Hey everyone, hope you're doing well.
I've just gone through a big life shift and have gone from spending most of my time playing sweating out video games to just using it as a relaxation method. I don't have as much time to play games anymore and so I don't feel the want to get into something really intense.
That being said, I'm looking for my next 'late night game'. Something that I can just wind down with, preferably something I can play with controller (for maximum sofa relaxation 😂). I want a game I can really get into, invest some good nights into. I've considered doing something like No Man's Sky before - in fact it's sitting in my steam library now but I could just never quite get into it in the way I think you need to.
I want something interesting, maybe with a good story but lots of adventure too - something with a strong path to follow while also giving you the freedom to explore and find cool stuff without the need to play 24/7 just to progress to the point of it being fun. Something I can really play while winding down.
I mainly play on a Windows PC but I also have a Nintendo Switch so I'm open to either.
Let me know if you have any good ideas, thank you for any suggestions!
My time at portia or sandrock maybe? Lots of content to sink your teeth into.
Coral island or my time at Sandrock
Zelda BotW
Fantasy Life i
Rune Factory Guardians of Azuma
This might not be cozy for anyone else but I'm having tons of fun with Where Winds Meet (it's free and on PC). You have tons of stuff to explore and if you're not one for gacha and don't have fomo, I think this game is brilliantly playable without spending a penny.
Related to gacha I would also recommend Infinity Nikki, though I personally have a lot of fomo regarding the cosmetics, so I have been successfully tempted to spend money on it here and there. It truly would be my ultimate cozy game if there was a dating system haha
I love Guardians, but I do find I'm rushing around between 6-8am. The colour palette is adorable and I'm absolutely in love with the soundtrack.
I'm currently playing Garden Witch Life. It's very relaxing once you find your routine. There's some exploring to do. You can save whenever you want and leave the game. It is not tied to your system clock at all.
i’m really enjoying dinkum! and a lot of people recommended my time at sandrock :)
I'd really recommend Traveller's rest! You run your own inn and you can explore the town and it is a nice relaxing game that gets you easily hooked!
Omg this looks great - I'm definitely going to look more into this game!
It is really fun! Enjoy 😊
Moonstone Island
here for the cozy switch recs
Slime Rancher?
Ohhh yeah that's a good shout - I started playing it a few months ago and completely forgot about it 😂. Thanks for reminding me!
Spiritfarer - Relaxing soundtrack and you really don't need to rush ANYTHING. I think that's the whole point of the game.
Wylde Flowers, it's SDV but witchy
I’ve been recommending this game a lot lately, but Bear and Breakfast 😊 The story is interesting and has a great sense of humour. If you like resource management style games with animals then you’ll definitely enjoy it.
I've been really into Necesse. It's a nice mix of settlement builder and RPG adventure. Zero story, good with a controller. There are definitely goals, but you don't HAVE to do anything, and it's a simple game loop (go explore biome a, beat boss for biome a, move on to biome b, beat boss for biome b, etc.). It's JUST hard enough to where it's engaging but it isn't stressful at all. And you can spend time in the game building up your settlement (you have to build houses/rooms for settlers, lots of decor stuff you can do), gather ingredients, go exploring, do a boss fight, grind resources, etc. I've been stressed out at work too and it has been my go-to to wind down.
Fantasy life i - cozy game meets deceptively deep rpg that can provide any range of difficulty depending on what you’re looking for. My wife logged over 350 hours in no time. Sounds like this is exactly what you’re looking for
Spiritfarer - cozy and excellent story with still a little challenge
Any Pokémon game
As a sweaty player myself (diamond+ in MOBAs, BR, shooters, rhythm, fighters, etc.), cozy gaming is THE best to get away from that!
My favourite and personal recommendation GoaT is My Time at Sandrock.
It has the best storyline/romance/lore/characters/worldbuilding for an action-adventure cozy lifesim RPG.
Cheers!
Fields of Mistria on PC and Night in the Woods on either.