If you're feeling a void where ConcernedApe's Haunted Chocolatier should be, try playing these cozy games!
ConcernedApe's December 2024 update made it clear that Haunted Chocolatier won't be coming anytime soon, but it will definitely be worth the wait! ConcernedApe wants to work on Haunted Chocolatier solo, just like he did with the masterpiece that is Stardew Valley.
If you're someone (like me) that's played Stardew Valley for hundreds of hours and just think the game hits different, it's hard to find other games that give the same feeling. If you're looking for a game to fill the void while you wait for Haunted Chocolatier to release, try playing these games below!
Play Stardew Valley with Mods
If you've already reached perfection in Stardew Valley, you might think you're done with the game. But you're not! Modding Stardew Valley is one of the best decisions I've made cozy gaming, and I think getting a PC just for modding Stardew Valley is perfectly reasonable.
I think investing in a PC is less about how many games you'll play and more about how many hours you'll sink into it, and modding Stardew Valley adds hundreds of hours to the already long farming sim.
If you haven't invested in a gaming PC or a Steam Deck yet, you should do it just to play Stardew Valley with mods. Mods for Stardew Valley add entirely new cities like Downtown Zuzu, Ridgeside Village, and the Distant Lands swamp overhaul. Mods add new farm layouts to try like the Enchanted Grove Farm and add new crops and flowers to grow.
Mods make Stardew Valley feel like a new game entirely, and downloading new mods to keep switching it up can keep Stardew Valley entertaining while you wait for ConcernedApe's next game! If you want to stick to handheld gaming, the Steam Deck is compatible with modding too!
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Play Fields of Mistria (with Mods)
Fields of Mistria is a cozy farming sim inspired by Sailor Moon and 90's pixelated graphics. Fields of Mistria is a bright, adorable spin on a farming sim that Stardew Valley players absolutely love!
This cozy game lets players farm, mine, collect artifacts, and romance anyone in town (and maybe even an ancient dragon.)
Although plenty of players love the bright pastel colors in reminiscent of Sailor Moon, I personally like the modded version of Fields of Mistria better. Modding Fields of Mistria through Vortex lets players add new witchy decorations and outfits, and darker, more natural colors to the environment and buildings.
The Little Witch in the Woods
The Little Witch in the Woods follows a witch apprentice, Ellie, on her first assignment as the alchemist in a small village. This adorable cozy game has the pixelated graphics like Stardew Valley and the addicting day/night cycle that keeps you playing for hours as you tell yourself "Just one more day."
Little Witch in the Woods lets you upgrade and customize your broom to get around the mountainside quickly. You can collect ingredients from around the forest to brew potions to complete quests around the village and simply sell for coins.
This cozy game has had a ton of content added since its release in 2022! Help repair the small village, make friends with the villagers, and live your best witchy life.
Spirit City: Lofi Sessions
Spirit City: Lofi Sessions is a cozy management game that helps you manage your real life! I recommend this game on Steam to everyone, especially going into the new year. If you want to be more productive and more organized in 2025, Spirit City: Lofi Sessions is a great resource!
This cozy management game lets you create an avatar and your dream bedroom, create to-do lists, a habit tracker, and set timers while you complete tasks. Leave the game up while you study, clean, or work and you'll start collecting cozy spirits for the Spirit dex that will keep you company!
Spirit City: Lofi Sessions is an adorable cozy game like Stardew Valley that encourages you to manage your real life.
V Rising
V Rising is Stardew Valley with vampires. There are a couple of cozy vampire games that are supposed to come out in 2025 or 2026 - Moonlight Peaks and Crimson Hollow - that are supposed to be cozy vampire games like Stardew Valley. In the meantime, you can play V Rising as a cozy game!
V Rising is a survival crafting game that features castle building, shapeshifting, and defeating difficult bosses to unlock new powers. My favorite way to play V Rising is building my dream gothic vampire castle with a big garden and haunted graveyard!
This game has plenty of decoration packs to give your castle beautiful stained-glass windows and other designs. You can also customize your game servers to make combat and survival easier so you can play V Rising practically as a cozy castle-building game!
Palia
Palia is a free-to-play cozy game that has everything players waiting for Haunted Chocolatier will love! Palia is an open-world MMO that is a cozy gaming haven. You can upgrade, decorate, and farm on your plot of land and go into town to meet other players and complete quests.
Palia gives players freedom to enjoy their favorite part of cozy gaming, whether it's farming, building and decorating, fishing, or bug-catching. Palia is completely free-to-play and is constantly getting new updates with more content!
Coral Island
Besides Stardew Valley, Coral Island is the farming game that I've put the most time into. If you're looking for a game that's not Stardew Valley but will keep you busy while you wait for Haunted Chocolatier, Coral Island is an amazing farming and life sim with plenty of things to do.
Coral Island has everything Stardew Valley fans love with some extras! Players can restore their farm, mine, fish, donate to the museum, get married and have a baby, and progress the story on this tropical island.
Coral Island is a unique game that also has underwater diving where players can clean up trash, collect treasure, and discover a hidden underwater kingdom! Coral Island was recently updated with the final chapter and ending to the story, so you can finally play the game from start to finish!
Tiny Glade
Tiny Glade is a peaceful building game that's perfect for cozy gamers waiting for the release of Haunted Chocolatier. Tiny Glade lets players experience grindless and gridless building. There's no resource management, no combat, and no worries. Everything you need to build ruins, cottages, or castles is immediately at your disposal.
Tiny Glade boasts thousands of overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam and is the perfect cozy game for players that love building and decorating.
Dredge
Dredge is a spooky, Lovecraftian exploration game that is an instant hit for Stardew Valley lovers that also love spooky season. Dredge won 10 different Game of the Year awards when it released in 2023 and now has several DLCs that add even more content to the game.
In Dredge, you explore an open world on your tiny fishing boat. Catch and sell rare fish to upgrade your boat and complete quests to learn about your mysterious past. If you dare to go out at night, be aware of your Sanity meter and mysterious lights and monsters that might appear!
REKA
REKA is a beautiful cozy witchy game for players that love Stardew Valley and are waiting for Haunted Chocolatier. In REKA, play as an apprentice to the witch Baba Yaga, complete with your own witch hut that travels with you!
In REKA, you explore an autumn wood to forage for ingredients, build and decorate your witch hut, tame wildlife to bring home with you, and discover settlements deep in the forest. REKA lets you explore, create magical ingredients, use forest creatures to help you, and complete quests for villagers.
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