10 indie games that manage to combine cozy and horror
- Paula Vaynshteyn
- 1 day ago
- 8 min read
If there are two genres you may never expect to cross paths, it’s cozy and horror. The two just shouldn’t feature within 10 miles of each other, but there are apparently some developers out there who are fully capable of tearing up the rulebook and creating games that bridge the gap.
Whether you’re hunting for a farming sim with gothic vibes or you’re a fan of something that’s just deeply unsettling, there’s an indie cozy horror game out there just waiting to be played. Sometimes these games are released to huge fanfare, while other times they fly under the radar, but there’s something admirable about even trying to combine the two elements.
To be clear, I’m not talking about the type of horror that will keep you awake at night wondering whether there’s something under your bed or at the bottom of the stairs. This kind of horror is a little different. There are ghosts and monsters that are weirdly endearing, alongside unanswered questions that will keep you coming back for more.
If you’ve been looking for something cute and cozy to play, but you want some strange goings-on or mystery to keep you hooked, here are 10 cozy horror games for you.
The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow
The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow is a mysterious and spooky point-and-click adventure set in Yorkshire, England. Based on real British folklore, this Victorian-era tale is filled with a cast of questionable characters, each with a story to tell and something to add to the mystery of what’s really going on in Bewlay.
Despite the underlying folk-horror tones, there is something massively endearing about the story that Hob’s Barrow takes you on from the moment you step off the train. Why is everyone so wary of you? Is it just because you’re a woman wearing trousers? There’s definitely something deeper and more bizarre going on, and you just need to figure out what it is.
The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow was released on Steam in September 2022, and it has become a beloved addition to any point-and-click adventurer’s list.
Cult of the Lamb
Come on, you didn’t expect this list not to include Cult of the Lamb, did you? It’s pretty much the poster boy for the “cozy and yet somehow horror” genre, and it has become a complete obsession for many. I know I favor smaller developers wherever possible, but even I have to draw the line somewhere and admit that sometimes a bigger indie earns its place in the spotlight.
Cult of the Lamb is all about earning followers for your cult, managing their meals and homes, and keeping them happy enough to be comfortable enough being sacrificed for the greater good of the community. Even the darkest parts of the murderous little game are wrapped up in an art style so ridiculously adorable that sacrificing one of your followers can feel worryingly wholesome.
Cult of the Lamb has absolutely become one of those indies that seems to be a household name, even among people who’ve never played it, since it was released back in 2022. You can get it on the following platforms:
Dredge
I know, Dredge is a horror game based on the concept of being alone in the middle of the ocean while it tries to throw all kinds of eldritch horrors at you, and that doesn’t sound particularly “cozy”. However, I have to include Dredge on this list because while it is more outright horror than most of the other games mentioned, it is at its core a game about fishing.
Fishing is a standard and expected feature in just about every cozy game out there. There’s something incredibly soothing about casting your line, kicking back, and waiting for something to bite. Admittedly, Dredge does present more horrifying things for you to reel in, but you’re still fishing, and that will always feel cozy to me.
Dredge was released on Steam back in March 2023, and there have since been two expansions released that let you explore further and fish up even more horrifying creatures from the murky depths.
Little Misfortune
Little Misfortune is one of those games that will stay with you after you finish playing, purely because the juxtaposition between the style and the content is absolutely staggering. You spend the entire game wrapped up in a childlike adventure filled with strange, adorable talking animals and the search for happiness… and then the end comes at you, crushing you like a truck hitting you full force.
Ahem.
As a parent with a six-year-old who would be perfectly happy following a talking fox into a portal to another realm to find something cute to pet, I can’t help but get attached to Misfortune on her adventure. The art style is gorgeous, and the characters are undeniably lovely, but what sticks with players after the fact is the story, which is unexpectedly dark and gutting to witness.
Little Misfortune definitely settles somewhere between psychological horror and cozy, but it’s an absolute must-play if you’re into that kind of thing. It was released way back in 2019 (has it really been that long?!), and you can get it on the following platforms (price varies depending on platform):
Welcome to Elderfield
The opening scenes of Welcome to Elderfield sum up why this upcoming farming sim RPG belongs on this list. The game itself tells you: “Menacing whispers call from dark corners, but life is strangely peaceful.” I couldn’t have said it better myself, because while this is a dark and gnarly farming sim filled with eldritch horrors and mystery, it’s also very relaxing to play.
Tentacle-faced cultists are talking about the mysterious “Him” in the woods, news stories get darker and more bizarre by the day, and the main character has some issues with amnesia. There are even surprisingly in-depth RPG-style battles, with hit points and stats to ponder over. On the plus side, there are some weird yet lovable residents to meet and befriend, so at least you’re not alone in this strange place called Elderfield.
This delightfully gothic pixel and hand-drawn life sim is set for release on Steam on September 10, 2026, and I personally can think of nothing better to play as the nights draw in for Fall and Halloween approaches. If you want to figure out the basics before then, there’s a demo to play right now.
Happy Game
From one of my all-time favorite developers, Amanita Design, Happy Game is an absolute thrill ride of WTF from start to finish. It’s gory in a psychedelic way, it’s downright weird, and absolutely addictive in the most bizarre way imaginable. It’s like popping a hallucinogen and having the worst trip anyone could dream up, except this bad trip is actually fun despite the carnage that occurs within.
And honestly? It’s a little hard to explain; bear with me.
Everything about Happy Game looks, well, happy. Except it really isn’t. The whole game is about trying to escape literal nightmares by completing puzzles while trying not to be distracted by whatever insanity is going on in the background. There is a lot of violence and gore involved, and although it’s not exactly realistic, it’s definitely up there on the scale of “what the hell did I just witness?”
Happy Game is one of the weirdest, most shocking games I have ever personally played, and yet it remains one of my all-time favorites to this day. It’s relatively short, but the experience long outlasts the time it takes to play. It's available now on Steam and well worth playing if you’re not squeamish!
REKA
REKA is, perhaps, one of the best examples of cozy horror on this list. Not because it has jumpscares or gore involved, but because everything about it is rooted in Slavic folklore. You’re a witch-in-training, suddenly responsible for Baba Jaga’s chicken-legged house, which you can decorate to your heart’s content. Along the way, you complete quests to unlock new items and uncover the story.
There isn’t much horror in REKA, so I admit that I’m stretching the definition of cozy horror here, but there is something inherently spooky about a witchy exploration game that’s set in permanent Fall. Pumpkins, candles, spells, and interior decoration make a good combination for a spooky-adjacent adventure with no time limits.
REKA is out now in early access and is available on Steam. The planned 1.0 release has been delayed, but I can say from personal experience that the early access build is incredibly atmospheric and plays like a dream.
We Harvest Shadows
We Harvest Shadows is a farming sim with realistic graphics, creepy monsters on the horizon, and heavy weaponry you can use to keep yourself alive in the dark. It is undeniably scary at times, while still managing to be breathtakingly beautiful, all while making you feel like you’re living your best life out in the countryside. You know, if you ignore how terrifying the place gets once the sun goes down.
The story revolves around Garrett, who has exiled himself to a dilapidated farm because he thinks the world would be better if he disappeared. And obviously, because what better setting is there for a horror story, he happens to choose a farm in the Appalachian Mountains. Because of course it is.
Between planting and tending crops, you can explore acres of untamed wilderness and fight to keep your house un-haunted. Amid all that, you need to figure out what led Garrett to leave his life behind, and what he’s hiding from out here in the wild.
We Harvest Shadows is the type of game that you can lose hours to just exploring and finding new locations that deepen the story. There’s no release date for the full game just yet, but development is still ongoing, and there is a glorious demo to play right now on Steam.
Berry Bury Berry
Okay, look… I know this is a really weird addition to this list, and I know that you might be thinking, “she’s lost the plot, what’s horror about that?” Maybe this is a very personal thing that has highlighted something I should talk to my therapist about, but I find this bizarre little incremental game to be deeply unsettling in a way that’s difficult to explain. And that is why it’s on the list.
There is nothing inherently scary about putting berries in a hole to make the hole bigger. There’s not even anything remotely terrifying about gnomes or plastic lawn flamingos. However, Berry Bury Berry is so bright and cozy and almost childlike in its appearance, yet there’s something deeply unsettling about the mysterious hole you’re endlessly feeding. Why does it want berries? Why does it keep growing? And, perhaps more importantly, why can nobody seem to leave the garden?
If you want to go and play with the traumatizing sentient berries and suck things down into a growing chasm to nowhere, you can get Berry Bury Berry on Steam right now. There are multiple endings for you to explore if you can make it that far. Good luck.
Untitled Ghost Game
You start the Untitled Ghost Game demo down at the bottom of the ocean as a frankly adorable ghostie with the biggest smile on its face. This chaotic little afterlife gremlin is just happy to be dead, and it then spends its time causing absolute chaos for everyone and everything it happens to find.
Whether you’re dragging a fisherman down into the water to steal his hat or “redecorating” a nearby house by dropping a light fixture through the floor, there is nothing this cute little ghost isn’t willing to do in the name of becoming everyone else’s problem. The most horror you’ll find is how unsettling the smile on the ghost's face becomes when you’ve been staring at it for a little too long. Oh, and you occasionally get eaten by fish, but that’s no big deal when you’re already dead.
There’s a demo of Untitled Ghost Game available on Steam, but no release date for the full game just yet. I have to admit, I love the fact that the developer mentions on the Steam page that the full game will come “when it’s ready”. Honestly? That’s a sentiment I can get behind.
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