What is a Cozy Game?

I really love a genre of games that are commonly referred to as “cozy games.” Games like Palia, The Sims, and Minecraft are the type of content I gravitate towards when I’m not streaming. I feel like I squeezed the last bits of dopamine out of the aforementioned games and went searching on Steam for some more games to add to my ever-growing backlog. As I searched through the “cozy” tag, I saw some that I personally would not have considered cozy or relaxing at all! These discoveries prompted me to ask Google, my Twitch community, and some other nice people on the internet, “what is your definition of a cozy game?”

So, what did I find in my travels? Well, friends, it looks like the consensus is: a cozy game is something different for everyone! I know, I know. Anti-climactic. But hear me out, the whole idea of something being cozy is about how something makes someone feel, and how someone feels is subjective. The entire genre can be summed up by saying, “someone somewhere gets cozy feelings while playing this game.” And while that makes firmly categorizing a game into the genre kinda difficult, I did find some common traits!

Some of the most frequently mentioned characteristics that made a game cozy included:

1. Inclusive and accessible to all skill levels (i.e. the games mechanics are not complicated)

2. Not time-based

3. No surprises (such as combat, people sneaking up on you, or explosions)

4. Something you can zone out to*/really immerse yourself in

5. Low stakes (the universe isn’t going to collapse if you fail)

Some less common, but noteworthy, entries into what people think makes a game cozy were: relationship building, farming, an overall sense of nostalgia about the game, and animation style (especially cartoony).

Could I be completely wrong with my assessment of the cozy genre? Absolutely! And I’m willing to hear what you believe a cozy game is. You can find me in the SuperPod Discord, or you can find me on Twitch (twitch.tv/danni_el_e) 3 times a week. Thanks for reading my very first blog post! I can’t wait to write some more, so I hope to see you next time, friend!

*A few people also mentioned being able to listen to a podcast or video as they played, and that’s what I mean by “being able to zone out to.”