Steam Deck

spec ops the line (just kidding)

I'm imagining someone cozying up with a blanket, a lap kitty, some tea, and the horrors of mankind.

Night in the Woods felt very comforting to me. Its not really the "cozy game. For me it felt more like the movie Juno. Cool and funny characters getting along with some everyday and some harsh toppics. Combined with a cool artstyle and soundtrack.

The rookie

• Cult of the Lamb
• Vampire Survivors
• Halls of Torment

I'm a huge fan of Mice Tea (nsfw), it's more comic than game (it's actually a choose-your-own-adventure) but I read it on my Deck <3

It's an erotic romance about a nerdy girl, a bookstore, and some magic tea that turns you into a furry. Tons of literal and metaphorical aftercare.

Smushi Come Home is a good one. You play as a little mushroom trying to find the way back home. It kinda has a similar vibe to A Short Hike

TOEM is usually the game that I suggest for this sort of genre. I got it from someone who had an extra key from a humble bundle, and in hindsight I wish I bought it because they deserve the money.

Unpacking (if mouse control via touch pads is ok for you)

UFO 50 and Star of Providence!

Have you considered Snowrunner, Farming Simulator and American/Euro truck simulator? All games capable of unplugging your brain for a while. Just remember to manually set Proton if you play either truck sim, they have a terribly unoptimized Linux native version that runs poorly on the Deck.

Sayonara Wild Hearts. I love that game and often load it up when I'm feeling out of sorts.

If you like english humor, check out "Thank goodness your here". Alternatively "Tiny terry's turbo trip" or "Untitled goose game".

Someone else mentioned Superliminal, and I second that recommendation. Very cool puzzles, very nice message.

Coffee talk might be a good one

• Sable - but you'll want to use protontricks to install dxvk
• Stonefly
• Far - 1 & 2 are both good, but I still prefer the first one
• Vane
• Lightmatter

• Lost in Play - adorable game about two siblings and their imagined adventure...or is it?
• Tinykin - platform puzzler collectathon with zero enemies. Just cozy vibes.
• Freshly Frosted - Want to feel personally encouraged by a soothing narrator while making donut machines?
• Tiny Glade - make cute castles. That's it!
• KeyWe - kiwi mail delivery. Literally.
• The Were Cleaner - werewolf janitor.
• Little Inferno - silly game where you burn things to get more things to burn. Also, Sugar Plumps!
• A Hat in Time - puzzle platformer collectathon that's cute and creative
• Dangeresque: The Roomisode Triungulate - silly point and click adventure. Looks like I'm gonna have to jump...!
• Hidden Through Time - Where's Waldo but more animated.
• Thomas Was Alone - platformer where Thomas might not be as alone as he thinks (in a good way).

Because you mentioned Islanders, maybe Dorfromantik?

Fields of Mystria is a Stardew-like that plays excellently on the steam deck!

Journey to the Savage Planet is grossly underated: fun, simple game, just challenging enough and extremely well polished.

Some great games being listed already! Here are some nobody mentioned yet: Hoa, Abzu, Toem and Donut County.

Take it easy and pace yourself with the depressing stuff. We’re all in this together.

~~I would recommend grabbing this bundle: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/safe-in-our-world-charity-bundle-2025 It's got a kinda weird mix of games, but a lot of the games are great and several are fantastic for what you're asking. Of particular note:~~

Edit: unfortunately that bundle is out of stock, and I just realized it. Sorry. My recommendation for the following games is still valid though:

• Little Kitty Big City - play as a cat doing cat things and exploring a japanese city. Very chill, fun animal characters, real fun experience.
• Thank Goodness You're Here - very well animated adventures in a british town. Less of a game and more of an experience, but very enjoyable.

I've only played the demo, but Caravan SandWitch has a cozy vibe and seems very chill.

Not sure if this qualifies but I enjoy Catherine: Full Body on the steam deck. It’s kind of a cozy game.

A few more not mentioned. All of them are games where you can play and your in-game choices are small.

• A Good Snowman is Hard to Build
• Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved
• Hexologic
• Harmony's Odyssey
• Luna's Fishing Garden

Ill give you some more fast paced than the other recommendations. Games that really suck me in for hours zoned out.

Nova Drift helped me zone out for hours and is good on the steam deck. It's an Asteroids style game. It's just shoot up fun with more upgrades the longer you survive.

Crab Champions is a silly shooter with the same basic recipe. Survive, get upgrades. It's silly though because you are a crab, fighting other crabs. It's fun.

Comedy option - Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy. Face your life frustrations head on and play a game designed to make you angry.

Various levels of puzzle/chill:

• A little to the left

• Viewfinder

• Unpacking

• Bonfire peaks

• Moncage

• Chronescher

• Humanity

• Superliminal

• Manifold garden

• Gridroad

• Dredge?

• Far (lone sails and the second one)?

• Vampire therapist (maybe)

Cat fishing (maybe it's called fishing with cat?) glad you already did for detective, cat quest 1-3, trine is pretty laid back, Thomas was alone, undertale,

Reus2 has been most of my deck commuting playtime if I'm honest. Great little game with endless replayability.

Transport fever 2 is very chill.