9 Iconic Games That Give You Something Cozy On The Side

None of us are strangers to getting frustrated or even throw-your-controller angry at certain moments and challenges in our favorite games. There are entire games devoted to being hard, and it blurs the line between what's considered "play" at times. If you're busy clenching your teeth and feeling bad because you've died to this enemy, like, 50 times by now, are you really "playing" a game anymore? If you enjoy that sort of thing, power to you, but you've probably not had fun with getting punished by a game before in your own way, too.

Luckily, there are also games to turn to when you're tired of getting your butt kicked. Cozy games are perfect for unwinding and letting stress become like water off a duck's back. Some games have seen this and managed to introduce modes to their gameplay loops that serve as a great escape when you might need a breather. A lot of these just so happen to be some of the games you already know, too.

9 Bomberman 64: The Second Attack

You Wish Your Video Game Sidekick Was as Great as Pommy

Bomberman might not be as prominent as other video game mascots today, but he's still fairly iconic to a lot of us. Bomberman explored a lot of different avenues and genres of gameplay back in the day, like branching out into JRPG territory on the Game Boy. One of the more interesting things Bomberman tried was giving you a little back-up in Bomberman 64: The Second Attack. In this game, you had a little friend named Pommy you could raise to fight in battle with you.

Now, raising Pommy wasn't exactly something "on the side." He was kind of required, but it was up to you to raise him. You could ignore him entirely, but he'd be an incredible asset if you took the time to bond with him. You could collect special food to feed him that would make him evolve. Different evolution types had differing stats and powers, giving you both an edge against enemies. This mechanic really helped reinforce your teamwork together, and he was just so stinking cute that he gave the game a whole different vibe. I'm giving bonus points because you could have a friend play as Pommy through a second controller, too. Pommy was just a great addition all around.

8 NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams

My Dream Delight

NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams had a mode built-in that better suits being cozy on the side than Bomberman's Pommy did. It offered a place where you could raise Nightopians and Nightmarens yourself called "My Dream."

The My Dream feature was hardly the biggest draw for a lot of players. A lot of them were just happy to see NiGHTS get a new game after so long. Still, My Dream had a lot of detail that went into it that no one really talks about. It synced with the Wii Forecast Channel to have weather that matched your real-time environment, and it would use the clock to reflect holidays like Christmas and the Lunar New Year.

For me, when flying through the usual levels as NiGHTS became a bit frustrating, I'd usually hop into My Dream to relax and watch the little Nightopians I had bounce around for a bit. It definitely served as a nice little reprieve from the typical gameplay. Plenty of Sega games have a way of understanding when a little something like this is needed. You'll see what I mean in a bit.

7 The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Take a Break at Hena's Fishing Hole

The Legend of Zelda games have really been making problem-solving elements key to its adventuring for decades now. There's a lot to do, see, and plenty of puzzles to solve. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is no different. It's not uncommon to say "aha!" or "D'oh!" whenever you figure something out, be it as Link or Wolf Link. Link's adventures tend to deal with deeper and bigger themes, but Twilight Princess is definitely one of the darker entries.

Luckily, there's a small place that you can go to in Twilight Princess to relax against pretty much everything else in the game. The Fishing Hole is popular for letting you, well, fish. You can play the Rollgoal mini-game here, too, though. Fishing doesn't do anything major towards progression, so being able to cast your line in this game is for fun and a bit of ease over anything else. It's definitely a welcome addition and something to look forward to in between the more tense and revealing sections.

6 Final Fantasy XIV

Chill out With the Disciples of the Land

Final Fantasy XIV Online is a massively massive game. It's probably going to go down in history as one of the largest games of all time.

When you're not adventuring and going through the story solo or with friends, you can gamble at the Golden Saucer, customize your own home if you're lucky enough to get one, or even make yourself a living cooking or fishing. You know. Like everyday life.

Yep. Final Fantasy XIV has an entire set of classes dedicated to the usual "take a break" features of JRPGs. You can become a miner, fisher, and a botanist if you'd like to.

Of course, the higher you level these classes up, the more stressful things get. I'll never forget when I said I wanted to be a fisher and my best friend proceeded to scream about how the higher-level stuff has been making her want to tear her hair out. But when you're in-between Savage raids and just want to relax in Eorzea, these classes have you covered if you don't worry about progression.

5 Genshin Impact

Have Some Serenity in Your Serenitea Pot!

On the topic of massive games, Genshin Impact is one that's managed to surprise and impress with what it offers, controversial gacha mechanics aside. It might encourage players to spend real money on its many characters and weapons, but it also invites you to adventure through a vast world of incredible locations at hardly any cost at all if you go in aiming to be free-to-play.

If you enjoy relaxation with your exploration, Genshin Impact has a special item that literally lets you customize and retreat to your own little pocket comfort zone with the Serenitea Pot. In it, you can place furniture, farm for important items, and earn rewards that are helpful the entire way through. As helpful as it is, it's also completely optional. Very handy if you choose to use it, though!

4 Sonic Frontiers

Big's Fishing Portal is the Coziest Fishing Around, Guaranteed

While exploring the ruins of the Starfall Islands in Sonic Frontiers, you'll eventually stumble onto a purple Cyberspace portal. Don't worry, it's perfectly safe! Stepping inside will bring you to a fishing pond and Big the Cat. He offers Sonic his fishing rod, and Sonic sees it as a chance to let go of the tension in his body while trying to save his friends and dealing with the dangerous Cyber Corruption.

Sonic Frontiers' fishing is probably some of the easiest fishing I've ever played, but that's not a bad thing at all. It really does help you relax after keeping on your toes with the island's guardians and Titan boss battles. You can earn tokens through fishing to get progression items and secret audio logs from Dr. Eggman that reveals his side of the story.

It's very handy as the items you need to progress increase as you go, and it's nice to have a way to stockpile them easily by just fishing away, even much later into the game.

3 Pokémon Sword and Shield

Nothing Beats Camping With Your Pokémon

The Pokémon series hardly shies away from giving you some time to bond with your creatures at a calming pace. From Pokémon-Amie in Pokémon X and Y to Pokémon Pokopia being a literal cozy game on its own, the franchise has honed in on its themes of friendship and coexistence as best it can for a long time.

Out of all the times you can take a break and spend time with your party of pocket monsters, Pokémon Sword and Shield allows you to literally camp with your Pokémon. Camping in the Galar region is one of my favorite Pokémon features to this day.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet doesn't match how nice it feels to have your team up close and personal with you in Sword and Shield. You can take out toys, play with them one-on-one, and watch them interact and bond with each other. It all felt so cozy and special that it's a crying shame it's never come back to the games in the same way.

2 Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth

Make Your Own Paradise on Dondoko Island

As part of Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth and its fun decision to have you unlock something every chapter, chapter 6 gives you the incredibly huge undertaking of handling Dondoko Island. You're meant to turn this run-down locale into a five-star resort, and you do this by playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons as Ichiban. I mean it. Seriously, you might as well be.

You increase the value and star rating of Dondoko Island by placing buildings and structures. You even have to build some through DIY. You can also increase the rating by foraging, bug catching, and fishing. As funny as running around playing Animal Crossing as Ichiban is as a concept, if you don't rush through it, it can be very relaxing and rewarding. If you want to take a break from the main game, you've got a great place to take a vacay at all times.

1 Sonic Adventure 2

You Can't Get Any More Iconic Than the Chao Gardens

So I've already mentioned three Sega games, including one Sonic one, already on this list. Why am I mentioning one more? Because the Sonic Adventure duology featured an extra gear to its gameplay loop that still has a vice grip on many players today, myself included. This is none other than the Chao Gardens, the perfect place to raise cute little creatures in-between action-packed adventures.

There are a lot of fans, like me, that'd love to see these features come back in future Sonic games. It seems Sonic Team's pretty allergic to the idea, though, and I don't see Chao returning to the series anytime soon.

In place of the Chao Gardens, many games have tried to include something remotely similar, mostly indie games. To me, none of the ones out right now have managed to feel the same as the Gardens felt at their peak. (Which, in my opinion, was in Sonic Adventure 2.) Maybe someday we'll get the Chao Gardens back, or have a game that hits the mark perfectly. For now, though, getting to raise Chao is the best excuse I have to keep replaying the Sonic Adventure games, not that I needed much of one.