Cosy Games For When You Just Want To Wind Down

There's a whole category of mobile games designed to lower your heart rate rather than raise it, and I've come to love them. No timers, no fail states screaming at you, just gentle exploration and nice sounds.

Lantern Hollow is my current go-to. It's a hand-drawn adventure with fair puzzles and a soundtrack that basically functions as a lullaby. I play it with the brightness turned down and the world just kind of unfolds.

The trick with cosy games is not to treat them like something to finish. Wander. Poke at things. The reward is the mood, not a completion percentage.

If your evenings look like mine — too much screen time, not enough calm — a good cosy game is a better wind-down than doomscrolling. Low bar, I know, but it's true.