Five cozy games for winding down at night

Not every gaming session needs to raise your heart rate. Some nights I just want something soft and slow to melt into before bed. These are the games I keep returning to when I want exactly that.

Farming and life sims are the obvious pick — Greenroot Farm has become a nightly ritual for me. There's something deeply calming about watering the same plants and chatting with the same neighbors in a predictable, safe little world.

Atmospheric adventures also fit the mood beautifully. Lantern and Key, with its watercolor lighthouse and quiet puzzles, is best played with headphones and the lights low. It's short, but it lingers.

Even a gentle platformer works. Lucky Coin has no timers and no pressure, so I can noodle around a level or two without any stress. The trick with cozy gaming is finding titles that don't demand anything — they just let you exist in them for a while.