Think ofyour favorite cozy game, and odds are you’ll conjure up a cute farming sim or chill management game. Typical tropes aside, the fact that they can make management feel cozy is enough to prove that video games are the ultimate form of escapism.
But what about cozy games that maintain that low-stress feel while taking place somewhere a bit more bustling? Despite it not being the most common setting, there are a number of satisfying and comfortable games revolving around life in a big city. You might be surprised to hear of them, but they’re definitely worth your time.
Point-And-Click Adventure
Platforms
PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
You know those endless ads for possibly fake mobile games where you serve food to customers in a hectic environment? Well, what if those games were actually real and actually relaxing? That’s what Pixel Cafe sets out to do, among other things.
Part of this delightful pixelatedslice-of-life gameinvolves serving coffee and other treats to customers in various gorgeous city environments. But you also get to forge bonds with various people, and bonds aren’t always the prettiest of things. It’s ok, though. Messy drama can be cozy, too. Just look at every reality show.
PC, Mac, iOS
Some cozy games go straight in for the purest concentrated comfort, bypassing anything and everything that could possibly get in the way. Plant Therapy is as uncomplicated as you can get in that regard, simply tasking you with collecting plants to decorate your New York City apartment.
That’s literally it. The whole game is set in your apartment with a nice view of the city, and you’re in control of the vibes. Plants, wallpaper, music, it’s all up to you, and you can even turn on an extra cozy mode that removes the need for plant maintenance entirely so you can just chill as everyone deserves to. Plus, it’s free-to-play.
PC, Mac
Not many cozy big city games let you actually explore the space, but Moonlight in Garland wants to make full use ofits grounded urban setting. The Early Access title Moonlight in Garland takes everything you love about the typical life sim games you already love and brings that to the fictional downtown known as Garland.
Maintaining a garden of sorts? Check. Going on dates as your customizable character? Check. Dealing with the unfortunate pitfalls of living under capitalism but in a cute way? Another oddly specific affirmative. Moonlight in Garland feels like Stardew Valley: Lost In New York, just with fewer home invasions.
If you want a cozy big city game, it’s probably helpful to find one with those words right there in the title. Little Kitty, Big City does a lot of narrative lifting even before you open the game, because it is indeed a game about a little kitty exploring a big city. Imagine if other games were like this, like calling Super Mario Bros. Short Plumber Saving the Princess or turning League of Legends into Play a Few Rounds, Rethink Your Life Choices.
Little Kitty, Big City starts out by giving you the simple goal of finding your way back home as a cat lost in the city. But once you do that, you’re free to keep exploring, and the map is chock full of charming interactions. It’s a nonspecific but distinctly Japanese city, which is already its own brand of cozy for many players. But along with the exploration, you’re able to take on quests, collect shiny things, and wear fun hats. Do video games even need anything more?
In the realm of more intimate games that simply take place within a big city, VA-11 Hall-A serves its purposes well. The main purpose involvesplaying as a downtown bartenderto colorful characters while getting to know them, a surprisingly easy task given how willing they all are to share their deepest secrets. The secondary purpose is to infuriate anyone who has to type its title.
The subtitle does indeed say Cyberpunk Bartender Action, and the bleak undertones of that first word are definitely on display here. You have to be careful of your expenses between work days so you don’t get evicted (which is a real possibility), and certain interactions can get dark. But nevertheless, VA-11 Hall-A remains cozy as you slowly discover the lives of your customers. It also has a Seinfeld reference. Your coziness may vary on that part.
While Little Kitty, Big City plays up the more whimsical aspect of being a cat in a big playground, Stray decides to go more for the occasionally terrifying but always curious vibe. To get the harsh stuff out of the way, there are horror elements in Stray. But the fact that it remains oddly cozy despite all that is a remarkable achievement.
Your task is to find your way back to your family, making your way through a genuinely breathtaking cyberpunk city inhabited by robots. The cat you play as moves and acts so much like a real cat that you’ll feel instinctively protective, which will come in handy during the game’s more turbulent moments. But just marveling at everything from your tiny perspective is completely worth the price of admission.
From Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends to Cuphead, the evidence seems pretty clear that a painstakingly hand-drawn art style is rarely a bad idea when it comes to video games. Granted, it’s probably a bad idea when it comes to the artists' wrist health, unfortunately.
But yet one more example of this phenomenon is the extremelycharming point-and-click adventureLater Alligator. Pat the Alligator is the star of the show, and it’s your job to help him survive a family-centric conspiracy as you run around Alligator New York City (yes, that’s the city’s name). Don’t worry. It’s the fun kind of life-and-death situation.
For those who liked VA-11 Hall-A but would prefer a bit less existential dread, Coffee Talk is the experience for you. You’re not a bartender living day-to-day in a cyberpunk dystopia. You’re a cafe owner in the pleasantly rainy city of Seattle. Or for those who live there, regular Seattle.
Except, instead of serving drinks to regular folks wallowing in despair and lust, you serve coffee to humans and fantasy creatures like mermaids, vampires, and banshees… also occasionally wallowing in despair. But the vibe is much more chill here, and with two games set in Seattle, you’ll have plenty of time to get to know these characters.
