Best cosy games this autumn: 9 low-stakes picks for dark evenings

There’s a particular kind of evening that arrives every autumn (or, for our southern-hemisphere readers, whenever the weather turns). The heating clicks on, the rain does that sideways thing against the window, and the idea of a game that wants you to parry, sprint or die forty times feels like far too much. That’s when you reach for something cosy: a game where the stakes are a slightly burnt loaf or a turnip that didn’t quite make it.

This list mixes brand-new autumn releases with a couple of evergreen comfort picks. Dates are worldwide unless we name a region, and every date and platform below was checked against the publisher or the store page – but release dates do wander, so double-check before you pre-load.

New this autumn

1. The Witch’s Bakery – out 14 October

Platforms: Switch, Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC

A cosy adventure RPG built around running a magical bakery, with Paris providing the backdrop. It’s the purest “put the kettle on” pick of the month: bake, chat, potter about, repeat. Physical Switch editions follow a couple of days after the digital launch, so if you like a box on the shelf, there’s an option.

2. Harvest Moon: Echoes of Teradea – out 15 October (NA; Europe 15–16 October)

Platforms: Switch 2, Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC

The long-running farming series is back with crops and village life at its heart – but this one adds exploration and some mysterious goings-on beyond your fields. If you like your farming sims with a little “what’s in that cave?” energy, it’s worth a look. It’s also the most widely available game on this list, so whatever you play on, you’re covered. In Europe, physical Switch copies arrive on 16 October.

3. Cozy Builder – out 14 October

Platform: PC (Steam)

A casual sandbox builder set in a vineyard valley: design homes, tend the land, make wine and generally make a pretty place prettier. It supports co-op, so it’s a good pick if you and a friend want to build something together without anybody getting stressed about efficiency.

4. Tukoni: Forest Keepers – out now (released 17 August)

Platform: PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG)

A hand-drawn puzzle adventure about helping the creatures of a forest get ready for winter. It’s gentle, gorgeous and very on-theme for the season – the sort of game you play with a blanket over your knees.

5. Huglings – out now (released 17 September)

Platform: PC (Steam)

A village-restoration adventure for one to four players with farming, crafting, fishing and home decorating. If you want a low-pressure project to share with friends over the winter, this is a strong candidate – we’ve also put it in our co-op games for winter nights list.

6. Rekindled: Cozy Tavern Life – due 24 November

Platform: PC (Steam)

Forage, farm and cook to keep a tavern running, solo or in co-op, without timers breathing down your neck. One to wishlist now for the run-up to Christmas. (A few tracking sites list an earlier date; the Steam store page says 24 November, so that’s the date we’re going with.)

Cosy-adjacent: worth knowing about

7. Planet Zoo 2 – out 13 October

Platform: PC

Not cosy in the “nap with a cat” sense – there’s plenty of management to do – but if your idea of relaxing is designing the perfect habitat and watching happy animals wander about, Frontier’s sequel lands this week.

The evergreens

8. Stardew Valley

The comfort game. If you’ve somehow never played it, autumn is the perfect season to start: the in-game calendar has its own autumn with its own crops, and it’s available on PC, consoles and mobile. Multiplayer means you can drag a friend into your farm, too.

9. A Short Hike

A short, sweet exploration game about climbing a mountain on a little island. It’s the kind of thing you can finish in an evening or two, which makes it perfect for a Sunday when you want to feel like you’ve “completed” something without committing to a 60-hour farming career.

How we picked

Cosy is a vibe, not a genre, so here’s the test we used: can you put the pad down mid-task without anything bad happening? Can you play it with half your attention on a podcast? Does it make you feel a bit better at the end of a session? Everything above passes all three.

Make the corner match the games

If you’re settling in for an autumn of cosy gaming, your setup matters more than you’d think – a warm lamp and a comfy seat do half the work. We’ve put together a guide to building a cosy gaming corner with links to tried-and-tested buying guides.

And if you play best with a mug in hand and a friend on the sofa, the Jackbox Party Pack 12 arrives on 15 October – not cosy exactly, but very good for a living room full of people who don’t normally game.