Cozy game

A cozy game (cosy game in Commonwealth English) is a video game which emphasizes non-violence and relaxation. Initially derived from the life simulation genre, cozy games commonly include activities such as gathering and growing plants and nurturing other characters. They often have open-ended goals that encourage self-expression.

While developers have suggested the style may have appeared in games as early as Little Computer People (1985) and The Sims (2000), it became a more common term following the release of Stardew Valley (2016) and Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2020), with dozens of games using it as part of their marketing.

Characteristics

Colin Campbell of GamesIndustry.biz described cozy games as video games that generally have players functioning in "activities such as farming, gathering, growing and nurturing" and assisting other characters through non-violent acts. Campbell summarized that the core of the games was self-expression, that progression goals are generally open-ended, and that, unlike other game genres that apply gameplay mechanics such as first-person shooter or turn-based strategy, they are generally defined by their impact on the player's feelings.

According to CNN's Carli Velocci, cozy games are "a broad genre that encompasses a lot of types of games, from farming sims to city builders, but they all elicit a special feeling that can be hard to explain". Similarly, Wired's Louryn Strampe described the genre as "meant to evoke feelings of warmth, comfort, and peace". The vague definition has led to disagreement and confusion among fans of the genre regarding what games qualify as "cozy".

Campbell found that cozy games often feature cute characters such as anthropomorphic animals or child-like humans.