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At the top of yearly I at all times really feel impressed by simply what number of cozy video games launched, and extra particularly what number of I truly discovered the time to play. Looking again, 2025 was a 12 months the place cozy video games actually broke the mildew and appealed to a wider viewers.
Notably although, I discovered that I did not simply spend a whole bunch of hours in a dozen farming simulators. This could be a acutely aware effort on my half, as a result of apart from turning into infatuated with Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar, I truly did not sink a lot time in any respect into discovering my subsequent farming obsession. So if you wish to do the identical, listed here are my favourite cozy video games from 2025.
Top six cozy video games of 2025
- Once Upon a Katamari
- POCO
- The Guardian of Nature
- Vending Dokan!: Kozy Kiosk
- Out and About
- Hello Kitty Island Adventure
Some other games I spent more time than I like to admit playing, but didn’t quite make the top six: Ritual of Raven, Discounty, Instants, Is this seat taken?, and Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time.
Once Upon a Katamari
Style: Puzzle
Once Upon a Katamari also introduces new elements, welcoming new players while also refreshing the old experience for series fans. Rolling around has been streamlined through a new control scheme that simplifies movement, and new tools have been added to each level such as a rocket to help you move faster and a radar to pinpoint the location of valuable items like crowns. Anyone can pick up Once Upon a Katamari and have a good time, which I think is one of the reasons why I ended up loving it so much this year.
I wouldn’t say that Once Upon a Katamari is your typical cozy game. If anything, it’s much more chaotic than the casual, laid-back simulators I’d usually describe as “wholesome” or “cozy”. But the amount of joy a few hours in this game provides me is what makes it so worthy. It might not have the lo-fi pastel colored goodness we’re used to, but it does pack in simple rules, and adorable characters you get familiar with which in some way makes it a cozy game.
Poco
Style: Point-and-click adventure
Something about cozy games lends itself to unsettling concepts, and Poco is unquestionably a primary instance of that. This free-to-play point-and-click journey following the story of the world’s smallest clown actually caught with me when it launched in May, and I have never stopped fascinated with it since. I’ve even dipped in just a few extra occasions to ensure I noticed each doable ending.
It’s the world that basically enchanted me, which is usually all the way down to the mix of 2D and 3D components. Throughout Poco you may have to make use of the surroundings to progress, whether or not that is choosing flowers to show into paint, or monitoring down gadgets to return to the forged of oddities (known as Homunculi) who you befriend alongside the way in which. The challenges are easy, however there’s one thing so extremely enthralling about it that you’re going to be gutted when it is over.
Poco is cozy in its time dedication too: I rolled credit inside the hour. It’s actually a recreation that leaves you wanting extra, and in the event that they introduced a sequel at any level I might be completely thrilled. I really feel like Poco was an actual hidden gem this 12 months.
Vending Dokan!: Kozy Kiosk
Style: Idle administration simulator
2025 has been the 12 months of idle video games for me. When I really feel like I haven’t got the time to sink right into a full-blown journey, I’ve cherished having just a little desktop pet or idle recreation working within the background whereas I work. There’s one thing oddly satisfying about getting passive digital revenue from one thing that slowly ticks away, and Vending Dokan!: Kozy Kiosk was a sleeper hit for me.
After it shadow dropped during the Wholesome Direct showcase, I immediately downloaded it and started stocking my first few machines. Before long, I was raking in cash from an empire of vendos and decorated alleyways for my customers to sit and enjoy. So many idle games I’ve played, like Rusty’s Retirement, Ropuka’s Idle Island, and Tiny Pasture tick away whether or not you interact with them. Vending Dokan is a little more hands-on, which kept me more engaged.
You need to keep on top of your stock, order in the drinks your customers want if they aren’t available in your current rotation, keep the area clean, and decorate to improve the general aesthetic. It doesn’t require your constant attention, and you will spend a lot of time just waiting to earn enough money, giving you an excuse to actually work on the real life to-do list you’ve been putting off while playing. No—I’m definitely not projecting.
Out and About
Style: Foraging simulator
I may have strayed from the farming simulator this year, but that doesn’t mean I’ve cast all simulators aside. Out and About was on my list of most anticipated games for 2025, and it certainly lived up to my expectations.
In Out and About, you’ll set off to start a new life in an incredibly run down town. With a little bit of help and inspiration from the people around you, your skills as a forager help the local square flourish and re-build a community that had been impacted by a devastating storm. You’ll learn all about plants and their properties, including what to look for when you’re picking them.
Before you can take them back to the kitchen and cook something, you’ll need to successfully identify the plants you’ve found. You wouldn’t want to eat anything poisonous by accident. When you have made a mass of items, you can sell them at the market and match their properties to the needs of your customers, and then use that money to reinvest in the town.
What I love most about Out and About is the level of detail that has gone into the foraging mechanic. All the plants you encounter in the game are foragable in real life, and there are tons of recipes that can all be recreated in real life too. From teas and treats to salves and soups, there are over 100 recipes to learn in-game and out, and it’s made foraging as a hobby feel a lot more accessible and less intimidating.
The Guardian of Nature
Style: Point-and-click puzzle
The Guardian of Nature is an incredibly peaceful point-and-click puzzle game, but even though it feels relaxing, it tells quite a heavy story. You’ll play as Henry, a botanist who can shrink down to the size of an ant or grow back to his regular, human size. You’ll use this skill to visit parts of the forest that the human eye may miss otherwise, like burrowing underground to reconnect plant roots or to helping out any animals who’ve gotten lost along their way.
It’s not just about reconnecting parts of the forest though, as some unusual characters have started chopping down trees and using them to build houses for their kind, and you need to put a stop to that before the world Henry’s used to changes entirely. Henry never actually speaks, communicating entirely in little grunts, but I wound up feeling so connected to him anyway. The animals you help out are particularly cute too, which helps.
It’s the sort of game that can be played for a few hours at a time without feeling like you need to tie up the entire story in one sitting. This feeling is definitely encouraged by the fact it launched in episodes, giving you bitesize chunks to work through at a time, which I definitely appreciated and saw as a welcomed cozy break among the constant releases from the year.
Hello Kitty Island Adventure
Style: Life simulator
Island Adventure has all the cozy game hits: crafting, fishing, cute characters, easy enough quests, and a long list of chores to keep you busy. For example, you’ll get different visitors every now and then, like friends and family for the islanders, and you’ll need to prepare cabins for them. Each character has very specific requirements to meet before they will visit, such as the location of their cabin and what furniture they need inside. Having this to occupy your time on top of quests and befriending the main cast keeps you busy and really brings the island to life.
The release of the Wheatflour Wonderland DLC in September only reinforced my love, and has left me excited to see where the game goes next. Hopefully, we continue to see more development on Friendship Island through 2026, including more characters to befriend and new realms to explore.
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