It is traditional for any feature about cosy entertainment at this time of year to mention the nights drawing in, roaring open fires and the desire to curl up in an armchair with something nonthreatening. Well, as familiarity is an important element of cosiness, I’m not going to divert from convention. Here then, are 10 new games you’ll be able to settle into the sofa with as the evenings darken and the heating goes on …
Strange Antiquities (PC)
A follow-up to the charming retail puzzle game Strange Horticulture, this one has you filling in as a temporary sales assistant at a store filled with strange artefacts, totems and potions. Customers come in with specific problems and you need to consult your encyclopedias and examine your eerie stock to find the right occult object for them. This is intriguing enough, but all the while you are also drawn into a wider mystery that will envelop and entertain you through many raining evenings.
Two Point Museum (PC, PS5, Xbox)
The Two Point series of business management sims has already put us in charge of a hospital and a university – now we’re taking control of a museum, discovering artefacts and displaying them in an enticing way to attract visitors. Although there are plenty of silly jokes and features, this is a deep, challenging game, that rewards many hours of fireside tinkering.
Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar (PC, Switch)
The latest in a long and much-loved series of cosy farm sims, Grand Bazaar has you moving to a small rural town in order to set up a farm, grow vegetables, rear animals and then sell your wares at the local market. With its soft visuals, unhurried pace and cast of endearing characters, it’s like starring in your own gentle Sunday evening TV drama.
Wanderstop (PC, PS5, Xbox)
Created by that master of humorous postmodern game design Davey Wreden (The Stanley Parable and The Beginner’s Guide), Wanderstop follows a battle-scarred warrior who packs it all in to run a tea shop. You make drinks, sweep up, tend to the garden and slowly start to feel better about yourself and the world. A colourful and meaningful treat.
Tiny Bookshop (PC, Switch)
In the world of cosy lit, the idea of a character running away from it all and starting a bookshop in some remote village has become a popular theme. Well, now you can have a go. Drive your little mobile store around the seaside hamlet of Bookstonbury, meet the local people and work out which novels they’d like. Charming and involving, it’s the perfect snuggle-up game for keen readers.
Date Everything! (PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox)
Gifted a pair of hi-tech glasses that transform certain household objects into attractive anthropomorphised versions of themselves, you wander your simple suburban home looking for things to date. Talk to telephones, dally with detergents and seduce staircases, all through a funny dialogue system. Look, it’s no more ridiculous than Love Island.
The Roottrees Are Dead (PC)
The Roottree dynasty, owners of a vast confectionary empire, has ended in a terrible plane crash and now you must find possible beneficiaries of the estate. Using an in-game laptop, you research photos, newspaper clippings and documents, cross-referencing and combining evidence to uncover lost relations and build a complete family tree. It’s a fascinating endeavour and the remastered edition, released last January, adds an extra mystery to solve.
Is This Seat Taken? (PC, Switch)
A cute and clever puzzle game where you need to match groups of people depending on their individual preferences and pet hates. Whether it’s a crowded bus, a cinema or a wedding reception you have to make sure you put the right people next to each other or they’ll cause a scene. Not only is this a fun diversion, it may also be useful practice if you’re planning any seasonal dinner parties.
Flowers and Favours (PC, coming soon to Switch)
Yes, it’s another cute shopkeeping sim, this time set in a florists, where you put together arrangements for a range of friendly customers. I’ll admit, I only played this because I’d just read Sarah Maria Griffin’s brilliant cannibal plant novel Eat the Ones You Love, but I adored the detailed graphic design of the flowers, which elevates an already sweet and charming bouquet-’em-up.
Mina the Hollower (PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox)
This is a cheat as it’s not out until 31 October, but as the latest retro project from Yacht Club Games, creator of adored platformer Shovel Knight, it had to go in. You play as the eponymous whip-lashing inventor, who must lift a curse from a remote island. Designed to resemble a classic Game Boy Color game, it looks like the perfect nostalgic escape.