Five cozy games for winding down

Not every gaming session needs adrenaline. Sometimes you just want something soft to hold your attention while you decompress, and mobile is full of games built exactly for that.

Lanterns of the Drowned Vale tops my list right now. It's an adventure with no fail states worth worrying about, just a beautiful flooded world and gentle puzzles. Tiny Harbor Keeper works too — the scheduling gives your hands something to do without stressing you out.

Big Bass Boat deserves a mention here as well. The rhythm of casting and reeling is meditative, and the sound of the water does half the work of relaxing you.

The common thread with cozy games is respect. They don't punish you for stepping away, they don't beg for attention, and they let you set the pace. That's a rare and underrated quality.

Keep one of these installed for the evenings when a boss fight is the last thing you want.