Recently there’s been a rise of cozy games on Steam (a digital distribution platform for video games), like never seen before. While many are extremely impressive and especially fun, five cozy games, both new and old, have stood out the most.

5. Is This Seat Taken? (2025)

Is This Seat Taken? is a cozy puzzle game, in which you need to rearrange the seating of a various set of characters to meet requirements. This game is an absolute joy to play. Although it has no set story line there are several recurring characters. Its somewhat soft but vibrant color palette, hard lines, and high contrast makes for a gorgeous game with lots of unique and fun puzzles to solve. Beyond that the only criticism is that it can get a bit monotonous and a bit confusing.

4. Strange Horticulture (2022)

Another cozy puzzle game- in Strange Horticulture, you work as a botanist, identifying and selling various magical plants. This puzzle and story driven game contains an eerie mood. You follow the story of a town shrouded in mystery. As people come in seeking your magical plants you can direct the story by giving them their request or changing it. This game uses a simple art style with a focus on darker, more brooding colors to create a suspenseful and mysterious vibe. This game draws you in with its creative gameplay and keeps you playing with its intriguing story. Past each of these amazing elements, a criticism of the game is its repetitive and simple gameplay loop of identifying plants.

3. Tiny Bookshop (2025)

Not in the mood for a puzzle game? Get into the cozy management game, Tiny Bookshop. In this game you run a small travelling bookstore. Explore the town, attend events, adopt a pet, play along as you build your shop with more decorations, stock your shelves with familiar books, and travel to new gorgeous locations. This game is highly recommended and highly addictive as a newer cozy game that just came out on August 7, 2025. The biggest criticism of this game is its highly passive role when actually running the shop.

2. Slime Rancher 2 (2022)

The much-wanted sequel to Slime Rancher, comes with a new world, new slimes, and more. Slime Rancher 2 is a cozy farming game, in which you can capture and ranch a variety of slimes for money. Besides having so much of the charm of the original game, it also features a brand-new world with a multitude of weather events. A student praises how “[Slime Rancher 2] feels so immersive … it’s the only game [she] ever [stops] to look at the scenery in because it’s so beautifully made.” Besides the stunning visuals and creative world, a major criticism of this game is that towards the middle and late game the progression can slow quite a bit.

1. Stardew Valley (2016)

Stardew Valley, one of the most famous cozy games of all time, is at the top of this list. Winner of the 2016 Breakthrough award, it has stayed popular for 9+ years for its variety of addictive and comforting gameplay. In Stardew Valley, you play as a farmer restoring a rundown farm you inherited from your grandpa. Beyond the simple farming process you can meet the townsfolk, add to the town, go fishing, go mining, travel to several unique and interesting areas, go forging, take care of livestock, and that’s not discussing one of its biggest unique features- multiplayer. Team up with friends to complete all this and more. One of the criticisms of this game is its lack of a concrete tutorial, leading to a lot of confusion when first starting.

Conclusion

So, whether you’re looking for a cozy farming game, or perhaps an addictive management game, these games can fulfill a variety of genres you might be interested in. They’re perfect to enjoy, while bundled up inside during winter break.