Best Cozy Games About The Environment

Cozy games are a fantastic, low-pressure way to tell a story and engage in gameplay without that intense hit of adrenaline that less-friendly games might have. That doesn’t mean they are easy or don’t tackle difficult issues. Instead, they use a pleasing aesthetic and gently satisfying feedback to confront some serious issues, including the environment.

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Cozy games are fantastic vehicles for learning and promoting climate action as they provide a safe space to think through the process of environmental action. Cozy games allow players to overcome the sometimes-paralyzing fear of environmental issues that more and more people are experiencing, and the effects of climate change have become more apparent. Here are some excellent cozy games to experience and appreciate the environment from a different perspective.

6

Cloud Gardens

One Man’s Trash….

Cloud Gardens is an ethereal 3D puzzle game that affords glimpses into a post-apocalyptic environment and the ruins of urban civilization. It has distinct similarities to gardening games, but rather than shaping their garden into perfectly styled beds and manicured lawns, the player is seeding plants around dystopian junk piles.

The player uses what has been left behind in the wreckage of civilization to propagate plants, recycling and reusing materials to decorate and rejuvenate a little cube in the clouds. The relaxing yet gently haunting soundtrack seems dynamic and responds to player actions. The environmental message is focused on salvaging and making the best of a bad situation.

5

APICO

Hive Politics

Systems

Released

May 20, 2022

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

APICO is a delightful game about sustainable beekeeping that takes its cues from real world biology and beekeeping practices. It takes the resource gathering of farming simulators like Stardew Valley and elevates the in-game mechanics to explore some of the real-world practicalities of working with and in the natural world.

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APICO has a stripped back, soft-edged 2D aesthetic. The colors are all natural tones that fit in with the theme of immersion and coexistence with nature. The music is gentle and contemplative, adding to the general cozy vibes.

4

Flower

Blowing In The Breeze

Systems

Released

February 12, 2009

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

Publisher(s)

Sony Computer Entertainment

Flower precedes cozy games as they are known now, but it is certainly a game that uses those comfortable conventions to create unique gameplay. The player takes the form of petals in a gust of wind, possibly one of the strangest avatars in video game history. As the gust of wind travels over the landscape, it picks up new petals, seeds, and leaves, creating an evolving kaleidoscope of color.

It is a mediation on the beauty of the natural world and the need for all living things to reconnect with it. This point is driven home by the juxtaposition between a grim looking flower wilting in a potted plant and the collection of petals whirling across grassy hillsides.

3

Terra Nil

There’s A Whole Planet To Save

Terra Nil

Systems

Released

March 28, 2023

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

Terra Nil is a game all about restoring ecosystems to their former glory. Players are given a wasteland ruined by human exploitation and pollution, and they must rehabilitate it. The restoration must be done in stages — for example, air purification — before reseeding grass land. This really emphasizes the interconnectedness of ecologies. The guide book given to the player at the beginning of the game lays out the rehabilitation procedure, from detoxification to repopulating habitats with the animals that are best suited to them.

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Much of the technology being used to decontaminate the biosphere is the stuff of science fiction. But it does show the potential of hope and ingenuity in moving toward a more environmentally friendly future. At the end of each level, the player deconstructs their equipment and leaves, with the ecosystem independently thriving. The goal is to leave no trace of human intervention, creating a happy, healthy biome full of diverse flora and fauna.

2

Before We Leave

Do You Really Need Another Planetary Settlement?

Civilization-building games don’t have the greatest reputation for environmental responsibility. Apart from the odd green energy expansion or green city planning goal, the emphasis is still very much on human comfort and conveniences. Before We Leave takes the familiar hexagonal map, exploration, and societal progress mechanics of civilization and city-builder games and adds a complication: the game takes place in a post-post-apocalyptic future.

A catastrophe drove humans (peeps) underground long ago, but no one can quite remember what it was. When they return to the surface, will they make the same mistakes as last time? It is a hopeful vision that forces players to confront the perils of human expansion… in the coziest way possible, of course.

1

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure

Search For The Iberian Lynx

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure focuses on environmental activism and care through the eyes of a child. Using a wildlife guidebook, map, and an old phone, 12-year-old Alba explores the environment around her grandparents’ home, scanning and identifying animals as she explores. During the course of her adventure, Alba helps rescue a dolphin and is convinced by Inès to start a wildlife rescue league.

The game deals with poisons, pollution, pesticides, and over-development. It is a highly educational game that tries to foster a childlike curiosity about the environment. The “big bad” of the game is the mayor and the development company, who are trying to turn the nature reserve into a luxury hotel. It is an adorable game that is geared toward children but is surprisingly engaging for an older audience — especially those with a completionist streak, as the main mechanic is scanning and cataloging animals.

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