How cozy games saved my evenings

After a stretch of playing competitive stuff that left me more wound up than relaxed, I switched to cozy games almost by accident. Tiny Harvest Town was the gateway.

There's something restorative about a game with no fail state and no timer breathing down your neck. You water crops, you tidy your town, you talk to a neighbour, and that's the whole loop. It sounds dull written down and it absolutely is not.

I think the trick is that cozy games give you small, guaranteed wins. Every session ends with something a little better than when you started. That's a rare feeling in games and a rarer one in life.

If you're feeling burnt out on gaming in general, this is the genre I'd point you toward. Low stakes, gentle progress, and you can put it down without guilt.