13 ms·

Cozy video games can quell stress and anxiety

594 points by vinhnx 2y ago

trollbridge 2y ago
Reminds me of Gathertown, although it felt patently absurd to be using it for actual business meetings.
- funcDropShadow 2y ago
  I really loved it for a virtual conference
dimitar 2y ago
Nothing relaxes me like throwing tanks and helicopters into the fire in Warno - a Cold War Combined Arms Real-Time Tactics game
gamificationpan 2y ago
[dead]
dietervds 2y ago
Very late to the party, but I needed to give Banished a shoutout here, since it hasn't been mentioned before. The music alone is enough to get me to relax.
zoezoezoezoe 2y ago
Webfishing was unironically a game that really helped me. Virtually fishing with random people on the internet brought me so much joy I dont know where I'd be without it.
mmastrac 2y ago
This was difficult to read in Firefox without reader mode. No mention of that tiny town building game I've been looking for again (non-gridded, very adaptive, kind of medieval), which is shame because I completely forgot its name. EDIT: It's tiny glade
stavros 2y ago
One of my favorite games is A Short Hike. It's not the same kind of game as Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, etc, but the writing is brilliant and it always makes me content whenever I play it. I really wish more games like it existed.
- mrweiner 2y ago
  A friend gifted me A Short Hike after my cat died suddenly during covid, and it really did make me feel better. It’s a lovey game.
- spixy 2y ago
  When I want to relax I play Euro truck simulator. Its similar to IRL driving slowly through the city in the night.
- KurSix 2y ago
  A Short Hike is such a gem. It nails that cozy feeling without trying too hard
- smus 2y ago
  Smushi come home if the most similar I've played
  - stavros 2y ago
    Thank you!
- RDaneel0livaw 2y ago
  Absolutely love A Short Hike. Perfect to relax in bed or on the couch on the Deck and just relax. I have fallen asleep playing it multiple times. Just wandering and soaring and climbing.
- Jach 2y ago
  Another game that gave me similar vibes to A Short Hike was Lil Gator Game. For me though, a game doesn't have to have cozy aesthetics to put me in a more cozy or calm mood, and I've never really gotten into games like Stardew Valley or AC. Beauty in a sense is probably important. Celeste comes to mind, though it can also be quite challenging. My own favorite game even for destressing purposes is Dark Souls... And then you have things like classic solitaire/klondike, or recently I played through the entire SNES Populous conquest mode, where they're almost more meditative than anything.
candiddevmike 2y ago
Stardew Valley helped my non-gamer partner so much during the pandemic.
- ramesh31 2y ago
  Came here to post this. There’s just something so comforting to the soul about that world. There are no politics, crime, religion, homelessness, war, or disease. Just melons. Melons, pumpkins, turnips, corn, rice, and potatoes. Visiting that place is like pure heroin for people with anxiety.
  - ilrwbwrkhv 2y ago
    There is politics from scene one? You are literally fighting against a giant corporation which is taking over the town.
    - ramesh31 2y ago
      I guess I never noticed that. I actually never paid attention to the story or characters at all. Just spent hundreds of hours growing increasingly large quantities and qualities of produce.
      - dingnuts 2y ago
        you only played about a third of the game then lol, you missed out on hundreds of hours of content
    - CGamesPlay 2y ago
      Maybe politics, but it isn’t necessarily fighting “against”. You can play the Jojo path, get different perks, and the shopkeep doesn’t become unemployed.
    - pixelready 2y ago
      Plus the intro of the game is the player moving to the farm to escape a soul-crushing corporate job, only to find that same sort of culture taking root in their pastoral sanctuary. I love pretty much every system of progression it has, but I do respect that the game doesn’t really force you to engage with the parts that you don’t enjoy. But anyone who sides with Joja is a monster.
RDaneel0livaw 2y ago
Right now I’m playing Sail Forth and it hits that stress reducer for me. It does have combat but totally optional and the exploration and fishing and discovery is so relaxing.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
imbnwa 2y ago
Superliminal did this for me recently. Also had me reflect on some things.
ericzawo 2y ago
Going in the complete opposite direction, getting through Elden Ring two summers ago really helped me through what was the worst heartbreak of my life, an undoubtably stressful and anxious time for me.
- junebash 2y ago
  Yes! My partner teases me for this, but From games are what I tend to gravitate towards when I need to relax.
  - ehnto 2y ago
    My go to is Cyberpunk 2077, something about wandering aimlessly around the dystopic city let's me disconnect, I don't even do the missions or combat.
- kemotep 2y ago
  There’s something about getting into a flow state with the game in a From Soft title that is relaxing to me as well. Even dying a dozen times in a row.
  - boredtofears 2y ago
    I don't think I ever made it into flow state once in Elden Ring even though I beat it. I just grinded until I was high level enough that it didn't matter that I didn't time any of the bosses right.
    - bee_rider 2y ago
      I really need to do a more challenging run through of Elden Ring. I just played as a wizard and blasted everything. Less than double my height? You get rocks. More than double my height? Beam.
      - moomin 2y ago
        Throw in renowned ashes and party. Or get poise breaking and the mimic tear. So many ways to absolutely stomp Elden Ring if that’s what you want to do.
jimbob45 2y ago
Myst and Riven are surely the poster children for this. They’re practically ASMR and you can just chill on any screen and enjoy it without fear of anything happening.
- TimTheTinker 2y ago
  The recent re-releases (built in Unreal Engine) were really cool. Kids and I had a blast playing through them together.
- Loughla 2y ago
  Fucking Myst is the opposite of replacing for me. FUCK those puzzles. But do you also remember the Dr. Brain series? Those were amazingly restorative to my tiny young brain.
- ekianjo 2y ago
  I find puzzles more stressful than anything else
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
dejobaan 2y ago
Wholesome Games has a nice set of social media channels around this stuff, down at the bottom of https://wholesomegames.com https://wholesomegames.com They also publish, but I think they mostly talk about wholesome/cozy/relaxing titles on YT/Bsky/etc.
technotarek 2y ago
Wow, what an interesting piece of journalism, in regards to the presentation. It reminded me of when I saw the NYT’s Snow Fall piece for the first time. At the time, it was an amazing display of cutting edge UI skills that exhibited both skill and restraint. Great storytelling to boot.
SamPatt 2y ago
Are there tools out there to help build these scrolling sites? Works well on my phone and that isn't always true on DDG browser.
grugagag 2y ago
Maybe games do have something special because you have to be more actively engaged and empathizing with coziness part puts us in a calming mood. But it seems obvious to me that anything that you can engage with has a similar effect and games are just one type of media. Books, movies, music can do the same thing too, you just have to know how to get in on it and not suffer through it if it doesn’t click the first time. I don’t think it’s only the cozy part that brings the benefits but rather what effects that media or genre has on you at that moment in time. Over time what bring me calm and comfort has drifted somewhat.
IG_Semmelweiss 2y ago
Wow. I was not expecting that at all. I wish there were more reporting like this. I am wondering if an LLM helped put this together for the journalist ? And if yes, how were they able to display all that in a single page, without access to servers, etc?
9d 2y ago
There is no escaping stress or anxiety. Life is a nightmare, and the best you can do is accept it as an objective fact and try to make it better for others, since you will never be able to make it better for yourself.
- fossgeller 2y ago
  In many cases making life better for others involves making it better for yourself. That’s what true love is in my opinion.
- marviel 2y ago
  hey -- I'm not sure what's got you thinking this, but I'd encourage you to consider that the way things seem when we're in emotional states (even long-lasting ones) aren't always reflective of the way things are.
  - 9d 2y ago
    Somewhere in the world right now, someone is suffering immensely, unjustly, and with no hope of relief. This is always true at any given moment. How can we sit back and be happy when these forgotten people die daily? And statistics indicate they're probably living next door to each one of us. The status quo is not good. Do what you will, but I'm not going to pretend this life is a paradise.
    - marviel 2y ago
      Your original framing was "life is a nightmare". My response was not "life is paradise", but rather a reminder that emotional states can vary your perception of how nightmarish/paradise-ish life actually is.
    - Trasmatta 2y ago
      Having empathy for the suffering in both other people and yourself does not close the door on still finding at least some amount of inner joy or peace. If you can only have any amount of joy when every other living being in the universe is totally free of suffering, then you are doomed to never have even an ounce of happiness. > I'm not going to pretend this life is a paradise Who has ever claimed that it is?
noman-land 2y ago
Highly recommend this charming unpacking game. https://www.unpackinggame.com/ https://www.unpackinggame.com/
- delichon 2y ago
  If you need more stress and anxiety try this packing game. https://tetris.com/play-tetris https://tetris.com/play-tetris
  - nsfmc 2y ago
    unless... maybe... https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2017-03-28-tetris-used-prevent-post-traumatic-stress-symptoms https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2017-03-28-tetris-used-prevent-pos...
bitwize 2y ago
So can ultra-violent games. I guess it depends on your vibe. Come to think of it, maybe that's part of why Doom and Animal Crossing had their Barbenheimer moment a few years back.
- Trasmatta 2y ago
  Doom Eternal put me into a flow state like literally nothing else in my life. Made me feel so good.
  - 0x1ceb00da 2y ago
    I've played doom 2016. Thinking about picking up eternal. How does it compare? Dark ages?
    - c-hendricks 2y ago
      I found Eternal different enough to 2016 that I just bounced off it. The glory kill system was expanded in Eternal and you have to keep doing it to acquire resources. The mobility is a huge step up though. Dark Ages' combat seems closer to 2016, with much larger areas.
    - bitwize 2y ago
      The way I put it is that Doom (2016) is more balls-out heavy metal, whereas Doom Eternal is more of a "concept album". See, it turns out that in Doom (1993), there was sort of this refined balance between the enemies and the weapons you carried, such that while all of the enemies could in principle be taken out with any weapon, there were generally one or two really effective ways to kill them. Demons (pinkies) for instance, lacked a ranged attack, so it was possible to kill even a pack of them with the chainsaw while taking minimal to zero damage. And the cacodemon was large, moved slowly, and had a high chance to stun, so a rapid-fire weapon like the chain gun or, better yet, the plasma rifle would make short work of one while affording it little opportunity to counterattack. For Doom Eternal, the developers decided to really lean in to this idea, calling it the "Doom Dance", and craft the enemies in such a way that they were specifically vulnerable to specific attacks from specific weapons. Again, using the example of the cacodemon, it's a real bullet sponge but if you pop a grenade into its mouth, it's an insta-stun letting you do a glory kill. The Mancubus and Arachnotron have weapons that can be disabled or weakened with specific attacks. And, annoyingly, there was one enemy (the Marauder) that can only be killed via a sort of quick-time event. This expands to resource management too. There are fewer pickups, which means you have to top up on health with glory kills, ammo with the chainsaw, and armor with the Flame Belch as you clear an area of enemies. The emphasis is on "using the right attack at the right time", which is what the developers were deliberately aiming for. The campaign was also much more story-driven which only adds to the concept-album feel, as it's a very eurocomic-ish story that delves into the connection between the demons and the angelic aliens known as Maykrs, rather than just thrusting you into hell and telling you to murder every demon in sight. They definitely wanted you to get the most out of the game by experiencing it a certain way. For these reasons I liked it less than I liked Doom (2016). I can see what they were going for, but it's just not my thing. For Doom: The Dark Ages they appear to be changing the combat system yet again, with more emphasis on tanking, and dealing out, massive amounts of damage from/to hordes of enemies, as well as use of a throwable shield and a more flexible glory kill system. I think they realized that they kind of veered from the Doominess of the combat with Eternal and are attempting to course-correct. Props to them for trying something different.
kianN 2y ago
As someone who didn’t play many video games but grew up somewhat adjacent to them, I’m just amazed at how much more relaxed I am having gone through that article (experience?) compared to before.
Barrin92 2y ago
It's funnily enough the opposite for me, people always give me weird looks when I say that Lovecraft is my favorite author to read when I'm anxious or stressed but there's something cathartic and honest about it. "Cozy games" actually always unnerve me, they give me this uncanny valley feeling of "what are they trying to hide from me here, what am I not supposed to think about", like can I actually go and walk out from the farm or is this a Never Let me Go or Truman Show situation. Granted maybe this is a lesson of not having your kids grow up on Lovecraft but I've always found it hilarious how it makes me feel the exact opposite of what it's supposed to do
- Loughla 2y ago
  I'm absolutely with you. It's the pointlessness of cozy games that gets me. It's just clicking around and a weird attempt at making you feel like you've accomplished something (instead of running on a hamster wheel). Far Cry 4, half life 2, or fallout new Vegas are my go to destress games. I also love Lovecraft and The King in Yellow when I need to space out and relax.
rr808 2y ago
I still think video games are a net negative on society. How come so few women play - their lives are so much more balanced and successful - are games a symptom or a cause?
- Lalabadie 2y ago
  Isn't it a myth that women don't play as much? If I recall correctly, they just don't play the same games. Much like women-dominated professions, their choices tend to end up labeled "not real games". Cozy games, social games, mobile arcade à la Candy Crush, etc. You need that exclusionary lens applied to what is a game to then get a tally where women comparatively don't play.
  - card_zero 2y ago
    Not even sure this is true. Perhaps a skew toward survival horror. OK, here's a 2024 survey: https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/technology/digital-media-trends-consumption-habits-survey/2024/how-can-gaming-industry-get-more-female-gamers.html https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/technology... Deloitte says women prefer solo story-driven games and dislike multiplayer.
- Trasmatta 2y ago
  > How come so few women play I feel like you really need to update your priors here? It's 2025, not 2000, and games are immensely popular for both men and women. Almost all women I know play at least some games these days.
- Jedd 2y ago
  I'd guess a symptom rather than a cause, but I'm not sure what of. Curious about your evidence and metrics for your claims of: 'net negative', 'few women play', 'more balanced' and 'more successful'.
- Krssst 2y ago
  It's leisure. I don't see how they are worse than movies or watching sports. There are bad actors out there with gambling mechanics or addiction exploitation but the article is not about those. (and sports have their variant of it with sports betting)
grg0 2y ago
Websites that hack the natural and expected behaviour of the scroll bar certainly don't.
lightedman 2y ago
IF you have a VR headset, Moss is one of those semi-cozy games.
- theshackleford 2y ago
  I had an "incomplete" spinal cord injury back in 2020. Its left me with permanent pain and symptoms, this pain and these symptoms leaves within me a significant amount of ongoing stress. As dumb as this sounds potentially, because in real life, i'm not that huge on it, I have found a big help is this VR game I play, walkabout minigolf. Once every few days, usually when pain levels etc are peaking, I play a slow 18 holes and something about the landscapes, the visuals etc...its like a zen garden for my mind. It just soothes me. Primarily this course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6mt9ev2xQY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6mt9ev2xQY
sideshowb 2y ago
Horses for courses... If the game in the article captures what these are about, it didn't do anything for me. Interesting to read, though. I've enjoyed some games that have a cozy vibe while actually presenting me with puzzles to solve. Monument Valley for example.
ls612 2y ago
Reuters realizing in 2025 what gamers knew in 2016. That’s the mainstream media in a nutshell.
- Trasmatta 2y ago
  And also what gamers knew in the 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, 2010s...
halosghost 2y ago
As opposed to overly-engineered websites that hijack [0] scroll-behavior, which only increase anxiety and fury. ಠ_ಠ All the best, -HG [0]: web-designers take-note, the normal term [1] in the field for doing this refers to violent crime. Think on your sins. [1]: https://robinrendle.com/notes/scrolljacking/ https://robinrendle.com/notes/scrolljacking/
- Loughla 2y ago
  All the rest of your nonsense aside, why did you sign your comment. You know your name is already attached to that, right?
  - halosghost 2y ago
    What can I say? It's a habit I developed long ago… [0][1] All the best, -HG [0] https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=1417817#p1417817 https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=1417817#p1417817 [1] for anyone who doesn't have an Arch BBS account: https://0x0.st/8OL4.png https://0x0.st/8OL4.png
    - Loughla 2y ago
      That's really, really weird. What are you trying to accomplish with all that?
      - halosghost 2y ago
        I don't understand how it is harming anyone—unlike web designers who actively design inaccessible websites—and while I suppose I could offer a reason, I don't particularly feel the need to explain myself. I am sorry that this seems to have struck a nerve for you. And, as I genuinely mean to convey every time, I wish you… All the best, -HG
- dan-g 2y ago
  From the HN guidelines[0]: > Please don't complain about tangential annoyances—e.g. article or website formats, name collisions, or back-button breakage. They're too common to be interesting. [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
rhcom2 2y ago
My cozy recommendation: Creating landscapes out of tiles. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorfromantik https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorfromantik
- Cordiali 2y ago
  +1, Dorfromantik is great!
- jader201 2y ago
  Was going to post this if someone hadn’t already. The first game that came to my mind. Not only is the gameplay chill, but the music and sound effects, on their own, relax me. You could sleep to the OST: https://youtu.be/h5gOAJl-7ZE https://youtu.be/h5gOAJl-7ZE
sharkweek 2y ago
Well for me on the other hand, when I was working in tech on backend data services that needed constant maintenance and optimization, I loved nothing more than coming home and… …Optimizing my Factorio base supply chain until two in the morning.
- travisjungroth 2y ago
  There’s something about doing the same thing with a tighter feedback loop, higher immediate reward.
  - tonyedgecombe 2y ago
    And without management breathing down your neck.
    - fouronnes3 2y ago
      Truck drivers going home and playing truck simulator.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
matt3210 2y ago
It was a while before I realized you scroll down to advance the graphics...
neilv 2y ago
Reuters has good visibility into the state of the world. Have they seen the writing on the wall, and are now promoting cutesy escapism?
freediver 2y ago
Not sure I would call it cozy, but Magic the Gathering (Arena) has played this role for me for a long time. It is probably about the retreat to familiar that helps most of all to supress stress and anxiety, regardless of the type of the game.
Avicebron 2y ago
No Man's Sky here, just cruising around, trying to find the best pet to float around on
- fossgeller 2y ago
  That game has been on my radar ever since release, only managed to play 1 hour of it so far due to crashing issues. I always wondered how’s the procedural generation part of the game? Does it get repetitive fast?
  - Avicebron 2y ago
    > I always wondered how’s the procedural generation part of the game? Does it get repetitive fast? Yes and no. They have been adding content and releasing free updates since release, I think the most recent one was this past march. I'm about a 100+ hours in and found out today that I'm missing half or more of the content because I was happy enough just exploring and figuring things out all that time that I didn't do any of the story. that being said. There is definitely a feeling of repetitiveness across everything. Makes you appreciate the fact that we have a staggering amount of different forms of life and biomes just here on earth...
  - csense 2y ago
    Internet Historian made an amazing documentary on how the game's changed over the years [1]. They're still making massive changes to the game! If it's been years since you played it, you should give it a try. There have been a lot of bug/crash fixes, new mechanics, even redoing some core game systems (I think they recently made some big changes to planet generation). [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5BJVO3PDeQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5BJVO3PDeQ
default-kramer 2y ago
I highly recommend Dragon Quest Builders to anyone who enjoys (or might enjoy) Minecraft even a little bit. It can reliably make me feel like a kid with a new Lego set for hundreds of consecutive hours. Killer Feature #1 is the room system, which can be a great source of inspiration if you don't know what you want to build. Killer Feature #2 is the overall charm you would expect from a modern Dragon Quest game, especially the NPCs. DQB1 has the better story mode (in my opinion), while DQB2 gives you much more freedom to build.
- jader201 2y ago
  I enjoyed both games, to an extent, but OMG, get ready to spend 90% of your time reading through the boring dialogue of the characters. I tried to follow it, and then I just started skipping through it. Then I go to where even doing that was just not worth it. I couldn’t make it through either game. (To be fair, I don’t think DQB1 was quite as bad with this as DQB2, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the roguelite approach of the levels.)
- moomin 2y ago
  I enjoyed both games. My kids are obsessed with DQB2. There’s stuff I really like about the storyline in 2 e.g. the “now save the monsters as well” ending. It’s a crying shame no-one’s making anything like it since.
meander_water 2y ago
For me it was going deer hunting in the woods in Oblivion. Maybe it's just something about open world games that allows you to find a quiet corner to yourself.
hammock 2y ago
When did “cozy” become such a buzzy word? How did that start? That one snuck up on me
dclowd9901 2y ago
Gotta say, Animal Crossing during Covid was a god send. I spent a lot of time in that game just putzing around and taking in the world. I'm not traditionally a person who enjoys those types of games, but the routine of hopping in every morning while I had coffee and every evening while I was winding down really lowered my stress level during an exceptionally stressful time in everyone's lives.
- ungawatkt 2y ago
  As much as it was a meme, I really did see a split in what folks enjoyed between Doom and Animal Crossing during covid, and they basically boiled down to the same thing: yeah, this game is so relaxing, I just turn my brain off and play. Doom: all flow state, no thoughts, just execution. Animal Crossing: cozy, comfortable, routine. Funny how both accomplish similar things despite being so different on the surface.
- ehnto 2y ago
  Warzone became my friend groups defacto 3rd space during covid, and I don't love shooters but the game loop had considerable down time where you were just exploring the massive map with friends while preparing, and able to chat like you were at a cafe or a pub. We had lockdowns here, so that social interaction was so important. After the lockdowns people slowly drifted back into normality, full time work etc, and we all stopped playing together.
mancerayder 2y ago
Kingdom Come Deliverance: 2. Oh, my lord, if you're remotely into Medieval realism and RPGs you'll be floored. Amazing escapism.
- haberman 2y ago
  It's funny, I fit that description perfectly and played all the way through KCD1. But when I saw the trailers for KCD2, it looked like it was so fighting and confrontation focused, maybe even more than the first one. The main title art seems to reinforce this: https://www.reddit.com/r/kingdomcome/comments/1etv380/official_kcd_2_gamescom_artwork/#lightbox https://www.reddit.com/r/kingdomcome/comments/1etv380/offici... But I'd love to hear if it's reasonably "cozy" for a lot of the time.
  - delichon 2y ago
    After you get your combat skill levels high the rest of the game is a charming gambol through the woods with no real challenge, even for a slow twitcher like me. The fox potion reduces the grinding by half.
  - mancerayder 2y ago
    You can spend enormous amounts of time on non fighting quests. And some of the fighting quests can be worked around with high speech or threat. I spend an embarrassing amount of time wandering around in between towns as well as playing dice. Fighting can be clunky and hard but it's over pretty fast, and there's something very realistic about things. It's no FPS, I'm not a fan of those.
    - haberman 2y ago
      I've downloaded it and am loving it so far. Thanks for the recommendation!
pacomerh 2y ago
My goto for relaxing is "Lonely Mountains Downhill" for the Switch. It's so relaxing, you can hear the nature and there's no background music. It's a third-person biking game.
- herrherrmann 2y ago
  Interesting that you mention this! I like this game a lot, but would rather describe it as hectic and fast-paced (due to the many attempts to optimize race times or find shortcuts). But I do agree that the nature sounds and landscapes are lovely on their own.
KingOfCoders 2y ago
Loving Jusant for that reason. Liminal spaces and wonderful music.
- GCUMstlyHarmls 2y ago
  You might enjoy the Cairn demo on steam if you like Jusant.
  - KingOfCoders 2y ago
    Thanks!
sama004 2y ago
truly, playing rdr2 helped me ngl
drewcoo 2y ago
Debeaking keeps angry chickens from beaking others.
ekianjo 2y ago
Hijacking scrolling increases my stress and anxiety
brynet 2y ago
I played through the indie game 'Forest's Secret' and its DLC a few years ago, it's a cozy, non-violent, zelda-like game. Definitely recommended. https://bynine.itch.io/forestssecret https://bynine.itch.io/forestssecret
al_borland 2y ago
Breath of the Wild felt this way for me. Sure, you can fight stuff, but it’s often optional and most of the game is walking around in nature and exploring the world. I hadn’t played anything of note in over a decade, and then probably spent over 1,000 hours in BotW.
- whalesalad 2y ago
  I tried a few times to get into this game but just couldn’t do it. So repetitive, the weapon damage, too open for me. When I want to relax I want some guardrails to encourage me on the right path.
  - al_borland 2y ago
    I think the lack of guardrails are what helped me relax with it. Because there was no “right” way, I didn’t have to worry about doing anything wrong. It also allowed for doing multiple play throughs with various self imposed rules. For example, I am the type to always save my good weapons and never use them, so I did a play through where I always used my strongest weapons first. I did another where I tried to see how hard I could get not fighting anything and being a pacifist. Another with no armor or no health/stamina upgrades. All of these required different tactics which kept it interesting.
- senordevnyc 2y ago
  I came here to leave this same comment about BotW
- valenterry 2y ago
  Next, try windwaker. Older game, but the remake is great. Similar feeling in a different style - less walking, more sailing and exploring islands.
  - al_borland 2y ago
    I might have to try this again. I got it on the GameCube when it came out, but remember hitting a wall and being frustrated. The open world change really old me on Zelda. I might give some of the older games another look after finally falling in love with the modern Zelda games.
LADev 2y ago
This is so relaxing!
didip 2y ago
I don’t play video game anymore since fatherhood but my 2000 hours of Skyrim would agree with the article.
- bee_rider 2y ago
  Some day you might play games with your kid(s). Keep the reflexes!
- mrbalihai 2y ago
  I initially stopped playing when I had kids. As they got older though we started gaming together on weekends while my wife has a break. We have an absolute blast together building a world or questing in Minecraft or squadding up and getting a victory royale in Fortnite. I know it probably won't last as they get into their teens but for now it's something both me and them look forward to every week.
j7ake 2y ago
Euro truck simulator memories
nafeyhs 2y ago
thats gta sa for me xd
keeda 2y ago
I think coziness is an underrated aspect of gaming, maybe because gaming is commonly depicted as fast-paced and frenetic. In fact, coziness was also an underrated reason that World of Warcraft was very popular. Unless you were in a top raiding guild or PvP, most gameplay matched at least one of the aspects listed in TFA; some flavor of "tidying up" and "community" all the while not being too challenging. A couple of other aspects of coziness were those of exploration and social interaction, glossed over in the article but a big part of MMOs. Exploration and solo questing were almost meditative in nature. You could mix and match socialization, questing and exploration to find your preferred flavor of coziness.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- SvenL 2y ago
  Yes, to this day I create a low level character in wow classic and quest in Elwin forest and Westfall. The music is just relaxing, the setting/landscape, sound effects…
- vueko 2y ago
  > You could mix and match socialization, questing and exploration to find your preferred flavor of coziness. For sure. I think one of the big reasons successful MMOs were successful and were such comfortable places to exist in for a lot of people was the broad internal variance of intensity of activities - even if you were in a top raiding guild or a big PvPer or whatever, odds were you probably still spent a solid amount of time running around a meadow picking flowers, enchanting other players' gear, or just trying to jump onto the head of the statue outside the bank while chatting with friends. When you just felt like taking it easy, the game had plenty of things for you to do that matched that vibe, just as there was plenty of challenge on offer for when that was what you were after. I feel like a big part of what theme-park MMOs miss out on, and why they often feel so hollow and unsatisfying, is insufficiently fleshed-out low-intensity activities. Up-thread, someone was wondering about how a Fromsoft game could ever be considered "cozy" - I think contrast helps engender coziness; Majula or Firelink are definitely cozy, if admittedly a somewhat wistful variety of it. That dynamic of contrasting intensity allows coziness to exist in a game where you're also saving the world on a weekly basis.
INTPenis 2y ago
I think all games can do that, the type of game you enjoy is highly personal. Not sure why they focus on "cozy" games. Probably because bloody games are still a bit controversial. Personally I'm relaxed by city/empire builder games. But my bother plays Doom to wind down.
zkmon 2y ago
Playing cards. With no devices and screens. Multi-player. Lots of fun. If it must be computer, then I go for good old Microsoft games - sweekend puzzle, motorbike madness or midtown madness (I have a Win7 PC with no internet). I also enjoy driving around with Forza and enjoying the scenery of the country side. I can't even dare to look at the title imagery of these new games on xbox while scrolling through list of games on app store. It's gory, weirdness and insanity being portrayed as high quality. I guess, humanity in the West craved for some excitement in their lives, due to post-war peace time being devoid of any survival struggle. And the media - movies, music, internet - kept on dumping loads of it. Even the music, which is supposed to flow with soft, pleasant and melodious tunes and beats, has turned into a cacophony of loud shouting and hysteric expressions and acts of the artists. Similar to how a military band is designed to dispense alert and agility, western music appear to have evolved to dispense fear and anxiety which was missing in their daily lives. Not only that. Lack of such frantic craziness is seen as boring (I never heard of this word boring in my childhood). Slow life in general is being viewed as socially unacceptable. We are frogs in a boiling pot. You don't have to join the mad crowd running around ferociously. Just sit back, power on your old computer, pull out the internet cable, enjoy the slow, old games.
- 9029 2y ago
  balatro
- WA 2y ago
  Ah come on. While you have a point, it’s been bread and games, public executions, and sad classical music in D minor for hundreds of years.
  - hansworst 2y ago
    Hundreds? The bread and games thing is literally a quote from the Roman Empire, and I’m sure they didn’t invent it themselves either.
    - deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]
badmonster 2y ago
super cute! love pixel games
colordrops 2y ago
Machinarium did it for me. Immensely atmospheric and relaxing. The soundtrack is John Williams level quality in my opinion. Introduced me to the musician Floex, whos songs I played at my wedding.
- lkuty 2y ago
  There is Creaks also but I did not find the time to play it yet.
ehnto 2y ago
I have long lamented the over use of combat in games, not for pacifist ideology, it's just a cop-out as a game mechanic for a lot of games. The medium can represent a chasm of possibilities but usually all the focus goes of AAA titles goes into combat. Which is to say the indie game and cozy game niches respectively have a lot of scope, because their possible gameplay is "everything that isn't combat", and I welcome the variety and creativity.
- XorNot 2y ago
  I'd say Death Stranding was a AAA effort at a game which didn't have combat at its core (though it did still have combat). The systems of that game were very impressive in terms of using game systems to support themselves.
  - cyberpunk 2y ago
    I may have to revisit it. It was pretty zen unless it rains but I got a bit bored of the Norman reedus walking simulator after a while.
- tmtvl 2y ago
  You do know that sports games exist, right? Football, rugger, snowboarding, skateboarding, rally, street racing, circuit racing,...
  - ehnto 2y ago
    Yes, I sim race, but don't enjoy other sport games. But that's pretty limited scope, when it comes to creative worlds and storytelling isn't it? I am interested in what a game in a world like Bioshock would be like if the game could have no combat.
  - TiredOfLife 2y ago
    That's just combat but with stronger rules
    - 2y ago
throwaway743 2y ago
Valheim
psyclobe 2y ago
I wish I could spend more then 10 minutes playing games; feels like work.
- shinycode 2y ago
  That’s exactly my feeling also. So frustrating, some games want you to invest so much time I gave up and sold them back
- JFingleton 2y ago
  Same. At 40 I simply can't expend any of my limited time or energy with games, when I could be doing something productive/wholesome (which for me is lifting weights, reading and learning). It's a shame as I used to love playing RPGs and FPSs.
  - psyclobe 2y ago
    Exactly; there is so much to do that playing games feels like wasted time.. and time is getting shorter every day
  - theshackleford 2y ago
    I have no issue playing games at nearly 40. After having been on a productivity grind since childhood, and having faced my mortality, I now appreciate having stepped back to smell the roses.
- kubb 2y ago
  That’s because jobs steal too much time from our lives and we don’t have it anymore to sink into something meaningful. We are forced to find meaning in jobs.
biker142541 2y ago
Surprised not to see Tiny Glade mentioned as a reference game in the comments here… it’s truly the definition of cozy. For anyone not familiar, we really need more games hyper focused on cozy/relaxing: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2198150/Tiny_Glade/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/2198150/Tiny_Glade/
- smusamashah 2y ago
  Another one is summer house https://store.steampowered.com/app/2533960/SUMMERHOUSE/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/2533960/SUMMERHOUSE/
- natebc 2y ago
  Lushfoil Photography Sim should also be in the conversation. It's very chill and very beautiful. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1749860/Lushfoil_Photography_Sim/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1749860/Lushfoil_Photogra...
- Obscurity4340 2y ago
  I think it would be cool if there were games that get slower and calmer over time, like it it could make you walk and talk and perform things slower gradually
kyriakos 2y ago
Is it just me that finds exploration open world games frustrating? It makes me feel awful having to walk around endlessly to gather resources etc. I prefer linear experiences that don't feel like I'm back to work.
- marcosscriven 2y ago
  I like the open-world aspect, but you’re right it’s often paired with what is commonly called “grind”, which I despise. So in practice, the open world I enjoy are those focussed purely on discovery like The Witness, and metroidvania games like Hollow Knight.
  - kyriakos 2y ago
    Hollow Knight is a great game. That's not the kind of game I meant though. I think the older I get the simpler, easier to get into games I'd rather play. I have 1 hour to play, I'd rather spend it entertaining myself rather than going through a tutorial or having to grind.
- jamiejquinn 2y ago
  Yeah, I like gathering/crafting mechanics but it has to be a focused experience, either I'm out on an adventure and happen to pick up some useful things on the way, or the whole point of the adventure is to pick up one or more things I need. Either way, the movement still has to be slick enough to not be boring, and the world has to be engaging enough to warrant caring about moving through it.
- alpaca128 2y ago
  Open World games were an interesting experiment, but the result is clear: the good ones are good despite the open world, not because of it. Not a single one managed to not feel like the developers copy-pasted content in a desperate attempt to fill the empty game world. At that point maybe don’t make such a huge world? And replayability suffers too, because replaying the game means working through a list of things to collect before the actual game can start. That said exploring the world in Elden Ring was probably the best time I ever had in a video game. The repetitive dungeons not so much.
Fire-Dragon-DoL 2y ago
I noticed I need high reflexes games to make my brain rest after work, so I don't agree. It's really hard to shutdown after a day that required a lot of brain power, but high reflexes games do the trick (nine sols, hollow knight come to mind)
uejfiweun 2y ago
Is this really so much of a shocker? Video games are awesome. They're one of the best things about living in the information age. In an overcrowded, unequal and stressful time to be alive, it's awesome to have an escape - a portal to another universe that is far more engaging than any other forms of escape that came before it. And far more economical, too.
brettgo1 2y ago
If you're into this kind of music, I highly recommend checking out the genre "Comfy synth" or "Dungeonsynth". Some artists include "Grandma's Cottage", "Shire Oak", "Mushroom Grandpa" etc.
- Obscurity4340 2y ago
  Also dreamcorw
sph 2y ago
During the worst of my depression, all I could play was House Flipper. Cleaning virtual homes helped a bit when I didn’t have the energy to clean mine. Also, watching calm videos about nature on YouTube. Taught me that most of my mental issues are due to living in a city and unable to recharge by being in contact with Mother Nature (something about fractals vs the right angles of man-made objects) The fact that cozy games are all the “rage” these days says a lot about our society and the mental state of our youth. Though depression has lessened, I don’t have the appetite for big gaming experiences any more. My zen retreat these days is TrackMania and nothing comes close to it to the sense of peace, silence and flow I get while playing that game, even if I suck. Strongly recommended to any squirrel brained, over-stressed knowledge worker.
- KurSix 2y ago
  It's wild how something as simple as cleaning a virtual house or zoning out to nature videos can become lifelines when everything else feels too heavy
ajb 2y ago
I have heard two theories on how to treat anxiety: 1) Paul Gilbert's theory that the brain's 'threat system' is overdeveloped and the 'soothing system' underdeveloped, and the right treatment is to stimulate the 'soothing system'. 2) Steven Quartz' theory that the brain's evaluation of risk has become distorted, and that the right treatment is any form of 'risky play' that you can tolerate; with an emphasis on being able to feel you've achieved something after taking (reasonable) risks. (Both of these are about how you reduce anxiety in the long term, not how you cope with it if you're overwhelmed in the moment). Video games could in theory work for either - but not the same ones. Under the second theory, coziness may work in the moment, but seeking coziness could inhibit long term reduction of anxiety. I don't know which theory has the more evidence. ( Also I'm not an expert and the consensus theory might be something else entirely. )
- martin82 2y ago
  You have to think much further outside the box: There are thousands of testimonies from people on a carnivore diet who report that anxiety issues went away almost immediately on that diet. Before any other technique or medication, I would tweak the diet first.
- csense 2y ago
  To me, it sounds like the two theories represent two different sets of people. If you have a high-risk high-stress job / life, playing a cozy city builder lets your brain turn off the "we need to be on max alert because things could go south at any moment" switch and turn on the "we're safe, let's relax" switch. If you have a boring job / life, you might enjoy running into a horde of demons at low health and ripping their faces off with your bare hands while dodging bullets and fireballs. That way all the built-up "Danger! Run for your life!" hormones get spent in the high intensity experience and don't activate when you're trying to sleep, or at low levels throughout the day causing chronic low-grade mental and physical health issues.
- prox 2y ago
  I haven’t seen those theories before. The first one seems intuitively apt. If you are overwhelmed the first thing that goes is your leisure and creativity. Say if you used to play piano or did any hobby, and you stopped, it means you lacking bandwidth to relax. After that, and you don’t correct your brain starts changing until it breaks : a burn out, or even further along : PTSD. So to counter it, is to bring back leisure and your hobbies. If someone burns out right next to you (I have had that happen to a colleague) is a couple of things : you can ask them if possible to focus on deep breaths, or ask them to call out the name of objects and ask them to describe them. Another strategy is deprive them of sensory overload. Have them put the hands on their face and hunch over so they are in their own cocoon. Stay with them and soothe them until you get a professional over. I am not sure if this is the most current view, but this is from my direct experience.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
KurSix 2y ago
As someone who's put an embarrassing number of hours into Stardew Valley, this all really resonates. Cozy games give you this weirdly powerful illusion of control and calm - your farm, your pace, your little pixelated life that somehow feels safer than the real one. It's not just escapism - it's like a reset button for your brain. I love that the article highlights how these games aren't necessarily "easy," just low-stress. They let you engage deeply without the constant threat-response loop that most traditional games (or life) tend to trigger.
- KronisLV 2y ago
  It does feel a bit similar to sitting down with a good book and taking things ahead at your own pace, quite zen. I will say that personally even the more action/goal oriented games can be quite enjoyable as long as they’re not too difficult, it’s the online PvP ones that get the most stressful for me. I don't really play many of those anymore, it feels like other players are just better and I don't want to have to be on the edge all the time. Oh also it’s a really nice site!
  - KurSix 2y ago
    Something about being in control of the pace just makes it feel more restorative
- staindk 2y ago
  I fully agree! ... and then you try your hand at Stardew Valley fishing and all sorts of weird frustrations bubble up inside you haha.
  - KurSix 2y ago
    Haha totally, fishing in Stardew starts off feeling borderline impossible, like the fish are personally mocking you. But once it clicks, it actually becomes super satisfying
  - natebc 2y ago
    Stardew has always been stressful for me. What crop to plant on which day, whose birthday is coming up, the energy economy ... I've NEVER been able to really get into it because of the constant feeling that I was missing something or wasting energy/time on the wrong things.
alecco 2y ago
I'm sure walking outside is much better. Or outdoors sports.
- Kovah 2y ago
  Can you just not accept that there are others who just don't enjoy sports? Or going out in winter when it's either rainy or freezing cold outside.
- ykonstant 2y ago
  You may need to sit down for this... did you know we can do two things, that are not the same thing?
- natebc 2y ago
  I played video games for about 2 hours already today ... and went for a 20 mile bike ride, played with my dogs, fed the local birds, had breakfast with my friends and hugged and wished a different friend happy 50th birthday. I'll play a few more hours of video games this afternoon too and play some music. My point is that people do lots of things. Gaming is a modern form of entertainment and is much more active and engaging than watching TV or mindlessly scrolling a social media site.
  - fossgeller 2y ago
    I’ve been just thinking about the last point you made, on video games being more engaging than most other forms of media. It’s quite weird how gaming is still looked down on by the general public. While watching movies and TV shows is considered to be “more mature” hobby, even though it requires less engagement. Wonder what the effects of binge watching are on the brain in the long term, especially compared to gaming’s. If we think about it the latter is much more similar to solving puzzles or reading.
box_eyed 2y ago
Are point-and-click games considered “cozy”? They often provide a relaxing experience—similar to reading a book, but with an added sense of agency in the narrative. Classic examples include the Broken Sword series, Monkey Island, and Grim Fandango. More recent titles like Disco Elysium might also fit. This video does a good job exploring what makes the genre so appealing. [0] [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUso3zWbDfE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUso3zWbDfE
- nprateem 2y ago
  Let's not forget Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
- ykonstant 2y ago
  Some P&C can sustain a cozy atmosphere even with some moderately heavy themes or light comedy. However, it depends a lot on the game. For instance, I would not consider The Longest Journey cozy, even though it is one of my favorite adventure games. Nor my absolute favorite, the Blackwell series. But I would definitely consider Monkey Island, Broken Sword and Kathy Rain cozy. Why? It is very hard for me to articulate. Besides the obvious (beautiful graphics and sound that is not too "challenging") it is something about the narrative working in a well-defined sandbox without too many surprises, but not in absolute monotony either. And the plot and story not being too heavy, while not being a complete farce either.
MarceColl 2y ago
For me Mutatzione[0] was incredible and appeared at a time in my life where I was in a very dark place. I discovered one saturday morning, bought it and played it the whole day. It's short, it's sweet, the art is beautiful. It's not super cozy in the traditional sense, but it has a lot of calm, serenity and it was exactly what I needed that day. [0] https://store.steampowered.com/app/1080750/Mutazione/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1080750/Mutazione/
- mangomountain 2y ago
  That’s such a cool game. I also really like the sandbox music gardens. You might also like Melody of Moominvalley if you’re open to Moomin content
stan_kirdey 2y ago
exactly for this made vortle.com no login, no internet needed, no data collected, no score - just you and the game to de-stress and calm down
wodenokoto 2y ago
When TV shows go to Japan and interview people at pachinko parlors and ask why the patrons go there they all say it’s to relieve stress. Pachinko parlors are noisy, with loud music blasting from speakers in the ceiling being drowned by music blazing from each individual machine, competing with the sound of metal marbles falling. It’s not what you think of as a relaxing environment. I don’t think it is cozy video games that quell stress, I think it is the escape that helps manage it. I played a lot of Tetris when I was going through a phase with a lot of stress. It’s pretty intense at the high levels, but it was nice for me at the time. Now that I’m not stressed, I actually find it kinda overwhelming…
- Obscurity4340 2y ago
  Have you tried the 3D versions? They're made in Unity I think but they can be profoundly relaxing even as they get more difficult and pick up speed.
levzettelin 2y ago
A tried A Short Hike. Games like this make me anxious, actually, because they make me feel like I'm wasting time. But I'm not anxious in general. I guess, it depends on the person.
coolThingsFirst 2y ago
Absolutely, they helped a TON with my depression and anxiety. The important thing is to select Story Games, the slower the better that slowly pull you in. Any fast paced game will keep you anxious and won't work. Some game recommendations that I will make while we are here: 1) Outer Wilds - must play especially for HN people. Great puzzle and exploration game. A game you will never forget. 2) Alan Wake 2 - Insane story and graphics. 3) Day's Gone - really chill zombie game.
smeeger 2y ago
i have always kind of thought that videogames are bad for young adults but the other day i realized that people exposed to certain videogames growing up are much more sophisticated. same with movies. if we could take the violence out of games and movies then they would be a very useful way to supercharge the education and development of young people. if we had movies that werent filled with harmful misinformation… its a great way to augment life experience. a lot of kids would have trouble sitting down to read for two unbroken hours… and the bitrate of movies is much higher
- theshackleford 2y ago
  > if we could take the violence out of games and movies then they would be a very useful way to supercharge the education and development of young people. No thanks. Violent video games led me to my career and passion. Non violent games exist, you are free to choose them. No need to enforce your choices onto others.
  - smeeger 2y ago
    people who spend their time looking at gor are mentally and emotionally unwell. a demographic that shouldnt exist.
ismailmaj 2y ago
I really like potion craft, it really hits the optimization part of my brain without feeling grindy or stressful. The gaming loop is about using the right subpaths using resources to reach a destination while avoiding obstacles, and slowly improving your resources options and quantity, at the end of the game it looks a bit like the traveling salesman problem. Also liked this series on YouTube: https://youtu.be/d_JfzuJzUFE?si=pifLxMFo4itOihdK https://youtu.be/d_JfzuJzUFE?si=pifLxMFo4itOihdK
ilker2495 2y ago
I'd love to read the article but it doesn't want me to On the subject of cozy games I personally like Viscera Cleanup Detail a lot. I've seen people criticize some of the (arguably) annoying design decisions like bucket dispensers sometimes sending out organs and severed limbs. The way I see it: I'm playing this game for the express purpose of cleaning spaceships and sci-fi laboratories. The game is just giving me more stuff to clean, good! When there is some meta-progression (unlocks, dialogue trees, etc.) I find myself getting stressed over what I can unlock next, or which dialogue tree I have yet to clear. In that way, VCD is perfect because you just pick a map and go. More games should make all of their content available to the player from the start.
- Alhaitham 2y ago
  https://archive.is/oty3L https://archive.is/oty3L
tim333 2y ago
I quite like Pokemon Go in that way, which also gets you out for a stroll.
latexr 2y ago
This was fantastic, and I didn’t even realise at first I was on a news website. Unfortunately, that became very obvious at the bottom: > MORE FROM REUTERS GRAPHICS > Inside North Korea’s vast operation to help Russia’s war on Ukraine > The Most Daunting Hole at Augusta > How South Korea's largest and deadliest wildfire spread > The list of proposed US tariffs After a whole article about quelling anxiety, perhaps don’t end with links to anxiety-inducing themes?
rfmoz 2y ago
Walden, a game. This is an other calm game, full of nature and simple life.
fuzzy_biscuit 2y ago
I'd say the increase in cozy games is more easily attributable to Stardew Valley in 2016. So many of the clones that came out directly resemble SV in progression, style and content. Also, the site is beautiful. Excellent work.
miiiiiike 2y ago
My girlfriend calls farming vials in Bloodborne knitting.
csdreamer7 2y ago
I find Stardew Valley to be stressful since I keep trying to max things out for the 3 year goal of meeting grandpa and that always stops me from continuing it. Literally I have a todo list for it.
ndsipa_pomu 2y ago
Can't see a mention of Sable here.
lkuty 2y ago
I think that AmaZoo is a nice little game. https://turbosoda.games/ https://turbosoda.games/

594 points by vinhnx 2y ago

trollbridge 2y ago

Reminds me of Gathertown, although it felt patently absurd to be using it for actual business meetings.

funcDropShadow 2y ago
I really loved it for a virtual conference

dimitar 2y ago

Nothing relaxes me like throwing tanks and helicopters into the fire in Warno - a Cold War Combined Arms Real-Time Tactics game

gamificationpan 2y ago

[dead]

dietervds 2y ago

Very late to the party, but I needed to give Banished a shoutout here, since it hasn't been mentioned before. The music alone is enough to get me to relax.

zoezoezoezoe 2y ago

Webfishing was unironically a game that really helped me. Virtually fishing with random people on the internet brought me so much joy I dont know where I'd be without it.

mmastrac 2y ago

This was difficult to read in Firefox without reader mode. No mention of that tiny town building game I've been looking for again (non-gridded, very adaptive, kind of medieval), which is shame because I completely forgot its name. EDIT: It's tiny glade

stavros 2y ago

One of my favorite games is A Short Hike. It's not the same kind of game as Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, etc, but the writing is brilliant and it always makes me content whenever I play it. I really wish more games like it existed.

mrweiner 2y ago
A friend gifted me A Short Hike after my cat died suddenly during covid, and it really did make me feel better. It’s a lovey game.
spixy 2y ago
When I want to relax I play Euro truck simulator. Its similar to IRL driving slowly through the city in the night.
KurSix 2y ago
A Short Hike is such a gem. It nails that cozy feeling without trying too hard
smus 2y ago
Smushi come home if the most similar I've played
- stavros 2y ago
  Thank you!
RDaneel0livaw 2y ago
Absolutely love A Short Hike. Perfect to relax in bed or on the couch on the Deck and just relax. I have fallen asleep playing it multiple times. Just wandering and soaring and climbing.
Jach 2y ago
Another game that gave me similar vibes to A Short Hike was Lil Gator Game. For me though, a game doesn't have to have cozy aesthetics to put me in a more cozy or calm mood, and I've never really gotten into games like Stardew Valley or AC. Beauty in a sense is probably important. Celeste comes to mind, though it can also be quite challenging. My own favorite game even for destressing purposes is Dark Souls... And then you have things like classic solitaire/klondike, or recently I played through the entire SNES Populous conquest mode, where they're almost more meditative than anything.

candiddevmike 2y ago

Stardew Valley helped my non-gamer partner so much during the pandemic.

ramesh31 2y ago
Came here to post this. There’s just something so comforting to the soul about that world. There are no politics, crime, religion, homelessness, war, or disease. Just melons. Melons, pumpkins, turnips, corn, rice, and potatoes. Visiting that place is like pure heroin for people with anxiety.
- ilrwbwrkhv 2y ago
  There is politics from scene one? You are literally fighting against a giant corporation which is taking over the town.
  - ramesh31 2y ago
    I guess I never noticed that. I actually never paid attention to the story or characters at all. Just spent hundreds of hours growing increasingly large quantities and qualities of produce.
    - dingnuts 2y ago
      you only played about a third of the game then lol, you missed out on hundreds of hours of content
  - CGamesPlay 2y ago
    Maybe politics, but it isn’t necessarily fighting “against”. You can play the Jojo path, get different perks, and the shopkeep doesn’t become unemployed.
  - pixelready 2y ago
    Plus the intro of the game is the player moving to the farm to escape a soul-crushing corporate job, only to find that same sort of culture taking root in their pastoral sanctuary. I love pretty much every system of progression it has, but I do respect that the game doesn’t really force you to engage with the parts that you don’t enjoy. But anyone who sides with Joja is a monster.

RDaneel0livaw 2y ago

Right now I’m playing Sail Forth and it hits that stress reducer for me. It does have combat but totally optional and the exploration and fishing and discovery is so relaxing.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

imbnwa 2y ago

Superliminal did this for me recently. Also had me reflect on some things.

ericzawo 2y ago

Going in the complete opposite direction, getting through Elden Ring two summers ago really helped me through what was the worst heartbreak of my life, an undoubtably stressful and anxious time for me.

junebash 2y ago
Yes! My partner teases me for this, but From games are what I tend to gravitate towards when I need to relax.
- ehnto 2y ago
  My go to is Cyberpunk 2077, something about wandering aimlessly around the dystopic city let's me disconnect, I don't even do the missions or combat.
kemotep 2y ago
There’s something about getting into a flow state with the game in a From Soft title that is relaxing to me as well. Even dying a dozen times in a row.
- boredtofears 2y ago
  I don't think I ever made it into flow state once in Elden Ring even though I beat it. I just grinded until I was high level enough that it didn't matter that I didn't time any of the bosses right.
  - bee_rider 2y ago
    I really need to do a more challenging run through of Elden Ring. I just played as a wizard and blasted everything. Less than double my height? You get rocks. More than double my height? Beam.
    - moomin 2y ago
      Throw in renowned ashes and party. Or get poise breaking and the mimic tear. So many ways to absolutely stomp Elden Ring if that’s what you want to do.

jimbob45 2y ago

Myst and Riven are surely the poster children for this. They’re practically ASMR and you can just chill on any screen and enjoy it without fear of anything happening.

TimTheTinker 2y ago
The recent re-releases (built in Unreal Engine) were really cool. Kids and I had a blast playing through them together.
Loughla 2y ago
Fucking Myst is the opposite of replacing for me. FUCK those puzzles. But do you also remember the Dr. Brain series? Those were amazingly restorative to my tiny young brain.
ekianjo 2y ago
I find puzzles more stressful than anything else

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

dejobaan 2y ago

Wholesome Games has a nice set of social media channels around this stuff, down at the bottom of https://wholesomegames.com https://wholesomegames.com They also publish, but I think they mostly talk about wholesome/cozy/relaxing titles on YT/Bsky/etc.

technotarek 2y ago

Wow, what an interesting piece of journalism, in regards to the presentation. It reminded me of when I saw the NYT’s Snow Fall piece for the first time. At the time, it was an amazing display of cutting edge UI skills that exhibited both skill and restraint. Great storytelling to boot.

SamPatt 2y ago

Are there tools out there to help build these scrolling sites? Works well on my phone and that isn't always true on DDG browser.

grugagag 2y ago

Maybe games do have something special because you have to be more actively engaged and empathizing with coziness part puts us in a calming mood. But it seems obvious to me that anything that you can engage with has a similar effect and games are just one type of media. Books, movies, music can do the same thing too, you just have to know how to get in on it and not suffer through it if it doesn’t click the first time. I don’t think it’s only the cozy part that brings the benefits but rather what effects that media or genre has on you at that moment in time. Over time what bring me calm and comfort has drifted somewhat.

IG_Semmelweiss 2y ago

Wow. I was not expecting that at all. I wish there were more reporting like this. I am wondering if an LLM helped put this together for the journalist ? And if yes, how were they able to display all that in a single page, without access to servers, etc?

9d 2y ago

There is no escaping stress or anxiety. Life is a nightmare, and the best you can do is accept it as an objective fact and try to make it better for others, since you will never be able to make it better for yourself.

fossgeller 2y ago
In many cases making life better for others involves making it better for yourself. That’s what true love is in my opinion.
marviel 2y ago
hey -- I'm not sure what's got you thinking this, but I'd encourage you to consider that the way things seem when we're in emotional states (even long-lasting ones) aren't always reflective of the way things are.
- 9d 2y ago
  Somewhere in the world right now, someone is suffering immensely, unjustly, and with no hope of relief. This is always true at any given moment. How can we sit back and be happy when these forgotten people die daily? And statistics indicate they're probably living next door to each one of us. The status quo is not good. Do what you will, but I'm not going to pretend this life is a paradise.
  - marviel 2y ago
    Your original framing was "life is a nightmare". My response was not "life is paradise", but rather a reminder that emotional states can vary your perception of how nightmarish/paradise-ish life actually is.
  - Trasmatta 2y ago
    Having empathy for the suffering in both other people and yourself does not close the door on still finding at least some amount of inner joy or peace. If you can only have any amount of joy when every other living being in the universe is totally free of suffering, then you are doomed to never have even an ounce of happiness. > I'm not going to pretend this life is a paradise Who has ever claimed that it is?

noman-land 2y ago

Highly recommend this charming unpacking game. https://www.unpackinggame.com/ https://www.unpackinggame.com/

delichon 2y ago
If you need more stress and anxiety try this packing game. https://tetris.com/play-tetris https://tetris.com/play-tetris
- nsfmc 2y ago
  unless... maybe... https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2017-03-28-tetris-used-prevent-post-traumatic-stress-symptoms https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2017-03-28-tetris-used-prevent-pos...

bitwize 2y ago

So can ultra-violent games. I guess it depends on your vibe. Come to think of it, maybe that's part of why Doom and Animal Crossing had their Barbenheimer moment a few years back.

Trasmatta 2y ago
Doom Eternal put me into a flow state like literally nothing else in my life. Made me feel so good.
- 0x1ceb00da 2y ago
  I've played doom 2016. Thinking about picking up eternal. How does it compare? Dark ages?
  - c-hendricks 2y ago
    I found Eternal different enough to 2016 that I just bounced off it. The glory kill system was expanded in Eternal and you have to keep doing it to acquire resources. The mobility is a huge step up though. Dark Ages' combat seems closer to 2016, with much larger areas.
  - bitwize 2y ago
    The way I put it is that Doom (2016) is more balls-out heavy metal, whereas Doom Eternal is more of a "concept album". See, it turns out that in Doom (1993), there was sort of this refined balance between the enemies and the weapons you carried, such that while all of the enemies could in principle be taken out with any weapon, there were generally one or two really effective ways to kill them. Demons (pinkies) for instance, lacked a ranged attack, so it was possible to kill even a pack of them with the chainsaw while taking minimal to zero damage. And the cacodemon was large, moved slowly, and had a high chance to stun, so a rapid-fire weapon like the chain gun or, better yet, the plasma rifle would make short work of one while affording it little opportunity to counterattack. For Doom Eternal, the developers decided to really lean in to this idea, calling it the "Doom Dance", and craft the enemies in such a way that they were specifically vulnerable to specific attacks from specific weapons. Again, using the example of the cacodemon, it's a real bullet sponge but if you pop a grenade into its mouth, it's an insta-stun letting you do a glory kill. The Mancubus and Arachnotron have weapons that can be disabled or weakened with specific attacks. And, annoyingly, there was one enemy (the Marauder) that can only be killed via a sort of quick-time event. This expands to resource management too. There are fewer pickups, which means you have to top up on health with glory kills, ammo with the chainsaw, and armor with the Flame Belch as you clear an area of enemies. The emphasis is on "using the right attack at the right time", which is what the developers were deliberately aiming for. The campaign was also much more story-driven which only adds to the concept-album feel, as it's a very eurocomic-ish story that delves into the connection between the demons and the angelic aliens known as Maykrs, rather than just thrusting you into hell and telling you to murder every demon in sight. They definitely wanted you to get the most out of the game by experiencing it a certain way. For these reasons I liked it less than I liked Doom (2016). I can see what they were going for, but it's just not my thing. For Doom: The Dark Ages they appear to be changing the combat system yet again, with more emphasis on tanking, and dealing out, massive amounts of damage from/to hordes of enemies, as well as use of a throwable shield and a more flexible glory kill system. I think they realized that they kind of veered from the Doominess of the combat with Eternal and are attempting to course-correct. Props to them for trying something different.

kianN 2y ago

As someone who didn’t play many video games but grew up somewhat adjacent to them, I’m just amazed at how much more relaxed I am having gone through that article (experience?) compared to before.

Barrin92 2y ago

It's funnily enough the opposite for me, people always give me weird looks when I say that Lovecraft is my favorite author to read when I'm anxious or stressed but there's something cathartic and honest about it. "Cozy games" actually always unnerve me, they give me this uncanny valley feeling of "what are they trying to hide from me here, what am I not supposed to think about", like can I actually go and walk out from the farm or is this a Never Let me Go or Truman Show situation. Granted maybe this is a lesson of not having your kids grow up on Lovecraft but I've always found it hilarious how it makes me feel the exact opposite of what it's supposed to do

Loughla 2y ago
I'm absolutely with you. It's the pointlessness of cozy games that gets me. It's just clicking around and a weird attempt at making you feel like you've accomplished something (instead of running on a hamster wheel). Far Cry 4, half life 2, or fallout new Vegas are my go to destress games. I also love Lovecraft and The King in Yellow when I need to space out and relax.

rr808 2y ago

I still think video games are a net negative on society. How come so few women play - their lives are so much more balanced and successful - are games a symptom or a cause?

Lalabadie 2y ago
Isn't it a myth that women don't play as much? If I recall correctly, they just don't play the same games. Much like women-dominated professions, their choices tend to end up labeled "not real games". Cozy games, social games, mobile arcade à la Candy Crush, etc. You need that exclusionary lens applied to what is a game to then get a tally where women comparatively don't play.
- card_zero 2y ago
  Not even sure this is true. Perhaps a skew toward survival horror. OK, here's a 2024 survey: https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/technology/digital-media-trends-consumption-habits-survey/2024/how-can-gaming-industry-get-more-female-gamers.html https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/technology... Deloitte says women prefer solo story-driven games and dislike multiplayer.
Trasmatta 2y ago
> How come so few women play I feel like you really need to update your priors here? It's 2025, not 2000, and games are immensely popular for both men and women. Almost all women I know play at least some games these days.
Jedd 2y ago
I'd guess a symptom rather than a cause, but I'm not sure what of. Curious about your evidence and metrics for your claims of: 'net negative', 'few women play', 'more balanced' and 'more successful'.
Krssst 2y ago
It's leisure. I don't see how they are worse than movies or watching sports. There are bad actors out there with gambling mechanics or addiction exploitation but the article is not about those. (and sports have their variant of it with sports betting)

grg0 2y ago

Websites that hack the natural and expected behaviour of the scroll bar certainly don't.

lightedman 2y ago

IF you have a VR headset, Moss is one of those semi-cozy games.

theshackleford 2y ago
I had an "incomplete" spinal cord injury back in 2020. Its left me with permanent pain and symptoms, this pain and these symptoms leaves within me a significant amount of ongoing stress. As dumb as this sounds potentially, because in real life, i'm not that huge on it, I have found a big help is this VR game I play, walkabout minigolf. Once every few days, usually when pain levels etc are peaking, I play a slow 18 holes and something about the landscapes, the visuals etc...its like a zen garden for my mind. It just soothes me. Primarily this course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6mt9ev2xQY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6mt9ev2xQY

sideshowb 2y ago

Horses for courses... If the game in the article captures what these are about, it didn't do anything for me. Interesting to read, though. I've enjoyed some games that have a cozy vibe while actually presenting me with puzzles to solve. Monument Valley for example.

ls612 2y ago

Reuters realizing in 2025 what gamers knew in 2016. That’s the mainstream media in a nutshell.

Trasmatta 2y ago
And also what gamers knew in the 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, 2010s...

halosghost 2y ago

As opposed to overly-engineered websites that hijack [0] scroll-behavior, which only increase anxiety and fury. ಠ_ಠ All the best, -HG [0]: web-designers take-note, the normal term [1] in the field for doing this refers to violent crime. Think on your sins. [1]: https://robinrendle.com/notes/scrolljacking/ https://robinrendle.com/notes/scrolljacking/

Loughla 2y ago
All the rest of your nonsense aside, why did you sign your comment. You know your name is already attached to that, right?
- halosghost 2y ago
  What can I say? It's a habit I developed long ago… [0][1] All the best, -HG [0] https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=1417817#p1417817 https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=1417817#p1417817 [1] for anyone who doesn't have an Arch BBS account: https://0x0.st/8OL4.png https://0x0.st/8OL4.png
  - Loughla 2y ago
    That's really, really weird. What are you trying to accomplish with all that?
    - halosghost 2y ago
      I don't understand how it is harming anyone—unlike web designers who actively design inaccessible websites—and while I suppose I could offer a reason, I don't particularly feel the need to explain myself. I am sorry that this seems to have struck a nerve for you. And, as I genuinely mean to convey every time, I wish you… All the best, -HG
dan-g 2y ago
From the HN guidelines[0]: > Please don't complain about tangential annoyances—e.g. article or website formats, name collisions, or back-button breakage. They're too common to be interesting. [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

rhcom2 2y ago

My cozy recommendation: Creating landscapes out of tiles. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorfromantik https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorfromantik

Cordiali 2y ago
+1, Dorfromantik is great!
jader201 2y ago
Was going to post this if someone hadn’t already. The first game that came to my mind. Not only is the gameplay chill, but the music and sound effects, on their own, relax me. You could sleep to the OST: https://youtu.be/h5gOAJl-7ZE https://youtu.be/h5gOAJl-7ZE

sharkweek 2y ago

Well for me on the other hand, when I was working in tech on backend data services that needed constant maintenance and optimization, I loved nothing more than coming home and… …Optimizing my Factorio base supply chain until two in the morning.

travisjungroth 2y ago
There’s something about doing the same thing with a tighter feedback loop, higher immediate reward.
- tonyedgecombe 2y ago
  And without management breathing down your neck.
  - fouronnes3 2y ago
    Truck drivers going home and playing truck simulator.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]

matt3210 2y ago

It was a while before I realized you scroll down to advance the graphics...

neilv 2y ago

Reuters has good visibility into the state of the world. Have they seen the writing on the wall, and are now promoting cutesy escapism?

freediver 2y ago

Not sure I would call it cozy, but Magic the Gathering (Arena) has played this role for me for a long time. It is probably about the retreat to familiar that helps most of all to supress stress and anxiety, regardless of the type of the game.

Avicebron 2y ago

No Man's Sky here, just cruising around, trying to find the best pet to float around on

fossgeller 2y ago
That game has been on my radar ever since release, only managed to play 1 hour of it so far due to crashing issues. I always wondered how’s the procedural generation part of the game? Does it get repetitive fast?
- Avicebron 2y ago
  > I always wondered how’s the procedural generation part of the game? Does it get repetitive fast? Yes and no. They have been adding content and releasing free updates since release, I think the most recent one was this past march. I'm about a 100+ hours in and found out today that I'm missing half or more of the content because I was happy enough just exploring and figuring things out all that time that I didn't do any of the story. that being said. There is definitely a feeling of repetitiveness across everything. Makes you appreciate the fact that we have a staggering amount of different forms of life and biomes just here on earth...
- csense 2y ago
  Internet Historian made an amazing documentary on how the game's changed over the years [1]. They're still making massive changes to the game! If it's been years since you played it, you should give it a try. There have been a lot of bug/crash fixes, new mechanics, even redoing some core game systems (I think they recently made some big changes to planet generation). [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5BJVO3PDeQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5BJVO3PDeQ

default-kramer 2y ago

I highly recommend Dragon Quest Builders to anyone who enjoys (or might enjoy) Minecraft even a little bit. It can reliably make me feel like a kid with a new Lego set for hundreds of consecutive hours. Killer Feature #1 is the room system, which can be a great source of inspiration if you don't know what you want to build. Killer Feature #2 is the overall charm you would expect from a modern Dragon Quest game, especially the NPCs. DQB1 has the better story mode (in my opinion), while DQB2 gives you much more freedom to build.

jader201 2y ago
I enjoyed both games, to an extent, but OMG, get ready to spend 90% of your time reading through the boring dialogue of the characters. I tried to follow it, and then I just started skipping through it. Then I go to where even doing that was just not worth it. I couldn’t make it through either game. (To be fair, I don’t think DQB1 was quite as bad with this as DQB2, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the roguelite approach of the levels.)
moomin 2y ago
I enjoyed both games. My kids are obsessed with DQB2. There’s stuff I really like about the storyline in 2 e.g. the “now save the monsters as well” ending. It’s a crying shame no-one’s making anything like it since.

meander_water 2y ago

For me it was going deer hunting in the woods in Oblivion. Maybe it's just something about open world games that allows you to find a quiet corner to yourself.

hammock 2y ago

When did “cozy” become such a buzzy word? How did that start? That one snuck up on me

dclowd9901 2y ago

Gotta say, Animal Crossing during Covid was a god send. I spent a lot of time in that game just putzing around and taking in the world. I'm not traditionally a person who enjoys those types of games, but the routine of hopping in every morning while I had coffee and every evening while I was winding down really lowered my stress level during an exceptionally stressful time in everyone's lives.

ungawatkt 2y ago
As much as it was a meme, I really did see a split in what folks enjoyed between Doom and Animal Crossing during covid, and they basically boiled down to the same thing: yeah, this game is so relaxing, I just turn my brain off and play. Doom: all flow state, no thoughts, just execution. Animal Crossing: cozy, comfortable, routine. Funny how both accomplish similar things despite being so different on the surface.
ehnto 2y ago
Warzone became my friend groups defacto 3rd space during covid, and I don't love shooters but the game loop had considerable down time where you were just exploring the massive map with friends while preparing, and able to chat like you were at a cafe or a pub. We had lockdowns here, so that social interaction was so important. After the lockdowns people slowly drifted back into normality, full time work etc, and we all stopped playing together.

mancerayder 2y ago

Kingdom Come Deliverance: 2. Oh, my lord, if you're remotely into Medieval realism and RPGs you'll be floored. Amazing escapism.

haberman 2y ago
It's funny, I fit that description perfectly and played all the way through KCD1. But when I saw the trailers for KCD2, it looked like it was so fighting and confrontation focused, maybe even more than the first one. The main title art seems to reinforce this: https://www.reddit.com/r/kingdomcome/comments/1etv380/official_kcd_2_gamescom_artwork/#lightbox https://www.reddit.com/r/kingdomcome/comments/1etv380/offici... But I'd love to hear if it's reasonably "cozy" for a lot of the time.
- delichon 2y ago
  After you get your combat skill levels high the rest of the game is a charming gambol through the woods with no real challenge, even for a slow twitcher like me. The fox potion reduces the grinding by half.
- mancerayder 2y ago
  You can spend enormous amounts of time on non fighting quests. And some of the fighting quests can be worked around with high speech or threat. I spend an embarrassing amount of time wandering around in between towns as well as playing dice. Fighting can be clunky and hard but it's over pretty fast, and there's something very realistic about things. It's no FPS, I'm not a fan of those.
  - haberman 2y ago
    I've downloaded it and am loving it so far. Thanks for the recommendation!

pacomerh 2y ago

My goto for relaxing is "Lonely Mountains Downhill" for the Switch. It's so relaxing, you can hear the nature and there's no background music. It's a third-person biking game.

herrherrmann 2y ago
Interesting that you mention this! I like this game a lot, but would rather describe it as hectic and fast-paced (due to the many attempts to optimize race times or find shortcuts). But I do agree that the nature sounds and landscapes are lovely on their own.

KingOfCoders 2y ago

Loving Jusant for that reason. Liminal spaces and wonderful music.

GCUMstlyHarmls 2y ago
You might enjoy the Cairn demo on steam if you like Jusant.
- KingOfCoders 2y ago
  Thanks!

sama004 2y ago

truly, playing rdr2 helped me ngl

drewcoo 2y ago

Debeaking keeps angry chickens from beaking others.

ekianjo 2y ago

Hijacking scrolling increases my stress and anxiety

brynet 2y ago

I played through the indie game 'Forest's Secret' and its DLC a few years ago, it's a cozy, non-violent, zelda-like game. Definitely recommended. https://bynine.itch.io/forestssecret https://bynine.itch.io/forestssecret

al_borland 2y ago

Breath of the Wild felt this way for me. Sure, you can fight stuff, but it’s often optional and most of the game is walking around in nature and exploring the world. I hadn’t played anything of note in over a decade, and then probably spent over 1,000 hours in BotW.

whalesalad 2y ago
I tried a few times to get into this game but just couldn’t do it. So repetitive, the weapon damage, too open for me. When I want to relax I want some guardrails to encourage me on the right path.
- al_borland 2y ago
  I think the lack of guardrails are what helped me relax with it. Because there was no “right” way, I didn’t have to worry about doing anything wrong. It also allowed for doing multiple play throughs with various self imposed rules. For example, I am the type to always save my good weapons and never use them, so I did a play through where I always used my strongest weapons first. I did another where I tried to see how hard I could get not fighting anything and being a pacifist. Another with no armor or no health/stamina upgrades. All of these required different tactics which kept it interesting.
senordevnyc 2y ago
I came here to leave this same comment about BotW
valenterry 2y ago
Next, try windwaker. Older game, but the remake is great. Similar feeling in a different style - less walking, more sailing and exploring islands.
- al_borland 2y ago
  I might have to try this again. I got it on the GameCube when it came out, but remember hitting a wall and being frustrated. The open world change really old me on Zelda. I might give some of the older games another look after finally falling in love with the modern Zelda games.

LADev 2y ago

This is so relaxing!

didip 2y ago

I don’t play video game anymore since fatherhood but my 2000 hours of Skyrim would agree with the article.

bee_rider 2y ago
Some day you might play games with your kid(s). Keep the reflexes!
mrbalihai 2y ago
I initially stopped playing when I had kids. As they got older though we started gaming together on weekends while my wife has a break. We have an absolute blast together building a world or questing in Minecraft or squadding up and getting a victory royale in Fortnite. I know it probably won't last as they get into their teens but for now it's something both me and them look forward to every week.

j7ake 2y ago

Euro truck simulator memories

nafeyhs 2y ago

thats gta sa for me xd

keeda 2y ago

I think coziness is an underrated aspect of gaming, maybe because gaming is commonly depicted as fast-paced and frenetic. In fact, coziness was also an underrated reason that World of Warcraft was very popular. Unless you were in a top raiding guild or PvP, most gameplay matched at least one of the aspects listed in TFA; some flavor of "tidying up" and "community" all the while not being too challenging. A couple of other aspects of coziness were those of exploration and social interaction, glossed over in the article but a big part of MMOs. Exploration and solo questing were almost meditative in nature. You could mix and match socialization, questing and exploration to find your preferred flavor of coziness.

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
SvenL 2y ago
Yes, to this day I create a low level character in wow classic and quest in Elwin forest and Westfall. The music is just relaxing, the setting/landscape, sound effects…
vueko 2y ago
> You could mix and match socialization, questing and exploration to find your preferred flavor of coziness. For sure. I think one of the big reasons successful MMOs were successful and were such comfortable places to exist in for a lot of people was the broad internal variance of intensity of activities - even if you were in a top raiding guild or a big PvPer or whatever, odds were you probably still spent a solid amount of time running around a meadow picking flowers, enchanting other players' gear, or just trying to jump onto the head of the statue outside the bank while chatting with friends. When you just felt like taking it easy, the game had plenty of things for you to do that matched that vibe, just as there was plenty of challenge on offer for when that was what you were after. I feel like a big part of what theme-park MMOs miss out on, and why they often feel so hollow and unsatisfying, is insufficiently fleshed-out low-intensity activities. Up-thread, someone was wondering about how a Fromsoft game could ever be considered "cozy" - I think contrast helps engender coziness; Majula or Firelink are definitely cozy, if admittedly a somewhat wistful variety of it. That dynamic of contrasting intensity allows coziness to exist in a game where you're also saving the world on a weekly basis.

INTPenis 2y ago

I think all games can do that, the type of game you enjoy is highly personal. Not sure why they focus on "cozy" games. Probably because bloody games are still a bit controversial. Personally I'm relaxed by city/empire builder games. But my bother plays Doom to wind down.

zkmon 2y ago

Playing cards. With no devices and screens. Multi-player. Lots of fun. If it must be computer, then I go for good old Microsoft games - sweekend puzzle, motorbike madness or midtown madness (I have a Win7 PC with no internet). I also enjoy driving around with Forza and enjoying the scenery of the country side. I can't even dare to look at the title imagery of these new games on xbox while scrolling through list of games on app store. It's gory, weirdness and insanity being portrayed as high quality. I guess, humanity in the West craved for some excitement in their lives, due to post-war peace time being devoid of any survival struggle. And the media - movies, music, internet - kept on dumping loads of it. Even the music, which is supposed to flow with soft, pleasant and melodious tunes and beats, has turned into a cacophony of loud shouting and hysteric expressions and acts of the artists. Similar to how a military band is designed to dispense alert and agility, western music appear to have evolved to dispense fear and anxiety which was missing in their daily lives. Not only that. Lack of such frantic craziness is seen as boring (I never heard of this word boring in my childhood). Slow life in general is being viewed as socially unacceptable. We are frogs in a boiling pot. You don't have to join the mad crowd running around ferociously. Just sit back, power on your old computer, pull out the internet cable, enjoy the slow, old games.

9029 2y ago
balatro
WA 2y ago
Ah come on. While you have a point, it’s been bread and games, public executions, and sad classical music in D minor for hundreds of years.
- hansworst 2y ago
  Hundreds? The bread and games thing is literally a quote from the Roman Empire, and I’m sure they didn’t invent it themselves either.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]

badmonster 2y ago

super cute! love pixel games

colordrops 2y ago

Machinarium did it for me. Immensely atmospheric and relaxing. The soundtrack is John Williams level quality in my opinion. Introduced me to the musician Floex, whos songs I played at my wedding.

lkuty 2y ago
There is Creaks also but I did not find the time to play it yet.

ehnto 2y ago

I have long lamented the over use of combat in games, not for pacifist ideology, it's just a cop-out as a game mechanic for a lot of games. The medium can represent a chasm of possibilities but usually all the focus goes of AAA titles goes into combat. Which is to say the indie game and cozy game niches respectively have a lot of scope, because their possible gameplay is "everything that isn't combat", and I welcome the variety and creativity.

XorNot 2y ago
I'd say Death Stranding was a AAA effort at a game which didn't have combat at its core (though it did still have combat). The systems of that game were very impressive in terms of using game systems to support themselves.
- cyberpunk 2y ago
  I may have to revisit it. It was pretty zen unless it rains but I got a bit bored of the Norman reedus walking simulator after a while.
tmtvl 2y ago
You do know that sports games exist, right? Football, rugger, snowboarding, skateboarding, rally, street racing, circuit racing,...
- ehnto 2y ago
  Yes, I sim race, but don't enjoy other sport games. But that's pretty limited scope, when it comes to creative worlds and storytelling isn't it? I am interested in what a game in a world like Bioshock would be like if the game could have no combat.
- TiredOfLife 2y ago
  That's just combat but with stronger rules
  - 2y ago

throwaway743 2y ago

Valheim

psyclobe 2y ago

I wish I could spend more then 10 minutes playing games; feels like work.

shinycode 2y ago
That’s exactly my feeling also. So frustrating, some games want you to invest so much time I gave up and sold them back
JFingleton 2y ago
Same. At 40 I simply can't expend any of my limited time or energy with games, when I could be doing something productive/wholesome (which for me is lifting weights, reading and learning). It's a shame as I used to love playing RPGs and FPSs.
- psyclobe 2y ago
  Exactly; there is so much to do that playing games feels like wasted time.. and time is getting shorter every day
- theshackleford 2y ago
  I have no issue playing games at nearly 40. After having been on a productivity grind since childhood, and having faced my mortality, I now appreciate having stepped back to smell the roses.
kubb 2y ago
That’s because jobs steal too much time from our lives and we don’t have it anymore to sink into something meaningful. We are forced to find meaning in jobs.

biker142541 2y ago

Surprised not to see Tiny Glade mentioned as a reference game in the comments here… it’s truly the definition of cozy. For anyone not familiar, we really need more games hyper focused on cozy/relaxing: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2198150/Tiny_Glade/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/2198150/Tiny_Glade/

smusamashah 2y ago
Another one is summer house https://store.steampowered.com/app/2533960/SUMMERHOUSE/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/2533960/SUMMERHOUSE/
natebc 2y ago
Lushfoil Photography Sim should also be in the conversation. It's very chill and very beautiful. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1749860/Lushfoil_Photography_Sim/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1749860/Lushfoil_Photogra...
Obscurity4340 2y ago
I think it would be cool if there were games that get slower and calmer over time, like it it could make you walk and talk and perform things slower gradually

kyriakos 2y ago

Is it just me that finds exploration open world games frustrating? It makes me feel awful having to walk around endlessly to gather resources etc. I prefer linear experiences that don't feel like I'm back to work.

marcosscriven 2y ago
I like the open-world aspect, but you’re right it’s often paired with what is commonly called “grind”, which I despise. So in practice, the open world I enjoy are those focussed purely on discovery like The Witness, and metroidvania games like Hollow Knight.
- kyriakos 2y ago
  Hollow Knight is a great game. That's not the kind of game I meant though. I think the older I get the simpler, easier to get into games I'd rather play. I have 1 hour to play, I'd rather spend it entertaining myself rather than going through a tutorial or having to grind.
jamiejquinn 2y ago
Yeah, I like gathering/crafting mechanics but it has to be a focused experience, either I'm out on an adventure and happen to pick up some useful things on the way, or the whole point of the adventure is to pick up one or more things I need. Either way, the movement still has to be slick enough to not be boring, and the world has to be engaging enough to warrant caring about moving through it.
alpaca128 2y ago
Open World games were an interesting experiment, but the result is clear: the good ones are good despite the open world, not because of it. Not a single one managed to not feel like the developers copy-pasted content in a desperate attempt to fill the empty game world. At that point maybe don’t make such a huge world? And replayability suffers too, because replaying the game means working through a list of things to collect before the actual game can start. That said exploring the world in Elden Ring was probably the best time I ever had in a video game. The repetitive dungeons not so much.

Fire-Dragon-DoL 2y ago

I noticed I need high reflexes games to make my brain rest after work, so I don't agree. It's really hard to shutdown after a day that required a lot of brain power, but high reflexes games do the trick (nine sols, hollow knight come to mind)

uejfiweun 2y ago

Is this really so much of a shocker? Video games are awesome. They're one of the best things about living in the information age. In an overcrowded, unequal and stressful time to be alive, it's awesome to have an escape - a portal to another universe that is far more engaging than any other forms of escape that came before it. And far more economical, too.

brettgo1 2y ago

If you're into this kind of music, I highly recommend checking out the genre "Comfy synth" or "Dungeonsynth". Some artists include "Grandma's Cottage", "Shire Oak", "Mushroom Grandpa" etc.

Obscurity4340 2y ago
Also dreamcorw

sph 2y ago

During the worst of my depression, all I could play was House Flipper. Cleaning virtual homes helped a bit when I didn’t have the energy to clean mine. Also, watching calm videos about nature on YouTube. Taught me that most of my mental issues are due to living in a city and unable to recharge by being in contact with Mother Nature (something about fractals vs the right angles of man-made objects) The fact that cozy games are all the “rage” these days says a lot about our society and the mental state of our youth. Though depression has lessened, I don’t have the appetite for big gaming experiences any more. My zen retreat these days is TrackMania and nothing comes close to it to the sense of peace, silence and flow I get while playing that game, even if I suck. Strongly recommended to any squirrel brained, over-stressed knowledge worker.

KurSix 2y ago
It's wild how something as simple as cleaning a virtual house or zoning out to nature videos can become lifelines when everything else feels too heavy

ajb 2y ago

I have heard two theories on how to treat anxiety: 1) Paul Gilbert's theory that the brain's 'threat system' is overdeveloped and the 'soothing system' underdeveloped, and the right treatment is to stimulate the 'soothing system'. 2) Steven Quartz' theory that the brain's evaluation of risk has become distorted, and that the right treatment is any form of 'risky play' that you can tolerate; with an emphasis on being able to feel you've achieved something after taking (reasonable) risks. (Both of these are about how you reduce anxiety in the long term, not how you cope with it if you're overwhelmed in the moment). Video games could in theory work for either - but not the same ones. Under the second theory, coziness may work in the moment, but seeking coziness could inhibit long term reduction of anxiety. I don't know which theory has the more evidence. ( Also I'm not an expert and the consensus theory might be something else entirely. )

martin82 2y ago
You have to think much further outside the box: There are thousands of testimonies from people on a carnivore diet who report that anxiety issues went away almost immediately on that diet. Before any other technique or medication, I would tweak the diet first.
csense 2y ago
To me, it sounds like the two theories represent two different sets of people. If you have a high-risk high-stress job / life, playing a cozy city builder lets your brain turn off the "we need to be on max alert because things could go south at any moment" switch and turn on the "we're safe, let's relax" switch. If you have a boring job / life, you might enjoy running into a horde of demons at low health and ripping their faces off with your bare hands while dodging bullets and fireballs. That way all the built-up "Danger! Run for your life!" hormones get spent in the high intensity experience and don't activate when you're trying to sleep, or at low levels throughout the day causing chronic low-grade mental and physical health issues.
prox 2y ago
I haven’t seen those theories before. The first one seems intuitively apt. If you are overwhelmed the first thing that goes is your leisure and creativity. Say if you used to play piano or did any hobby, and you stopped, it means you lacking bandwidth to relax. After that, and you don’t correct your brain starts changing until it breaks : a burn out, or even further along : PTSD. So to counter it, is to bring back leisure and your hobbies. If someone burns out right next to you (I have had that happen to a colleague) is a couple of things : you can ask them if possible to focus on deep breaths, or ask them to call out the name of objects and ask them to describe them. Another strategy is deprive them of sensory overload. Have them put the hands on their face and hunch over so they are in their own cocoon. Stay with them and soothe them until you get a professional over. I am not sure if this is the most current view, but this is from my direct experience.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

KurSix 2y ago

As someone who's put an embarrassing number of hours into Stardew Valley, this all really resonates. Cozy games give you this weirdly powerful illusion of control and calm - your farm, your pace, your little pixelated life that somehow feels safer than the real one. It's not just escapism - it's like a reset button for your brain. I love that the article highlights how these games aren't necessarily "easy," just low-stress. They let you engage deeply without the constant threat-response loop that most traditional games (or life) tend to trigger.

KronisLV 2y ago
It does feel a bit similar to sitting down with a good book and taking things ahead at your own pace, quite zen. I will say that personally even the more action/goal oriented games can be quite enjoyable as long as they’re not too difficult, it’s the online PvP ones that get the most stressful for me. I don't really play many of those anymore, it feels like other players are just better and I don't want to have to be on the edge all the time. Oh also it’s a really nice site!
- KurSix 2y ago
  Something about being in control of the pace just makes it feel more restorative
staindk 2y ago
I fully agree! ... and then you try your hand at Stardew Valley fishing and all sorts of weird frustrations bubble up inside you haha.
- KurSix 2y ago
  Haha totally, fishing in Stardew starts off feeling borderline impossible, like the fish are personally mocking you. But once it clicks, it actually becomes super satisfying
- natebc 2y ago
  Stardew has always been stressful for me. What crop to plant on which day, whose birthday is coming up, the energy economy ... I've NEVER been able to really get into it because of the constant feeling that I was missing something or wasting energy/time on the wrong things.

alecco 2y ago

I'm sure walking outside is much better. Or outdoors sports.

Kovah 2y ago
Can you just not accept that there are others who just don't enjoy sports? Or going out in winter when it's either rainy or freezing cold outside.
ykonstant 2y ago
You may need to sit down for this... did you know we can do two things, that are not the same thing?
natebc 2y ago
I played video games for about 2 hours already today ... and went for a 20 mile bike ride, played with my dogs, fed the local birds, had breakfast with my friends and hugged and wished a different friend happy 50th birthday. I'll play a few more hours of video games this afternoon too and play some music. My point is that people do lots of things. Gaming is a modern form of entertainment and is much more active and engaging than watching TV or mindlessly scrolling a social media site.
- fossgeller 2y ago
  I’ve been just thinking about the last point you made, on video games being more engaging than most other forms of media. It’s quite weird how gaming is still looked down on by the general public. While watching movies and TV shows is considered to be “more mature” hobby, even though it requires less engagement. Wonder what the effects of binge watching are on the brain in the long term, especially compared to gaming’s. If we think about it the latter is much more similar to solving puzzles or reading.

box_eyed 2y ago

Are point-and-click games considered “cozy”? They often provide a relaxing experience—similar to reading a book, but with an added sense of agency in the narrative. Classic examples include the Broken Sword series, Monkey Island, and Grim Fandango. More recent titles like Disco Elysium might also fit. This video does a good job exploring what makes the genre so appealing. [0] [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUso3zWbDfE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUso3zWbDfE

nprateem 2y ago
Let's not forget Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
ykonstant 2y ago
Some P&C can sustain a cozy atmosphere even with some moderately heavy themes or light comedy. However, it depends a lot on the game. For instance, I would not consider The Longest Journey cozy, even though it is one of my favorite adventure games. Nor my absolute favorite, the Blackwell series. But I would definitely consider Monkey Island, Broken Sword and Kathy Rain cozy. Why? It is very hard for me to articulate. Besides the obvious (beautiful graphics and sound that is not too "challenging") it is something about the narrative working in a well-defined sandbox without too many surprises, but not in absolute monotony either. And the plot and story not being too heavy, while not being a complete farce either.

MarceColl 2y ago

For me Mutatzione[0] was incredible and appeared at a time in my life where I was in a very dark place. I discovered one saturday morning, bought it and played it the whole day. It's short, it's sweet, the art is beautiful. It's not super cozy in the traditional sense, but it has a lot of calm, serenity and it was exactly what I needed that day. [0] https://store.steampowered.com/app/1080750/Mutazione/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1080750/Mutazione/

mangomountain 2y ago
That’s such a cool game. I also really like the sandbox music gardens. You might also like Melody of Moominvalley if you’re open to Moomin content

stan_kirdey 2y ago

exactly for this made vortle.com no login, no internet needed, no data collected, no score - just you and the game to de-stress and calm down

wodenokoto 2y ago

When TV shows go to Japan and interview people at pachinko parlors and ask why the patrons go there they all say it’s to relieve stress. Pachinko parlors are noisy, with loud music blasting from speakers in the ceiling being drowned by music blazing from each individual machine, competing with the sound of metal marbles falling. It’s not what you think of as a relaxing environment. I don’t think it is cozy video games that quell stress, I think it is the escape that helps manage it. I played a lot of Tetris when I was going through a phase with a lot of stress. It’s pretty intense at the high levels, but it was nice for me at the time. Now that I’m not stressed, I actually find it kinda overwhelming…

Obscurity4340 2y ago
Have you tried the 3D versions? They're made in Unity I think but they can be profoundly relaxing even as they get more difficult and pick up speed.

levzettelin 2y ago

A tried A Short Hike. Games like this make me anxious, actually, because they make me feel like I'm wasting time. But I'm not anxious in general. I guess, it depends on the person.

coolThingsFirst 2y ago

Absolutely, they helped a TON with my depression and anxiety. The important thing is to select Story Games, the slower the better that slowly pull you in. Any fast paced game will keep you anxious and won't work. Some game recommendations that I will make while we are here: 1) Outer Wilds - must play especially for HN people. Great puzzle and exploration game. A game you will never forget. 2) Alan Wake 2 - Insane story and graphics. 3) Day's Gone - really chill zombie game.

smeeger 2y ago

i have always kind of thought that videogames are bad for young adults but the other day i realized that people exposed to certain videogames growing up are much more sophisticated. same with movies. if we could take the violence out of games and movies then they would be a very useful way to supercharge the education and development of young people. if we had movies that werent filled with harmful misinformation… its a great way to augment life experience. a lot of kids would have trouble sitting down to read for two unbroken hours… and the bitrate of movies is much higher

theshackleford 2y ago
> if we could take the violence out of games and movies then they would be a very useful way to supercharge the education and development of young people. No thanks. Violent video games led me to my career and passion. Non violent games exist, you are free to choose them. No need to enforce your choices onto others.
- smeeger 2y ago
  people who spend their time looking at gor are mentally and emotionally unwell. a demographic that shouldnt exist.

ismailmaj 2y ago

I really like potion craft, it really hits the optimization part of my brain without feeling grindy or stressful. The gaming loop is about using the right subpaths using resources to reach a destination while avoiding obstacles, and slowly improving your resources options and quantity, at the end of the game it looks a bit like the traveling salesman problem. Also liked this series on YouTube: https://youtu.be/d_JfzuJzUFE?si=pifLxMFo4itOihdK https://youtu.be/d_JfzuJzUFE?si=pifLxMFo4itOihdK

ilker2495 2y ago

I'd love to read the article but it doesn't want me to On the subject of cozy games I personally like Viscera Cleanup Detail a lot. I've seen people criticize some of the (arguably) annoying design decisions like bucket dispensers sometimes sending out organs and severed limbs. The way I see it: I'm playing this game for the express purpose of cleaning spaceships and sci-fi laboratories. The game is just giving me more stuff to clean, good! When there is some meta-progression (unlocks, dialogue trees, etc.) I find myself getting stressed over what I can unlock next, or which dialogue tree I have yet to clear. In that way, VCD is perfect because you just pick a map and go. More games should make all of their content available to the player from the start.

Alhaitham 2y ago
https://archive.is/oty3L https://archive.is/oty3L

tim333 2y ago

I quite like Pokemon Go in that way, which also gets you out for a stroll.

latexr 2y ago

This was fantastic, and I didn’t even realise at first I was on a news website. Unfortunately, that became very obvious at the bottom: > MORE FROM REUTERS GRAPHICS > Inside North Korea’s vast operation to help Russia’s war on Ukraine > The Most Daunting Hole at Augusta > How South Korea's largest and deadliest wildfire spread > The list of proposed US tariffs After a whole article about quelling anxiety, perhaps don’t end with links to anxiety-inducing themes?

rfmoz 2y ago

Walden, a game. This is an other calm game, full of nature and simple life.

fuzzy_biscuit 2y ago

I'd say the increase in cozy games is more easily attributable to Stardew Valley in 2016. So many of the clones that came out directly resemble SV in progression, style and content. Also, the site is beautiful. Excellent work.

miiiiiike 2y ago

My girlfriend calls farming vials in Bloodborne knitting.

csdreamer7 2y ago

I find Stardew Valley to be stressful since I keep trying to max things out for the 3 year goal of meeting grandpa and that always stops me from continuing it. Literally I have a todo list for it.

ndsipa_pomu 2y ago

Can't see a mention of Sable here.

lkuty 2y ago

I think that AmaZoo is a nice little game. https://turbosoda.games/ https://turbosoda.games/