Heidi Kemps (she/her)
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“Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but inside it’s so delightful…” As much as these words are commonly associated with winter snowstorms, inclement weather and the general harshness of the great outdoors are year-long concerns. Be you gripped in the icy embrace of winter or hit with the heat of a summer’s sun, there’s one tried and true method to keep warm or stay cool, and that’s settling in at home with video games by yourself or with friends. And when things outdoors are getting nasty, it’s the comfy games that hit that sweet spot the strongest. Whether you’re curled up on the sofa or bed, with DualSense controller or PlayStation Portal in hand, here’s some suggestions of games to boot up when you need some soothing experiences to battle the dreariness of the outside.
Stardew Valley
The benchmark for farming and life-sim style games, Stardew Valley is an indie megahit that’s won over the hearts and minds of millions of players across the globe. You’ve inherited a small plot in Pelican Town, part of the titular Stardew Valley, and you’re on a personal quest to turn this scrap of land into a fancy farm. Build, harvest, explore, gather, craft, and maybe even strike up a little bit of romance with your neighbors–it’s a great way to feel the fun and invigoration of a warm spring day any time of the year.
Tchia
Many of us long for a tropical getaway during a sub-zero day in the dead of winter. Tchia whisks players away to a beautiful island archipelago inspired by the real-life territory of New Caledonia. Young protagonist Tchia must search for her kidnapped father. She’s a very athletic young lady, and an expert at rafting, gliding, and the ukulele, but her real gift is using a very special ability: Soul Jumping. By Soul Jumping into objects and creatures, she can control them and use their unique abilities in a myriad of ways and fully explore these beautiful but dangerous lands.
Season: A Letter to the Future
The impending end of the world might sound like the exact opposite of a calm and cozy experience, but Season offers a very different approach. In this atmospheric, emotionally charged third-person exploration/adventure game, you’ll hop on your bike and set out to do everything you can to preserve the lives, traditions, words, and memories of those soon fated to fade into history. Using notebooks, cameras, and recorders to capture the details of a culture’s daily existence, you’ll strive to preserve a memory of life as it was for those in the future. It’s a perfect game to play when you’re lying in bed, longing for the warm melancholy of autumn’s beginning.
Venba
Our memories of seasons, cultures, and family are inextricably intertwined with food. Venba explores these complex feelings through the eyes of an East Indian family uprooting everything and moving to Canada during the 1980s. As cultural ideas and expectations clash around mother Venba and her young son Kevin, the narrative advances through mother/son cooking sessions that require piecing together recipes through cookbook clues and Venba’s memories. It’s the perfect game to pop on the PlayStation Portal after you’ve spent the day prepping a nice hot meal.
LEGO Builder’s Journey
Too cold and windy to make a snowman? Too hot to hit the beach and build a sandcastle? Calm your need to construct with a charming puzzle-solving and free-building escape to a serene LEGO world. In LEGO Builder’s Journey, you can solve a series of three-dimensional puzzles with the careful clack and oh-so-satisfying snap of Lego pieces. Or, if you want to build your own structures, you can go into Creative Mode and lay bricks to your heart’s content – all without fear of losing those tiny bits in the carpet.
Disney Dreamlight Valley
The Disney name is synonymous with comfy, happy entertainment–the pinnacle of good-feels. Wouldn’t it be nice to live with all of your favorite Disney personalities? Dreamlight Valley lets you create your own cartoon avatar and travel to that wonderful place. Make friends, craft, cook, build, and customize to your heart’s content, all while working to stop the encroachment of the Night Thorns. Best of all, this trip to a Disney-themed fantasy world will never get derailed due to bad weather.
Nour: Play With Your Food
Contrary to popular belief (or what your parents told you), delicious-looking food is not made specifically to go straight into your mouth. Nour: Play With Your Food lets you do all of the crazy food hijinks you’ve always dreamed of with a variety of physics-based vignettes. Smoosh all the sushi, toss all the toast around, even zap chunks of meat with a size-changing raygun: supreme silliness is your only goal, and you won’t have a mess to clean up later. Perfect for those days when you really wish you could go out to grab a bite.
Cult of the Lamb
Become the most charismatic cult leader in a world filled with both cute animals and sinister god-figures. Cult of the Lamb sees you command your adorable, fluffy avatar to amass followers through multiple means of indoctrination, conquering all who oppose you with words and power. Control your cult as you relax by the fireplace or soak in the tub–it’s what a leader like you deserves.
Got a favorite game to curl up with on your PlayStation Portal? Share it in the comments, and while you’re at it, check out even more cozy classics here.