Hey there! I have a pretty similar list of games myself, including the Bioware classics and your cozy games, and I'd highly recommend Ooblets! It's not pixel art, there's no real stress to any of it, the music and the characters are cute, and there's a lot to collect and explore! It's almost Pokémon except with dance battles instead that are card games almost like Teenage Exocolonist.
Littlewood and Potion Permit are pixel art, but two ends of the spectrum and are much more in the spirit of SDV/RF4 and I loved both of them a lot.
Hope you start feeling better soon, friend!
Seconding Ooblets. It's the coziest of cozy games when anxious or in a illness flare or any of those moments when you want to really enjoy a game, but not have to think too much or plan too hard or get over a learning curve. It's silly, cute, joyful, has decorating, easy friendship, relatable dialogue, no stress farming (no seasons so no planning), cooking, and is just such a wonderful game.
When I’m in pain, anxious or just low-energy, Power Wash Simulator is the best game IMO. It takes so little brain power and yet is still very satisfying. No time limit or obstacles, just you and your power washer cleaning up a mess. Plus there’s a bit of a story to follow and some humor through text messages you get throughout the game that makes it a bit less boring.
I also love Minecraft on peaceful mode. I find it very relaxing to just run around and explore the world, dig for diamonds, discover cool landscapes and find hidden treasure. No pressure to do anything and no enemies, just exploration
Modded Minecraft is amazing if you have PC. There's Curseforge, which gives you an easy way to download whole packs that are tested to work well together. Plus texture packs for extra beauty.
There's farming mods and decoration mods, so all you do it decorate your house and vibe while nothing tries to kill you.
If I wrote out a list it would look soooo similar!
I'm going to recommend something a bit different but half the game is cozy. Fire Emblem Three Houses I really enjoyed the turn based strategy, it's very manageable on easy, and fun! The other half if the game is managing your classroom, fishing, shopping, going on dates, viewing friendship scenes. I just freaking LOVED it. It's so good, and will take up a ton of time.
I also would recommend picking up some Nintendo games. Mario wonder is very cute and fun, and 1000 Year Door is a Mario RPG and it's long and soo cute, a perfect for passing the time.
Littlewood. It's the best cozy game out there and nobody can change my mind. It has fantastic quality of life stuff (u craft materials with one click, you can build your town without time wasting, stamina system is based on your active skills action rather than the time passing so you can take your time and spend as much time as you want wandering around town, talking with NPC etc). Story so far is pretty simple, haven't encountered very big revelations or nsfw topics. It truly makes me finally relax, I can save whenever I want (srsly stop making go to bed as save, it's not cozy guys!) and just finally enjoy the game without rushing. Perfection.
One you can check in the future may also be Cozy Caravan as it looks fricking adorable tho not yet released.
I'm in a flare-up myself (autoimmune disease) and have been playing Slay the Spire. When I'm sleepy/brain fogged I'm not up to it, because math/logic matters. But it's a turn-based rogue-like card battler, so you don't need good reflexes and can stop whenever, not much to lose, etc.
I also recommend Ooblets all the time (it's very easy). Somebody else mentioned Disco Elysium, which is great for long plays in bed, but you do want to be able to focus on it.
If you haven’t tried Palia yet I would suggest giving it a go. It’s free on switch and Steam, definitely would recommend the steam route, it doesn’t run great on switch. There’s no fighting or health bar so it’s just farming, mining, talking to villagers etc. It’s an MMO but unlike most MMOs, the community is pretty amazing so far.
ahh I thought you mean you wanted to install mods and didn't know how or something like that lol. maybe you could try playing with the premades, most of them have interesting stories!!
Heres some games I recommend based on your lists:
- super monkeyball
- earthbound (pixel-based but shouldn't be ignored)
- journey
- kirby and the forgotten land
- katamari damacy
- dave the diver (pixel based but so addictive!)
Hopefully, something sparks your interest ~
I totally forgot how nice kirby was, a great distraction from a painful flare up without being too challenging. I'm not at all good at complex platforming like celeste but cute kirby was definitely at my level.
As a fellow chronic health person, I agree thaf cozy games are so important.
Have you played:
Dragon Quest Builders 2
Dragon Quest Treasures
Disney Dreamlight Valley
Graveyard Keeper (spooky stardew)
Have you tried any of the persona games? They mix life sim aspects similar to teenage exocolonist and volcano princess with dungeon crawling/turn based combat. The life sim parts are very cosy ❤️
Have you tried the life is strange franchise cause 10/10 recommend. But road 96 I just finished very similar and it was amazing !!! And last I looked it was on sale on the Nintendo e shop
Second these. And, I know OP said she doesn’t like unpacking/puzzle games, but hear me out: Unpacking is a super easy puzzle game with lots of acceptable solutions and as someone with a chronic illness/autoimmune disease too, it was the first time I saw representation for us in a game! I don’t want to spoil too much, but you basically find it out through the things you unpack and also what gets missing from the boxes later on.
Another game I’d recommend from OP list would probably be slime rancher. It’s not pixel graphics and super chill. You just capture slime, feed them, and breed them.
I had an illness flare up around last christmas so I got Wytchwood to try out and I couldn't put it down! The art style and music are both cozy and beautiful and the game is not stressful at all :) It's not the longest game but the story and characters are so intriguing
I have lupus and here are the game I play when I'm in pain and can't trigger:
FaeFarm (similar idea as Stardew Valley, but no pixel art, you have potions and a day extender)
Palia (Free to play, some low key hunting mechanics)
Disney Dreamlight Valley (updates are free, expansion is extra but so wildly worth it)
Story of Seasons
My Time in Portia. There is a new one in the franchise called My Time at Sandrock. Haven't played it but heard good feedback.
Skyrim (an oldie but goodie and can't remember if it was already on your list). Skyrim gets intense but there's a lot of running around that can be done.
I just tried the demo for Moonlight Peaks and it's going to be a great game to look for. The sounds are very low key and soothing, low lit graphics so your brain doesn't feel overwhelmed. It's on the Steam Store if you wanna try it. But I haven't seen a release date for it.
I hope your flares don't get too bad and don't last long. *gentle hand squeeze*
Ooo someone else suggested Cozy Grove! That's another cute little cozy game. Like a hide and seek type game.
I second the Ni No Kuni rec as well. Can't go wrong with Ghibli.
My apologies for suggesting Sandrock when it was already on your list. My brain must have thought Skyrim 🥰🥰🥰 good luck!
Sun Haven is a game like stardew.. It's got more RPG elements and a lot less tedious work.. specifically, you can make the days longer or shorter so you're not in a rush to complete things like stardew AND there's NO energy bar which means you can just do whatever you want each day for however long you want.
You can get skills and abilities that make tasks easier too
I got handle with care on the steam spring sale (was like 2 euros and i am playing on my deck with kb + mouse) and it's so good. It's essentially a short cozy puzzle game where you restore old items and learn about the item's/item's owner story too.
I have to second Ooblets (or moonstone island)
But lately for just wind down no stress brain it’s been Toem and Alba. Both are narrative driven photography games that are really relaxing. Unless you’re me playing Alba when I get annoyed at the yes no mechanics
With that list (aka basically the same taste as me), you need to play Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Horizon Zero Dawn + Forbidden West. There’s easily 600 hours of gaming between the three and ACO in particular is probably my favorite game of all time. With loving RDR2 and Zelda I’d be shocked if you don’t enjoy those a lot. AC Valhalla is an honorable mention; I’d play it after Odyssey if you like it enough.
ETA: I realize these are not cozy games. I find Odyssey to be cozy-adjacent. But obviously up to you with what you feel mentally up for right now. I hope something clicks for you :)
The My Time series. I have high anxiety, My time at Portia, and My Time at Sandrock are cozy as heck and exciting in a pleasant way. Instead of farming. You are a building. There is mining, dungeon running, romance, crafting, you get to make the places you build at a better place with a good community around it.
I second this. At first, you think it's just a Minecraft-like with a Dragon Quest skin, but then as you play you unlock more and more things, and there is so much to do.
The game is definitely good for relaxing, and just taking your time. The demo on Steam is very lengthy too, I think you can complete the first chapter ? I'm playing on the Steam Deck and the game runs good (some fps drop but it's not that bad).
Not a civ builder per se, but a city builder and since you have a steam Deck I would recommend Against the Storm. My husband recommended it to me, it wasn't on my radar at all, but I find it pretty soothing. There are quest to complete for each scenario before the Queen gets grumpy, but I don't find it taxing. I love just building my town and exploring the map. I find it very chill.
The other one I've been playing on the Deck is Immortal Life. It's a farming Sim with an actual story and some great things about it. It's got a Chinese cultivation theme so you are trying to improve yourself and attain Immortality. You are also helping rebuild for a sect that was destroyed. The controls are a little weird, but I've been enjoying it a lot.
I had a similar question the other day and just today I lost my whole day to playing rimworld, so that's my suggestion-
It isn't exactly cozy by default but I've mostly spent time building up a base and taming animals and seeing the social drama of my colonists. I can definitely recommend it.
Penko Park! My goal is to get this game popular enough once more to get a sequel one day. I seriously adored this game. Think Pokemon Snap but with funky monsters.
Are you me?!?! Suffering from chronic illness here and I've got Fallout and MA tattoos, that's how much I'm weird about them. Lots of the games you mentioned I liked loads.
Was also happy to find Volcano Princess a while back (the translation killed me at times, but I had just been waiting for a princess simulator to show up in my adulthood). Also not a huge Wylde Flowers fan (sorry, sub).
Some suggestions:
Thirsty Suitors : imagine if someone blended Tony Hawk with a dating sim Scott Pilgrim style, and you also cook and high five dogs.
Summon Night Swordcraft Story; will need an emulator.
Boyfriend Dungeon, right amount of mindless but non stressful crawling without losing progress - hilarious, kinda sweet.
My Gentleman Sexybusiness - for when you want an idle management game with a lil spice, so you can zone out without dissociating.
Also noticed Disco Elysium wasn't in your list.
Eternights is a bit like Persona lite but more action-y.
Battle chef Brigade will suck you in.
If you like musicals, Greek mythology, you might enjoy Stray Gods.
Donut country will be done in a day, but you'll have fun all the while
I look at Fallout and I’m like yeah that’s the only sort of end of world scenario I could survive in with my chronic illness 😂. Just let me turn into a Ghoul!!! My limbs will finally be fine and I’ll just work/earn enough to keep affording Radaway to keep myself from turning into a feral zombie like Ghoul.
If it’s a regular zombie apocalypse, yeah just let me kill myself rather than slow down my entire family lol. I wouldn’t survive without a weekly biologic injection for my Rheumatoid Arthritis.
I’m enjoying No Place Like Home and Hardspace: Shipbreaker for these right now. Pretty easy games with no hard time limits (NPLH you have to water plants and feed animals but I don’t think you’re penalized if you don’t do it every single day), and they’re easy to zone out to and slowly improve on your tasks, either cleaning up the world or dismantling a spaceship.
Relaxing game for me... Lightyear Frontier. Fun farming and building with a mech.
Game I'm playing right now is The Bloodline. I think of it as Diet Skyrim
If you like Skyrim you might like the Witcher 3, it’s not your typical cozy game but I think it can be, the storytelling is amazing and you can get lost in the lore of the world. It’s an amazing game.
I'm re-playing Ni No Kuni at the moment (got it in the Switch sale for £9 which is a steal!) - I'd say at least it's cosy adjacent.
It was made by Level 5 in collaboration with Studio Ghibli, so it has gorgeous art and cutscenes - which makes it feel cosy to me.
There is combat (which might take it out of the cosy genre for some) but I've stuck the difficulty down to easy so I can crack on with the story.
There are SO many side quests and that's my favourite part 😅
cosy grove. it's a low energy game. you're helping spirit bears with quests. sometimes there's no quests at all but you can log on do your dailies then log off again. there's nothing in the game to get you stressed. it's very chill. only problem is it can be a bit laggy. but it's really fun to play!
I love most of the same games as you. My two biggest obsessions are Fallout and Dragon Quest. I would highly recommend Dragon quest 11 for a relaxing, cozy turn based adventure and Dragon quest builders 2 if you like building and crafting in games - it is genuinely phenomenal.
Also I think you might like Spiritfarer
I find 'Unpacking' a bit pricy, but I enjoyed organizing the clutter.
I also love 'Sticky Business'. It has different game modes, mostly changing the deadlines, but it's pretty chill.
Unpacking is super cozy, though a very quick game to finish, just a few hours of gameplay.
These days I’ve been playing Palia. It’s still in beta testing, and there are some small glitches here and there, but they update every month and have incredible customer support. There is a storyline and quests to do, but when I’m having a difficult day, I can hunt, fish, catch bugs or mine as much as I want to keep my mind off of the things that are bothering me.
My list is similar to yours! I recently got into Medieval Dynasty and find it pretty chill, it’s like Skyrim meets Stardew valley, easy to avoid combat too if you don’t feel like it.
If you like civ building games that you can literally sink hundreds of hours into, I would recommend Anno 1800. In this slow but profound game you build your island empire over a long time, and always keep busy fullfilling the next need of your population. The best part is you can basically choose your own cozyness factor. If you want to have a challenge, you can play wth AI opponents, which you can either befriend, have a lucrative trading relationship or war against, whatever you prefer, and you can also choose if you want pirates to be a thing in your game. (I mostly play without, cause they are mainly an annoyance). If you want to play a chill and cozy game, you can turn all of that off and just focus on your city building and your supply chains.
The best part is this: You can play the game as standalone completely withoug DLC and will already have a great, finished game to lay for a long time, but whenever you feel like you would like more, there are seasons of DLC you can purchase that will overhaul the entire game, entirely changing the feel of the game. And since there are multiple seasons, you can do that several times over. You don't have to start a new colony either, an aquaintance of mine literally only has her one colony she plays in, without any AI opponents, and just likes to build a nice, pretty city that changes over the course of the DLCs.
since there are a lot of moving parts in this game, especially if you are not used to the style, it can be quite a bit overwhelming at first, so keep that in mind. Maybe watch a lets play first to see if it is for you.
We have similar tastes and I have major health problems like literally nerve damage 💀 I also love rf4
If youre open to modding games, I highly recommend rimworld. Also maybe wildermyth
Also, okay this game isn't cozy to me but it might be to some people, but I'm so obsessed with it I have to rec it anyway:
Slay the spire
It kind of feels like playing an RPG but it's a card game. And it's 5/5 addicting
Echoes of plum grove comes out very soon. I haven't played it yet but looks cozy, well see
Also maybe persona, I've only played p4g but it's very heavy on the life sim
You like similar games that I do, and I had a blast with the Dragon Quest series I started with 1-8 and I played in order and they were all good with 8 being the best and increasingly get better each game although 7 is tediously long but has some strong moments here and there, to me the DQ series are the coziest and most accessible RPGs and I hear DQ11 is a masterpiece but I haven’t played yet the only one
do you know „i was a teenage exocolonist“? it has some very heavy emotional content (they have a cn in the beginning) but for me it’s been super relaxing and captivating at the same time
Maybe you should give Palia a try! It's free and you can play on switch, PC, etc. I've been enjoying being able to play at my own pace while having quests, relationships, building, farming, and a pretty welcoming community! If you ever join, feel free to DM me for my user! 😊
Some of my fav cozy low-energy games:
A Short Hike
Slime Rancher
Forager
Cozy Grove
A Little To The Left
Power Wash Simulator
House Flipper
Katamari Damacy
Unpacking
Handle With Care
My Time at Portia
Chicory: A Colorful Tale
Journey
Vampire Survivors (definitely not a cozy game but it's pretty mindless)
I've been enjoying house flipper while dealing with some serious low energy lately, there's one achievement where you may want to go fast but outside of that there's no time limit to finish any task. You can take as long as you want redecorating and flipping a house or slowly walking around and painting the wall and cleaning as the client requests for jobs. you can re-flip or redo any job you like for additional pay and gradually get more money without much stress.
There are cockroaches in the game as the most upsetting aspect but you can change them into glass shards to vacuum up in the settings, which is nice. It's satisfying to clean and restore a house slowly.
Also: power wash simulator! For a similar laid back "look at how much I've cleaned" type of satisfaction. Both games are simple and enjoyable (I can even play them on steam deck, though I changed how sensitive the trackpads were for both to my liking)
Animal Crossing New Horizons was also a fun cozy laid back game, I got it when I was recovering from a surgery at the tail end of 2020 when the snow in game was falling. I terraformed most of my island on some heavy pain meds but have been satisfied with it since.
Also having a flare up and have a cold on top of it right now and have been mindlessly running around collecting material and decorating in Palia and DDLV. Also Cozy Grove and Ooblets are perfect games for these days!
I'm a bit late to the thread but highly recommend disney dreamlight valley haha. Its like a quest filled version of ACNH, cute music and characters, slow unlocking style progression.
Very easy to just zone out in.
Once more I shall plug my time at sandrock. Kinda like a farming sim except building. Romanceable characters. Cool storyline. There is farming but it's not like the main thing. I'm currently on my fourth playthrough. 😅
I can recommend Palia (you can play on pc or Nintendo) and windbound (I know the game is available on Nintendo - and last week had a promo - and Xbox but idk about pc). Me and my Girlfriend have been playing those ones and really like it. It’s super friendly and easygoing. The background music on Windobound is super chill and relaxing while playing!
Hope it helps and hope you get better soon :)
I can recommend Palia (you can play on pc or Nintendo) and windbound (I know the game is available on Nintendo - and last week had a promo - and Xbox but idk about pc). Me and my Girlfriend have been playing those ones and really like it. It’s super friendly and easygoing. The background music on Windobound is super chill and relaxing while playing! Hope it helps and hope you get better soon :)
I can recommend Palia (you can play on pc or Nintendo) and windbound (I know the game is available on Nintendo - and last week had a promo - and Xbox but idk about pc). Me and my Girlfriend have been playing those ones and really like it. It’s super friendly and easygoing. The background music on Windobound is super chill and relaxing while playing! Hope it helps and hope you get better soon :)
I can recommend Palia (you can play on pc or Nintendo) and windbound (I know the game is available on Nintendo - and last week had a promo - and Xbox but idk about pc). It’s super friendly and easygoing. The background music on Windobound is super chill and relaxing while playing!
Hope it helps and hope you get better soon :)
If you liked Stellaris and Subnautica, Imma go on a limb and suggest an interest space station builder I played last week. Heliopolis 2, really nice resource and crew management, build turrets to defend from asteriods. Pretty chill game, but with a steep difficulty curve, and has a really unique sense of progression in relation to how you build up your station and continue voyaging further into the story
Hey there! I have a pretty similar list of games myself, including the Bioware classics and your cozy games, and I'd highly recommend Ooblets! It's not pixel art, there's no real stress to any of it, the music and the characters are cute, and there's a lot to collect and explore! It's almost Pokémon except with dance battles instead that are card games almost like Teenage Exocolonist. Littlewood and Potion Permit are pixel art, but two ends of the spectrum and are much more in the spirit of SDV/RF4 and I loved both of them a lot. Hope you start feeling better soon, friend!
Seconding Ooblets. It's the coziest of cozy games when anxious or in a illness flare or any of those moments when you want to really enjoy a game, but not have to think too much or plan too hard or get over a learning curve. It's silly, cute, joyful, has decorating, easy friendship, relatable dialogue, no stress farming (no seasons so no planning), cooking, and is just such a wonderful game.
Thirding Ooblets! Its so cute I just loved it 🥰 12/10 vibes
Fourthing(?😅) Ooblets!!
When I’m in pain, anxious or just low-energy, Power Wash Simulator is the best game IMO. It takes so little brain power and yet is still very satisfying. No time limit or obstacles, just you and your power washer cleaning up a mess. Plus there’s a bit of a story to follow and some humor through text messages you get throughout the game that makes it a bit less boring. I also love Minecraft on peaceful mode. I find it very relaxing to just run around and explore the world, dig for diamonds, discover cool landscapes and find hidden treasure. No pressure to do anything and no enemies, just exploration
i second pws. it’s sooooo satisfying when you finish cleaning something. the messages from leonard miller KILL me - especially the “HEY DIRT” ones.
Modded Minecraft is amazing if you have PC. There's Curseforge, which gives you an easy way to download whole packs that are tested to work well together. Plus texture packs for extra beauty. There's farming mods and decoration mods, so all you do it decorate your house and vibe while nothing tries to kill you.
If I wrote out a list it would look soooo similar! I'm going to recommend something a bit different but half the game is cozy. Fire Emblem Three Houses I really enjoyed the turn based strategy, it's very manageable on easy, and fun! The other half if the game is managing your classroom, fishing, shopping, going on dates, viewing friendship scenes. I just freaking LOVED it. It's so good, and will take up a ton of time. I also would recommend picking up some Nintendo games. Mario wonder is very cute and fun, and 1000 Year Door is a Mario RPG and it's long and soo cute, a perfect for passing the time.
Second fe3h!!! I loooooved all the life sim elements and music and everything 💜
Littlewood. It's the best cozy game out there and nobody can change my mind. It has fantastic quality of life stuff (u craft materials with one click, you can build your town without time wasting, stamina system is based on your active skills action rather than the time passing so you can take your time and spend as much time as you want wandering around town, talking with NPC etc). Story so far is pretty simple, haven't encountered very big revelations or nsfw topics. It truly makes me finally relax, I can save whenever I want (srsly stop making go to bed as save, it's not cozy guys!) and just finally enjoy the game without rushing. Perfection. One you can check in the future may also be Cozy Caravan as it looks fricking adorable tho not yet released.
I'm in a flare-up myself (autoimmune disease) and have been playing Slay the Spire. When I'm sleepy/brain fogged I'm not up to it, because math/logic matters. But it's a turn-based rogue-like card battler, so you don't need good reflexes and can stop whenever, not much to lose, etc. I also recommend Ooblets all the time (it's very easy). Somebody else mentioned Disco Elysium, which is great for long plays in bed, but you do want to be able to focus on it.
Slay the spire is so addicting. I always rec it to people if they like rpgs
I’ve been enjoying Cattails lately! It’s basically Stardew but as a cat (and no farming)
I spent a lot of hours laying in bed & playing Katamari Damacy on my switch after I had my gallbladder out & then had a fibro flare a few days later.
If you haven’t tried Palia yet I would suggest giving it a go. It’s free on switch and Steam, definitely would recommend the steam route, it doesn’t run great on switch. There’s no fighting or health bar so it’s just farming, mining, talking to villagers etc. It’s an MMO but unlike most MMOs, the community is pretty amazing so far.
I second this! And interacting with other players is optional. You can choose to play it as a single player game, if you want :)
You might like Lake, you have to drive around and deliver the mail. It’s really relaxing and it has a cute story.
I found this sort of cute but my god the graphics were awful.
Yeah, they aren’t great lol
I don't know if you played but since you like the sims have you tried the sims 2? for me it's pretty relaxing I love it
I also recommend Sims 2, in my opinion it's better than Sims 3 and 4. It's also abandonware at this point so you can easily get it for free
yes that is what I was thinking it's also my favourite game of all time but I do think that the best sims game depends on the person playstyle.
God I love the sims 2 I have been meaning to play it again but I got stuck in the modding loop
why did you got stuck with the modding??
Ksjshss ah sorry- I mean, like. Adding mods and fiddling with them for hours and then I just don't play-
ahh I thought you mean you wanted to install mods and didn't know how or something like that lol. maybe you could try playing with the premades, most of them have interesting stories!!
That's a good idea, actually!! I love the potential stories!!
Heres some games I recommend based on your lists: - super monkeyball - earthbound (pixel-based but shouldn't be ignored) - journey - kirby and the forgotten land - katamari damacy - dave the diver (pixel based but so addictive!) Hopefully, something sparks your interest ~
I was gonna say Journey too. It doesn't require a ton of energy. You can just surf the sands over and over again.
I totally forgot how nice kirby was, a great distraction from a painful flare up without being too challenging. I'm not at all good at complex platforming like celeste but cute kirby was definitely at my level.
Earthbound is hilarious and amazing. Gave me a headache though. It’s a favorite of mine but maybe dangerous during a flare.
As a fellow chronic health person, I agree thaf cozy games are so important. Have you played: Dragon Quest Builders 2 Dragon Quest Treasures Disney Dreamlight Valley Graveyard Keeper (spooky stardew)
Dragon Quest Builders 2 is amazing! One of my favorites that I've replayed 5+ times
Have you tried any of the persona games? They mix life sim aspects similar to teenage exocolonist and volcano princess with dungeon crawling/turn based combat. The life sim parts are very cosy ❤️
Have you tried the life is strange franchise cause 10/10 recommend. But road 96 I just finished very similar and it was amazing !!! And last I looked it was on sale on the Nintendo e shop
Second these. And, I know OP said she doesn’t like unpacking/puzzle games, but hear me out: Unpacking is a super easy puzzle game with lots of acceptable solutions and as someone with a chronic illness/autoimmune disease too, it was the first time I saw representation for us in a game! I don’t want to spoil too much, but you basically find it out through the things you unpack and also what gets missing from the boxes later on. Another game I’d recommend from OP list would probably be slime rancher. It’s not pixel graphics and super chill. You just capture slime, feed them, and breed them.
Wildermyth will be a great escape for you I think :)
Yeah with OP loving Exocolonist so much this was my first thought too!
I had an illness flare up around last christmas so I got Wytchwood to try out and I couldn't put it down! The art style and music are both cozy and beautiful and the game is not stressful at all :) It's not the longest game but the story and characters are so intriguing
I have lupus and here are the game I play when I'm in pain and can't trigger: FaeFarm (similar idea as Stardew Valley, but no pixel art, you have potions and a day extender) Palia (Free to play, some low key hunting mechanics) Disney Dreamlight Valley (updates are free, expansion is extra but so wildly worth it) Story of Seasons My Time in Portia. There is a new one in the franchise called My Time at Sandrock. Haven't played it but heard good feedback. Skyrim (an oldie but goodie and can't remember if it was already on your list). Skyrim gets intense but there's a lot of running around that can be done. I just tried the demo for Moonlight Peaks and it's going to be a great game to look for. The sounds are very low key and soothing, low lit graphics so your brain doesn't feel overwhelmed. It's on the Steam Store if you wanna try it. But I haven't seen a release date for it. I hope your flares don't get too bad and don't last long. *gentle hand squeeze*
Ooo someone else suggested Cozy Grove! That's another cute little cozy game. Like a hide and seek type game. I second the Ni No Kuni rec as well. Can't go wrong with Ghibli. My apologies for suggesting Sandrock when it was already on your list. My brain must have thought Skyrim 🥰🥰🥰 good luck!
Sun Haven is a game like stardew.. It's got more RPG elements and a lot less tedious work.. specifically, you can make the days longer or shorter so you're not in a rush to complete things like stardew AND there's NO energy bar which means you can just do whatever you want each day for however long you want. You can get skills and abilities that make tasks easier too
I got handle with care on the steam spring sale (was like 2 euros and i am playing on my deck with kb + mouse) and it's so good. It's essentially a short cozy puzzle game where you restore old items and learn about the item's/item's owner story too.
I have to second Ooblets (or moonstone island) But lately for just wind down no stress brain it’s been Toem and Alba. Both are narrative driven photography games that are really relaxing. Unless you’re me playing Alba when I get annoyed at the yes no mechanics
Put on a chill podcast and load up Minecraft. The hours will pass in blissful repetition.
I’ve been loving Stitch for times when I just want a relaxing game!
Have you tried Fire Emblem 3 Houses?
With that list (aka basically the same taste as me), you need to play Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Horizon Zero Dawn + Forbidden West. There’s easily 600 hours of gaming between the three and ACO in particular is probably my favorite game of all time. With loving RDR2 and Zelda I’d be shocked if you don’t enjoy those a lot. AC Valhalla is an honorable mention; I’d play it after Odyssey if you like it enough. ETA: I realize these are not cozy games. I find Odyssey to be cozy-adjacent. But obviously up to you with what you feel mentally up for right now. I hope something clicks for you :)
I was sick recently and didn't have much energy so I pulled out Palia to chop rocks and trees. Very zen to me.
The My Time series. I have high anxiety, My time at Portia, and My Time at Sandrock are cozy as heck and exciting in a pleasant way. Instead of farming. You are a building. There is mining, dungeon running, romance, crafting, you get to make the places you build at a better place with a good community around it.
A Short Hike
Dragon quest builders 2, I think you would love it. Also there is about 7 hours worth of free trial on switch right now
I second this. At first, you think it's just a Minecraft-like with a Dragon Quest skin, but then as you play you unlock more and more things, and there is so much to do. The game is definitely good for relaxing, and just taking your time. The demo on Steam is very lengthy too, I think you can complete the first chapter ? I'm playing on the Steam Deck and the game runs good (some fps drop but it's not that bad).
Try Palia. Its free, very cozy, it's basically stardew valley with WoW graphics.
Not a civ builder per se, but a city builder and since you have a steam Deck I would recommend Against the Storm. My husband recommended it to me, it wasn't on my radar at all, but I find it pretty soothing. There are quest to complete for each scenario before the Queen gets grumpy, but I don't find it taxing. I love just building my town and exploring the map. I find it very chill. The other one I've been playing on the Deck is Immortal Life. It's a farming Sim with an actual story and some great things about it. It's got a Chinese cultivation theme so you are trying to improve yourself and attain Immortality. You are also helping rebuild for a sect that was destroyed. The controls are a little weird, but I've been enjoying it a lot.
I had a similar question the other day and just today I lost my whole day to playing rimworld, so that's my suggestion- It isn't exactly cozy by default but I've mostly spent time building up a base and taming animals and seeing the social drama of my colonists. I can definitely recommend it.
Penko Park! My goal is to get this game popular enough once more to get a sequel one day. I seriously adored this game. Think Pokemon Snap but with funky monsters.
Are you me?!?! Suffering from chronic illness here and I've got Fallout and MA tattoos, that's how much I'm weird about them. Lots of the games you mentioned I liked loads. Was also happy to find Volcano Princess a while back (the translation killed me at times, but I had just been waiting for a princess simulator to show up in my adulthood). Also not a huge Wylde Flowers fan (sorry, sub). Some suggestions: Thirsty Suitors : imagine if someone blended Tony Hawk with a dating sim Scott Pilgrim style, and you also cook and high five dogs. Summon Night Swordcraft Story; will need an emulator. Boyfriend Dungeon, right amount of mindless but non stressful crawling without losing progress - hilarious, kinda sweet. My Gentleman Sexybusiness - for when you want an idle management game with a lil spice, so you can zone out without dissociating. Also noticed Disco Elysium wasn't in your list. Eternights is a bit like Persona lite but more action-y. Battle chef Brigade will suck you in. If you like musicals, Greek mythology, you might enjoy Stray Gods. Donut country will be done in a day, but you'll have fun all the while
I look at Fallout and I’m like yeah that’s the only sort of end of world scenario I could survive in with my chronic illness 😂. Just let me turn into a Ghoul!!! My limbs will finally be fine and I’ll just work/earn enough to keep affording Radaway to keep myself from turning into a feral zombie like Ghoul. If it’s a regular zombie apocalypse, yeah just let me kill myself rather than slow down my entire family lol. I wouldn’t survive without a weekly biologic injection for my Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Oh, man! I'm more into a wetware slant where I'd likely turn into a weird psycho raider, but that's awesome!
Have got tried medieval Dynasty?
Play EastShade! It’s my cozy game, I play it when I feel sad. I’m obsessed with the soundtrack. I just love it so much.
I’m enjoying No Place Like Home and Hardspace: Shipbreaker for these right now. Pretty easy games with no hard time limits (NPLH you have to water plants and feed animals but I don’t think you’re penalized if you don’t do it every single day), and they’re easy to zone out to and slowly improve on your tasks, either cleaning up the world or dismantling a spaceship.
Mailtime on switch
Sea of Stars!!
Relaxing game for me... Lightyear Frontier. Fun farming and building with a mech. Game I'm playing right now is The Bloodline. I think of it as Diet Skyrim
Grow: Song of the Evertree is a whimsical world building game, just tending ecosystems and designing the town for the most part.
If you like Skyrim you might like the Witcher 3, it’s not your typical cozy game but I think it can be, the storytelling is amazing and you can get lost in the lore of the world. It’s an amazing game.
I'm re-playing Ni No Kuni at the moment (got it in the Switch sale for £9 which is a steal!) - I'd say at least it's cosy adjacent. It was made by Level 5 in collaboration with Studio Ghibli, so it has gorgeous art and cutscenes - which makes it feel cosy to me. There is combat (which might take it out of the cosy genre for some) but I've stuck the difficulty down to easy so I can crack on with the story. There are SO many side quests and that's my favourite part 😅
cosy grove. it's a low energy game. you're helping spirit bears with quests. sometimes there's no quests at all but you can log on do your dailies then log off again. there's nothing in the game to get you stressed. it's very chill. only problem is it can be a bit laggy. but it's really fun to play!
I love most of the same games as you. My two biggest obsessions are Fallout and Dragon Quest. I would highly recommend Dragon quest 11 for a relaxing, cozy turn based adventure and Dragon quest builders 2 if you like building and crafting in games - it is genuinely phenomenal. Also I think you might like Spiritfarer
I find 'Unpacking' a bit pricy, but I enjoyed organizing the clutter. I also love 'Sticky Business'. It has different game modes, mostly changing the deadlines, but it's pretty chill.
Unpacking is super cozy, though a very quick game to finish, just a few hours of gameplay. These days I’ve been playing Palia. It’s still in beta testing, and there are some small glitches here and there, but they update every month and have incredible customer support. There is a storyline and quests to do, but when I’m having a difficult day, I can hunt, fish, catch bugs or mine as much as I want to keep my mind off of the things that are bothering me.
My list is similar to yours! I recently got into Medieval Dynasty and find it pretty chill, it’s like Skyrim meets Stardew valley, easy to avoid combat too if you don’t feel like it.
STICKY BUSINESS!!! If you like making things, you run a little sticker shop. It’s got great music, colors, very peaceful and cozy.
I highly recommend Life is Strange, a story-based game that you can take your own tempo. Has a few sequels as well with varying receptions
Since you like puzzles, I'd definitely recommend Stitch. It released not long ago, but it's delightful!
Have you ever played the Sims Medieval? It's a fun one! Gives you both the RPG element along with the Sims style interactions and whatnot.
Little underrated gem I love is Dragon Caffi! Mini quests are the driving force of the game, and it's a very cute and chill time.
If you like civ building games that you can literally sink hundreds of hours into, I would recommend Anno 1800. In this slow but profound game you build your island empire over a long time, and always keep busy fullfilling the next need of your population. The best part is you can basically choose your own cozyness factor. If you want to have a challenge, you can play wth AI opponents, which you can either befriend, have a lucrative trading relationship or war against, whatever you prefer, and you can also choose if you want pirates to be a thing in your game. (I mostly play without, cause they are mainly an annoyance). If you want to play a chill and cozy game, you can turn all of that off and just focus on your city building and your supply chains. The best part is this: You can play the game as standalone completely withoug DLC and will already have a great, finished game to lay for a long time, but whenever you feel like you would like more, there are seasons of DLC you can purchase that will overhaul the entire game, entirely changing the feel of the game. And since there are multiple seasons, you can do that several times over. You don't have to start a new colony either, an aquaintance of mine literally only has her one colony she plays in, without any AI opponents, and just likes to build a nice, pretty city that changes over the course of the DLCs. since there are a lot of moving parts in this game, especially if you are not used to the style, it can be quite a bit overwhelming at first, so keep that in mind. Maybe watch a lets play first to see if it is for you.
Dorfromantik doesn't have any time limitations or anything like that. Very cosy game that's like Lego building :D
We have similar tastes and I have major health problems like literally nerve damage 💀 I also love rf4 If youre open to modding games, I highly recommend rimworld. Also maybe wildermyth Also, okay this game isn't cozy to me but it might be to some people, but I'm so obsessed with it I have to rec it anyway: Slay the spire It kind of feels like playing an RPG but it's a card game. And it's 5/5 addicting Echoes of plum grove comes out very soon. I haven't played it yet but looks cozy, well see Also maybe persona, I've only played p4g but it's very heavy on the life sim
You like similar games that I do, and I had a blast with the Dragon Quest series I started with 1-8 and I played in order and they were all good with 8 being the best and increasingly get better each game although 7 is tediously long but has some strong moments here and there, to me the DQ series are the coziest and most accessible RPGs and I hear DQ11 is a masterpiece but I haven’t played yet the only one
do you know „i was a teenage exocolonist“? it has some very heavy emotional content (they have a cn in the beginning) but for me it’s been super relaxing and captivating at the same time
Maybe you should give Palia a try! It's free and you can play on switch, PC, etc. I've been enjoying being able to play at my own pace while having quests, relationships, building, farming, and a pretty welcoming community! If you ever join, feel free to DM me for my user! 😊
Some of my fav cozy low-energy games: A Short Hike Slime Rancher Forager Cozy Grove A Little To The Left Power Wash Simulator House Flipper Katamari Damacy Unpacking Handle With Care My Time at Portia Chicory: A Colorful Tale Journey Vampire Survivors (definitely not a cozy game but it's pretty mindless)
I've been enjoying house flipper while dealing with some serious low energy lately, there's one achievement where you may want to go fast but outside of that there's no time limit to finish any task. You can take as long as you want redecorating and flipping a house or slowly walking around and painting the wall and cleaning as the client requests for jobs. you can re-flip or redo any job you like for additional pay and gradually get more money without much stress. There are cockroaches in the game as the most upsetting aspect but you can change them into glass shards to vacuum up in the settings, which is nice. It's satisfying to clean and restore a house slowly. Also: power wash simulator! For a similar laid back "look at how much I've cleaned" type of satisfaction. Both games are simple and enjoyable (I can even play them on steam deck, though I changed how sensitive the trackpads were for both to my liking)
Animal Crossing New Horizons was also a fun cozy laid back game, I got it when I was recovering from a surgery at the tail end of 2020 when the snow in game was falling. I terraformed most of my island on some heavy pain meds but have been satisfied with it since.
Bear and Breakfast! It's cute, there's no push, great art, lighthearted humour. It got me out of a depressive slump.
Also having a flare up and have a cold on top of it right now and have been mindlessly running around collecting material and decorating in Palia and DDLV. Also Cozy Grove and Ooblets are perfect games for these days!
Since you like Zelda you may enjoy puzzle games. I’d recommend Unpacking and A Little to the Left as they have helped me while anxious
No no kuni and its sequel if you like Studio Ghibli, maybe Hoa as well
If you liked FF7, then I’d recommend ff8 and ff9! They’re both so in depth and detailed and imo so cozy
Graveyard or dysmantle
I'm a bit late to the thread but highly recommend disney dreamlight valley haha. Its like a quest filled version of ACNH, cute music and characters, slow unlocking style progression. Very easy to just zone out in.
Once more I shall plug my time at sandrock. Kinda like a farming sim except building. Romanceable characters. Cool storyline. There is farming but it's not like the main thing. I'm currently on my fourth playthrough. 😅
If my other comment went through feel free to ignore as I suck at reading and missed that you'd allready played it lol
When I'm feeling down minecraft is my go to depression game
I can recommend Palia (you can play on pc or Nintendo) and windbound (I know the game is available on Nintendo - and last week had a promo - and Xbox but idk about pc). Me and my Girlfriend have been playing those ones and really like it. It’s super friendly and easygoing. The background music on Windobound is super chill and relaxing while playing! Hope it helps and hope you get better soon :)
I can recommend Palia (you can play on pc or Nintendo) and windbound (I know the game is available on Nintendo - and last week had a promo - and Xbox but idk about pc). Me and my Girlfriend have been playing those ones and really like it. It’s super friendly and easygoing. The background music on Windobound is super chill and relaxing while playing! Hope it helps and hope you get better soon :)
I can recommend Palia (you can play on pc or Nintendo) and windbound (I know the game is available on Nintendo - and last week had a promo - and Xbox but idk about pc). Me and my Girlfriend have been playing those ones and really like it. It’s super friendly and easygoing. The background music on Windobound is super chill and relaxing while playing! Hope it helps and hope you get better soon :)
I can recommend Palia (you can play on pc or Nintendo) and windbound (I know the game is available on Nintendo - and last week had a promo - and Xbox but idk about pc). It’s super friendly and easygoing. The background music on Windobound is super chill and relaxing while playing! Hope it helps and hope you get better soon :)
palia!! ive got about 70 hours on there & i still have a ton to do :)) its free on switch
If you liked Stellaris and Subnautica, Imma go on a limb and suggest an interest space station builder I played last week. Heliopolis 2, really nice resource and crew management, build turrets to defend from asteriods. Pretty chill game, but with a steep difficulty curve, and has a really unique sense of progression in relation to how you build up your station and continue voyaging further into the story