Cozy Games for Those Who Love Starsand Island

Cozy gamers have had a fantastic past few years with dozens of incredible farming sims and cozy titles having been released since 2023. Starsand Island hits the spot in many ways thanks to its relaxing atmosphere and sheer variety of things to do.

One of the things I look for when I play a cozy game is that feeling of warmth and comfort that seems to be inherent to good cozy games. I've played a lot of Starsand Island, and it feels just as warm dozens of hours in as it did when I created my character and met Solara.

Starsand Island is a game that says "welcome home" in many ways that feel genuine, a characteristic that can be difficult to chase in other games, but they are out there. With so much potential in this genre, this list is diverse and offers something for everyone.

10 Stardew Valley

A Timeless Trendsetter

Stardew Valley is largely considered the gold standard of cozy gaming and established many of the staples of the genre. You inherit a farm from your grandfather, and become Pelican Town's newest resident. What you do with that farm is up to you.

Stardew Valley also has a hopeful storyline and a charming atmosphere, but it really thrives as a game that lets you do anything. You can lean into Stardew Valley's intended purpose as a relaxing game, or do a 180 and turn your farm into a money-making machine. It's this freedom alongside its regular updates and support that has kept Stardew Valley so popular 10 years after its release.

9 Wanderstop

Make Tea and Friends

I love stories that really consider their characters, and Wanderstop does this beautifully. Wanderstop is a cozy game about brewing tea that comes with a wholesome message about healing. You take on the role of a soldier, Alta, who is forced to abandon her old life, and finds herself working in a tea house as an assistant. Alta is plagued by PTSD, and this plays a part in the game as you progress.

Creating tea is done through an intricate brewing mechanism, but also involves growing the ingredients and selecting them to make personalized brews that cater to the requests of your guests. This process is healing for Alta, but I also found it to be both relaxing and meditative, and I appreciated that Wanderstop didn't shy away from some harder topics. It's heartwarming in many ways and one of those games that quietly makes its impact felt over time.

8 Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Design and Customize Your Island

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a classic in the cozy game genre for a good reason, and there's a lot of wholesome stuff to do here. An entire island is yours to customize in any way you want, and what the community have done with their islands is truly remarkable.

Animal Crossing stands out as a game that's intended to have one forever save, which is encouraged in several ways. You only get one save file per Switch, and everything is synced to real-world time. Rather than playing for six hours in one session, Animal Crossing is designed to be played in short bursts every day. This may seem frustrating, but it encourages long-term and progressive gameplay conducive to the genre, and I find it great, especially for days when I need a break but can't spend hours playing a game.

7 My Time at Sandrock

A Farming Sim Set in a Desert

Set in a world 300 years past an apocalyptic event, My Time at Sandrock has all the cozy game elements expected but has some interesting twists that make it stand apart. Its desert setting means that resources need to be rationed — water needs to be used sparingly, and you can't cut down trees — which forces you to approach farming and building in different ways.

I really enjoyed how this changed how I approached my farm and crafting. Resources can become scarce in cozy games, but this was a more deliberate mechanic. I had to be careful of natural hazards like sand storms, and regularly maintain my machines so that they wouldn't get clogged with sand.

6 Disney Dreamlight Valley

Disney's Take on a Cozy Game

Not to date myself, but I grew up during the Disney Renaissance of the 1990s and am a massive fan of those movies and classic Disney. Taking those characters and putting them into a cozy game is pretty much my dream come true, especially as visiting places like Disneyland is off the table for me. Disney Dreamlight Valley isekai's you to Dreamlight Valley, a magical realm where all the NPCs are your favorite Disney characters, and are tasked with saving the Valley and those who live in it.

Disney Dreamlight Valley hits hard with nostalgia, and it's hard to understate how effective it is. You can explore the world and farm while dressed in the most beautiful Disney princess ballgowns, but normal options are also available. Sometimes you just want to feel like a princess and hang out with some of the most iconic characters of all time.

5 Hello Kitty Island Adventure

Restore an Amusement Park with Sanrio

Hello Kitty is a juggernaught in her native Japan for good reason: she's unbearably cute. Hello Kitty Island Adventure takes this concept and runs with it, and is definitely the cutest game I have played in a long time. I had a ton of fun with the character customization options that let you create your very own Sanrio character.

There are hundreds of hours of content here. The main quest alone takes several dozen hours to finish, and that doesn't include the time you'll spend gathering resources, customizing your home, and exploring. I enjoyed the different biomes, particularly snorkelling in the Rainbow Reef and Spooky Swamp.

There's also a big emphasis on building relationships with the Sanrio characters, and quests are locked behind friendship levels. This is not a chore for those who love this world and its characters, however, and will be ideal for those who enjoy building relationships in Starsand Island.

4 Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma

An RPG with Cozy Game Mechanics

What is an action RPG doing on this list? Hear me out. Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma may seem to be as far from the cozy genre as possible, but it actually has a lot of the features players look for in cozy games. Yes, it includes a lot more combat than the other entries on this list, but the combat is easy to pick up and gives you more than just a dungeon crawl in the mines, which is the extent of combat in most cozy games.

I actually spent most of my time in Guardians of Azuma collecting resources and farming crops. These mechanics are linked to the restoration of villages, which makes them more rewarding than usual. This game is gorgeous, and made even better by the four seasons that track time passing and change what you can grow. My favorite part of Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma, though, was the story. Because it's an RPG, the story is sprawling and immersive, making it one of my favorite cozy games.

3 Fields of Mistria

Bringing Back the Magic of Cozy Games

Fields of Mistria is a pixel-art farming sim, but its art style and NPCs make it something special. I've spent four hundred hours in it because of its addictive gameplay loop, decorating, and romancing every single available NPC, which includes a dragon. The art style is adorable and is such a great homage to 1990s shoujo anime that it feels nostalgic but also like something new. Fields of Mistria has a great magic system that offers just enough support when needed but not too much that it feels like cheating.

One of my favorite parts of Fields of Mistria is how Mistria's residents interact with each other, which goes a long way in making Mistria feel alive. Friday Nights at the Inn are a highlight, and the festivals that have been added so far have been great, with my personal favorite being the gorgeous Shooting Star festival at the end of Summer.

2 Palia

A Cozy MMO

Palia is the only MMO on this list, but this format works surprisingly well for a cozy game. As an MMO, it has some great quality of life additions, such as fast travel, showing NPC locations on the map, and limited-time events, but the nature of being online also makes it more dynamic.

While some of the other cozy games on this list have fantasy elements, Palia doesn't shy away from the genre. As a big fan of fantasy, I really liked this, and it gives the world a very distinct identity. Creating your own space for yourself in this world with your friends goes a long way, and Palia being free-to-play makes it very accessible for friend groups.

1 Coral Island

A 3D Stardew Valley

Coral Island has taken the cozy game space by storm since its release and for good reason. Its art style is gorgeous, it's colorful and wholesome, and there are some pretty amazing customization options for your farm and house. My favorite part of Coral Island is the art style of the character dialogue portraits. The clean lines and diverse designs are particularly satisfying to see.

If you like romance, Coral Island has a whopping 28 candidates for you to consider. It isn't a dating sim, but the romances are on par with or beyond other cozy games. I haven't been able to stop playing Coral Island since I got it, and consider it a must-play for Starsand Island fans.