It’s finally that time of the year where we have a chance to miss school for ice on the roads! When it gets dark and cold roughly five seconds after leaving school, any plans of spending time outdoors are out of the window. If you’re bored and cooped up inside, fire up a console! Below are my favorite cozy games for the winter.
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
This game will always be at the top of every list I make because it is number 1 in my heart. In all seriousness, Skyrim is a very in-depth role-playing fantasy game that is super easy to pick up. It’s the perfect game to quickly get invested in with a nearly incompletable amount of quests to kill time. If you have some money to drop or happen to find it laying somewhere in your house (like I did 7 years ago), give it a try. And a bonus: it’s set in a very wintry region of the Elder Scrolls world to match your circumstances!
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Ah yes, the Covid classic. Animal Crossing: New Horizons was an extremely popular release for the Nintendo Switch around 2020. The game play is very satisfying and repetitive in a strangely addicting way. I, myself, fell in the Animal Crossing trap and dedicated many hours to my island for months on end. To this day, I’ll remember I own it and hop back on my island for a few weeks at a time. It was such a hit when we were all trapped inside during quarantine, so it makes perfect sense to pick it back up during the winter!
Stardew Valley
This game is one of the most versatile and cheap, going for around $15 on Steam and available on most every console or PC. Stardew is another addicting game that will have you invested in mere moments. It’s a pixelated farming simulator with in-depth storylines. What better way to pass the time than by farming, mining, fishing, and scheming against the town mayor?
Fortnite
This was inevitable. All jokes aside, Fortnite is a very fun game, especially if you have friends to play with online. It’s a very easy game to pick up and play for quite some time because of the fast-paced round. It’s also free, which is always a plus. Even if you aren’t good at it, you can still have plenty of fun (trust me, I’m terrible at Fortnite).
Cool Math Escape Rooms
This one is an oddball, but it is incredibly enjoyable. Coolmathgames, which is the website for playing games on school computers, has some of the best escape room games I’ve ever played. Specifically, there are a few Claymation-style escape rooms that I spent hours on. The best part is that they’re free! If you ever get stuck on a certain puzzle of the escape room, there are many tutorials on YouTube as well.
Fallout: New Vegas
If you really like RPGs, Fallout: NV is the game for you! In order to play, you would have to have an Xbox or PC, but it can often be bought on sale. Also, the game is a bit old at this point, so it runs perfectly fine on laptops! Fallout is a pretty low stakes, quest-based game that explores a post-apocalyptic wasteland. With such an enamoring world and fun gameplay, you can easily pass time on this game.
Wii Sports
This classic is most likely sitting on a shelf in your house collecting dust because you’ve forgotten about your Wii. With five different sports, various game modes, and multiplayer options, you can easily pass the time. Personally, I’ve spent days trying to beat the computer opponents on Wii Sports’ tennis mode with a friend. Also, you can get surprisingly sore from swinging a remote around. Might as well get a work out in, right?
Until Dawn
If you’d like a good scare, this game is for you. Until Dawn is a choice-based horror game with super easy mechanics and an interesting storyline. It’s more like watching a movie and jumping in to make choices than playing a game, which might be just your cup of tea. It is a bit costly, but it could be the perfect item for a holiday wish list! The game recently has been remastered with better graphics and more challenging controls, and it will have its own movie adaptation soon!
Roblox
Roblox is another classic because it is free(!) and easily available to play with friends. There is a nearly unlimited amount of games available within Roblox which is perfect for a passing time. It’s very easy to obtain either on your phone, PC, or console.
Super Mario 3D World
While a bit of a random pick, Super Mario 3D World may be the game that I have put the most time into. It’s a classic Mario game with many different worlds of levels to explore (and some secret bonus worlds). Single or multiplayer, this Mario game is super fun and has a lot of replay value. You will rarely get stuck on a level, but you can always try to perfect each level for an additional challenge. I recommend grabbing some friends to play with (up to 4 players) and losing track of time on Bowser’s Castle!
Hopefully, you’ve found a game that intrigues you and will help pass the cold winter months!
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