Summary
Decorating a space has become a beloved hallmark of cozy games, and games that concentrate on this aspect more than anything else can be a refreshing way to unwind when life gets hectic.
Most decorating and interior design games take little brain power to enjoy and often pair well with an audiobook anda nice cup of teaas players savor the satisfaction of fulfilling various requests or simply making their own dreams come true in virtual form. Here, there’s no need to spend exorbitant amounts of money, only to suffer through manual labor and the screech of a tape measure.
Originally on the Wii and recently ported to Switch in a so-called ‘cozy bundle’ that includes the two games, this rounded and chubby version of the Sims has players collecting essences to create crafting recipes and appease the decor needs of various other sims around the world. WhileMySims Kingdomismore quest-based,the regular version ofMySimsallows much more creativity with interiors.
Depending on the player’s interests, both are fun and adorable games that focus on completing tasks for others in varied environments and designing spaces to achieve goals. Each game maintains a simple premise with enough meat to avoid being boring. The many themes available enable creativity, and whether players prefer spooky or cute, this game presents a world that feels vibrant and alive.
8Deco Neko
A Piece Of Cake
A cute and simple mobile game, this idler bringscute pixelated catsto the player’s screen. Feed them adorable cakes to increase coin output and decorate their rooms with lovely furniture. There are no real parameters except personal tastes.
Players can pick a vibe they like or let the ideas flow and start setting things up however they want. The cats themselves can even be decorated with little hats and ears, and their sizes can be changed by feeding them birthday cake and unbirthday cake. It is a tapper, which can be a bit tedious, but this is where those audiobooks come in.
Ever since it first released on the GameCube in the early 2000s, decorating a human villager’s home has been a mainstay of the Animal Crossing series. Every iteration ofAnimal Crossingsince has added more customizable aspects to decor, now even allowing players to control howtheir villagers’ homeslook with the Happy Home Paradise DLC.
Things have changed a lot since players only had control of a couple of piddly rooms in their house, and now almost everything, inside and outside, can be changed to meet players' very specific whims.
Althoughnot the main pointof this fan-favorite farm-focused game, the player has full agency over the inside of their farmhouse and the design of their farm inStardew Valley. There are more than a few interesting and rare items that players can proudly display to celebrate their achievements.
Furthermore, for a mere 200,000 gold, it’s possible to skip Robin’s altogether and generate any furniture from thin air, at no further cost to the player.
Perhaps not as personalized to the player as other titles,Unpackinghas a much more unique narrative to make up for its lack of customization options. With no humans ever present in the game, it tells a relatable story via belongings, and players learn more about the life of the main character asthey rifle through boxesand place things in the rooms set before them.
Players ultimately decide where items go and how they are organized, and the lack of decisions to be made compared to other design games can be a balm for those who suffer from decision fatigue in games like these.
Cult of the Lambis an adorably animated yet perhaps more sinister addition to management games, and it also has roguelike elements for those who crave more action. As the title suggests, players take the role of a cute lamb who is the leader of a cult.
To manage followers and keep them happy, players can adorn their compound with the finest amenities and decorations, whether they be spooky or floral, sourced from crusades around the world.
3Pretty Princess Party
Castle Dreams
For players who have always wanted to be a princess and decorate a castle, this game is a dream come true. There are twenty rooms in a castle that has fallen into disrepair, and they must be restored to their former glory.
While completing mini-games to earn currency, players learn new crafting recipes to expand their design repertoire. It’s easy to add personality to rooms, and there are a number of dress-up and make-up options for the princess as well.
Not only a simple design game,Cloud Gardensallows players to design dioramas of landscapes centered around the idea of nature and urban decay living in harmony. It features satisfying puzzles where plants and manufactured elements must be balanced in order to move on but also has a sandbox mode for players to enjoy without pressure.
It blends gardening elements with the post-apocalyptic, exploring what might happen at the end of the world if humans were no longer disrupting ecosystems.
This short and sweet game combines business management elements with the charm of designing an old-world fantasy shop. Set in a quaint medieval village, the way that players set out decorations and lay out their shops is actually integral to gameplay and impacts sales success and customer interactions.
It offers more of a challenge than other design games but keeps it simple enough to prevent frustration. Craft, create, and design the shop of one’s dreams, and choose from a variety ofitems to sell.
