Steam Deck

What I've played on my Deck over the last months and would consider more of the type of games you listed:

• Tiny Terry's Turbo Trip
• Paper Trail
• Smushi Come Home
• Little Kitty, Big City
• Slash Quest
• Haven Park
• Loddlenaut

Edit: Formatting

My list of endorphin-boosting games:

Dorfromantik
Unpacking
A Little To The Left
Tiny Glade - though this one barely qualifies as a game

If you want something a little more gamified: Balatro is amazing and addictive.

Try out Loddlenaut or Toem!

Don’t think I saw these mentioned so here ya go:

• Little Kitty, Big City
• Any of the Atelier games if you don’t mind anime, though the upcoming one may not be as relaxing in terms of its story.
• Timberborn, though some might feel stressed about handling droughts. You can turn the difficulty down and it’ll just be a cute diorama where you build a city (or cities) with beavers.

And this is extra but grab your friends and family and play some couch co-op. It can help get your mind off things and just enjoy being in company of loved ones.

Aand if you want to eventually find something that will keep you hopeful in the face of despair, in a healthy way, I recommend the first part of Honkai Impact 3rd. It’s long, has lots of depressing moments, enough to make fans call it Depression Impact. The story touches on themes of existential horror, suicide, duty, death of loved ones, humans who have no morals and believe that all rights and wrongs as transient, cosmological threats, etc. Despite all that, I’d actually say that it’s a story about hope, and what can lay the foundations for hope. It’s definitely fan-service-y, and it’s a gacha game, but very much ignorable and playable without investing any money in it. It’s also made by a Chinese company, but maybe that can help with recalibrating perceptions on Chinese people, instead of what we’ve come to know through their government. Of course, if you’re susceptible to gambling addictions, please feel free to ignore this recommendation.

I've been playing Keep Driving quite a bit. Fun game and great on deck.

Doronko Wanko is a short free game with a funny name about being a dog and making a mess

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.

• terra nil
• what the golf

• 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.

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

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.

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)

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.

• 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).

The rookie

UFO 50 and Star of Providence!

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

Because you mentioned Islanders, maybe Dorfromantik?

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

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

• 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

Coffee talk might be a good one

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.

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

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)