10 Aug Three Cozy Games to Play When You’re Sick

For me, being sick is like an ultra-rare Pokémon popping up out of nowhere. It hardly happens. But when I’m not feeling well, I want to lie in bed or on the couch and play games. And also sleep. I’m currently fighting a sinus infection, and I want to stay in my bed and do everything I can from my warm protective space until I feel better. When you’re in the throes of an illness, you don’t want to do anything but sleep, sleep some more, and sleep again. And then you get tired of sleeping, so you need something else to do. Some of us read, some of us can actually draw or paint, and some of us play games. And what better games than cozy games? So I put together my top cozy games to play when you’re sick.

What are cozy games?

A cozy game is one that allows you to get all comfortable and play a light non-violent game. Usually it includes lots of cute characters and task-driven goals. When I want to play a cozy game, I sink into my couch with my blanket and tea, turn the lights down, and settle in for a mental break. I also find myself smiling and humming to myself.

Cozy games focus on repetition and task-based stories – usually RPG and adventure games. These often allow the player to take charge of their own in-game lives and create whatever life they want. This was especially good for those times when most of us felt like we had no control over our lives and what was happening around us. It gave our brains a place of solace.

Cozy games are a subgenre of games that I believe was made popular during the pandemic. You know, when we all needed something to relax our minds from the sickness and craziness going on around us. Rather than the more popular high-adrenaline, high-stress, shoot-and-fight games, some people wanted to just enjoy a more relaxing experience. Games that offered a wholesome mental break from the pressures and negative emotions swirling around every area of their lives.

I think the same applies when you’re sick. Most of us don’t have any control over when we get sick. This is common when we work around other people and are at the mercy of their germs and unclean habits. We feel out of sorts as we wait for the body and medication to get us back to our baseline. We wonder what we’re missing and how much we’ll have to make up, and this can cause some stress on the mind and emotions.

Three Cozy Games to Play When You’re Sick

Enter some cozy games to ease the soul and help us focus on other things. Here are three of my favorites to play when you’re under the weather:

1. Grow: Song of the Evertree
2. Spiritfarer
3. Potion Permit

Grow: Song of the Evertree

This is literally my favorite cozy game. I know I’ve mentioned it before on the blog, and yes, I have completed and restarted it many times. After a hard day of work (and there are many), I come home and take a mental break by playing a bit of Grow.

It’s the combination of world-building and planting and growing that keeps calling to me. I looked for so long for a gardening game that didn’t hold me hostage by making me solve other puzzles in order to grow one potato. I can just plant, water, and watch my plants grow on worlds that I create with seeds made from alchemy. This is such an adorable and calming game that this may be the one you pick up each time you need a warm game hug.

You can find more information about this game on the game website, as well as the PlayStation Store, Nintendo for Switch, X-box, and Steam.

Spiritfarer

I just started this game a few weeks ago, and I’m already hooked. The art style is a huge factor for me, and I find that I love the character designs and overall aesthetic of this game! I’m sure some of it will be a bit sad since the main character’s entire job is getting spirits to the other side. But I think it will also be another warm experience that I can’t wait to explore.

Admittedly, it tends to be a bit grindy (is that a word?) which involves many task-driven assignments that take you all over the map with slow rewards. I think it could be a bit tedious if you played for long periods of time in one sitting. While this can be annoying to some people, I find that (in small doses) I get to meet charming side characters and see really cool places. It gives me time to enjoy the art and the dialog. But I can’t play this when I need to feel like I want to accomplish something because it is a sloooow burn lol. And that’s why it’s a great game to play when you’re sick.

Indie games are some of the best games! Find a cool video and more information about Spiritfarer on the game development site here.

Potion Permit

I have to admit that before posting this, my third game option was Cozy Grove. I mean, it has cozy in the title, right? Don’t get me wrong, the game seems like a cute game, but I just couldn’t get into it. I think it reminded me too much of Animal Crossing and didn’t quite scratch that itch for me. I really like how the island comes to life once you’ve accomplished a task, but I was stuck on tasks with no hints as to what to do next. So I found myself trying for a bit and then switching to another game. Most importantly, once I actually finish a task, there was nothing else for me to do on the island so I got bored.

Potion Permit, however, was right up my alley. It’s a good mix of science, nature, and magic, and has that super cute pixel-y look. You are sent to Moonbury as a chemist to help heal the mayor’s daughter. The caveat is that the town mistrusts anything too ‘science’ so you have to prove to them that you aren’t a fake and that alchemy is real. You’re given a house and sent on a myriad of tasks. If you’re not feeling well, I think this would be the perfect game to play in between naps.

You can find out more about Cozy Grove if you have an Animal Crossing itch to scratch, but Potion Permit is a great game and you can visit the game site or go to the Nintendo Store.

What about you? Do you have any other cozy games to add to this list?

How to speed up your recovery when you’re sick

Since we can’t stay in bed for days playing games (as much as I want to, sometimes), we have to make sure we’re doing everything we can to help heal our bodies so we can get back to the real world. I know… IRL sucks. So besides listing some cozy games to play when you’re sick, I also wanted to give some other tips. We should help you feel better faster so you can get out of that cozy bed and get on with life. Here are some things you can do while gaming to speed up your recovery time:

Hydrate your body

It’s important to drink liquids and lots of them. Water is best, but juices and teas are also important. Remember, the less sugar the better. Liquids will help your body flush out all the unwanted stuff and keep you hydrated so it can fight the germs.

Feed your body

And speaking of liquids, you need to eat. Even if you can’t taste a thing (like me right now), and even if you’re not really hungry. Another thing your body needs is nutrients. Chicken Noodle Soup has always been my favorite. Just give me a can of Old-fashioned Campbell’s every time. Try to avoid heavy fatty foods (yum, french fries) and opt for soups and bread. 

I recently finished a Chinese drama about gaming and e-sports, and they ate a lot of rice porridge, especially when one of the teammates wasn’t feeling well. It looked so warm and good that I had to look it up, and I found that rice porridge, or congee in Chinese, is a rice dish made into a porridge consistency and eaten much like a soup. This recipe is found in other Asian countries and is called by other names. I found an authentic Chinese recipe online, plugged in my rice cooker, and made enough for three servings. It was delicious and I ate rice porridge the entire week!

Heat away the aches

I don’t know about you, but when I’m sick my body is especially sore. And the longer I lay in the bed, the more sore it becomes. So if you feel achy, get a heating pad and warm your joints while you game.

Medicate

Whether you visit your doctor for a prescription, or ask your local pharmacist for something over-the-counter, you should definitely take medicine to speed your recovery process along. I’m not a doctor so I have no recommendations, but always be aware of ingredients, any current medication you may be taking, allergies you may have to certain medications, and your tolerance level.

Rest

I don’t get sick very often at all. This statement feels ironic since I’m writing this post while sick, myself! I have such severe allergies and a stubbornness to proper sleep, that once every few years I get a major sinus infection that puts me out of commission. Oh, I am and will fight it and deny it – but it is a result of me running and running without rest and my body eventually has enough and shuts me down. 

I hope you find this list of cozy games to play when you’re sick useful. Be sure not to spend all day gaming. Take breaks and get some rest. The fastest way to recover is to sleep. While you’re sleeping, your body can do that thing it does to restore and reset and each time you wake up from a nap or night’s sleep you feel a bit better until you’re finally free of the illness.

So if you’re feeling sick, I hope you feel better, soon. Grab some tea and tissues, and try one of these cozy games to put your mind at ease while your body heals.