Cozy gamers have been absolutely spoilt for choice this year, with a ton of great cozy games making their way to our screens.
In this article we’ll be featuring our top 10 cozy game picks from 2024 (so far).
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10. Rusty’s retirement
Coming in at tenth place we have the idle farming sim Rusty’s Retirement. This game definitely made waves this year, debuting as one of the first idle games, designed to be played while you work.
The game features some classic farming sim mechanics, where you grow crops, turn them into bio fuel, and sell the fuel for coin. You can purchase new crops to grow, decorations, as well as a variety of different upgrades, which mainly come in the form of new characters with their own buildings.
You’ll farm with the help of your trusty robot dog, this one has a slower pace by design, and has some great settings that allow you to choose how fast the gameplay is, as well as how you want the game to sit on your screen.
This is definitely a great little farming sim, and has established a new idle gaming genre too, and is a great cozy choice.
9. Echoes of the Plum Grove
In ninth place we have another farming sim, but this one is definitely more hands on.
Echoes of the Plum Grove is a 2.5d style farming life sim, that sees you take up residence in the cozy town of Honeywood. You’ll build up your homestead, and the community too, and if you do it right it can last generations.
This is a cozy game, but it does have a realistic twist. Winter will bring new challenges, and you’ll need to stockpile goods to be able to make it through, and be weary of illness as that may cause untimely death.
With a host of colourful characters to meet, you’ll be able to choose to befriend them or make them your enemies, with each character having their own schedules, jobs, traits, hobbies and families too.
What kind of life will you build in Honeywood?
8. The Star Named EOS
Coming in the eight spot, we have a puzzle adventure game packed to the brim with heart.
The Star Named EOS follows Dei as he sets out on a journey to find his mother, and uncover what happened to her. Following the clues she’s left for you in her handwritten letters, you’ll recreate photographs she’s left for you, unlocking more of the story with each successful recreation.
Recreating each photograph won’t always be simple, and you’ll need to solve various puzzles to find each of the elements needed. These puzzles are paired with a beautiful story, that is fully voice acted, and paired with some incredible and immersive story segments.
This is a game that explores some deep topics, and will leave you longing for more.
7. Minami Lane
If a management style game is more your pace, than our seventh place pick is for you.
Minami Lane is a cozy neighborhood builder, where you’ll create and manage slices of an adorable hand drawn world. You’re given a street to transform, and you’ll be able to place different buildings, each with a different purpose, to bring back life to the neighborhood.
Place residential buildings to bring more people to your street, and add shops and attractions to increase their happiness. Perfect their favourite recipes at each shop, and make your street truly beautiful with parks to attract the most adorable kitties.
This is a lighter take on a management city builder style game, and is a great cozy choice.
6. Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge
In sixth place we have a creature collector that sees you build a refuge for frogs.
Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge is a relaxing game with a frog theme, where you’ll turn a run down area into an amazing refuge for frogs. You’ll decorate your refuge, filling it with frog-approved furniture for them to laze about on, attracting new frogs for you to photograph and add to your frogedex.
Attracting frogs isn’t just about cute furniture though, you’ll also need to build up the biodiversity of the sanctuary, placing plants and ponds to increase the score, that reward you with resources and the all important insect life.
Feed frogs bugs to tame them and unlock breeding, and turn plant resource into product to raise funds for even more improvements, in what is a great cozy creature collector.
5. Copycat
Prepare to have your heart ripped out and stamped on with our fifth place pick, CopyCat.
This emotional narrative game sees you step into the paws of a newly adopted stray cat, who struggles to find her place in her new home. Your owner is an older lady with her fair share of health issues, so not only with you be warring with your inner lioness, but also with some tough moral choices. Your place in the household is soon threatened by your owner’s daughter, and another cat who looks suspiciously like you. You’ll explore a vibrant neighborhood, completing different mini games to overcome different challenges, and finding your way back home.
This is a great cozy pick, but be sure to have the tissues on hand for this one.
4. Into the Emberlands
Uncover an everchanging world in the cozy roguelite game, which just so happens to be number 4 on our list, Into the Emberlands.
You’ll step into the shoes of a lightbearer, and it’ll be your job to venture out into the Miasma and rescue lost villagers. You’ll have a certain number of steps available, so you’ll need to carefully navigate the world, ensuring that you’ve got enough light left in your lantern to get back home.
The world shrouded in Miasma is everchanging and filled with lots of different resources to collect, so you’ll need to venture out and see what you can uncover with each run. Rebuild and expand your village, and upgrade your equipment so you can survive even longer in the endless night.
This is a great cozy roguelite choice for the adventure lover.
3. Love Ghostie
In third place we have our favourite cozy matchmaking game, Love Ghostie.
This absolutely adorable game sees you spend your afterlife creating matches between residents of the manor you’re tasked with minding. You’ll play as the cutest little ghost, and you’ll float your way around the manor, learning more about each of the characters that have taken up residence.
Your job is to make all your patrons happy, and you’ll do that by setting them up with their perfect matches. Collect different items to gift to residents, pretending they’re from an admirer of course, and learn what each character prefers as you do. Set couples up on dates, and sit back and watch the magic unfold in the date cinema at the end of each day.
You can pair literally any couple in this game, and each has their own unique story, full of adorable and humorous dialogue. This is definitely a game that feels like you’re playing a rom com, and is a great cozy choice.
2. Preserve
Coming in at spot number two we have probably the most relaxing puzzle game I’ve ever played, Preserve.
Preserve is a hexagon tile puzzler, where you bring back life to a barren world, creating habitats for a variety of wildlife. You’ll start of with a small section of tiles, which you’ll need to bring back to life by using water cards. Once the grass is green you’re able to place different biome tiles, like flower fields, forests, and mountains, and placing three together will create a habitat.
You’re able to place different animals into these habitats, maxing out at 12 tiles and 3 animals in each, but each animal has specific habitats they can be placed in. Unlock more sections of tiles to place, and home 3 different animal types in a biome to get extra points and create biodiversity in your little paradise.
With three different themes to choose from, continental, savannah, and oceanic, you can play the challenge mode, or jump into the sandbox mode to be able to create at your own pace, in what is a stunning cozy puzzle game.
1. Go Go town!
Taking out the top spot for my favourite cozy game from 2024 so far, is the one and only Go Go Town!
This town builder sim sees you take on the role of the mayor of a run down town, and it’s up to you to turn a desolate plot of land into a bustling town full of life. You’ll need to build houses for your residents, shops for them to visit, and different utility buildings that each serve their own purpose.
Your shops need something to sell, so you’ll need to source resources and craft items for them to sell, with the demands getting harder the more your town levels up. Attract residents by making your town gorgeous, and pedal around in a variety of fun vehicles as you create the best town around.
This is a great cozy management choice, that can be as cozy or chaotic as you choose, and has been one of my favourite games from 2024.
That is a wrap on our top ten cozy picks from 2024 so far!
Until next time, stay caffeinated!
