Get Cozy for Winter With These Xbox Games

As the holidays roll around, many folks look forward to a little downtime, and for gamers, it’s the perfect chance to sink into some amazing video games. This time of year pairs perfectly with cozy games that offer relaxation without the high stakes of more intense titles. These games are not only soothing but clever and creative in their own right.

When the chill sets in and you find yourself deciding between diving into your neglected backlog or browsing the Xbox marketplace for a fresh experience, we’ve compiled a selection of thoroughly enjoyable games that fit the season’s mood. Sorted by category, these games will match your current state of mind. So grab your favorite oversized mug, settle in with a comfy blanket, and let’s explore together.

Fun on the Farm

Farming simulations are the essence of cozy gaming, providing us with serene environments to cultivate crops, make friends, and go on exciting adventures. Whatever you’re in the mood for, whether it’s a laid-back atmosphere or a slight challenge, these games have it covered.

Stardew Valley

Available on Cloud, Console, and PC

In Stardew Valley, you’ll transform your inherited grandfather’s dilapidated farm into a thriving home. As you progress, you can enhance your farming and fishing skills, unlock useful items, cook delicious recipes, and even develop close connections with the townsfolk. With recently added content in the 1.6 update, it’s a great time to explore or re-explore everything Stardew Valley has to offer, alone or with up to eight friends in co-op mode.

Lightyear Frontier

Available on Cloud, Console, and PC

For those dreaming of farming on a celestial scale, Lightyear Frontier offers an open-world adventure letting you build the perfect interstellar farm with the help of a customizable mech. Explore a captivating new world, unearth its secrets, and contribute positively to the local ecosystem. It’s the ideal choice for fans of farming and mechs, with multiplayer options for up to three friends.

Coral Island

Available on Cloud, Console, and PC

Coral Island takes a tropical approach to the farming sim genre. Create a paradise, cultivate crops, care for animals, and immerse yourself in a vibrant community of over 70 characters. Dive into a world teeming with activities like fishing, insect hunting, and exploring the coral reefs. Coral Island is all about life’s simple pleasures.

Comfortable Puzzles

Should farming not appeal, perhaps indulging in these delightful puzzle games will do the trick. No brain-twisters here, just serene exploration and mild challenges wrapped in delightful art styles.

Botany Manor

Available on Cloud, Console, and PC

Botany Manor puts you in Arabella Greene’s shoes, a retired botanist restoring her manor’s gardens. While exploring, solve plant-centric puzzles and delve into Arabella’s backstory, unlocking more of her estate.

A Little To The Left

Available on Cloud, Console, and PC

Get ready for a relaxing time with A Little To The Left, a puzzle game making organizing a joy. Rearrange household items in over 100 scenarios, perfect for anyone who takes satisfaction in a neat and orderly space.

Strange Horticulture

Available on Cloud and Console

In Strange Horticulture, you’re the owner of a plant shop in a town shrouded in mystery. Balancing serene with sinister, your growing botanical knowledge influences the game’s narrative, unraveling the secrets of Undermere.

Light-hearted Adventures

For those who want more interaction than a puzzle can offer but not the stress of combat, these adventures offer exploration, light quests, and action to keep engaged. Explore a sprawling island city or test your climbing skills in these easygoing journeys.

Lil Gator Game

Available on Cloud, Console, and PC

As a charming little gator, discover an island brimming with quests, new friends, and secrets in every nook. This low-pressure platformer delivers an adorable adventure at your pace.

Dungeons of Hinterberg

Available on Cloud, Console, and PC

Dungeons of Hinterberg blends thrilling exploration with social interaction. As Luisa, you navigate through dangerous yet intriguing dungeons and engage with locals in a charming alpine town, enjoying the freedom to choose your daily activities.

Little Kitty, Big City

Available on Cloud, Console, and PC

In Little Kitty, Big City, you step into the paws of an inquisitive feline navigating through an urban environment. Make friends, undertake quests, and unleash a bit of kitty chaos wherever you roam.

Spiritfarer

Available on Cloud, Console, and PC

Spiritfarer combines cozy management with a poignant narrative. As Stella, guide spirits to the afterlife, farm, cook, mine, and revel in the friendships you build. Plus, you can bring a friend along as Daffodil the cat!

Jusant

Available on Cloud, Console, and PC

Jusant is a serene climbing adventure focused on the journey, not the destination. With a variety of paths, peaceful biomes, and no pressure of falling, it brings an atmospheric climb full of tranquility and discovery.

A Short Hike

Available on Cloud, Console, and PC

Wander through the serene mountains of Hawk Peak in A Short Hike. Here, a little bird embarks on a peaceful expedition full of charming interactions and hidden wonders on the trail to the top.

Disney Dreamlight Valley

Available on Cloud, Console, and PC

Bring your Disney dreams to life in Dreamlight Valley. Combine life simulation with fantasy adventure, interacting with beloved characters and restoring this magical locale back to its enchanting self.

Cozy Narrative Delights

For those who love a good plot, narratives that pair cozy gameplay with compelling storylines await. Embark on journeys filled with whimsical tales and rich character interactions.

Chicory: A Colorful Tale

Available on Cloud, Console, and PC

Explore Chicory’s world, wielding a magic paintbrush to bring color back to the land. Solve puzzles, assist vibrant characters, and unravel the layers of this touching mystery.

Toem

Available on Cloud, Console, and PC

Armed with your camera, journey through Toem’s charming, hand-drawn world. Unearth secrets, meet quirky folks, and capture the whimsical world in all its splendor.

Harold Halibut

Available on Cloud, Console, and PC

Dive into the retro-futuristic charm of Harold Halibut, where you engage with bizarre life forms and uncover humanity’s story through a narrative-driven underwater experience.

Satisfying Cleanups

Enjoy the fulfillment of cleaning without leaving your couch. These titles offer vibrant virtual worlds where you’ll tidy, arrange, and design, leaving your chores behind in favor of digital decluttering.

PowerWash Simulator

Available on Cloud, Console, and PC

Blast away dirt and grime in PowerWash Simulator, uncovering hidden gems in every corner you clean. From vans to subways, enjoy the progression of levels and equipment, and dive into Muckingham’s quirky story.

House Flipper

Available on Cloud, Console, and PC

Transform rundown houses into dream homes with House Flipper. Renovate, decorate, and tackle various contracts to perfect your interior design skills.

Unpacking

Available on Cloud, Console, and PC

Follow an unseen protagonist’s life through Unpacking’s charming narrative. As you organize personal items through various homes, uncover stories and piece together a life one room at a time.

Nostalgic Cozy Favorites

Reconnect with childhood memories this holiday season with games that rekindle the magic of the past through revamped classics of the ’90s, perfect for reminiscing solo or introducing to a new generation.

Spyro: Reignited Trilogy

Available on Cloud, Console, and PC

In this remastered trilogy, return to the Dragon Realms, aiding Spyro in freeing dragons and reclaiming lost treasures in beautifully reimagined renditions of these classic games.

Crash Bandicoot: N’Sane Trilogy

Available on Cloud, Console, and PC

Revisit the iconic jumps and spins of Crash Bandicoot across three remastered adventures. With updated graphics, these classic tales come to life anew, beckoning both longtime fans and newcomers.

Return to Monkey Island

Available on Cloud, Console, and PC

Sail back with Guybrush Threepwood in the latest Monkey Island adventure. Revitalizing the point-and-click genre, it combines all the elements fans cherished in the original series with fresh twists for both fans and newcomers in a comedic high-seas journey.