5 Must-Try Cozy Indie Games to Play While Your Laundry Runs

Let's get into it.

I've been on an indie video games kick lately. What I love about them is that they're passion projects—the brain children of small, dedicated teams or lone game developers fueled by a dream and probably lots and lots of coffee. With total creative freedom, they are able to create games that are untethered, experimental, and push the boundaries of storytelling, visual style, and game mechanics. They're the coolest niche in the video game industry. But, being an indie game developer isn't all sunshine and rainbows. They rely heavily (if not entirely) on crowdfunding and community support to fund their projects. Nowadays, being a successful independent game developer also means being a badass marketer and social media mastermind...and having a lot of luck. The graveyard of failed crowdfunding projects is vast. On the other hand, there have also been lots of awesome success stories. The massively popular Undertale, created by Toby Fox, was a crowdfunded project. The Kickstarter raised over 50k. A more recent example, Hollow Knight, created by Team Cherry, raised almost 60k. The support is there. The audience is there. And their popularity is growing.

Over the past decade there has been a huge boom in indie developers and a flood of indie games to big platforms like Steam. And by flood I mean a tsunami. A 2024 market overview, for example, found that 99% of all games published to Steam that year were indie (roughly 12,000 games total). Shahriar Shahrabi made a great article breaking down the statistics of this further. Give it a read, if that interests you. For the purpose of this article, however, we'll stick with the biggest takeaway: the market is very saturated. And not all of these games are the cream of the crop. Looking for great indie games requires wading through lots of screaming, deformed zombies. But don't worry because there are treasures to be found.

The following list is made up of games I've personally played through to completion and loved enough to tell you about it. Some of them are more well-known than others. Some of them have demos you can try out, others don't. I enjoyed all of these games immensely–if I didn’t they wouldn't be on this list—but no game is perfect. Expect my honest thoughts. I wanted to be completely honest about any critiques I had of them, so you can make a more informed decision. Also, disclaimer, I’m, obviously, not making any money for promoting or writing about these games. I’m not that cool. Proceed.

Mutazione

Developer: Akupara Games

Game type: Gardening Adventure

Play time: 6-10 hrs

Price: $19.99

A letter from her ailing grandfather puts Kai on the next boat out to Mutazione–an island of (mostly) humanoid mutants. It’s a post-apocalyptic story seething with soap opera drama, and you won’t want to miss any of it. But, in between the drama, you must tend to the island’s different gardens and bring back a balance that has gone off-kilter. Zen out in the different musical garden soundscapes, as well as the otherworldly soundtrack of the island itself as you unravel the island’s secrets and the deep wounds it’s suffered. 

I can’t gush about this game enough. If you only get one game from this list, it should be this one. The gameplay isn’t difficult. In fact, it plays more like a beautiful hand-illustrated visual novel than a true adventure game. Don't even think about skipping dialogue in this one. You'll get the most of the game that way.

Tunic

Developer: Andrew Shouldice, Isometricorp Games

Game type: Isometric Action-Adventure

Play time: 15-20 hrs

Price: $29:99

If you’re more of a combat junkie, this one’s for you. The green-garbed, sword wielding little fox is an obvious homage to Zelda, while the combat (with checkpoints, dodge rolls, and hard bosses galore) is more reminiscent of Dark Souls. But don’t get it twisted, Tunic isn’t just some Zelda knock-off. For one, it doesn't hold your hand. Your only guide to navigating the vast, isometric world is an in-game manual that's missing lots of pages and written in a runic language you can't understand. So, you're left to decipher the world through its illustrations instead. The game is one great, big puzzle.

I'm warning you now: this game is hard. And it ramps up quick. It's sink or swim, and you've got no choice but to master the controls or perish...over and over...like I did. The dodge roll will be your best friend.

Alba

Developer: UsTwo Games

Game type: Wildlife Adventure

Play time: 2-4 hrs

Price: $19.99

Set out on a week-long Mediterranean photography adventure around your grandparents’ island. You'll be cataloging and rescuing native wildlife in your search for the illusive Iberian lynx. The game is heavily inspired by the creators’ very own childhood summers, and you will feel the deep love and nostalgia woven into it. This is by far the shortest game on this list, with an expected completion time of only 4 hours, but, to me, it's worth the price. If nothing else, to support the lovely humans behind the game.

Your purchase also makes a real-world impact! For every copy of the game that’s downloaded or sold, one tree is planted in Alba’s Forest, thanks to UsTwo's partnership with Ecologi. They’ve already surpassed their original goal of 1 million trees planted! Learn more about it here.

Mineko's Night Market

Developer: Meowza Games

Game type: Crafting Adventure

Play time: 25-30 hrs

Price: $19.99

Money troubles have led Mineko and her father to the rundown town nestled in the looming shadow of Mt. Fugu. As most games go, you, as a young child, are tasked with single handedly revitalizing the weekly night market by selling your crafted wares. You’ll spend a lot of time collecting materials to do just that. But Mt. Fugu holds a secret, and pesky agents are poking around trying to uncover it. So, alongside your market gig, eccentric young Bobo drags you, as the naive new kid in town, into his detective agency to stop their evil schemes. 

This game is all about crafting crafts, eating eats, and catting cats. It’s heavily inspired by Japanese culture, which is reflected in its scrumptious food, scenery, and soundtrack. Music all the way up. All the time. But, be aware, the game has a few bugs. Expect to encounter some glitchy crafting minigames, laggy gameplay, and story continuity errors here and there. I wasn’t too peeved. An easy game restart usually did the trick for the first two…but, of course, it can’t fix the latter. If performance issues really bother you, maybe don’t buy this one. On Switch, at least.

Loddlenaut

Developer: Moon Lagoon

Game type: Ocean Cleanup Adventure

Play time: 3-5 hrs

Price: $19.99

You are an interstellar custodian that has been hired to clean up the heavily polluted oceans of planet GUP-14. Your job is simple: clean the ocean, repurpose debris, and raise loddles. If you’re feeling perpetual environmental doom like me, this game is a much-needed release. Your company-supplied bubble gun is unstoppable against the toughest gunk. The humans are gone. The ocean can be saved. And the adorable alien creatures–called loddles–will kiss your forehead in appreciation. 

My biggest critique? I yearned for a better soundtrack. There’s only so much bubble gun noise you can take, you know? Any monotonous task could use some great music. In this case, you must supply your own.

Any of these catch your eye? Played any of these before? I'd love to here about it!

And, drop any other cozy indie game recommendations you have below. I'm always on the lookout for my next gaming adventure.

Until next time,

Amelia Keefer

Official game sites:

Mutazione

Tunic

Alba

Mineko's Night Market

Loddlenaut