There are a ton of cozy video games available today that are perfect for keeping the gardening spirit alive all through fall and winter.
Life simulation video games have been around since the 1980s. The first publicly-available life simulation game, known as Little Computer People, released in 1985 for the Commodore 64 computer. Players control characters within the game by inputting commands, and Little Computer People is cited as having shaped the mold for the many virtual life simulation games to follow. From digital pets to detailed political simulations to cozy social simulations, these games let a player immerse themselves in an imaginary world.
Many of the more well-known social simulations are cozy sims that put players in charge of their own gardens, islands, and more. Players can customize their homes and property while making meaningful connections with the surrounding townsfolk. Since these games often condense the seasons into a single real-life day or week, anyone who misses the beautiful springtime air can get their fill in the world of video games.
In Stardew Valley, players make their way to their grandfather's old farm after becoming disillusioned with everyday modern life. With nothing aside from some old hand-me-down tools, it's up to the player to restore their family's old farm to its former glory.
Each of Stardew Valley's seasons, minus winter, come with their own assortment of almost a dozen unique crops. Players get to enjoy the seasonal feeling of planting strawberries in Spring, melons in Summer, and pumpkins in Fall. Aside from farming, there's also mining, combat, fishing, and foraging to help keep players busy.
Many simulation games run on their own in-game clocks, with time typically passing much faster than it does in the real world. Others, like The Garden Path, seek to replicate more of an authentic experience by linking up in-game plant growth with the real-world passage of time.
The Garden Path progresses even when players are offline. This makes it a perfect choice for those who don't have a ton of free time on their hands, and simply want to plant and water their seeds before seeing how they'll eventually bloom.
Inspired by the magic of Studio Ghibli, My Time At Portia takes players through the process of rebuilding the run-down, post-apocalyptic town of Portia. It's up to players, armed with nothing but their father's old handbook and workbench, to aid the townsfolk in restoring Portia to its former glory.
My Time At Portia features a robust farming system, including upgrades to help streamline the process of tending to one's farm, such as automatic irrigation systems and planter boxes. In addition to growing crops and raising animals, players can even use the animals they raise as mounts to ride across Portia.
The Animal Crossing series has been winning over the hearts of fans since the first game's release in 2001. Each title offers a unique experience, from being a humble villager in the original to being the mayor of the town in New Leaf. New Horizons, the most recent and most popular entry, allows players to fully customize their own island getaway.
While Animal Crossing doesn't have a traditional gardening system, there's a ton of complexity to be found within the series' flower system. By growing certain types of flowers next to each other, players can grow special hybrid flowers, with extra colors that aren't available through any other method.
Those looking for a relaxing game to satisfy their green thumb on the go will find it in Viridi. Available for both PC and mobile platforms, Viridi is a simple game where players slowly grow their very own pot of succulents.
The Steam page for Viridi markets the game as "a safe haven, a place you can return to for a moment of peace and quiet whenever you need it." It's a free-to-start game, with the only in-game purchases being extra seeds. Players are also given a free random seed each week, so this isn't a necessary purchase by any means.
The classic and beloved Harvest Moon series had fresh life breathed into it with the release of Story Of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town. The name may be different, but all the charm of this gardening-heavy life sim is still there. Story of Seasons was met with incredibly positive feedback from fans.
While building up their farms, players gain the ability to craft tools to aid them, such as automatic plant watering systems or animal feeders. There are both seasonal and all-year crops, with a whopping total of ninety-six different plants for players to discover, sow, and harvest.
Ooblets will feel familiar to fans of series such as Harvest Moon and Pokémon, but it puts its own unique twists on these familiar concepts. Instead of catching Ooblets out in the wild, players grow them from seeds, and instead of fighting in one-on-one combat, Ooblets fight using dance battles as their medium.
Players start out with a small, abandoned farm that they breathe life into as they progress, building up their very own team of Ooblets as they go. The unique angle of building one's team from tiny seeds in the ground is one that helps players feel more connected to their companions. This unique take on the monster-catching genre is sure to appeal to gardening lovers.
Although it's still in Early Access, fans have been having a blast with Disney Dreamlight Valley. A mysterious curse known as The Forgetting has taken over the valley, altering villagers' memories and causing dark thorns to grow throughout the town.
It's up to players to restore the town's long-lost magic, with gardening being one of the best methods to do this. By growing crops and selling them to Goofy or using them as ingredients in more expensive dishes, players can then use their hard-earned coin to buy decorations for the town, an incredibly satisfying loop.
Strange Horticulture is a unique, charming simulation game for fans of gardening and the occult. Players take on the role of the Horticulturist, spending their days tending to the customers of their shop, while finding and identifying all manner of plants in their downtime.
Players will have to use clues they find on their explorations, as well as their trusty encyclopedia, in order to identify the plants they come across and their unique effects. These can be downright deadly in some cases, such as hallucinogens and poisons, and players can use the knowledge they acquire to drastically affect the story's outcome.
Although it may look like Minecraft, Staxel is undeniably its own, unique experience. It's up to the player, a newcomer in town, to turn their run-down home and reclaimed farmland into a booming, bustling garden.
In addition to regular crops, players can also grow bushes and fruit trees, and there are even methods to obtain special Golden crops. One of Staxel's best features is the ability to share their farm with several friends or become neighbors each tending to their own fields via online multiplayer.
Hannah has always had a passion for writing, having done creative writing as a personal passion since 2012, and is thrilled to be a content writer for CBR. When she isn’t writing for work or for fun, she can usually be found playing games, cosplaying, singing or petting her cats. You can connect with her here: hostedebt@gmail.com.
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