8 cozy games to enjoy on PlayStation Portal this holiday

“Oh, the weather outside is awful, but inside it’s so delightful…” As much as these words are commonly associated with winter snowstorms, inclement weather and the general harshness of the outdoors are year-round concerns. Whether you’re stuck in the icy embrace of winter or hit by the heat of the summer sun, there’s a tried and true method to stay warm or cool, and that’s settling in at home playing video games alone or with friends. And when things get tough outdoors, it’s comfortable games that hit that sweet spot the hardest. Whether you’re curled up on the couch or in bed, with the DualSense controller or PlayStation Portal In hand, here are some game suggestions to help you when you need relaxing experiences to combat the blues outside.

stardew valley

The benchmark for farming and life simulation style games, Stardew Valley is an indie megahit that has won the hearts and minds of millions of players around the world. You’ve inherited a small plot of land in Pelican Town, part of the titular Stardew Valley, and you’re on a personal quest to turn this patch of land into a fancy farm. Build, harvest, explore, collect, create, and maybe even strike up a little romance with your neighbors – it’s a great way to feel the fun and revitalization of a warm spring day any time of year.

Tchia

Many of us long for a tropical getaway on a subzero day in the dead of winter. Tchia takes players to a beautiful island archipelago inspired by the real territory of New Caledonia. The young protagonist Tchia must search for her kidnapped father. She is a very athletic young woman and expert in rafting, gliding and the ukulele, but her true gift is using a very special skill: Soul Jumping. By soul jumping to objects and creatures, she can control them and use her unique abilities in countless ways and fully explore these beautiful but dangerous lands.

Season: A letter to the future

The impending end of the world may seem like the exact opposite of a calm and cozy experience, but Season offers a very different approach. In this atmospheric and emotionally charged third-person exploration and adventure game, you’ll hop on your bike and set out to do everything you can to preserve the lives, traditions, words and memories of those who will soon disappear into history. Using notebooks, cameras and tape recorders to capture the details of a culture’s daily existence, you will strive to preserve a memory of life as it was for those in the future. It’s a perfect game to play when you’re lying in bed, longing for the warm melancholy of early fall.

Venba

Our memories of seasons, cultures and family are inextricably intertwined with food. Venba explores these complex feelings through the eyes of an East Indian family who uprooted everything and moved to Canada during the 1980s. As cultural ideas and expectations collide around mother Venba and her young son Kevin, the narrative progresses through mother-son cooking sessions that require reconstructing recipes through cookbook clues and Venba’s memories. It’s the perfect game to pop into the PlayStation Portal after you’ve spent the day preparing a nice hot meal.

The LEGO Builder’s Journey

Too cold and windy to build a snowman? Is it too hot to go to the beach and build a sand castle? Calm your need to build with a delightful free-building, puzzle-solving escape to a serene LEGO world. In LEGO Builder’s Journey, you can solve a series of three-dimensional puzzles with the careful snapping and oh-so-satisfying click of Lego pieces. Or, if you want to build your own structures, you can enter creative mode and place any bricks you want, all without fear of losing those little pieces on the mat.

Disney’s Valley of the Light of Dreams

The Disney name is synonymous with comfortable, happy entertainment – ​​the pinnacle of good feelings. Wouldn’t it be nice to live with all your favorite Disney personalities? Dreamlight Valley allows you to create your own cartoon avatar and travel to that wonderful place. Make friends, create, cook, build and customize to your liking, all while you work to stop the Night Thorns invasion. Best of all, this trip to a Disney-themed fantasy world will never be derailed by bad weather.

Nour: play with your food

Contrary to popular belief (or what your parents told you), delicious-looking food is not specifically made to go directly into your mouth. Nour: Play With Your Food lets you do all the crazy food shenanigans you’ve ever dreamed of with a variety of physics-based vignettes. Smash all the sushi, scramble all the toast, even destroy chunks of meat with a size-changing ray gun – ultimate silliness is your only goal and you won’t have a mess to clean up later. Perfect for those days when you really wish you could go out for a drink.

Lamb Worship

Become the most charismatic cult leader in a world full of cute animals and sinister divine figures. Cult of the Lamb allows you to command your adorable, fluffy avatar to amass followers through multiple means of indoctrination, conquering all who oppose you with words and power. Control your worship while you relax by the fireplace or soak in the bathtub – that’s what a leader like you deserves.

Do you have a favorite game to enjoy on your PlayStation Portal? Share it in the comments, and check out even more cozy classics while you’re at it. here.