Top 10 Cozy Indie Games To Play This Fall 2023
It’s just about time of year when the wind is getting cooler, the days are getting shorter and the best thing to do is stay at home with a warm blanket and a hot cup of tea. I’m talking of course about the autumnal season, my favourite time of year. This season is more than just pumpkin spice lattes and cute fall sweaters, it’s about getting into delightful little games that have cute worlds and characters and zero stress. I’m talking of course about the best sub genre – cozy games!
We all know about the classics like Stardew Valley and The Sims 4. But there are a lot of other great indie games that you might have missed that will give you all the autumn cozy vibes you’d want! Such as Fall of Porcupine which takes place exclusively in a crisp fall setting. As well as The Cosmic Wheel Of The Sisterhood that has you staying at home and reading tarot cards. All the games on this list will be focused on a particular aspect of this fall season. Let us know which one you try or if you have more to add to this list!
The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood
Featuring a richly diverse cast of characters, Tarot-like card creation, divination, and a branching story that spans time and space. Enjoy this complex narrative that will span decades and covers themes of identitiy, community and personal responsibility. Nothing like a bit of dark magic to curl up with on a dark fall night.
Fall Of Porcupine
Developer: Critical Rabbit
Fall of Porcupine is not just the name of the game but the name of the season and the name of the town that we’ll be starting our story in. The town of Porcupine is entering the fall season and you’ll play as Finley, the newest fledgling doctor to join the ranks of St. Ursula’s hospital. As the seasons in the small-town change and life starts to stir, you’ll soon realize that things aren’t always what they seem. Not everyone is honest with themselves and others, the healthcare industry is not as illustrious as it seemed in medical school, and the work/life balance Finley strives toward might be impossible to achieve.
Go through a unique and story adventure abotu life, the healthcare system and the people of a small town at the beginning of autumn.
Platforms: PlayStation 5|4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, Nintendo Switch, PC – Steam
Rainswept
Rainswept takes inspiration from Twin Peaks and has plenty of fall atmosphere, coffee, rain, and of course orange pine trees.
Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus and Butterfly
Will your caffienated beverages give an upcoming Satyr influencer the courage he needs to stand up to his management team? Will messing up an alien’s drink order get you in trouble? There’s plenty of stories to be heard and drinks to be drunk in Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus and Butterfly.
Season: A Letter To The Future
Part of the changing of the season is noticing the change and taking stock of time passing. The same can be said for SEASON: A Letter To The Future. Right now the world is ending and there’s nothing that you can do except to collect memories of the world around you. Document, photograph, and record life as you find it, while you still can.
You’ll explore on your bike, taking it slow and meeting the people around you. It is a fully atmosphering game that’s just a bit grim and emotional, but also heartwarming and impactful as well. As you record the world around you, you’ll unlock different layers of beauty. Peel back these layers until you grasp the culture, history, and ecology underneath everything. This quest leads you to the big questions: what is this season? Why is it ending? And what will the next season bring?
Witchy Life Story
I don’t know what it is about the fall that makes the world feel more magical and open to witchcraft. Could it be all Hallow’s Eve? All the black cats and pumpkins around? Maybe! In Witchy Life Story we have both witchcraft and the culmination of Summer with a Fall Harvest Festival!
In the small village of Flora, along with your crow familiar, Ramsey. You have two weeks to help the locals prepare their harvest festival for success, and prove your worth to your family. Two weeks is plenty of time to plan a village festival and make some questionable life choices along the way! Of course, it’s also plenty of time to cast a village into total chaos. Which one will it be for you?
(Witchy Life Story is coming out soon to the Xbox and Nintendo Switch on October 19th)
Beacon Pines
Beacon Pines looks like a cute storybook adventure set in a small town. But similar to Stranger Things and Night In The Woods, things aren’t always what they seem. In fact this whole game took me by surprise and I don’t want to ruin any of the story for you but you’re just going to have to trust me that this is a rabbit hole that you’re going to want to go down. Its got an emotional story of missing parents, a deep conspiracy, tests of friendships and more!
Most uniquely Beacon Pines offers you a whole new way of playing games. With words that affect and change the story that you’ll go through. There are different endings and outcomes for you to experience. And yes there are some extremely terrible ends for you to experience.
Wytchwood
We don’t need to belabour the reasons for putting more witchy items on here, October is spooky season and this cozy one has all the elements we’re looking for. Not to mention that sweet moody fall colour palette, I’m definitely here for Wytchwood. In this crafting adventure game you actually play as the old witch in the woods. The magical and mysterious countryside is your domain, where you’ll get to collect ingredients and brew sorcerous enchatments.
This however is a gothic fairytale and not everything has to be good. It’s up to you to pass judgement on the characters and creatures seeking your air. How will they learn if you don’t teach them? Use your wit and guile to solve puzzles and best the strange monsters of the forest.
Bear and Breakfast
What’s cozier than a fall getaway to a bed and breakfast? How about one run by a gentle bear? Bear and Breakfast is a laid-back B&B management game where you play as Hank a well meaning bear. Build and personalize your inn with dozens of guest rooms, bathrooms, parlors, and entertainment. Each room can be individually customized completely from furniture to fixtures. Bring guests into the forest to stay at your inn. Keep ’em happy to maintain your reputation, earn money and attract new customers!
It’s a cute and cozy management sim and there’s even a fun little story to boot. There’s loads of characters to meet, new hotels to build, furniture to buy and areas to maintain. They’re still patching the Nintendo Switch version, so for now I’d just recommend to get it on Steam.
Mineko’s Night Market
There’s really no right or wrong time for a cute cat adventure but this just came out this month so it looks like fall it is! I’d say that this traditional looking Japanese village however looks as cozy as any place that I’d like to spend my autumn in! In Mineko’s Night Market you play as the titular Mineko, a new resident who has just arrived on this island full of cats.
The superstitious locals on the island worship the Sun Cat, Nikko. What was always thought to be a long-told myth has the town puzzled, as sightings of Nikko have begun to surface among the residents of the island in recent days. Discover the secrets behind the town and restore the struggling village to its former glory. All the while, manage your daily activities, complete various jobs, venture on whimsical quests, and craft peculiar items in preparation for the weekly Night Market!
