About

Cozy Games is a slang term referring to video games that are considered "cozy" to play, offering a low-stress, comforting, escapist experience that makes you want to fully immerse yourself in them in a comfortable environment. While some cozy games include combat and the possibility of death or loss, many forego these mechanics in favor of a more relaxed playstyle. Some of the most commonly cited cozy games are farming and life sims like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing, as well as many nostalgic games. The prevalence of cozy games and discussions and content about them became increasingly popularized throughout the early 2020s.

Origin

The idea of cozy games has been discussed online throughout the 2010s. One of the earliest known posts about cozy games is a post to /r/patientgamers^[1] on September 3rd, 2016, asking, "What's the most comfy/cozy game you've played?" The user describes a cozy game as, "The kind of game you play on a rainy day while wrapped up in blankets." The post gained over 80 upvotes and 100 comments in six years, with users suggesting games including Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, Flower, Beyond Good and Evil, The Legend of Zelda and Little Big Planet.

Spread

On July 1st, 2019, Forbes^[2] published an article titled, "Explore Comfort And Self-Reflection In Cozy Games" where they mention games like Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing as part of the genre, writing that, "both games shift away from the immediate threats of life and death that typically define player actions in games toward moments of growth, self-reflection and creativity." On December 24th, YouTuber Logitech G posted a video listing the best cozy PC games, including Forza Horizon 4, The Sims 4 and Minecraft, garnering over 58,000 views in three years (shown below).

On February 23rd, 2020, Instagram^[3] user cozy.games, an account dedicated to posting about cozy games with a cozy aesthetic, made her first post, sharing a photo of a Switch with Stardew Valley on it. Over the following months, she continued to post photos referencing cozy games, sharing her recommendations and opinions on them. In January 2021 she began posting content on TikTok under the same handle. On January 20th, 2021, she posted a video to TikTok^[4] giving cozy game recommendations that garnered over 1.2 million views in a year (shown below). She gained over 200,000 followers on TikTok by September 2022. On April 25th, eBaum's World^[5] published an article breaking down the rise of cozy gaming and its demographics.

On January 2nd, 2022, TikToker^[6] @gamergirlgale, an account dedicated largely to posting about cozy games, posted her first video, garnering over 90,000 followers in eight months. On July 26th, Games Radar^[7] published an article about cozy gaming, titled, "Cozy gaming: Why a wholesome trend became a recognized genre." On September 10th, Cozy K posted a video to YouTube where she gives her fall 2022 cozy game recommendations, garnering over 60,000 views in two weeks (shown below).

2022 Cozy Autumn Game Jam

Between September 8th and September 23rd, 2022, Firith Studio hosted the "Cozy Autumn Game Jam" on itch.io^[8] where participants were tasked with creating and submitting cozy games. Over 390 entries^[9] were submitted to the contest. On September 23rd, Twitter^[10] user @westthewerst shared footage from their submission to the contest, a multiplayer fishing game with an Animal Crossing-like aesthetic, garnering over 3,000 likes and 600 retweets in three days (shown below).

Just released WEBFISHING for @Gooodgis's Cozy Autumn Jam! An online multiplayer fishing game! I'll be hosting an official server for up to 64 players for a while! I'll be on there for a bit fishing!! (Link in reply) pic.twitter.com/XzosVlhW3f

— west (@westthewerst) September 23, 2022

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References