The Case for Cozy Games Before Bed

Not every game needs to spike your heart rate. Lately I've leaned hard into cozy games for the last half hour of the day, and my sleep is better for it. No timers, no leaderboards, no pressure.

Town sims like Tiny Harbor Town are perfect for this. You potter around, upgrade a cottage, watch your little village grow, and nothing bad happens if you put it down. Exploration adventures like Driftwood Isles do the same with gentle puzzles and pretty scenery.

A tip: turn the brightness down and switch to any night or warm color mode the game offers. Bright screens before bed are rough, and most cozy games look fine dimmed. Muting ambient loops helps too if your game repeats the same five seconds of birdsong.

These games also happen to be easy on battery, so you won't be left charging at midnight. A quiet win all around.