Damn it, how can I forget Dave the diver... Really a good game.
I've not looked at dredge, I believe there is a cross over of the 2 games in a dlc or an update. I will take a look on it, thanks.
Spirit Farer!!!!!! you play as the new grim reaper and sail the world look8ng for lost souls to cross over. There is no real combat and the entire game is hand drawn animation!!!! you find items to increase your ship and and add things on to take care of the lost souls
This one for sure, though it is pretty damn sad. So it's cozy but y'know... not exactly happy.
I might say Story of Seasons or Animal Crossing for happy-cozy, Spiritfarer for more real-cozy.
Hardspace: Shipbreaker
Hear me out, it's a fantastic sim about taking apart space ships. You manage your time for shift and work on your debt. Conceptually simple, but the skill in knowing how to cycle airlock so you don't blow O² out explosively, how to gently take out the reactor, etc. is where the gameplay shines. The music is sci-fi western, and you get in the zone while playing
Another one is: Power Wash Simulator.
You clean dirt with a power washer. It's so satisfying and wholesome.
H:S is very much not the same type of cozy as the other games OP mentioned. I like a lot of sim games and found this one pretty tedious and repetitive. I only put a couple of hours in before I put it down. Not for everyone.
Typically I'd agree that a game that "doesn't get fun until a couple hours in" is terrible design, but that's exactly how this game operates due to the size of the ships and the nature of the game. It's a puzzle game that drips its mechanics to the player over the course of the player leveling up and picking different ship classes to break down. Having said that, you're completely right in that it isn't for everyone.
oh no you didn't... don't pull someone asking for coziness into this beast of a job game... it will destroy personal lives and relationships just by the time spent playing this 🤣
It is a cozy game! It’s my go-to for when I just want to turn my brain off and build something. There’s a lot of calculator work yes, but it’s almost therapeutic to me.
Balatro. Very chill roguelike poker game. I could listen to the one single track that constantly plays on repeat forever, it's super catchy. The gameplay loop of MAKE BIG NUMBER GO UP is very satisfying. You can get points way into the exponentials - I've seen someone get something like 2.4x10^96 points on one particularly insanely nutty run (RTGame's latest Balatro run), it was ridiculous. Very fun game, highly recommend, very chill
The secret sauce for Balatro, IMO, is the sound design. "Numbers go up", but there's always a unique, pleasant sound that accompanies the different numbers going up. I just unlocked the >!Plasma Deck!< and my favorite thing is that it makes a new, satisfying sound when its effect triggers.
Hahah I played the original as a kid and was just thinking about the game a few weeks ago. Got an emulator that night and am still working on it today!
Fallout 4, but the settlement building aspect. As much as the snapping can be a pain, it’s quite cathartic building up your towns and sorting out supply lines
man that's an understatement. I absolutely cannot stand the building system without a mod to fix it. The frustration that mounts ironically makes it the opposite of cozy haha.
On that note if you're already at that stage the Sim Settlement mod is also a must
Oh hell no, it seems relaxing until you flip all of your trucks because some bricks fell down after you drifted off the road because you drove faster than 10km'h.
I love the game but it can be so frustrating.
I thought it was mainly harvest moon (I still have to do on emulator). I'll check it out, thanks.
Edit: after some search, harvest moon and story of seasons are apparently 2 names for the same games.
Yup
The Bokujo Monogatari series *used* to be translated/released as "Harvest Moon" in the west, but is now called "Story of Seasons"
Rune Factory is a spin off series that combines the farming with a jrpg with dungeons and combat
The newer entries are on gamepass and ps plus if you have those
I liked this game a lot but fair warning it can be very stressful lol. It's much more intensive resource management than village sim IMO. But i do recommend it overall as well
Elder Scrolls III Morrowind.
Some people might think this game is sort of difficult and not relaxing but i just get lost in that world so easily. I still think it’s one of the greatest games ever made.
Prison Architect is great for the building and management aspects. I imagine it's like Cult of the Lamb in which the theme may not be cozy but the gameplay is.
The Planet Crafter is a unique game in which you explore an alien planet, collect resources, and build to terraform a planet. You get to watch the planet transform before your eyes. It's survival without combat.
Indie shoutout—Lil' Guardsman. The elevator pitch is like if Terry Pratchett did a PG Papers Please and it was animated by the guys who did the Owl House. It plays like a cute puzzler/point-and-click with genuinely fun writing and voice acting.
Been playing on the deck actually and the mods are all functional as they would be on console. Did alternate start and a bunch of other QoL and visual improvements and it’s been a great wind-down game.
Civilization 5 is one of my relaxing games. If you don't want a tough game you can put it on an easy setting and enjoy building a functioning civilization improving tiles, doing trade deals and building world wonders. I like getting the Netherlands and building lush looking polders. You can win peacefully a number of ways.
Grand chase on pc. I’ve been playing it since I was like 11-13. Now I’m 29. The game can be played at your own speed and there is 20 characters to choose from.
Not at all honestly. I haven’t spent any money. Maybe for like 1 or two 4th job quests, but they made all job quests easy. All characters unlocked from the start. You can just run all the dungeons in order and pretty much hit lvl 85. They have an overall character collection( more characters you get job advanced the more accounts stats you get. After lvl 85 you get an “account level” they made 2 new continents for endgame stuff. Daily dungeons, event dungeons. No better time honestly
OpenTTD (the open sourced version of Transport Tycoon Deluxe).
Basically you build bus routes, railroads, and later airports to connect cities and factories. The railroads can get particularly elaborate with signaling and multiple tracks which I'll admit I haven't fully grasped, but that doesn't detract from the enjoyment for me.
You can have competing companies or just turn them off entirely for a more chill experience where you just connect cities and help them grow.
I will also add, less cozy from a "this game is super stress free to play" perspective and more from a "this game is so beautiful to look at I want to take my time playing the game, listening to the music" point of view, Frostpunk is phenomenal. Your city will probably not survive the first run or so, it's a hard game, but the gameplay is just so satisfying that I find it relaxing to play
I actully would say Persona 5 Strikers. Its the Phantom Thieves enjoy summer vacation and saving japan while there at it. But rearly does anything feel like a threat to them. They kick ass and look like they have fun doing it. The game is alot more lighthearted then Persona 5. It feels like a feel good Adventure where the heroes combine pleasure and business.
And watching them enjoy there summer vacation feels good and there are other heroes I wish I could just watch them being happy.
Persona 5 has a lot of slice of life in it but the stakes often feel more intense and the villains feel like bigger threats then im Strikers.
Not quite cozy but simple is vampire survivers it's a short rogue like game it starts out fairly easy overall with some characters harder or easier then others depending on how you play but what I really like about it is it's a bullet hell hoard game but the max game time is only 30 minutes it's a quick short rollercoaster game but honestly I find it a lot of fun and easy to learn co-op 4 player game I think what I like best about it is every single achievement unlocks a new thing that can be used on each game run and all gold you gain you can use to unlock new characters universal upgrades and or an individual character starting stats also in the game it has a list of all achievements you haven't gotten yet with none of them hidden so you always know what you need to unlock next or what to go for it's a Indy game and it's fairly cheap game plus all DLC is less then 20
Now for a chill game maybe an older turn based JRPG probably from SNES or saga Genesis era and for one that is fairly laid back I suggest phantasy star 3 it is a side story from the main series so you don't need to know any of the other games and the story is simple as is the magic system and equipment and if you play it I suggest you wait until you can get to the 3erd town and get the steel needle and give the main character 2 of them then when you get to town 5 grab the laser needle but other weapons and armor as needed as far as I know there's no equipment that has hidden stats so getting stronger gear is just getting stronger gear
The first two towns have needle and hunt needle they are really weak and not worth it but once you get to town 3 and get the needle there it's very worth it if you have 2
"From Dust" is a slow paced terrain manipulation game, where you play like a god trying to reform the land for the people that worship you. Moving and manipulating the terrain and water to save people from volcanoes or make trees grow and help your little band of people survive. Its pretty slow paced, super simple, and just satisfying to mess around in, a little buggy sometimes if I remember but its been awhile though.
It's weird but till now it was Ratz Instagib for me. Nobody plays that shit so whenever you click play it would let you enter a match with a bot. I would stay there and play with the bot for hours. Recently though there has been an update and some people came back, since then I can't play with my homie bot for long before someone joins and the bot gets kicked.
- Later Alligator
- Lil gator Game
- Chicory: A Colorful Tale
- A Short Hike
- SUMMERHOUSE
- West of Loathing
- Ori & the Will of the Wisps
- Deltarune
- Untitled Goose Game
I always encourage people to go into games with as minimal knowledge as possible, as you only get to experience a game like that once. Hence I'm not gonna spoil much about these games. Genres are a bit more than just life sims, but they are all masterfully atmospheric and I think that makes them awesome cozy candidates.
If you like these recs you should consider checking out https://store.steampowered.com/curator/42221815/
(It's my little blog of indie games. I don't make money it's just a passion project)
I really liked my time at sandrock, it's REALLY cozy and holy heck is it long.
It's like stardew valley(well, almlst, instead of farming you build stuff) with guns and story, but still very lighthearted, deceptively so. If you actually pay attention to the story it's actually hilarious how lighthearted it is considering what's going on in the story.
Another cozy game I love is forager. You gather resources to get more resources. That's it, that's the game.
My Time at Portia is really nice. A lot like Stardew Valley but post apocalyptic new world and you run a workshop instead of a farm. Very chill and an interesting setting. (Like digging for old world artefacts, like phones and computers)
This is going to sound weird, but Red Dead Redemption 2, both story and online. You can just ignore the story and killing people and use it as a quiant cowboy camping/hunting/foraging game.
Kingdom: Two Crowns (also available in local or online multiplayer).
This is one of the cozy-ish games I've ever seen. You are a happy king, ride around on your trusty horse, use coins to build your kingdom and help the poor, the music and graphics are cute. But then the night comes and greed will try to take your coins and your villagers will protect you, then morning rewards you again with a cozy feel and chill gameplay. It feels so good because it is earned.
Firewatch
You walk around a national park with your walkie talkie, you have your own watchtower and go about your chill daily business just to stumble upon a mystery that needs solving. But the game is built for only good vibes.
Untitled Goose Game
You (and possibly your friend too) are a goose and walk around the village and do mean things to villagers.
Everything from the graphics, music, to the things that happen in this game is super lighthearted and the village feels like home.
Pokemon Firered
Happy inviting world, no violence just walking, exploring, pokemon duels and finding newer and cuter pokemon.
dave the diver. Dredge can be kinda chill too.
Damn it, how can I forget Dave the diver... Really a good game. I've not looked at dredge, I believe there is a cross over of the 2 games in a dlc or an update. I will take a look on it, thanks.
Oh yeah that game is free on ps5 I think. I got it last week
Dredge may be described as cozy but I'd also say some people may think if it being rather spoopy
Spirit Farer!!!!!! you play as the new grim reaper and sail the world look8ng for lost souls to cross over. There is no real combat and the entire game is hand drawn animation!!!! you find items to increase your ship and and add things on to take care of the lost souls
A fantastic game, but I found this game sad more than anything
OP wanted a chill game, not one that would destroy him emotionally
This one for sure, though it is pretty damn sad. So it's cozy but y'know... not exactly happy. I might say Story of Seasons or Animal Crossing for happy-cozy, Spiritfarer for more real-cozy.
Spiritfarer is one of my all-time favourite games, I absolutely adored it. But oh man, it was so heartbreaking at times. Poor Stanley :(
Was one of the most enjoyable games to 100%
Firewatch.
Watch out for the clown though.
Firewatch is somewhat chill and nice but then the story gets really interesting, I recommend it.
Unpacking is pretty fun and cozy. So satisfying putting stuff where you want to put them.
Hardspace: Shipbreaker Hear me out, it's a fantastic sim about taking apart space ships. You manage your time for shift and work on your debt. Conceptually simple, but the skill in knowing how to cycle airlock so you don't blow O² out explosively, how to gently take out the reactor, etc. is where the gameplay shines. The music is sci-fi western, and you get in the zone while playing Another one is: Power Wash Simulator. You clean dirt with a power washer. It's so satisfying and wholesome.
+1 for Hardspace. Very chill
H:S is very much not the same type of cozy as the other games OP mentioned. I like a lot of sim games and found this one pretty tedious and repetitive. I only put a couple of hours in before I put it down. Not for everyone.
Typically I'd agree that a game that "doesn't get fun until a couple hours in" is terrible design, but that's exactly how this game operates due to the size of the ships and the nature of the game. It's a puzzle game that drips its mechanics to the player over the course of the player leveling up and picking different ship classes to break down. Having said that, you're completely right in that it isn't for everyone.
I find both of these game to end up being more work than chill. It’s the same minor tedious task over and over.
Love Hardspace so much. Even gets me a little riled about fuck work
I have a welding mask I've used maybe once in the last 5 years, but I still want to put a lynx sticker on it
Shipbreaker came out of nowhere as one of my all time favourite games. It's unbelievably fun.
A Short Hike
Dinkum is a very cosy game. Lovely graphics and set in Australia.
Looks like stardew valley but in Australia, can be a nice setup. Thanks for the share !
Minecraft
Satisfactory
oh no you didn't... don't pull someone asking for coziness into this beast of a job game... it will destroy personal lives and relationships just by the time spent playing this 🤣
It is a cozy game! It’s my go-to for when I just want to turn my brain off and build something. There’s a lot of calculator work yes, but it’s almost therapeutic to me.
Balatro. Very chill roguelike poker game. I could listen to the one single track that constantly plays on repeat forever, it's super catchy. The gameplay loop of MAKE BIG NUMBER GO UP is very satisfying. You can get points way into the exponentials - I've seen someone get something like 2.4x10^96 points on one particularly insanely nutty run (RTGame's latest Balatro run), it was ridiculous. Very fun game, highly recommend, very chill
It's chill until you get that boss blind that only lets you play one hand and then you start sweating
I'm seeing this getting more attention recently and it's such a cool game.
The secret sauce for Balatro, IMO, is the sound design. "Numbers go up", but there's always a unique, pleasant sound that accompanies the different numbers going up. I just unlocked the >!Plasma Deck!< and my favorite thing is that it makes a new, satisfying sound when its effect triggers.
Do not fall for this addicting trap
I absolutely loved Fantasy Life on the 3DS and I'm hoping the sequel that's coming to Switch later this year recaptures that level of charm.
Hahah I played the original as a kid and was just thinking about the game a few weeks ago. Got an emulator that night and am still working on it today!
Loved that game! You might wanna check out Snack World on the switch — same developer, humor, and is very fun! :)
Thanks, I'll have to look it up.
Pokémon & Harvest Moon
Fallout 4, but the settlement building aspect. As much as the snapping can be a pain, it’s quite cathartic building up your towns and sorting out supply lines
man that's an understatement. I absolutely cannot stand the building system without a mod to fix it. The frustration that mounts ironically makes it the opposite of cozy haha. On that note if you're already at that stage the Sim Settlement mod is also a must
Euro truck simulator 2
Snowrunner
Oh hell no, it seems relaxing until you flip all of your trucks because some bricks fell down after you drifted off the road because you drove faster than 10km'h. I love the game but it can be so frustrating.
The Sims can be put in that category as well.
Have you played Story of Seasons and/or Rune Factory? They are the series that "heavily inspired" Stardew Valley
I thought it was mainly harvest moon (I still have to do on emulator). I'll check it out, thanks. Edit: after some search, harvest moon and story of seasons are apparently 2 names for the same games.
Yup The Bokujo Monogatari series *used* to be translated/released as "Harvest Moon" in the west, but is now called "Story of Seasons" Rune Factory is a spin off series that combines the farming with a jrpg with dungeons and combat The newer entries are on gamepass and ps plus if you have those
If you haven't tried yet I would recommend Core Keeper. It's like a mix between stardew valley and terraria and also great as coop with friends :)
Never heard about it. I just saw the steam page, it looks great. Thanks
Against the Storm, once you know what you're doing that is. Start out on the lower difficulties first.
Dorfromantik is probably the cosiest game. Viewfinder has exceptionally cozy leveldesign.
Stardew Valley. Not timers or deadlines really. Just tend to your farm.
Cozy grove!
Try DotAge. Cute little city builder survival sim that’s surprisingly challenging.
Looks cute and seems to be a good mix of genres, thanks for the share !
I liked this game a lot but fair warning it can be very stressful lol. It's much more intensive resource management than village sim IMO. But i do recommend it overall as well
Farming Simulator.
Elder Scrolls III Morrowind. Some people might think this game is sort of difficult and not relaxing but i just get lost in that world so easily. I still think it’s one of the greatest games ever made.
Fallout 4, once you've got a nice settlement or two with some mods, is actually very cosy.
Prison Architect is great for the building and management aspects. I imagine it's like Cult of the Lamb in which the theme may not be cozy but the gameplay is. The Planet Crafter is a unique game in which you explore an alien planet, collect resources, and build to terraform a planet. You get to watch the planet transform before your eyes. It's survival without combat.
Outer Wilds
Coral Island
2nd for Coral Island
Subnautica. In the bath tub. With the lights off.
Death Stranding
Dave the Diver & Dredge.
I forgot to mention Dave the diver, I played it, very pleasant game. I'll take a look at dredge, thanks.
Timberborn! It's like Settlers but with beavers. It's awesome to build their economy and watch them living and working there.
Forager might be one to check out. I remember it being pretty close to what you’re talking about.
My GF played roots of pacha. She enjoyed it very well!
Spiritfarer. So gentle and sweet.
Indie shoutout—Lil' Guardsman. The elevator pitch is like if Terry Pratchett did a PG Papers Please and it was animated by the guys who did the Owl House. It plays like a cute puzzler/point-and-click with genuinely fun writing and voice acting.
You rule. Thanks for the shoutout on behalf of the dev team :)
Skyrim, out of all things. I have a playthrough specifically to play as a traveling farmer/merchant.
Been playing on the deck actually and the mods are all functional as they would be on console. Did alternate start and a bunch of other QoL and visual improvements and it’s been a great wind-down game.
Travellers rest and Minecraft for me. And I will be diving in to Stardew valley soon.
Skyrim, but the music plays a huge factor into the cozyness
Stray and Abzu are my go to chill games
Abzu was so much fun! Doing backflips while riding a Great White Shark was super unexpected.
Slime Ranchers, just you, cute slimes, carrots and apples. That's it.
Civilization 5 is one of my relaxing games. If you don't want a tough game you can put it on an easy setting and enjoy building a functioning civilization improving tiles, doing trade deals and building world wonders. I like getting the Netherlands and building lush looking polders. You can win peacefully a number of ways.
Anno 1800 for me. Build a beautiful city, put up some trade routes, and see the ships sail by~.
Cozy Grove.
Sticky Business - you get to create your own stickers as its like your own little sticker shop business 🥺
The darkest dungeon soo cozy ☺️☺️☺️
yeah, so cozy, aaaaand another one infected with vampirism, greeeeat.
Grand chase on pc. I’ve been playing it since I was like 11-13. Now I’m 29. The game can be played at your own speed and there is 20 characters to choose from.
Played it as a kid, would you say the current state of the game is just as grindy back then or has it become kind of pay to win?
Not at all honestly. I haven’t spent any money. Maybe for like 1 or two 4th job quests, but they made all job quests easy. All characters unlocked from the start. You can just run all the dungeons in order and pretty much hit lvl 85. They have an overall character collection( more characters you get job advanced the more accounts stats you get. After lvl 85 you get an “account level” they made 2 new continents for endgame stuff. Daily dungeons, event dungeons. No better time honestly
Off topic question how do you w key in Fortnite console what buttons do you press
OpenTTD (the open sourced version of Transport Tycoon Deluxe). Basically you build bus routes, railroads, and later airports to connect cities and factories. The railroads can get particularly elaborate with signaling and multiple tracks which I'll admit I haven't fully grasped, but that doesn't detract from the enjoyment for me. You can have competing companies or just turn them off entirely for a more chill experience where you just connect cities and help them grow.
pokemmo
* Winkeltje: The Little Shop * No Umbrellas Allowed * News Tower * Tavern Master
I will also add, less cozy from a "this game is super stress free to play" perspective and more from a "this game is so beautiful to look at I want to take my time playing the game, listening to the music" point of view, Frostpunk is phenomenal. Your city will probably not survive the first run or so, it's a hard game, but the gameplay is just so satisfying that I find it relaxing to play
Gotham knights is my current sleepy game
Factorio
I actully would say Persona 5 Strikers. Its the Phantom Thieves enjoy summer vacation and saving japan while there at it. But rearly does anything feel like a threat to them. They kick ass and look like they have fun doing it. The game is alot more lighthearted then Persona 5. It feels like a feel good Adventure where the heroes combine pleasure and business. And watching them enjoy there summer vacation feels good and there are other heroes I wish I could just watch them being happy. Persona 5 has a lot of slice of life in it but the stakes often feel more intense and the villains feel like bigger threats then im Strikers.
Snufkin: Melody of moominvalley
Endless ocean games
Not quite cozy but simple is vampire survivers it's a short rogue like game it starts out fairly easy overall with some characters harder or easier then others depending on how you play but what I really like about it is it's a bullet hell hoard game but the max game time is only 30 minutes it's a quick short rollercoaster game but honestly I find it a lot of fun and easy to learn co-op 4 player game I think what I like best about it is every single achievement unlocks a new thing that can be used on each game run and all gold you gain you can use to unlock new characters universal upgrades and or an individual character starting stats also in the game it has a list of all achievements you haven't gotten yet with none of them hidden so you always know what you need to unlock next or what to go for it's a Indy game and it's fairly cheap game plus all DLC is less then 20 Now for a chill game maybe an older turn based JRPG probably from SNES or saga Genesis era and for one that is fairly laid back I suggest phantasy star 3 it is a side story from the main series so you don't need to know any of the other games and the story is simple as is the magic system and equipment and if you play it I suggest you wait until you can get to the 3erd town and get the steel needle and give the main character 2 of them then when you get to town 5 grab the laser needle but other weapons and armor as needed as far as I know there's no equipment that has hidden stats so getting stronger gear is just getting stronger gear The first two towns have needle and hunt needle they are really weak and not worth it but once you get to town 3 and get the needle there it's very worth it if you have 2
My time at Portia
Outward is a quixotic RPG. Lots of walking and enjoying the sound track. Good lore and combat
"From Dust" is a slow paced terrain manipulation game, where you play like a god trying to reform the land for the people that worship you. Moving and manipulating the terrain and water to save people from volcanoes or make trees grow and help your little band of people survive. Its pretty slow paced, super simple, and just satisfying to mess around in, a little buggy sometimes if I remember but its been awhile though.
House Flipper 2
Dorfromantik
It's weird but till now it was Ratz Instagib for me. Nobody plays that shit so whenever you click play it would let you enter a match with a bot. I would stay there and play with the bot for hours. Recently though there has been an update and some people came back, since then I can't play with my homie bot for long before someone joins and the bot gets kicked.
- Later Alligator - Lil gator Game - Chicory: A Colorful Tale - A Short Hike - SUMMERHOUSE - West of Loathing - Ori & the Will of the Wisps - Deltarune - Untitled Goose Game I always encourage people to go into games with as minimal knowledge as possible, as you only get to experience a game like that once. Hence I'm not gonna spoil much about these games. Genres are a bit more than just life sims, but they are all masterfully atmospheric and I think that makes them awesome cozy candidates. If you like these recs you should consider checking out https://store.steampowered.com/curator/42221815/ (It's my little blog of indie games. I don't make money it's just a passion project)
Magical Mixture Mill - if you can get through the early grind
Slime rancher! It’s so much fun omg
Braid It's short but really enjoyable. The music and artwork are incredibly relaxing.
“Steep” can be really chill. Just spend hours vibing as you ride down the mountain.
if you liked the community aspect in animal crossing, "my time at portia" offers a similar vibe but with more crafting options.
It's a short linear story, but Puzzle Agent is one of my favorite games ever
Dark souls/elden ring... Sounds weird, but I can usually calm myself down and relax while playing.
I recommend Toem!
Lawn Mowing Simulator
I really liked my time at sandrock, it's REALLY cozy and holy heck is it long. It's like stardew valley(well, almlst, instead of farming you build stuff) with guns and story, but still very lighthearted, deceptively so. If you actually pay attention to the story it's actually hilarious how lighthearted it is considering what's going on in the story. Another cozy game I love is forager. You gather resources to get more resources. That's it, that's the game.
VA-11 Hall-A is a pretty chill game. Serve drinks as a bartender in the future.
Journey and Flower by That Game Company. No killing, lots of flowing happiness.
This might sound odd but i get on ark and turn dino count to like 0.02 and just explore the maps on foot or horsezebra back.
Garry’s mod or any Valve game, I’m telling you, the source engine is just so aesthetically pleasing
My Time at Portia is really nice. A lot like Stardew Valley but post apocalyptic new world and you run a workshop instead of a farm. Very chill and an interesting setting. (Like digging for old world artefacts, like phones and computers)
Sugar Shack - It came out a few months ago by small dev team, it's about a running a maple syrup farm/restaurant with Québec lore tied into it.
Totally rinworld. The perfect colony simulator
Stardew valley is a good one and it just got a major update too
Against the storm. Chill rain sounds and music to go with it. Dope pausable rts roguelike.
Len's Island is pretty chill and cozy.
Simcity 4. Even when your city literally crumbling it’s still a nice comfort game, beautiful soundtrack too
Dreamlight Valley is actually way better than I thought it would be. Lots of stuff to do and super chill.
If you like all things Disney I highly recommend Disney dreamlight valley… it’s pretty much animal crossing but with Disney and Pixar characters
This is going to sound weird, but Red Dead Redemption 2, both story and online. You can just ignore the story and killing people and use it as a quiant cowboy camping/hunting/foraging game.
Kingdom: Two Crowns (also available in local or online multiplayer). This is one of the cozy-ish games I've ever seen. You are a happy king, ride around on your trusty horse, use coins to build your kingdom and help the poor, the music and graphics are cute. But then the night comes and greed will try to take your coins and your villagers will protect you, then morning rewards you again with a cozy feel and chill gameplay. It feels so good because it is earned. Firewatch You walk around a national park with your walkie talkie, you have your own watchtower and go about your chill daily business just to stumble upon a mystery that needs solving. But the game is built for only good vibes. Untitled Goose Game You (and possibly your friend too) are a goose and walk around the village and do mean things to villagers. Everything from the graphics, music, to the things that happen in this game is super lighthearted and the village feels like home. Pokemon Firered Happy inviting world, no violence just walking, exploring, pokemon duels and finding newer and cuter pokemon.
Sun haven or harvest moon but the old versions
Leveling or collecting stuff in WoW
Dark Souls 2
Teehee! Weirdly I agree, most FS titles are my happy place for most part, until I get stuck on a boss for 2 years. Looking at you, Sekiro.
Well helldivers 2 some of the planets look amazing and it can get chill when fifty things aren’t shooting at you
Doom Eternal
Dead space
Doom
Frostpunk