Best Cozy Autumn Games 2026 – Handpicked From My Steam Library

Written By Suzanne .

I don’t know about you, but my taste in videogames changes drastically during autumn. I play repetitive games during the spring and summer, such as PUBG, or TFT. Games where you start, play your round, die or win, and then start all over again. Games that aren’t very story-heavy. Games that you keep playing over and over in the hopes you’ll get better.

In the autumn, I just want to feel cozy—not sweaty. I want to play games that offer something unique in their visual style, that will immerse me in a story, and that are not a huge commitment. Now, the official start of autumn is September 23rd, but my personal belief is that it starts when our academic year does, a little over a week from today, September 1st. To get myself in the mood and prepared for the change of seasons, I picked a few cozy games that I am very excited to play in the coming months.

Most of these games are exclusive to PC, while Welcome to Mars 9, and Tiny Bookshop are also available on Nintendo Switch.

In no particular order:

  • Slay the Spire 2

  • emily is away

  • lily’s world XD

  • Hexadome Tactics

  • RimWorld

  • Welcome to Mars 9: The Story of River

  • Tiny Bookshop

Slay the Spire 2 – Addictive Roguelike Card Game

A roguelike card game with dark, moody graphics and charmingly spooky characters.

Much like the first version of the game, you start each run with a map and pick one of three paths. You can see how many shops, random events, or fights are waiting along the way. Beat the boss in the last room and get transported to the next map. After three maps, you will face the final boss and the round ends. According to the game’s Steam page, the devs are working on a true ending to the game. If you’ve played the first game like I have, you are probably just as intrigued by what that will be like!

Another notable change is the multiplayer option, which adds a level of versatility that’s uncommon among roguelikes. One complete, successful run will take an hour or two. For me, this is perfect. I can come home in the evening, relax with a cup of tea and some biscuits, and immerse myself in a full run before it is time to get ready for bed.

Another part of the fun is collecting goodies that change up your gameplay: new cards that tweak how you attack, relics that grant you strange powers, even whole new characters to try. Every run will unlock new items that you may encounter on your next run, keeping the game fresh.

This game is in Early Access for another year or so.

emily is away – Nostalgic Y2K Story Game

It is a rainy Friday evening; you’ve got pizza delivery on the way and litres of ice-cold Coca-Cola waiting in the fridge. You light your berry-scented candles, play a Y2K playlist, and slip into your coziest pajamas. You settle in at your computer and chat with your friends online. Bliss hits you as Windows XP finishes booting up.

I’m struggling to find the words to describe this game. It is as beautiful as it is cold. It is as nostalgic as it is relatable. It will take you by the hand and tell you the story of a friendship between two characters. As one of the friends, you will make choices. Some for good, some for bad. The friendship will conclude with the game, and you will wonder if you should or could have done things differently.

Once you’ve recovered and want to throw yourself back into the battlefield, Emily Is Away Too and Emily Is Away <3 will be waiting for you.

lily’s world XD – Spooky Y2K Mystery Game

This game has a similar look to emily is away. In both games, you have control of a computer and follow along in a story.

You just found a laptop, but whose is it? You go through the documents and files in hopes of finding any identifying information on its owner. As you search, things start to seem off. Now, the question isn’t only “Who does this belong to?” but also “What has happened to her?”

The game looks very 2000s, with its glittery stickers and pastel coloured themes. The aesthetic stands in contrast to the creepy themes hidden in the story.

Now, I have not played this game yet. I am waiting for its release on September 17 and have already started making plans to play it with one of my best friends and make it a movie-night situation! From what I’ve seen and read on their Discord server, people are raving about it. I can’t wait, and will come back for a final review once I’ve experienced it myself.

Hexadome Tactics – PVP Arena Strategy Game

This game might feel like the odd one out, but listen: it’s good.

I am personally not very familiar with the Infinity franchise, but I tried this game because sometimes I just want a PVP game that feels mentally stimulating, you know? And this game is exactly that.

You choose four characters, each with a unique ability, to form your team. You queue up, go up against another player and their team, and try to score as many zones as possible. You do this by placing your characters in small zones and knocking out your opponent’s characters that are going for the same zone. Each round, every character has one turn. Their special powers may include: slowing an opponent’s character down, knocking them away from the zone, or knocking them out altogether.

I have had the pleasure of participating in the playtest, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Its planned release date is September 10th, and I know I can’t wait.

Rimworld – Charming Colony Sim

For the last decade, this game has had me coming back for more. It is a colony sim. You choose the crew you crashland with, and the difficulty of the game you will land in. I start with three people and play the classic crashlanded gamemode. I play to survive and make a smoothly running colony. Alternatively, you can choose to build a spaceship to go back up with.

What makes this game so fun and different is the activity log. When they insult each other, you can see what the conversations have been like. Some characters love each other, some hate each other, some will tolerate each other. It has moments where it is so entertaining, and the drama just ramps up more and more.

Rimworld also has a unique look and sound. For me, when I hear the soundtrack, I transport back to the nights where I stayed up way too late playing this. It just is so charming and immersive.

The devs are actively working on DLCs for the game, keeping it fresh, and offering reasons to return.

These are the ones that are currently out: Odyssey, Anomaly, Biotech, Ideology, and Royalty.

Welcome To Mars 9: The Story of River – Pixel-Art Space Mystery

There is so much to like about this game. I like the bitty-gritty graphics; I like the space theme; I like the intriguing story and the atmospheric design. I can see myself playing this on a big screen while kicking back under a blanket on the couch, and I also like that. This is one of the games that is available on the Nintendo Switch, and that will also be the console I will choose to play this one on.

But what is this game about?

Well, in this game, you are River, and you have just been rescued in space! Your new home is a luxurious space station orbiting Mars. You start to notice that things aren’t adding up. What will you do? Investigate, or turn a blind eye? There are puzzles to solve, a space station to explore, characters to get to know, and a secret to uncover.

This game has multiple endings, offering more than just one playthrough. While there is no information on its playtime yet, I would guess it’s around 2–4 hours long. Perfect for one night of entertainment.

This game also specifically mentions that the highly detailed pixel art environment has been handcrafted, something I find important in the media and art that I consume.

This game is set to come out on September 16th!

Tiny Bookshop – Selling Books in a Seaside Town

This game unlocked something in me last year. I love to read, and I love to feel free and in charge. So, you can imagine that owning a bookshop situated in my own caravan sounds totally amazing to me. I am very excited to pick this one back up! This is another game available on the Nintendo Switch.

People come into the caravan, ask for recommendations, or just stop by for a chat. You will get closer to the locals of the seaside town you have decided to call your new home. Like in many games, the NPCs have areas where they like to hang out. By going to their spots, you can speak to them more frequently and grow closer to them. They will start to confide in you and offer side quests.

Another amazing aspect of the game is the ability to decorate and its seasonal events. Different types of decoration correlate with the sales of certain genres, which you then need to make sure you stock. For example, a spooky Halloween trailer means many customers will want to buy a spooky book. It’s really fun to have the decorative choices also have an impact on gameplay.

The same applies to where you choose to sell in town: beach-goers will want different books than university students.

As for the recommendations, all the books in the game are based on actual books. So if someone comes in asking for a play with family drama, you’d better know that Hamlet is the one to choose.

Suzanne .