Cosy games for when you want to do nothing

Not every evening calls for a challenge. Some nights I just want to drag boats around a harbour and watch a tiny town grow, which is exactly what Tiny Harbor gives me. No timers, no fail state, no pressure.

Cosy games get a bad rap as 'not real games', which misses the point entirely. The craft is in making something that holds your attention purely through pleasant feedback loops. Arranging a town so it looks right scratches an itch that explosions never will.

The good ones still have depth if you want it. Tiny Harbor's trade routes and expansion planning reward attention, but you can ignore all of it and just potter about. That flexibility is the whole appeal.

Keep one of these on your phone for the days the world is too loud. They save instantly, ask nothing of you, and are always there when you need a quiet twenty minutes.