Kayla Dube · May 31, 2024 · 6 min read While fast-paced action and adventure games can always be great fun, sometimes you may just want to slow down and play something more casual and peaceful. On the Nintendo Switch, there are plenty of games like these, especially on the Nintendo eShop where there are many indie games available.
If you’re having trouble finding relaxing, cozy games that aren’t just Animal Crossing, below is a list of some of the best and most popular of these types of games. They span a few different genres, but they all have that same comforting feel for when you want to relax and enjoy some great games.
1. Little Dragons Cafe
If you’ve been a fan of Harvest Moon game, the same creator made Little Dragons Cafe. In the game, you play as twin siblings, running a cafe and caring for a dragon, even as you try to save your mother, who has fallen into a coma.
The game consists of exploring to collect resources for recipes and cooking these recipes in your cafe. Over time, your dragon will grow and will be able to help you in exploring and finding more resources. It’s very slow-paced and uncomplicated, with a cute art style and charming characters.
2. Stardew Valley
As one of the most popular farming simulators out there, a list of cozy games just wouldn’t be complete without a mention of Stardew Valley. The game starts as you move into the town, setting up your new farm. Then, you can explore the surrounding area, talk to others who live in the town, and grow relationships with them as you complete quests.
If you enjoy games where you do a lot of repetitive tasks and some exploration and crafting elements, Stardew Valley is a great choice that you can easily spend hours upon hours playing. There are many aspects of the game, so there’s always something to do. But you can go at your own pace without any pressure.
3. Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town
Harvest Moon is one of the OG farming simulation games, which set the standard for much of what came after. One of the best installments in the series, Friends of Mineral Town, was eventually remade as Story of Seasons for the Switch.
In the game, you come to live in Mineral Town to tend to a farm. Here you meet and build relationships with others who live there. It is extremely relaxing to play as you don’t have pressure on you to do anything. You can play the game how you want and pursue the many different routes of the game.
4. Calico
In this adorable game, you’re tasked with rebuilding the town’s cat cafe, decorating it, and filling it with cats. The focus of the game is on customizing your cafe with lots of cute furniture and decor. It goes at a relaxing pace, with no stress involved, as you are free to explore the community around the cafe and meet animals and other characters.
Along with a cute, pastel-colored art style, this game is sure to keep you at ease while you enjoy and explore the fictional world.
5. Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion
This game is just as absurd as the title sounds but equally as adorable and engaging to play. The protagonist of the game is a turnip who gets evicted from his house due to his inability to pay taxes. So, as you do, he goes on a quest to raise funds to pay Mayor Onion.
The game is an RPG with puzzle elements and cute pixel graphics with a calming earthy color palette. The game has great, hilarious dialog and an overall unique concept that will keep you entertained as you follow this heinous turnip through his adventure.
6. Cozy Grove
Well, this game has cozy in its name, so enough said. You play as a camper, or “Spirit Scout,” on a haunted island, and your goal is to explore the island and help the ghosts who are stuck there. To do this, you take on quests from the spirits and explore the island to find items for them.
As you complete each quest, you illuminate more and more of the island, bringing it back to life. The game is very straightforward, so if you like games where you complete tasks and have clear goals, you will enjoy Cozy Grove.
7. New Pokemon Snap
The original Pokemon Snap, which came out for the Nintendo 64 long ago, became a classic and one of the most popular Pokemon spin-off games. Recently, Nintendo released a complete reboot of this game, with new areas, characters, and Pokemon to snap photos of.
You play as a photographer enlisted by Professor Mirror to explore the Lental region to help him with his Pokemon research. You go through each area, take interesting Pokemon photos, and gain experience to move through the game.
Going through the areas, you’ll find that you discover new things each time, so the game rarely gets stale. It’s a great, relaxing game to play for Pokemon fans or those who just want a new peaceful game.
8. Yonder
Yonder is an open-world adventure game where you explore an island consisting of eight biomes. However, a mysterious power known as Murk has taken the island over. Now, your task is to find the Sprites across the island to restore the land.
You can explore the world within Yonder, known as Gemea, meet other characters, craft, and farm. It’s a huge game in scope with lots to do, but at the same time, very calming and fun to play as you can choose what you want to spend your time doing.
Cozy Games For the Switch
Spending some time playing peaceful and low-pressure games can be a great break from some of the more stressful games out there. Whether you want to lift your mood or simply want to have some relaxing downtime, these games above are all perfect for this.
If you have any favorite cozy games you like to play, let us know in the comments.
