We Can Never Have Both
Sometimes, the games designed to give us the most comfort are the ones we tend to stress about the most, while more difficult or complex games can provide us with those warm fuzzies we’re looking for. Maybe it’s the atmosphere, familiarity, or the activities you do in the game that make it cozy or not, but the beauty of all these games is that it’s fully up to you. Do you agree with our list?
1. Stardew Valley
What initially seems like a quiet escape from the rat race in the big city, most end-game players of Stardew Valley have turned their town into a capitalist nightmare. Not only does this defeat the initial purpose of the game, but the never-ending to-do list can leave you more stressed than when you opened your file.
2. Spiritfarer
Spiritfarer is a game built on escapism and a love of people’s stories. It can be an emotionally challenging game to get through, but it features simple gameplay. However, certain players have found it to be quite repetitive, with an annoying interface and navigational system.
Dimitrios Tzortzis on Wikimedia
3. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
If you’re doing a little bit every day, New Horizons isn’t all that bad. What can be really stressful is the act of creating a new island from scratch. The work that players put into this game is beyond insane, and definitely kept a few of us up at night thinking about our next plan.
4. Graveyard Keeper
This cemetery management sim is well-liked for its DLCs and pixel art style. It is considered a harder, or less thought-out, Stardew Valley, and many players have expressed frustration with having to constantly refer to an online guide.
5. The Sims
The appeal of The Sims is that you can live any life you like, and the downside to The Sims is that you can live any life you like. Our digital mini-me’s are like needy toddlers who struggle to care for themselves at the best of times, so making sure our needs are met while still achieving our dreams feels a little too similar to reality.
6. Bear And Breakfast
The premise is simple: you are a bear and you have a bed and breakfast. It’s an adorable management simulator, with a cute art style and a lack of combat. However, the requests of your guests get more complicated as time goes on, which has been known to stress out players.
7. Melatonin
Melatonin is a rhythm game that blends dreams and reality against a beautiful art style. While it contains eye-catching animation and ear-catching music, it’s also said to be quite challenging. There’s nothing more off-putting than looking at the same cozy scene for an hour because you can’t beat a level.
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8. Palia
Palia is an online fantasy life sim that has great NPCs, community-building, and really gets to know the space you’ve become a part of. However, the game does deal with constant bugs, crashes, and glitches, and a little too much repetition for their liking.
9. Cities: Skylines
This management simulator is a great way to play God, so to speak, as you get to watch your very own city build from the ground up. Similarly to Animal Crossing, however, you can get a little too into your build and really run yourself into the ground if you’re not careful.
10. Minecraft
We’re not talking about creative mode here. We’re talking about some good old-fashioned survival Minecraft. Your first few nights are always incredibly stressful, and the risk of entering a random cave can have disastrous consequences. Not to mention placing a breakable item in the wrong spot.
1. Skyrim
Skyrim has been praised for being one of the coziest non-cozy games out there. With differing levels of combat and a decent survival mode, you’re encouraged to pay closer attention to your surroundings as you move through the world.
2. Grand Theft Auto
Any version of Grand Theft Auto is excellent for a virtual drive across a familiar city, and after playing the game for so long, it’s also fun to follow the rules of the road. Pick your favorite car and drive off into the sunset.
3. Breath Of The Wild/Tears Of The Kingdom
Aside from random guardian or gloomy hands attacks, these gorgeous games encourage you to explore anywhere and everywhere you want to go. If you’ve played for a while and have all the right armor and weapons, you can breeze by most enemies easily with the help of your trusty steed.
4. Witcher 3
Fans of this series praise it for its ability to immerse you in the world so completely. It’s well-loved for its hidden secrets, the gorgeous views, and the ability to take things as slow as you want.
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5. Assassin’s Creed
Many Assassin’s Creed maps are so big you don’t even know where to start, which is a perfect place to start. Take your horse across gorgeous mountain ranges, swim across the bays, or take your eagle for a spin. Even mercenaries need a break sometimes.
Khashayar Kouchpeydeh on Unsplash
6. Hades
This popular dungeon crawler has become a comfort game for many of its fans, either through learned experience or for the love of the characters involved. There are some points of frustration; however, the game has a “God mode,” which can help you through tougher battles.
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7. Disco Elysium
This popular roll-top game is not cozy when it comes to its themes or storylines, but many folks find the game to be comforting regardless. It has no traditional combat style, so you’re never forced into a fighting situation, which is a high selling point for our clerics or druids.
8. Fallout 76
Many players equate this edition of the Fallout Franchise to that of an apocalyptic Sims, as you get the opportunity to build a survival base and connect with other members of the community. The amount of time folks spend in this game makes the destitute landscape feel comforting and familiar.
Bethesda Softworks LLC, a ZeniMax Media company on Wikimedia
9. Red Dead Redemption 2
Many folks believe that the third chapter of RDR2 is the best time to familiarize yourself with the landscape, hobbies, and chatting with the game’s NPCs. It’s also great for the horse lovers out there, as they’re a crucial mechanic for the game.
10. No Man’s Sky
This gorgeous game brings a lot of baggage, but it’s worth it for the sake of exploration. One of the best parts of this game is the ability to make it as simple or as complex as you’d like. If you prefer to spend your time milling around, collecting resources, and chatting to other players, that’s a-okay.
