The best cozy sailing games are Sail Forth for open-sea sailing, Spiritfarer for story, and A Short Hike for a short, sweet island trip. If you want something even calmer, try Becalm (free) or Spilled! (about an hour). Below are 11 games we think truly fit, with honest notes on length, tone and downsides.
At a glance
| Game | Best for | Length | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Short Sail | A short, cozy sail with the island post, fishing and friends | Short | PC, Mac, Web, Steam Deck |
| Sail Forth | Players who want sailing to be the whole game | About 16 hours (main story) | PC, Mac, Linux, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox |
| Spiritfarer | Players who want a long, emotional game with a home on the water | About 25.5 hours | PC, Mac, Linux, Switch, PS4, Xbox One, iOS, Android |
| A Short Hike | Anyone who wants a complete, cozy game in one evening | About 1.5 hours | PC, Mac, Linux, Switch, PS4, Xbox One |
| Summer in Mara | Farming fans who want a boat and a sunny sea | About 20 hours (player estimates) | PC, Switch, PS4, Xbox One |
| Wavetale | Players who like the sea but want a short action story | About 4 to 5 hours | PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox |
| Tchia | Explorers who want a big, sunny island world | About 7.5 hours (main story) | PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X |
| Spilled! | Players who want a short, tidy, feel-good goal | About 1 hour | PC, Mac |
| Becalm | Anyone who needs five quiet minutes | 5 minutes per trip | PC, Mac, Linux |
| Sailwind | Players who want real sailing at a slow pace | Open-ended | PC |
| Moonglow Bay | Players who like fishing, cooking and small-town stories | About 19 hours | PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox |
| Dredge | Players who like cozy routines with a creepy edge | About 9.5 hours | PC, Mac, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox, iOS, Android |
Quick picks
- Best overall: Sail Forth
- Best story: Spiritfarer
- Best short game: A Short Hike
- Most relaxing: Becalm
- Best for realistic sailing: Sailwind
- Best if you like a little dread: Dredge
- Our own game: A Short Sail (in development)
The list
Sail Forth
Who it is for: players who want sailing to be the whole game.
You command a small fleet across a big, colorful ocean, meet fish-folk crews, and chart dozens of island regions. The wind and sail system is detailed enough to feel real but stays easy to learn. There is a free-sail mode for pure cruising. Note that it is not combat-free: you fight pirate ships with cannons, and some players find the story and side quests thin.
Developer: Festive Vector | Year: 2022 | Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox | Length: about 16 hours (main story) | Steam: Very Positive | Steam page
Spiritfarer
Who it is for: players who want a long, emotional game with a home on the water.
You are Stella, a ferrymaster for spirits. You sail, build and decorate your boat, cook, farm and fish for your passengers, then help them say goodbye. It is gentle and lovely, but it is about death, and some goodbyes hit hard. It is also long, and the boat chores can get busy.
Developer: Thunder Lotus | Year: 2020 | Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux, Switch, PS4, Xbox One, iOS, Android | Length: about 25.5 hours | Steam: Very Positive | Steam page
A Short Hike
Who it is for: anyone who wants a complete, cozy game in one evening. If you loved it, see our cozy games like A Short Hike.
You are Claire, a young bird hiking to the top of an island peak. A 2020 update added the Orange Islands and a motorboat you can rent for 100 coins, then keep for as long as you like. Boating is a side activity, not the main game, but puttering around the coast is a joy.
Developer: adamgryu | Year: 2019 | Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux, Switch, PS4, Xbox One | Length: about 1.5 hours | Steam: Overwhelmingly Positive | Steam page
Summer in Mara
Who it is for: farming fans who want a boat and a sunny sea.
You care for your own island, grow crops, craft tools, then sail to other islands to trade and meet people. The mix of farming and sailing is rare. Reviews are more mixed than others here, and many quests are simple fetch tasks.
Developer: Chibig | Year: 2020 | Platforms: PC, Switch, PS4, Xbox One | Length: about 20 hours (player estimates) | Steam: Mostly Positive | Steam page
Wavetale
Who it is for: players who like the sea but want a short action story.
You play Sigrid, who can run and surf on water, in a flooded island town. It is not a sailing game in the strict sense, but it is all ocean and island hopping. There are light fights with sea creatures. It is short and focused.
Developer: Thunderful Development | Year: 2022 | Platforms: PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox | Length: about 4 to 5 hours | Steam: Very Positive | Steam page
Tchia
Who it is for: explorers who want a big, sunny island world.
You sail, glide, climb and swim across an archipelago inspired by New Caledonia. You can also “soul jump” into animals and objects, and play a real ukulele. Sailing your little boat between islands is a highlight. There are some light combat sections, and the open world is bigger than most games on this list.
Developer: Awaceb | Year: 2023 | Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X|S | Length: about 7.5 hours (main story) | Steam: Very Positive | Steam page
Spilled!
Who it is for: players who want a short, tidy, feel-good goal.
You drive a small solar-powered boat and clean polluted waterways: oil slicks, bottles and sunken drums. You buy upgrades and rescue lost animals across eight levels. It is very satisfying. It is also very short, about an hour.
Developer: Lente | Year: 2025 | Platforms: PC, Mac | Length: about 1 hour | Steam: Very Positive | Steam page
Becalm
Who it is for: anyone who needs five quiet minutes.
You sit in a boat and drift toward the sunset through dreamy, watercolor seas. You do not steer. You can pick a five-minute trip or endless mode. It is free, and it is more a calm moment than a game.
Developer: Colorfiction | Year: 2019 | Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux | Length: 5 minutes per trip | Price: free | Steam: Very Positive | Steam page
Sailwind
Who it is for: players who want real sailing at a slow pace.
Sailwind is a sailing sim with realistic physics in a large open world. You run cargo deliveries, upgrade your boat, fish and cook. It can be very peaceful. But you must learn to trim sails and navigate, which takes patience, and the game is still in Early Access.
Developer: Raw Lion Workshop | Year: 2021 (Early Access) | Platforms: PC | Length: open-ended | Steam: Very Positive | Steam page
Moonglow Bay
Who it is for: players who like fishing, cooking and small-town stories.
You play a person in their sixties who takes over a fishing boat after losing their partner. You fish, cook and help a sleepy town recover. The premise is warm and unusual. Steam reviews are Mixed, so read a few before you buy.
Developer: Bunnyhug | Year: 2021 | Platforms: PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox | Length: about 19 hours | Steam: Mixed | Steam page
Dredge
Who it is for: players who like cozy routines with a creepy edge.
You captain a small fishing boat around remote islands, sell your catch and upgrade your gear. Days feel calm. Nights do not: the game has horror elements, sea monsters and a dark story. It is one of the best-reviewed boat games out there, but it is not a gentle one.
Developer: Black Salt Games | Year: 2023 | Platforms: PC, Mac, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox, iOS, Android | Length: about 9.5 hours | Steam: Overwhelmingly Positive | Steam page
FAQ
What is the most relaxing sailing game? Becalm is the calmest. It is free, you do not steer, and a trip lasts about five minutes. Spilled! is a close second if you want a small goal.
Is Dredge a cozy game? Only partly. Days are calm fishing trips, but nights bring horror, sea monsters and a creepy story. Play it if you like a little dread.
Which cozy sailing game is the shortest? Spilled! takes about an hour. A Short Hike takes about 1.5 hours, and its boat is a side activity. For more fishing than sailing, see our relaxing fishing games.
Are there cozy sailing games with real sailing physics? Yes. Sailwind uses realistic wind and sail trim. Sail Forth also models wind and tacking, but keeps it easy to learn. Our best sailing games on PC list has more simulators.
Are Fairwind and Coastal Postal out yet? Not yet. As of October 2026, both are listed on Steam as coming soon, so we left them out of this list.
Our own game
We make A Short Sail, so we are not neutral, and we kept it out of the ranked list. It is our pick at the top of this page, clearly marked as our own game.
Questions
What is the most relaxing sailing game?
Becalm is the calmest. It is free, you do not steer, and a trip lasts about five minutes. Spilled! is a close second if you want a small goal.
Is Dredge a cozy game?
Only partly. Days are calm fishing trips, but nights bring horror, sea monsters and a creepy story. Play it if you like a little dread.
Which cozy sailing game is the shortest?
Spilled! takes about an hour. A Short Hike takes about 1.5 hours, and its boat is a side activity.
Are there cozy sailing games with real sailing physics?
Yes. Sailwind uses realistic wind and sail trim. Sail Forth also models wind and tacking, but keeps it easy to learn.
Are Fairwind and Coastal Postal out yet?
Not yet. As of October 2026, both are listed on Steam as coming soon, so we left them out of this list.
