13 Best Cozy Open-World Games

They offer the perfect escape from the everyday hustle. Whether you’re cast in the role of the town McGyver, befriending pixels, or just enjoying the peaceful vibes, these games know how to help you unwind and recharge.

With no rush and plenty of freedom to do things your way, here’s a roundup of the perfect cozy gems for some relaxing escapism.

13 William and Sly

You Are A Fox

William and Sly transforms the beloved flash games into full-fledged 3D adventures and offers a refreshing departure from the familiar gameplay formulas of many cozy games.

Its dreamy and relaxing gameplay loop will have you leap across massive trees, climb through mountains, and traverse a vast landscape like a graceful fox. It’s the perfect game to play after a long session of boss-hunting or an exhausting round of competitive gaming.

With beautiful songs accompanying you during the journey, your only task is to untangle the mysteries revolving around the forest while taking in the beautiful, hand-painted scenery along the way.

12 Palia

Collective Coziness

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Systems

Released

August 10, 2023

Developer(s)

Singularity 6, Inc.

Publisher(s)

Singularity 6, Inc.

Multiplayer

Online Co-Op

Engine

Unreal Engine 4

ESRB

E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Tobacco

Number of Players

1-25

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Palia takes all the best things of a farming and life simulator and blends them with a solid sense of online community.

While it invites other players into your cozy escape, you can explore and enjoy Palia at your own pace. Go pick flowers, spend some time fishing, or search for materials to build the fantasy home of your dreams.

If you prefer social interaction, though, Palia encourages you to build the world around you alongside your friends and other people as well. It’s cozy with other people included!

11 Creatures of Ava

Coziness With A Touch of Narrative

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Systems

Released

August 7, 2024

Developer(s)

Inverge Studios

Engine

Unreal Engine 5

ESRB

E10+ For Everyone 10+ // Fantasy Violence, Tobacco Reference

How Long To Beat

10 Hours

Steam Deck Compatibility

Verified

How Long To Beat (Completionist Runs)

15 Hours

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

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As one of the most recent creature-saver games, Creatures of Ava takes you to a planet on the brink of total extinction and lets you play as a young nature explorer adamant about saving the planet.

It also draws inspiration from the genre’s best examples while seamlessly blending puzzles, action, and adventure into its relaxing gameplay.

If constant farming and building to make a bigger town was too much for you, you should definitely check out Creatures of Ava, as it offers a chill experience with a feel-good narrative.

10 Lil Gator Game

Childhood Fun Done Right

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Systems

Released

July 14, 2022

Developer

James Bendon

Publisher

James Bendon

How Long To Beat

25 Hours

Release

2022-07-14

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Lil Gator Game blends cozy vibes with a hilarious gameplay loop where you’ll get to jump into a playful adventure across a lush island playground.

In an open world that is clearly designed for pure fun and shenanigans, MegaWobble’s celebrated title also introduces delightful quests and goofy characters.

It’s also incredibly wholesome as it captures the carefree spirit of childhood and allows players to climb, glide, craft, and explore on a lovely island.

It’s a game that captures the same energy of a child creating a pillow fort on a Saturday afternoon, and if that’s your vibe, you’ll love Lil Gator Game.

9 Dinkum

Unwinding With Wombats

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Systems

Released

July 14, 2022

Developer

James Bendon

Publisher

James Bendon

How Long To Beat

25 Hours

Release

2022-07-14

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Drawing clear inspiration from the great Australian outdoors, Dinkum might be your next farming simulator addiction, as it has everything for any type of cozy gaming enthusiast.

Tired of building towns for the oddly happy NPCs of the town? No problem. Dive into a 70-hour-long achievement-hunting quest and catch all the bugs on the island. And even if that doesn’t cut it, you can hop onto your friend’s island and start taking care of giant wombats.

Dinkum takes the cozy farming atmosphere to a whole new level, and makes you fall in love with the Australian outback. Plus, it’s great to play with friends.

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8 Slime Rancher 2

Cozy In A Colorful Package

The sequel to the incredibly popular Slime Rancher takes you to Rainbow Island, a vibrant and whimsical open world bursting with life and slime.

If you somehow missed the original, Slime Rancher 2 allows you to step into the shoes of Beatrix LeBeau as you get to explore colorful biomes, collect quirky slimes, and expand your ranch like an obsessed gold miner.

The core gameplay loop of Slime Rancher 2 is incredibly fun, and it lets you experiment with farming, resource gathering, and slime wrangling, all while upgrading your conservatory.

With a wealth of new content and significant improvements over its predecessor, Slime Rancher 2 is the ultimate cozy game for those with a touch of ambition.

7 Wildmender

Cozy Gardening At Its Best

If gardening’s your thing, Wildmender will definitely scratch that chill gaming and farming itch. It masterfully blends survival elements with in-depth gardening mechanics.

Your gardening efforts are not in vain, either. As the game lets you turn its sprawling desert open world into a vibrant paradise.

And if that gets too cozy for you and you want a little more action, you can also explore the ancient ruins and unlock secrets in Wildmender’s procedurally generated open world.

6 Eastshade

A Blank Canvas

Vastly different from other suggestions on the list, Eastshade takes a first-person approach to exploration and lets you take in the breathtaking scenery while traveling through the overgrown forests and tiny settlements of Eastshade.

Eastshade might not boast a huge open world, but it does hit the right boxes with its condensed and superb worldbuilding.

You’ll meet weird locals, complete small quests, and uncover the island’s culture while capturing its beauty along the way.

5 Littlewood

How Does A Hero Rest?

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RPG

Adventure

Life Simulation

Systems

Released

June 17, 2019

Engine

Unity

ESRB

e

How Long To Beat

30 Hours

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

Developer

Sean Young

Publisher

SMASH Games

Release

2019-06-18

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Kudos to you! You’ve saved the world and defeated the big bad villain. Now it’s time to rebuild, take in the scenery, and delve into the domestic life of the hero who saved the world.

Littlewood offers pretty much everything you would ask for in a relaxing life simulation game. In fact, it does more by introducing RPG elements, as well.

If the cozy gameplay loop of similar titles doesn’t cut it, Littlewood will keep you hooked with a myriad of things to do in its lovely open world.

4 A Short Hike

A Must-Play For Any Chill Gaming Fan

Unlike a myriad of cozy farming and life simulations, A Short Hike has a much more refreshing take on the genre, and puts you in the shoes of a bird called Claire and takes you to the Hawk Peak Provincial Park.

The loveliest place on the planet, Hawk Peak serves a condensed open world that allows you to hike, glide, fish, dig for treasure, or simply chat with its peculiar inhabitants.

Although your mission is to reach the summit, A Short Hike does everything in its power to encourage you to take it slow and seize the simple moments of joy.

With its lovely pixel art, gentle soundtrack, and hilarious characters, A Short Hike is the cozy open-world game you never knew you needed. You can also finish it in one sitting.

3 Garden Paws

It Doesn’t Get Much Cozier Than This

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Systems

Released

October 20, 2018

Engine

Unity

ESRB

e

Developer

Bitten Toast Games

Publisher

Bitten Toast Games

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Garden Paws is a game that lets you forget about daily life’s trivial and serious matters as you become a small animal focused on creating its dream life on a charming little island.

It has everything you could ask from a cozy open-world game. Inherit a farm from an older relative? Check. Raising animals, planting crops, decorating your house, or expanding the local town? Quadruple check.

Coming from Bitten Toast Games, Garden Paws’ lovely feels like a love letter to the genre’s titans, like Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley.

And if domestic life gets too overwhelming, you can also get to explore caves to discover hidden treasures or take on quests from your adorable neighbors.

It’s truly one of the best farming simulators out there, and it flew under the radar for many.

2 My Time at Sandrock

Chilling And Building

A sequel to the beloved My Time at Portia, My Time At Sandrock wants you to become the town’s McGyver again and save a desert town from the pitfalls of economic ruin.

While that might not sound cozy at first, My Time At Sandrock does combine the best elements of relaxing 2D farming and life simulation games.

Despite offering a ton of things to do, it also lets you overcome its mountain of content at your own pace.

If farming, building, and occasional gang-hunting are your thing, My Time At Sandrock is a must-play.

1 Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles

The Ultimate Cozy And Open-World Blend

Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles is arguably the ultimate cozy open-world game, and it strikes a balance between relaxing gameplay and light-hearted exploration perfectly.

It’s got just enough adventure to keep you interested, but won’t stress you out at all.

Unlike its many counterparts, Yonder’s open world is actually massive, with tons of distinct landscapes that keep things fresh. It’s a nice change of pace, especially since many cozy games tend to just recycle those same old green pastures.

Despite having plenty to keep you busy, Yonder is quite similar to Stardew Valley with its chill approach. And this allows you to dive into all the best parts of a farming simulator to have fun without the grind.

Your main goal is to clear the Murk, a mysterious fog that threatens the land and its inhabitants, but you can take your time with it. No rush at all!

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