Cosy video games have seen a major rise in popularity in the 2020s, no doubt thanks to Covid restrictions, which had many of us flocking to the miniature worlds of Animal Crossing, The Sims and Stardew Valley for a sanctuary away from an increasingly stressful climate. But life-simulation games have continued to garner communities, due to the genre’s unique peaceful-productive play styles, mechanics that prioritise nurturing, maintenance and relationship-building, and a wholesomeness that counteracts the high-octane, boyish kitsch of gaming’s best-sellers: first-person shooters.
Having partaken in some cosy games myself, including a game where I cultivated a colony of penguins on my phone, I found myself searching for a new world to get stuck into. Introducing: Tiny Bookshop, developed by a tiny Cologne-based studio called Neoludic Games. The game, which is available on PC, Mac and the Nintendo Switch, is all about “the fantasy of running a tiny second hand bookshop by the sea”, tapping into what exactly it is that we look for when we escape to digital worlds: to get lost in daydreams. Players collect used books, curate their inventory and choose between the many scenic locations to set up shop, all whilst meeting the town’s varied and peculiar denizens with whom the player can form friendships or cause mischief.
date:2026-02-10 09:47:00