The Coziest Games For Snow Days Under The Big Sky

With winter and winter vacations closing in, now is a good time to talk about cozy indoor activities. I love streaming a good series, but sometimes watching a show just won't do.

One of my favorite ways to waste a cold day is on a video game console. My favorite games are what's called a cozy game. Cozy games as defined by Wikipedia:

 is a video game which emphasizes non-violence and relaxation. Initially derived from the life simulation genre, cozy games commonly include activities such as gathering and growing plants and nurturing other characters. They often have open-ended goals that encourage self-expression.

My Favorite Cozy Games To Play

I swear that Nick Northern has turned me on to 2 life changing things in the last couple years. One is Doctor Who and the other, Stardew Valley. I'd recommend you try both.

Stardew Valley

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I have Stardew Valley on my PlayStation and Switch I love it so much. I see other folks have it on laptops and other video gaming systems. It feels very retro when you play it as it's makes you think of the 8-bit and 16-bit days.

Read More: How To Keep Your Pets Safe From Winter Cold

The basic idea of Stardew Valley:

• Your grandpa dies and leaves you a farm/ranch to live and work
• You build the farm/ranch from the ground up
• Meet townspeople
• Make friends
• Get married and have kids if you like
• Features farming, ranching, mining, fishing and ways to use those products on the farm to make things to use and sell in Stardew Valley
• Each "day" takes about 20 minutes

This game DOES have an end, if you want it to. That's what I love about it. You can take as long or short a time that you want on this game to get your place up to optimal operations. My daughter and grandson ran through it in a few days, I've been playing my main account for over 11 Stardew Valley years.  I have 3 accounts.

And finally, Stardew Valley has the best soundtrack ever. I swear you're going to love it.

This game costs around $15 and there are no in-game purchases. (It was FREE on PlayStation over the Thanksgiving weekend.)

Animal Crossings New Horizons

I was given this game for my birthday. ACNH cost around $60 and doesn't have any in game things to buy or that they advertise for you. They do sell some Ambios that make it easier to get the residents you want on your island.

The basic idea of ACNH:

You move to an island and have up to 10 other islanders live with you on that island. You farm, construct, fish, and travel. Even deep sea diving for creatures.

The main objective to Animal Crossings New Horizons is to fill your island with the perfect villagers for the vibe you're going for when you construct and decorate. Each islander is an animal that has a unique personality. Your island is evaluated and graded every weekend.

The graphics on ACNH are world's better than Stardew Valley. I will say that for me it was slow to start, but now that I have it really going, I like it a lot. It has a much slower pace than SD Valley as it operates in real time.

The one thing I don't like is you can only have one island. Ever. If you want to start over, you have to get rid of your current island.

Check out Nick's list of his favorite Cozy games to try for the winter. Let me know which one is your favorite way to spend a cozy Montana winter day.