The best cozy nature games are Eastshade (paint a peaceful island), Terra Nil (bring a dead land back to life), Spirit of the North (a fox's journey through northern lights) and Abzu (swim with schools of fish). For a garden indoors, try Botany Manor. Below are 10 picks for forests, seas, gardens and weather, with our own game, A Short Sail.
At a glance
| Game | Best for | Length | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastshade | Players who want to explore a peaceful place and meet its people | About 9 hours (HowLongToBeat) | PC, PS4, Xbox One |
| Terra Nil | Players who want to rebuild nature themselves | About 6 hours (HowLongToBeat) | PC, Mac, Linux |
| Spirit of the North | Players who want a wordless walk through beautiful places | About 5 hours for the main story (HowLongToBeat) | PC, Switch, PS4, PS5 |
| Dorfromantik | Puzzle fans who want to grow a landscape slowly | About 5 hours for the main goals, with no real end (HowLongToBeat) | PC, Mac |
| Abzu | Players who love the sea and quiet, beautiful scenes | About 2 hours (HowLongToBeat) | PC, Switch, PS4, Xbox One |
| A Short Sail | Players who want wind, waves and weather, with a sailboat of their own | Not shared yet | PC (Windows), Mac, Web, Steam Deck |
| Botany Manor | Players who like a calm puzzle about plants | About 3.5 hours (HowLongToBeat) | PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox |
| Wylde Flowers | Players who want a farm sim with a story and the seasons | About 55 hours (HowLongToBeat) | PC, Mac, Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X |
| Lake | Players who want a slow, grown-up story with autumn trees and still water | About 6 hours (HowLongToBeat) | PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox |
| Firewatch | Players who want a strong story among trees and lakes | About 4 hours (HowLongToBeat) | PC, Mac, Linux, PS4, Xbox One, Switch |
What makes a nature game cozy
A cozy nature game makes the outdoors the reason to play. You walk through a forest, swim with fish, grow a garden or watch a storm roll in, and the place itself is the reward. On Steam, “Nature” is a top tag on cozy games such as A Short Hike and Alba: A Wildlife Adventure.
What makes it cozy is that nature is something to enjoy or to look after, not something trying to kill you. There is no survival meter, and most of these games have no combat at all. If you want to roam freely more than to look closely, see the best cozy exploration games.
Our picks
- Most peaceful: Eastshade
- Best for bringing nature back: Terra Nil
- Best as an animal: Spirit of the North
- Best underwater: Abzu
- Best with plants: Botany Manor
- Best puzzle: Dorfromantik
- Best story in the woods: Firewatch (not cozy all the way through)
- Our own game: A Short Sail, a cat with a sailboat at sea (free demo)
How we picked
Each game here makes a natural place the heart of play and keeps danger low. We took the facts from each game’s Steam page and the lengths from HowLongToBeat, and we checked them in October 2026. We make one of the games on this list, A Short Sail.
Forests and fields
Eastshade
Who it is for: players who want to explore a peaceful place and meet its people.
Eastshade is a peaceful first-person exploration game. You are a traveling painter on the island of Eastshade. You walk its forests, beaches and towns, set up your easel and paint what you see. The locals ask for paintings and small favors, and helping them opens up the island. There is no combat and nothing can hurt you.
It is slow on purpose, and the first-person walking is not for everyone.
Developer: Eastshade Studios | Year: 2019 | Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One | Length: about 9 hours (HowLongToBeat) | Steam Deck: Playable | Steam page
Spirit of the North
Who it is for: players who want a wordless walk through beautiful places.
You are an ordinary red fox who becomes linked with a guardian spirit of the Northern Lights. You travel through landscapes inspired by Iceland and solve puzzles in the world. There is no combat and no talking.
Reviewers call the platforming and camera clumsy, and it is not always clear where to go next.
Developer: Infuse Studio | Year: 2020 | Platforms: PC, Switch, PS4, PS5 | Length: about 5 hours for the main story (HowLongToBeat) | Steam Deck: Verified | Steam page
Firewatch
Who it is for: players who want a strong story among trees and lakes.
It is 1989. Henry takes a summer job as a fire lookout in the Wyoming wilderness. You hike the trails, pass lakes and rivers, and talk with your boss, Delilah, over a handheld radio. The forest and the sunsets are some of the most beautiful in games.
It is not cozy all the way through. Its mystery turns tense, and it deals with hard things in Henry’s life.
Developer: Campo Santo | Year: 2016 | Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux, PS4, Xbox One, Switch | Length: about 4 hours (HowLongToBeat) | Steam Deck: Verified | Steam page
Lake
Who it is for: players who want a slow, grown-up story with autumn trees and still water.
It is 1986. Meredith comes home to her lakeside town and fills in as the mail carrier for two weeks. You drive the van, deliver letters and parcels, and choose who to spend your evenings with. The warm 3D look has autumn trees and soft light on the water.
You spend much of your time on roads, so the nature is something you pass more than explore.
Developer: Gamious | Year: 2021 | Platforms: PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox | Length: about 6 hours (HowLongToBeat) | Steam Deck: Verified | Steam page
Grow and restore
Terra Nil
Who it is for: players who want to rebuild nature themselves.
Terra Nil is a reverse city builder. You start with dead, polluted land. You purify the soil, clean the water, plant forests and wetlands, and bring animals back. At the end, you recycle all your machines and leave the land clean. An Appreciate mode lets you just look at what you made.
It is a puzzle-like strategy game seen from above, so some maps take planning and a few tries.
Developer: Free Lives, Clockwork Acorn | Year: 2023 | Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux | Length: about 6 hours (HowLongToBeat) | Steam Deck: Verified | Steam page
Dorfromantik
Who it is for: puzzle fans who want to grow a landscape slowly.
You place hexagon tiles to grow a calm landscape of fields, forests, villages and rivers. You can stop after a few tiles. A creative mode removes all limits.
If you chase high scores, the calm can turn into pressure.
Developer: Toukana Interactive | Year: 2022 | Platforms: PC, Mac | Length: about 5 hours for the main goals, with no real end (HowLongToBeat) | Steam: Overwhelmingly Positive | Steam page
Botany Manor
Who it is for: players who like a calm puzzle about plants.
You are a retired botanist growing rare plants in an English manor in 1890. Each puzzle asks you to find the right soil, light or season for a plant to bloom, from clues in letters and books around the house. No puzzle has a time limit.
It is short, and most of it is indoors and in the manor’s garden, not the wild.
Developer: Balloon Studios | Year: 2024 | Platforms: PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox | Length: about 3.5 hours (HowLongToBeat) | Steam Deck: Verified | Steam page
Wylde Flowers
Who it is for: players who want a farm sim with a story and the seasons.
You are Tara, who helps her grandma on a farm and learns witchcraft by night. You grow crops, gather herbs and watch the seasons turn. Every line of dialogue is voiced in English.
It is a long life sim, about 55 hours, with daily chores to keep track of.
Developer: Studio Drydock | Year: 2022 | Platforms: PC, Mac, Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S | Length: about 55 hours (HowLongToBeat) | Steam Deck: Verified | Steam page
The sea
Abzu
Who it is for: players who love the sea and quiet, beautiful scenes.
You are a diver who swims through reefs, caves and ruins, with schools of fish all around you. There is no talking. It is a guided trip, not a free open world.
It is short, and it has a few darker moments: sharks attack your drones, and the ESRB notes Mild Fantasy Violence.
Developer: Giant Squid | Year: 2016 | Platforms: PC, Switch, PS4, Xbox One | Length: about 2 hours (HowLongToBeat) | Deck: Verified | Steam: Very Positive | Steam page
A Short Sail
Who it is for: players who want wind, waves and weather, with a sailboat of their own.
You are a little tabby cat with a sailboat, and the islands need your help. You pick up letters and parcels, pack them into your hold, and deliver them to folks. You fish by day and by night, chat with the islanders and make new friends, and build your home island, one plank at a time.
There are no timers, and there is no fighting on foot, only gentle sea battles against storms and living waves. It is still in development: the full game comes to Steam and itch.io in Q1 2027, and a free demo plays in your browser now.
Developer: Yos Riady | Platforms: PC (Windows), Mac, Web, Steam Deck | Length: not shared yet | Free demo at play.ashortsail.com | Play the demo
How to choose a nature game
- If you want to walk and look: Eastshade or Spirit of the North.
- If you want to fix something: Terra Nil.
- If you want plants: Botany Manor or Wylde Flowers.
- If you want the sea: Abzu or A Short Sail.
- If you want a story: Firewatch or Lake.
- If you want to try before you buy: A Short Sail has a free browser demo. See cozy game demos for more.
Related guides
- Cozy ocean games: reefs, boats and the open sea.
- Cozy games where you play as an animal: foxes, cats and more.
- Best cozy exploration games: roam and find secrets.
- Cozy island games: small islands to call home.
- Rainy day cozy games: games for grey afternoons.
Questions
What is a cozy nature game?
A cozy nature game puts the outdoors at the heart of play: forests, rivers, the sea, plants, animals and weather. You explore, grow or look after a place, rather than fight in it. Many have no combat at all and let you stop and just look.
What is the most relaxing nature game?
Eastshade. You are a traveling painter on a peaceful island, and you walk its forests, beaches and towns and paint what you see. There is no combat and nothing can hurt you. It takes about 9 hours, according to HowLongToBeat.
Is there a game about restoring nature?
Terra Nil. You start with a dead, grey wasteland, then clean the soil, bring back rivers, plant forests and wetlands, and welcome animals home. At the end of each map you recycle every machine and leave the land as if you were never there.
What are good cozy ocean and sea games?
Abzu is a short, wordless swim through reefs and ruins. A Short Sail, our own game, lets you sail through sun, night and storms, fish by day and by night, and snorkel over reefs. Our cozy ocean games guide has more picks.
Is there a cozy game about plants?
Botany Manor. You are a retired botanist in an English manor in 1890, and each puzzle is about finding the right conditions for a rare plant to bloom. No puzzle has a time limit. Wylde Flowers adds a farm and witchcraft to its garden.
Are there nature games where you play as an animal?
Yes. In Spirit of the North you are a red fox in a landscape inspired by Iceland. In A Short Sail you are a tabby cat with a sailboat. See our guide to cozy games where you play as an animal for more.
