities are endless with this one.
Hello Kitty Island Adventure – This might be one of the cutest games I have ever played. Hello Kitty Island Adventure is basically an entire pastel, adorable little world filled with Sanrio characters, exploring, decorating, collecting and mini side quests. The whole game is just lovely to look at. There’s enough of a storyline and sense of discovery to make me want to keep playing, but it never feels intense. It’s exactly the kind of game I want when I just want to switch my brain off for a few hours and disappear into somewhere ridiculously cute (which is basically every minute of my day, tbh).
Pokemon Pokopia – Oh my GOD. This one really surprised me because I have genuinely never given Pokémon a second thought in my life. I had absolutely no interest in it, so I did not expect a Pokémon game to end up becoming one of my favourite cosy games. But Pokopia is AMAZING, like, seriously. It feels much more like the kind of world building game I already love, where you can create these beautiful, whimsical spaces and make the world your own. You definitely don’t need to be someone who is already obsessed with Pokemon either to enjoy it – trust me, I’d know. I went into it knowing basically nothing and have completely fallen in love with the game in its own right.
Fae Farm – Fae Farm is perfect if you like your cosy games with a little bit more magic. You get farming, decorating, crafting and exploring, but everything takes place in this gorgeous fantasy world. I love the whimsical aesthetic and the feeling of slowly building up your home and farm while still having quests and a storyline to work through. It gives me enough to focus on that I can completely lose myself in it, while still being really relaxing to play.
Moonlight Peaks – This game is basically my dream cosy aesthetic. You play as a vampire living a peaceful farming life, growing unusual crops, using magic and creating your own little supernatural world. I love that it takes the traditional cosy farming game and gives it a slightly darker, witchier feel while still being beautiful and relaxing. Again, it’s the world building that gets me! Give me a beautiful little virtual world that I can decorate and disappear into and I will happily lose hours of my life to it.
I think the thing that connects all of these games for me is that they give me somewhere else to disappear into for a while. I love the world building (if you haven’t realised that yet – the amount of times I’ve said it…), the beautiful aesthetics and being able to create spaces exactly how I want them. I also need a storyline because I still want that excitement of unlocking something new or finding out what happens next, just without the stress that comes with more intense games.
There’s something ridiculously relaxing about getting cosy, picking up my Switch and spending a few hours decorating an imaginary house, building a magical village or wandering around collecting things that have absolutely no importance in real life. It has genuinely become one of my favourite relaxing hobbies ever, and considering I originally bought my Switch just to see what all the fuss about Animal Crossing was, I think it’s safe to say I got slightly more invested than planned.
