I’m looking to set up a co-op video game night with my friends and I’m looking for suggestions for a cozy game we can all play together virtually. We all enjoy Stardew Valley but we’ve all played it and I’d like to start something new with them. Looking for ideas that would allow me to walk away from the computer if I need to take care of my kids but still allows my friends to continue playing.
Here’s some parameters to narrow down the list:
- switch, Steam, or GOG availability
- can walk away and not die without having to pause for my friends
- preferably affordable
- lower graphics requirements, we all have older hardware
- game controller compatible
- fun to play over multiple short sessions
- either 2 player or up to 4 players
Thanks everyone in advance!
Edit: I’m so excited with all the suggestions! I realized I should put co-op in the title and add the number of players. Might be anywhere between 2 and 4. Even the single player suggestions I’ve been getting are so up my alley I’m excited to check them out. This was my first post on this platform and it’s been amazing thank you!
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Ale and Tale Tavern is great co-op fun, and terribly cozy. It’s primarily fantasy themed overcooked, but with much chiller vibes.
There’s optional adventurer stuff, but it is pretty light, there’s good accessibility settings, and the adventuring can be delayed until stronger gear is available or done cooperatively, making it much easier.
Over time, you can upgrade your gear and decorate the tavern.
If anything, the game’s flaw is just that it’s relatively short, for an economy simulation game.
(6 to 8 hours with my group unlocked everything. We played past the end for maybe another two hours just for the chill vibes.)
this doesn’t fit super well but might feel good for some people, TerraFirmaGreg. cook for each other, Smith tools, loot dungeons, and make progress.
This might be a weird suggestion but deep rock galactic sort of fits this theme in my mind. I found it to be pretty chill on the lower hazard levels, you can hang out and play mini games in your base ship between missions. Lots of fun multiplayer, upgradeable classes, short missions, funny VA and themes…
Haha I’ve watched my husband play this and I wouldn’t have thought it as cozy. I see what you mean about it being lower stakes though. Now he wants to see us play so we may give it a go thank you for the suggestion!
It’s really good about not pressuring players too. You get slightly bigger rewards for pmaying on higher difficulties / completing missions faster / doing extra objectives and so on but the rewards are only small power boosts and lots of fun cosmetics. You can do what you want at your own pace and not feel like you’re missing out
Rock and stone!
Can ostensibly walk away from it by making a dorf cocoon: dig hole with dorf in it, plug with cheese (engi platforms). Have saved many afk dorfs from certain doom this way. Has to have at least 2 dorf distance from glyphids though. They can do damage through walls.
DRG was not cosy for me, it made me feel very stupid. I don’t know what I did wrong, but I played for hours and tried multiple missions but every time I ended up like 10 short of whatever the mineral I needed to mine to win was, and would scour everywhere trying to find it, digging crisscross tunnels all across the map, never finding the last node.
I still truly do not know what I was doing wrong, but I found the experience so discouraging and it made me feel so stupid ☹️
I had these runs early on, as well - where the rock I need to win simply is not present, or is so rare that I would have needed to be an expert to mine it.
They seem to have improved the randomizer, since then. I haven’t had that happen, lately - where the ore I need is too rare.
Also, mods that slash the ammo refill costs to 40 go a long way toward making DRG a much more relaxed gameplay.
Improved since November 2025?
And I didn’t have any complaints with the gameplay experience or difficulty beyond that, but it’s a pretty significant wall…
If it makes you feel better i just dug around and went seemingly nowhere for an hour and never played it again so yeah made me feel like i have 50 iq, just literally couldn’t get past starting the game and digging into the earth and never seeing anything lmao
I feel like they improved that, I had a few of those runs at the beginning as well. Idk how long it has been since you touched it, but I suggest trying again :) and use the map to see other caves nearby
It was November 2025.
Escape Academy or similar type of escape room/puzzle games might work.
Slay the Spire 2 has a good co-op option. And technically any digital boardgame (ticket to ride for example) would meet your vibes.
Maybe a little more intense, but Rayman Legends/Origins are pretty cozy.
Any of the Lego games would probably work.
Peak has an “easy” setting that just makes it a goofy teamwork based game.
Dome Keeper is a really fun up-to 4-player co-op game about digging for minerals beneath a dome and defending it from creatures on the surface who try to break in every so often.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1637320/Dome_Keeper/
It’s mostly a chill game, but the defense of the dome can be exciting, though only one player needs to actually man the defenses, the rest can continue to mine below ground.
Great recommendation!
And there is an accessible game play mode available that turns off the dome defense portion of the game, as well.
Yes! My partner and I love playing this. I defend and she mines
Palia is free to play and keeps expanding their game. No problem if you just walk away, no player health meter, just focus to get extra XP from the things you are already doing. Fun for solo, duos or more. Has hunting creatures that are more challenging to track down, basic supply gathering via wood chopping and mining, crafting of all kinds of stuff, farming and ranching too! Crazy they still have it for free.
I also recommend Palworld as others have suggested. Or Valheim, for it’s darker grim cousin.
Maybe unconventional recommendation, but FFXIV has an extremely generous, unlimited time free trial. Like hundreds of hours of free trial. Most of it’s dungeons and content is designed for roughly 4 players concurrently (tank, healer, 2dps), though every class does lots of damage so nobody is just standing there bored. There’s combat of course as an MMO but it’s pretty relaxed pace most of the time. But this is a big commitment of course.
Core Keeper is basically Stardew Valley + Minecraft. You kill bosses and stuff but also mostly gather resources and farm and upgrade gear.
Factorio and Satisfactory has multiplayer, if you enjoyed the automation and progression part of Stardew Valley.
Raft you are on a raft at sea — you all work together to upgrade your raft.
I’ve heard good things about Dinkum and Grounded and Coral Island but haven’t tried them yet.
Thank you so much for your detailed reply! These are all amazing suggestions and I cannot wait to give them a go
You missed a big plus for FFXIV - it’s controller support is next level. People successfully do end raids with a controller just fine.
If MMOs are on the table Lord of the Rings online should also be looked at. Peak cozy
+1 for Dinkum (Think multiplayer animal Crossing but with minimal combat, progression, and Stardew Valley-esk day timer instead of real time) Also +1 for Grounded, it’s more survival crafting and combat but still a great vibe.
+1 to Palworld. The difficulty/accessibility settings are very good for achieving co-op chill vibes.
Terraria will literally run on your phone and you can set up a world to suit your needs ie. No combat etc.
Valheim is good for a bit of building and exploration.
Terraria looks super accessible and fun thank you for the suggestion! Valheim looks so pretty as well. Thank you
I would have loves Terraria with combat turned off. Thanks, I didn’t realize that’s an option, now.
Witchspire - similar to Palworld, but “witchy” themed
Powerwash Simulator.
Lovers in Dangerous space time and Pico Park come to mind. Sort of couch co-op vibes but can be online.
These look like fun, thank you so much for the suggestions
You Don’t Know Jack. There are several packs of trivia and party games, and you can use smartphones as controllers. Available on Steam and reasonably priced.
On edit: I didn’t notice the “virtual” part. I’m not sure if you can do that.
This is a great idea, we could use a screen share to play and it doesn’t take long to pick up and play. Thank you!
You’re welcome! I’ve accumulated 7 packs in my library (probably bundles, but I can’t remember). Enjoy!
Honestly you could jump on a zoom call or whatever, as long as everybody has the same game room code loaded on their phone YDKJ Party Packs should be pretty fun. No need for game controllers even.
Raft, but you will die if you walk away too long but there might be settings where this isn’t the case. I have no idea about the controller since I never tried to play that way.
Ooo that looks like a fun challenge thank you
Palworld can be kinda cozy/chill, but there are no real NPCs to hang out with.
I was going to suggest Paleo Pines because it’s basically Stardew/Animal Crossing with dinosaurs, but it’s singleplayer only.
Palworld is a popular suggestion, I’ll have to suggest it to the group for sure. Thank you!
If it’s just two of you I enjoyed phogs with a buddy of mine. Technically you pause if you walk away as it takes both people. I’m not sure you’ll find many games that fits literally everything on your list but fingers crossed for ya.
Yeah, it’s an extensive wishlist so I don’t anticipate hitting all the points, just hoping for most or even some. Phogs looks like a lot of silly fun, thanks for the suggestion!
I get that. I just thought of it, others suggested Peak but RV There Yet is just as fun and actually easier to step away from as one guy can just drive or repair or explore or whatever. It doesn’t halt progress quite as much as in Peak I feel.
I also think Trine might work if it hasn’t been suggested. It’s a fun little action adventure game but it’s not hard or stressful, been playing through them with my own friends
