The Coziest Corner A Guide To The Best Casual Games

The Nintendo Switch just turned Six this year, AND the Steam Deck is out. With each passing year, new people are being welcomed to the handheld gaming world. I have been gaming since the ’90s (I was all about the power pad back in the day), and I have always found myself drawn towards cozy/adventure games. These are the games with puzzles, open-ended, farming, decorating, quest, and ones you can pick up and relax to play.

Sometimes I want to play a game that I can focus on and quiet my brain from all the other things there. So here is a list of some of my FAVE cozy games and a few that I can’t wait to play. Animal Crossing and Stawdew Valley will NOT be on the list because if you are a fan of cozy games, you already know about those two. I haven’t paid the full price for any of these games listed. I place them on my wishlist, and when the item goes on sale, that is when I will purchase it. A lot of these games I purchased with 40% off. Here they are in no particular order

Overcooked and/or Overcooked 2( available on Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck ): I was a HUGE fan of Cooking Dash back in the day, and Overcooked has taken it to a new level. In this game, you can play solo or as a cooperative team of up to four players. You will learn new dishes to make, clean dirty plates, dash around the kitchen, and meet different obstacles. I like this because you can make it a cozy game or invite others to play. Keep an eye out for sales on this game. I avoided the $19.99 price tag and bought BOTH for $4 around black Friday time. You can watch the trailer for Overcooked here and the trailer for Overcooked 2 here.

Dorf Romantik (available on Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck): This game has won best indie game of the year, and once you play it, you will know why. This puzzle game has Easy, classic, creative, and hard modes. Creative is one of my faves because I can make a city out of the tiles and listen to the ambient sounds of a lovely country town. You can also challenge yourself and create a town with a limited number of tiles to see how your score can get. It has become one of my fave games that I play with my cozy blanket and a warm drink before bed. You can watch the Dorf Romantik trailer here

Lost in Play (available on Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck) I started this game and immediately my six-year-old wanted to play as well. In this game, you play as a brother and sister who have “lost” their way home, and you must make your way back through their imagination. Along your way, you will encounter trolls, a chicken for a sidekick, a frog prince, and many others. This plays like you’re watching a cartoon. There is no dialogue, and it makes it easy to follow the next step. They have wonderful mini-puzzles and games with clues along the way if you get stuck. I played this over a weekend and it was such a fun time. Check out the trailer for Lost in Play here.

AKA (available on Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck) In this beautiful game, you play as a red panda who has just finished fighting a great war. He now wants to live out his life in a peaceful area where he can rest, and grow flowers, fruits, and vegetables. He meets up with others, and they see that even with the war behind them, they still have things they are trying to deal with because of it. There are quests you can go on, but you can take your time and really just enjoy playing. You can see the trailer for AKA here.

Ooblets(avaialble on Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck) In this game you have just arrived to the town called Badgtown and you are here to help the mayor gain internet access for the town. You will have to farm, decorate your house, and along the way you can get these cut elittle helpers called Ooblets to help maintaine your lifestyle. How do you get them? By a dance off of course. This is a great game for those who are burnt out by animal crossing and are looking for something they can play daily with. Youc an check out the trailer for Ooblets here.

Down in Bermuda(available on Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck) In this game you are a piolt who has been stuck in Bermuda for 30 years and he is trying to make his way home. In order to do so you have to travel around Bermuda to these little islands and do puzzles. Now I am not going to lie, I had to look up some help on some of the puzzles but it was a nice cozy game that I truly enjoyed. You can watch the trailer for Down in Bermuda here.

Railbound (available on Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck) You have 150+ puzzles to complete in this fun game. In order to leave the train stattion you have to have all parts of the train conected. You start with just one car and make your way up to four cars and you only have a certain amount of train tacks to make it happen. The music is nice and calm and a perfect addition to this cozy came. You can watch a trailer for Railbound here.

A Building Full Of Cats (available on Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck) This game is a hidden object game. Each level there are cats you need to find. They can be hiding in plain sight or you make need to open a drawer or two. This is a very quick game to play but not bad since it has a $3 price tag. You can watch the trailer for A building full of cats here.

The Oregon Trail( available for Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck) A modern twist in this beloved game that elder millennials remember playing in elementary school. You get to reenact what men and women did as they went down the Oregon Trail. YOu will pack your wagon with the essentials you need, ration your use as you make your way over the mountains, and make sure to heal any broken bones along the way. Check out the trailer to The Oregon Trail here

Kirby And The Forgotten Land (avaaivale on Nintendo Siwtch) This is an ubatded and fun new kirby game, you have a new mode called mouthful mode where kirby can use everyday objects to help him on his quest. Its the same Kirby you knew and loved but not he has a new adventure to take you on. I really love playing this by myself and also with my kids. We had such a blast. You can see the trailer for Kirby and the forgotten land here.

Now I want to share some cozy games that I am looking forward to coming out or ones that I haven’t purchased yet.

Ibento(available on Nintendo Switch) you can watch the trailer for Ibento here. This is another cute little puzzle game that will go by quickly but when the game goes on sale for $2 that is perfectly fine.

Blanc (available on Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck Feb 14, 2023) This is a co-op game you can play by yourself or with another person (this game works like It takes two and has elements of the fox and the hound.) you play as a deer and a fox who have both lost their family in a snow storm so you have to work together in order to make it back to your families. Just seeing the pictures and soem of the gameplay has me so excoited to play this in the coming weeks. You can watch the trailer for Blanc here.

Dordogne (available on Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck Spring 2023) Play along as Mimi in the past and present as she reconciles with coming to visit her grandmother each summer in a town called Dordogne in France. You get to play as both adult Mimi and childhood Mimi. This is one that I am sure will make me miss my grandmother even more, but I can’t wait to play this one as well. You can see the trailer for Dordogne here.

What games are you playing right now? Have a missed some of your favorite cozy games? Share them below. Happy gaming, everyone.