The fall season is upon us, which means it’s time to step on crunchy leaves. If there are none where you are, there are plenty of games out there that emulate that feeling. With new cozy games coming out all the time, especially around this time of year, it’s only fit to make a list surrounding the somewhat spooky season that’s creeping in. While you’re getting ready for your annual watch of Over The Garden Wall, there are plenty of games to keep you company with similar vibes. Whether you like spooks, cozy times, or any game that oozes with harvest time, we have a few generously comfortable picks for you and your game library this autumn.
10. Fran Bow
If you were a fan of YouTubers in the mid-2000s, you might recognize this one. Fran Bow is a roleplaying game centering around Fran Bow, a girl caught in mysterious and otherworldly circumstances. This game takes on a demure and quite autumn-like mood, especially if you live in a place with many cloudy and overcast days. Besides the otherworldly places she visits, Fran Bow mostly takes place in dim, rainy environments, making it a great, unnerving but captivating title to either replay or visit for the first time this fall.
9. Night in the Woods
Probably one of the most heavily associated titles I’ve ever come across with the fall season, Night in the Woods is irreplaceable on this list. From the beginning to the end of the story, you’re wandering around a small town in the fall, with leaves falling all around you and the cooler, more somber times settling in, along with the change of the season. The subject matters at hand in Night in the Woods are heavy, so if you don’t have the beans for it, maybe move on to another game with a little more comfy in it. Either way, Night in the Wood is a title to recommend to anyone, something that fits in this season just a little more perfectly this time of year.
8. Don’t Starve
While this title takes place throughout many seasons, the autumn resonates with it the most. The mood is very dark, akin to the spooky nature of the fall and Ber months. From the beginning, you take the role of a character pushing the boundaries of science where they aren’t meant to go, resulting in a situation where you need to survive and, optimally, don’t starve. If survival games and moody colors are your thing, give this game a shot. And if you aren’t the kind to opt for a super difficult experience, there are plenty of ways to adjust the game to be a tad more comfortable if you’re looking to destress.
7. Dredge
Dedge is a game set on spooky waters, where you’re a sea fairing vessel dredging up anything and everything from the depths for profit. Whether it be cursed, golden, or alive and wriggling, you don’t mind going out to whirlpoolish waters where ghosts float adrift to bring in some funds. Dredge is a fantastic game for the spooky season, with nods to Cuthullu and other tropes of horror. Be warned, if you see a ship out there while you’re looking for gold, don’t interact with it because it’s not what it seems.
6. Spiritfarer
Spiritfarer is another game that takes place on a boat, very much in the tune of the spooky and spiritual. The game is full of autumn colors, ranging from the bright sea to blushing pink and sunset reds. Considering the game is about setting spirits on their way, this management game is a fantastic, cozy game to get into this fall if you’re in the mood for something comfortable and easy to play. It’s a management game without any consequences for managing badly, full of life despite being all about death, so what’s there not to like?
Related: 10 Games Like Disney Dreamlight Valley For Cozy Fans
5. Cozy Grove
Cozy Grove is perfect if you’re looking for something with a rainy fall vibe. A cute game set on an island you make your own, Cozy Grove is akin to Don’t Starve but without the consequences or relatively tricky gameplay. Help ghosts pass on, soothe spirits that haunt the place, and get as cozy as you can on a desaturated by simply beautiful island. The art has a hand-drawn feel, making it even more comfortable as you meet daily goals and whittle away progress.
4. Firewatch
If you’re into realistic graphics and a game that involves being out in nature, Firewatch is a good dose of isolation for you this season. It’s full of bright, warm colors, taking place in early autumn when the trees turn. For the most part, Firewatch is relaxing but does touch upon some heavy subjects throughout the story, so if you’re just in the autumn vibes for the comfort, try any other cozy game on the list. Besides getting out there and hiking the trails yourself, Firewatch is the closest thing you can get to while remaining indoors.
3. A Short Hike
A Short Hike is a delightful but brief game that’s just as it says. You’re a little penguin creature tasked with exploring the environment as you please, whether it be via climbing, soaring with your wings, or just waddling about. The entire point of A Short Hike is to enjoy the environment as it comes. The delightfully retro-looking graphics of A Short Hike make the experience all the more worthwhile, especially for those of us fond of low poly delights such as these.
2. Stardew Valley
It wouldn’t be an autumn list without mentioning Stardew Valley. While summertime has one of the greatest themes in the game (outside of the mines), the season where the game really shines is fall. Autumn brings in-game opportunities and beautiful fall colors, which you can revel in during this season. While the entire game can’t just be set in fall (although that would be really cool), the season that we get of it is potent enough to make it into one of our top spots.
Related: The 10 best games like Stardew Valley
1. Slime Rancher (yes, the first one)
You may be surprised to see Slime Rancher at the top spot instead of its sequel. In terms of what’s available to the player, Slime Rancher has more content than Slime Rancher 2, with more ways to customize (and automate) your Ranch. Despite not even taking place on Earth, Slime Rancher has amazing fall vibes when you enter the Dry Reef. The entirety of that zone, and by consequence, a good majority of your Ranch, is covered in reds, pinks, oranges, and whites. Throughout the entire beginning of the game, the sunset colors are amazing to look at. No such colors are around in Slime Rancher 2, which takes on a more rainbow-splendor kind of vibe.
