IN 2017, ThinkTank, a game design initiative known as Project Horseshoe, convened a group of developers to explore the delightful concept of video games. Since the inception of the medium, games with non-violent themes have existed. Early life simulators like Little Computer People from 1985 represented low-stake interactions, allowing players to engage with ordinary characters in their homes. Following the 1996 Chibi Award harvest, social farming simulations gained popularity.
The report produced, Cozy Games: Exploring Safety, Softness, Satisfied Needs, may represent the first systematic effort to delineate the genre. The group identified three core components: safety, richness, and softness. Cozy games (with the American spelling) avoid high-stake scenarios. “There’s no looming threat of loss,” they noted. They are designed to evoke a rich experience: “Nothing is lacking, pressing against you, or imminent.” Additionally, a soft aesthetic wraps everything in a warm embrace.
For example, in Witch Beam’s puzzle game, players unpack items from boxes and arrange them in a new home. Although there are constraints on placement, unlike traditional puzzle games, there’s no punishment for incorrect placements—no timers or scoring systems to contend with. The colorful pixel art enhances the experience.
Project Horseshoe’s definition aligns with the rise of handheld consoles made for communal play on sofas, particularly around the Nintendo Switch’s 2017 launch, coinciding with substantial genre growth. By 2019, indie designer Matthew Taylor began a Twitter account called Wholesome Games to feature titles reflecting their criteria. Eventually, the wholesome games movement—led by Taylor with partners Jenny Wyndham, James Tillman, and Victoria Tran—developed into a collective that hosts showcases for charming, non-threatening games, later evolving into a publishing company.
The success of wholesome games illustrates the genre’s broader expansion. The inaugural Wholesome Direct aired in 2020, coinciding with a surge in cozy game popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, not least due to the massive success of Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons, drawing in 25,000 viewers. The latest Wholesome Direct in June achieved an impressive 5 million views.
This trend is reflected on Steam, where the number of games categorized as “cozy” is on the rise. In 2020, only 15 games were launched with cozy tags on Steam, according to SteamDB. By 2021, this figure doubled to 39 releases, and in 2022, it doubled again to 85. By 2024, a staggering 373 cozy games were released—over one game per day. Each time the genre appears to peak, it continues to soar. Major commercial hits include Animal Crossing, which outperformed any Call of Duty title with nearly 50 million copies sold, while popular farming game Stardew Valley has over 41 million copies sold.
Kelly Baudlow, an associate professor and head of Game Research and Design Programs at Harrisburg University, posits that cozy games signify more than just a genre; they represent “ideological shifts in game design.” This is evident in the diverse experiences cozy games provide. For instance, Unpacking centers on organizing household items, while A Short Hike invites players to explore a mountainous summer getaway. Spiritfarer delivers a management simulation focused on consoling souls and dealing with grief, and Venba weaves an emotional narrative around nostalgia and Tamil cooking.
Recently, even darker-themed games have been classified as cozy. Strange Horticulture, for instance, involves players managing a shop selling toxic plants, while Dredge introduces horror elements within a low-stakes fishing and sailing premise. “At their core, these games are fun, hopeful, and nurturing,” remarks Windom, a partner in the wholesome gaming initiative. “We want players to feel warmth and security when engaging with them. However, this definition has likely broadened to encompass games dealing with offensive or uncomfortable topics, all while remaining within a safe environment.”
Rhea Gupte and Prateek Saxena from India-based Imissmyfriend studio didn’t intentionally set out to create a cozy game, yet their debut title, Fishbowl, fits the bill perfectly. The game follows Alo, a 21-year-old woman who relocates to a new city for her video editing job, only to grapple with grief over her grandmother’s passing amidst pandemic lockdowns. Despite the heavy themes, little cozy touches can be found throughout Fishbowl, from its carefully curated color palette to its detailed pixel art and soft audio design.
“We began with the theme and the narrative we wished to convey,” explains Gupte, who serves as the game’s author and art director. “When contemplating the design and overall mood of the game, it became clear that a cozy atmosphere was necessary. Otherwise, the themes could become overwhelmingly heavy and difficult to navigate. Our goal was to introduce a sense of lightness, despite the more serious subjects involved.”
As the cozy genre continues to evolve, there’s a growing recognition that comfort is subjective. Nonetheless, Baudlow reminds us that not all non-violent games warrant the cozy label. “It’s not appropriate to simply stick that tag on everything,” she emphasizes.
Fishbowl differs from Stardew Valley in its portrayal of farming. Gupte and Saxena highlighted the disparity between how agrarian life is romanticized in games versus the harsh realities many face. “In India, farming embodies significant challenges,” Saxena noted. Games like Palace on the Hill, where the protagonist must cultivate land to settle debts, oppose the cozy narrative. Yet in alternative contexts, farming is often romanticized as a leisurely lifestyle.
TOEM, a meditative photography game developed by Something We Made in 2021, represents another facet of the genre. Although it is unmistakably a cozy game, it deviates from typical visuals by utilizing a monochrome palette. Lucas Gullbo, one of Toem’s developers, explains that while the black and white aesthetic may appear harsh, “the game conveys an emotional resonance that counters the daunting notion of being monochromatic.”
Where will the cozy genre go from here? Recently, idle games have emerged as a sub-genre, featuring low-stakes elements like fishing in CornerPond or relaxing with a frog on Idle Island. Games such as Ronderets set in a cozy laundromat also include classic cozy features—farming elements and resource management paired with delightful graphics—but importantly, player effort remains minimal. Players can engage in decorations and small mini-games, but the games can progress without active participation, which contributes to their appeal. Is there an inherent comfort associated with leisurely idleness? This is a question worth exploring as the genre continues to expand.
“In the realm of cozy and wholesome games, and games at large, it’s a particularly nascent medium in the process of unveiling genres and mechanics,” remarks Wyndham. “It’s uncommon to witness something truly groundbreaking. As the wholesome and cozy game movements blossomed, they felt like uncharted territory. Why settle for typical first-person perspectives when you could opt for something more innovative? Change is often slow to emerge.
Source: www.theguardian.com
