Image via neoludic games, Skystone Games, and Bonus Action
Mobile gaming may be controversial, but it’s clearly here to stay. And when it comes to satisfying games to play on your phone or tablet, cozy gamers have a surprising wealth of options. Much of what people don’t like about mobile games comes from free-to-play models, including heavy advertising and gacha mechanics. But there is an increasing library of paid mobile ports of solid cozy games out there for gamers to enjoy on the go, along with a few free games with light monetization. Most famously, I think, Stardew Valley is available on mobile, and it remains the most popular farming sim you can play on your phone. But as my fellow cozy game enthusiasts know, farming sims are just the tip of the cozy iceberg.
I’ll admit, I was a latecomer to mobile gaming. I will forever be the kind of person who loves a classic controller and console vibe. However, Pokémon Go got me into the idea of playing games on my phone when it released back in 2016. Since then, I’ve dabbled in a few other mobile games, both free and paid. Though they won’t replace my regular gaming habits any time soon, mobile games are a great way to enjoy a little gaming time on the go. As a cozy game enthusiast and someone who doesn’t like using my phone screen to move a character around a complicated RPG world, I’ve played plenty of cozy games on my phone. These are the ones I actually recommend if you’re looking for something relaxed to enjoy on mobile.
Discounty
Price: Free to start, then $12.99 for full game
Genre: Shopkeeping Sim
It’s no secret that we love Discounty here at Bonus Action. The game is a classic shopkeeping sim with a slightly sinister, capitalism-ruins-everything twist. Our team had a ton of fun playing this one, and the recent free People or Profit? update gave us a great excuse to dive back in. In addition to PC and Nintendo Switch, the pixel art shopkeeping sim is also available on iOS and Android! The mobile version of Discounty offers the full game experience, with roughly 15-20 hours of story to experience, plus infinite shop management and optimization. You can try out the first few days in the game for free to make sure you like it, then pay a one-time fee to get the full mobile port.
Tiny Bookshop
Price: Free to start, then $7.99 for full game
Genre: Shopkeeping Sim
If you love books and cozy games as much as I do, Tiny Bookshop is an instant hit. This game lets you run your own little bookshop out of a caravan. You’ll stock the shelves, decorate your tiny shop, and give customers recommendations based on real, actual books. It’s an absolute delight of a game, and it’s got a full-fledged mobile port for iOS and Android. The mobile version of Tiny Bookshop delivers the full gameplay experience, optimized for a phone or tablet. You can play the first few days for free, then buy the complete mobile game for $7.99 USD if you like what you find.
Papa’s Pizzeria To Go!
Price: $1.99 USD
Genre: Cooking Sim
I know Good Pizza, Great Pizza is the default cozy cooking sim recommendation on mobile. But I’ll be real with you: the customer dialogue when you mess up their orders hurts my feelings. Plus, I’ve got a long, storied relationship with the Papa’s restaurant games from Flipline Studios. The browser versions of these games contributed substantially to eating away at my free time in high school and college. In fact, I may or may not own the mobile To Go! versions of several games, including Papa’s Pizzeria, Papa’s Freezeria, and more. The Papa’s games offer a classic cooking sim experience where you take orders, prepare food, and serve it up. You unlock new ingredients and options as you go, and I simply can’t get enough. If pizza isn’t your speed, Flipline offers a whole library of options, almost all priced at $1.99 USD.
Dave the Diver
Price: Free-to-start, then $9.99 USD
Genre: Adventure RPG / Restaurant Management Sim
Of all the games on this list, Dave the Diver is the only one that might not be considered cozy to everyone. You do, after all, have to harpoon and/or shoot fish to serve them up. But for me, the gameplay loop is perfectly relaxing. Catch fish by day, manage your sushi restaurant by night. The best of both worlds. Its mobile port, which offers the full gameplay loop and select DLC add-ons, released on September 17th. I already own the game on PC and Nintendo Switch, but I can already feel the call of the Blue Hole begging me to take my restaurant management life on the go with the mobile port.
Pokémon Sleep
Price: Free-to-play, optional in-app purchases
Genre: Gamified Sleep Tracker
I am forever singing the praises of Pokémon Sleep, because I think it’s criminally underrated. But I find it an incredibly cozy way to engage with the world of Pokémon, and it’s also incredibly free-to-play friendly. The premise is simple: track your sleep in the app or with a connected device. Then, wake up and befriend Pokémon who decided to doze nearby. You will also raise a Snorlax each week, feeding it berries and meals to increase its Drowsy Power (aka, attract more and rarer Pokémon to your campsite). I like a game that doesn’t constantly demand my attention, and the art style is just adorable. If you want something that you can check in with a few times a day and play for free, give Pokémon Sleep a try.
Looking for more mobile games for your wishlist? Check out the recently announced Magical Girl game from the developer behind Pokémon!
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