Animal Crossing: New Horizons is launching a brand-new update in January 2026, and many fans will be hopping back into the game to experience it. The update comes years after Nintendo stopped creating new content for the 2020 hit. It’s also following a marked silence about the next ACNH title, whatever form it will take.
Animal Crossing isn’t the only exciting new thing happening in the cozy gaming industry next year, though. If you’re looking for cozy games to play beyond January, you’ll find it in 2026. Whether you enjoy cute farming games, coming-of-age stories, spooky stuff, or cute animals, there are so many awesome cozy games to look forward to in 2026.
InKONBINI: One Store. Many Stories
Releasing In Spring 2026
There have been so many shop simulators lately that it’s becoming hard to find ones that stand out. InKONBINI by Nagai Industries certainly looks like a refreshingly different take on the booming shop upkeep genre.
In InKONBINI, you play as a clerk in a small-town convenience storey in 1990s Japan. Though it will have the typical gameplay loop of restocking and pricing the store’s products, the game will also be about community and people. Interact with the customers and make meaningful connections that will affect people’s lives in this charming take on the shop sim.
My Time At Evershine
Releasing In 2026, Alpha Playtest Ongoing
Fans of the My Time at… series will be happy to hear that Pathea Games is working on a third entry. My Time at Evershine will be released sometime in 2026, and even if you haven’t played the previous two games in the series, it looks like it’ll be a great entry point for newcomers.
Taking place three years after My Time at Sandrock and My Time at Portia, you play the governor of a new settlement. Tame the wilderness, recruit new settlers, and uncover a surprising depth of lore in this cozy post-apocalyptic life sim and settlement manager.
Seclusa
Releasing in February 2026, Demo Available Now
In 2008, Natsume published Afrika, a game where your only goal was to travel around Africa and take cool photos of the animals. Seclusa by Studip Niente looks like a spiritual successor to that game, but with crisper visuals and an upgraded cozy vibe.
The demo is promising, showing off buttery smooth, intuitive controls and stunning environments and details. Fans of photography will be able to pilot a little droid camera around the animals and take awesome photos in this relaxing 2026 title. Go on a journey through East Africa and capture the wildlife you find there on your trusty camera.
Mixtape
Releasing In 2026
If you’re from the generation who made mixtapes for their friends, you’ll appreciate this beautifully nostalgic title from the delightfully named studio, Beethoven and Dinosaur.
Mixtape tells the story of three friends who revisit key memories through a carefully curated soundtrack. Featuring music from Iggy Pop, The Cure, and The Smashing Pumpkins (and several more), this beautiful, dream-like coming-of-age story looks like it’ll pull on many heartstrings.
Haunted Paws
Releasing In 2026, Playtested In Late 2025
Haunted Paws is like a Scooby Doo adventure, except you play as Scooby. In this gently spooky co-op adventure from LazyFlock, you play as two puppies who have to brave a haunted mansion to rescue their human.
Dig, bark, and sniff your way through an eerie setting full of nefarious hauntings and things that go bump in the night. Customize your pup, then head out with a friend (or NPC) as you solve puzzles and mysteries and save your friend from the clutches of the supernatural.
Collector’s Cove
Releasing in 2026, Demo Available Now
Many cozy games let you farm or explore the world, but usually not both. Collector’s Cove by VoodooDuck puts your farm on a boat pulled by a friendly water-dwelling friend. This means you can spend your days both farming and sailing across the seas at the same time.
Visit different islands with your companion thanks to your cozy floating farm. Discover the wonders of different islands and work on completing your Collector’s Compendium. Cozy gamers who would rather not fight anything will be relieved to know that there are no enemies or combat in Collector’s Cove.
Pokémon Pokopia
Releasing On March 5, 2026
Nintendo might not have given cozy gamers a new Animal Crossing this year, but it did give us something else to look forward to: a cozy Pokémon game. Pokémon Pokopia is a cozy farming and life sim for the Nintendo Switch 2 starring a Ditto who mimics a young human.
The title looks like it will be remarkably charming. Ditto makes the perfect protagonist, thanks to their ability to interact with other Pokémon and human-like features. By mimicking its various Pokémon friends, Ditto will grow and harvest crops, build and furnish houses, and explore and reshape the world.
Coffee Talk Tokyo
Releasing On March 5, 2026
The Coffee Talk series by Chorus Worldwide Games and Toge Productions gives players a wholesome and heartwarming break from everyday life. Brew the perfect cup of coffee for your customers as you listen to their stories.
Coffee Talk Tokyo takes the series to Tokyo (as the name implies). Meet human and yokai characters who come into the café to relax and unwind with a cuppa. The 2026 game has a number of new stories to uncover, with a chill lo-fi soundtrack by Andrew “AJ” Jeremy.
Witchbrook
Releasing In 2026
Witchbrook is a cozy witch sim by Chucklefish and Robotality that was originally going to be released in time for the spooky season in 2025. The game was delayed because Chucklefish doesn’t believe in forcing developers to work overtime to meet arbitrary deadlines, which is a great reason for a delay.
This highly anticipated pixel game is now geared for release sometime in 2026. The beautifully detailed game will take up to four players on a journey through the seaside city of Mossport. Learn to do magic, make friends, decorate your space, and discover everything the city has to offer in this immersive and charming spooky cozy game.
There Are No Ghosts At The Grand
Releasing In 2026, Demo Available Now
Finally, we have the anti-cozy cozy game by Friday Sundae, There Are No Ghosts at the Grand. On the surface, this is a cozy game just like any other. You inherit a decrepit old hotel and are tasked with revitalizing and renovating it.
But not all is as it seems in the halls of the Grand and the surrounding village. In between repairing, painting, and decorating your new space, you’ll have to deal with spirits, a talkng cat, and mysteries of potentially (probably) supernatural origins.
They say there are no ghosts at the Grand, but clearly, they’re wrong. This spooky cozy game is a far cry from Animal Crossing: New Horizons, perfect for cozy gamers who prefer their cute and relaxing decorating game to be interspersed with a touch of ghost hunting.
- Released
-
March 20, 2020
- ESRB
-
E for Everyone: Comic Mischief
- Developer(s)
-
Nintendo EPD
- Publisher(s)
-
Nintendo
- Engine
-
Havok
