While 2025 might not have been the coziest year for any of us personally, it offered some amazing places to borrow a little peace. Whether in the quiet routine of managing a Tiny Bookshop, the tranquil focus of fishing on the lake, or the satisfying order of cleaning and organising an apartment, these games became pockets of calm in an otherwise hectic world. In this list, we’ve gathered the best titles from 2025 that have stayed with us, so if you missed any of these, it’s still not too late to pick them up!
Tiny Bookshop
by neoludic games
Tiny Bookshop is the kind of game I know I’ll return to for years. For me, it’s the perfect comfort loop: selling books, learning my customers’ tastes, and settling into the rhythm of small-town life. I’m constantly delighted to discover new book titles I can add to my TBR list, meeting our regular shoppers, and just enjoying the charming scenery. It’s engaging enough to get happily lost in, but I also love that I can just switch it on for 20 minutes between chores and feel like I’ve visited a calmer, cozier world. It’s a solid 5/5 in my book, and with their Winter update adding over 1,000 new volumes, I have the best excuse to open up shop all over again.
Check out all our Tiny Bookshop game guides here.
Release Date: 8 August 2025
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac
PEAK
by Aggro Crab, Landfall
PEAK might not be the coziest game in the traditional sense, but it perfectly embodies the phrase, “the coziness was the friends we made along the way.” This is a chaotic, laugh-out-loud cooperative climb where the real goal isn’t the summit—it’s the unforgettable memories you create with your friends. It forces glorious, clumsy teamwork as you scale impossible mountains, desperately shoving mushrooms into each other’s mouths and hoisting each other from ledges. The magic is in those shared, ridiculous moments: discovering if a strange fruit is edible, encountering a mysterious zombie on a sheer cliff face, or simply watching a friend tumble comically into the abyss. PEAK isn’t just a game you play with friends; it’s a tool for creating core memories.
Check out all our PEAK game guides here.
Release Date: 17 June 2025
Platforms: PC
Cast n Chill
by Wombat Brawler
There’s a reason why desktop companion games have been increasing in popularity, and this year Cast n Chill has been one of my favourite little games to open up and have with me. I love the calming sound of the water, discovering new fish and my little desktop buddy just collecting fish for me to sell while I work. It’s gorgeous, minimalist, and the ideal escape for a focused five-minute break or a whole afternoon of peaceful exploration.
Check out all our Cast n Chill game guides here.
Release Date: 17 June 2025
Platforms: PC
Wanderstop
by Ivy Road
Wanderstop is one of the most emotionally resonant—and personally confronting—cozy game I’ve played all year. On the surface, it’s a serene ritual of managing a magical tea shop: growing ingredients, learning patrons’ stories, and brewing the perfect cup. But its protagonist, Alta, a former fighter who deeply does not want to be there. The game dissects how we can turn relaxation itself into a relentless, productive chore. This isn’t a game about fixing yourself through busywork; it’s a narrative about sitting with discomfort, listening, and slow, genuine change. If you enjoy emotionally resonating journeys like Spiritfarer, then you’ll want to check Wanderstop out. It’s a story-first experience that leaves a lasting, quiet impact, and I might just owe the developers a therapist’s fee.
Release Date: 11 March 2025
Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, PC
Whisper Of The House
by GD Studio
Whisper of the House delivers a specific, deeply satisfying joy I haven’t felt since Unpacking. If you love methodically organising cluttered rooms, finding the perfect spot for knick-knacks, and witnessing a space transform, then you won’t want to miss this game. That loop alone is worth the price of admission, but the game also adds an intriguing, quiet mystery running through Whisper Town, which gives me a lovely reason to keep exploring between decorating jobs. Whisper of the House is a uniquely peaceful and rewarding escape.
Release Date: 27 August 2025
Platforms: PC, Mac
Strange Antiquities
by Bad Viking
Strange Antiquities is the perfect follow-up for fans of Strange Horticulture, trading bewitched plants for bizarre artifacts. As the temporary keeper of a dusty occult shop, my days were spent in cozy detective work: identifying mysterious objects, cross-referencing arcane tomes, and slowly unravelling the gloomy town’s dark secrets. While it doesn’t feel as groundbreaking as its predecessor, the core loop of clue-gathering and puzzle-solving remains deeply satisfying. With a well-balanced hint system and a steady drip of eerie Lovecraftian atmosphere, it’s a calm, cerebral adventure that makes you feel less like a simple shopkeeper and more like a true occult detective.
Release Date: 17 September 2025
Platforms: PC, Mac
Dinkum
by James Bendon
Dinkum is a co-op farming and life sim that’s been out on Early Access for a while, but officially launched this year in 2025. If you and your previous Animal Crossing crew have been looking for a game that captures that magic, then don’t miss out on Dinkum. For me, it fully captures that magic of building a community from scratch—just with a wonderfully distinct, sunburnt twist. Set on a beautiful island channelling the rugged Australian outback, complete with quirky wildlife, towering eucalyptus, and that specific golden-hour light. Dinkum offers that perfect blend of cozy, purposeful work and shared adventure.
Check out all our Dinkum game guides here.
Release Date: 23 April 2025
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC
Split Fiction
by Hazelight Studios
Following up on last year’s Game of the Year is no small feat for Hazelight, but Split Fiction shows that this studio is no one-hit wonder. It is a wonderful, unpredictable co-op experience that throws you and your partner into the ultimate buddy comedy—literally. You play as two rival writers, Mio and Zoe, trapped in a mashup of their own sci-fi and fantasy worlds and every 20 minutes, the game reinvents itself. One moment you’re taming dragons, the next you’re cyber-ninjas dodging hovercars, and suddenly you’re cooperating as sentient hotdogs. It’s a constant, hilarious surprise that demands communication and laughter.
But beneath the wild gameplay lies a genuinely touching story about friendship and understanding that had my partner and me fully invested—and maybe even a little teary—by the end. It’s a brilliant, shared rollercoaster.
Release Date: 5 March 2025
Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PC
BOKURA: planet
by tokoronyori
Bokura Planet is an unforgettable and emotionally daring co-op experience. More than just a puzzle-adventure, it is a story-driven game that masterfully unravels a deep, psychological narrative about loneliness, fragile bonds, and the haunting weight of regret. Playing it felt weirdly intimate as we uncovered the secrets of the crew; the more we discovered about our characters and the ruined world, the more profoundly unsettled we became.
This quote from the game’s creator Tokoronyori, might help give you some insight into the experience – “I made my mind up – rather than catering to the lonely people, I thought I had to take direct action and drive people who aren’t already lonely into loneliness. – I wanted to make people who aren’t lonely experience loneliness.”
Release Date: 24 April 2025
Platforms: PC, Mac
Two Point Museum
by Two Point Studios
A cozy game list isn’t complete without a management sim and this year Two Point Museum has captured that title by transforming the series’ classic management chaos into a deeply satisfying cycle of curation and discovery. I love meticulously designing my museum floors, then zooming out to send my team of “Experts” on absurdly dangerous expeditions—from fossil digs to alien planets—to fill those halls. Each new thematic location (a haunted hotel, an underwater aquarium) feels like a fresh game, keeping the dozens of hours I’ve poured in constantly exciting. It’s the perfect blend of interior decorating and strategic resource management, all delivered with that signature, silly Two Point charm.
Release Date: 5 March 2025
Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PC
Little Witch In The Woods
by Sunny Side Up
Little Witch in the Woods is a testament to how a simple game with a big heart can leave the deepest impression. As Ellie, the impulsive witch-in-training, you foragefor magical ingredients, brew helpful potions, and slowly fill your encyclopedia. The core loops—part fetch quest, part alchemy—are familiar cozy comforts, but they perfectly frame the game’s true magic: its world. The charming and whimsical lore of the world is impactful, and the villagers’ small stories are all brought to life through lovely anime-inspired art. Forty hours in, with minimal combat and a well-paced story, it never felt like a grind. Instead, it felt like a personal journey.
Check out all our Little Witch In The Woods game guides here.
Release Date: 15 September 2025
Platforms: Xbox, PC, Mac
and Roger
by TearyHand Studio
and Roger is a short piece of interactive empathy that truly understands its form. It doesn’t just tell a story about dementia—it makes you feel the profound disorientation and fractured reality through its very interface. Buttons glitch, text scrambles, and simple tasks become impossible, mirroring the cognitive experience with painful clarity. What moved me most was its dual focus, giving equal weight to the silent anguish of the caregiver, a perspective often left untold. This isn’t just a narrative; it’s a thoughtful, essential simulation of a condition, crafted with a sensitivity that only this medium could achieve. It’s in a word, unforgettable.
Release Date: 23 July 2025
Platforms: PC, Mac
UNBEATABLE
by D-CELL GAMES
UNBEATABLE is not a perfect game, but I love a good rhythm game, and this arcade-style one was very good with banging music and art. In a world where music is illegal, you play as Beat, teaming up with a ragtag band of rebels to fight the oppressive H.A.R.M. through the Almighty Power of Rock. The rhythm gameplay is sharp and satisfying, but what I wasn’t prepared for was the painfully relatable drama between the bandmates. It’s a game about chasing dreams against all odds, and by the end.
Release Date: 10 December 2025
Platforms: PC
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
by Don’t Nod
As a fan of Don’t Nod’s storytelling and retro vibes, I’d say that Lost Records: Bloom & Rage has been one of my favourite experiences from their collection. It wasn’t just about the nostalgia of cassette tapes and film footage; the storytelling is raw and electric, bringing me back to being a teenage girl in the ’90s. There’s a backdrop of the paranormal in Bloom & Rage, but what really stuck with me was the feelings of girlhood: the friendships you had when you were young, that felt like your entire world—the overwhelming mixture of trying to find yourself and stand out or stay hidden.
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is a powerfully honest, cinematic, and character-driven story. It’s a rare game that made me feel deeply seen, not just as a former teenager, but as a now-grown woman looking back.
Check out all our Lost Records: Bloom & Rage game guides here.
Release Date: 18 February 2025
Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, PC
Blue Prince
by Dogubomb
Blue Prince is a genre-defying puzzle box. One day, your great uncle bequeaths you the sprawling Mt. Holly estate, but to claim it, you must find a non-existent Room 46. Each day, you draft new, shifting rooms behind every door, creating a unique maze of secrets and logic puzzles. Each morning, however, the manor rearranges itself, turning yesterday’s clues into memories. I spent nights mentally connecting paintings, clocks, and spinning globes, only to wake up with a new theory. It’s a captivating, clever, and deeply satisfying loop for anyone who loves a mystery that plays by its own brilliant, unpredictable rules.
Release Date: 10 April 2025
Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, PC
