Hello, everyone! We have a slightly different Rec League this week.
On a bonus episode of the podcast, which we release for SBTB Podcast Patreon members, Sarah asked me to come up with some fall gaming recs.
Well, I definitely overdid it and had twenty in a matter of ten minutes.
Most of these are cozy games, with a couple of exceptions. If you are a fellow cozy gamer, allow me to plug Wholesome Games. They’re a wonderful resource if you like to stay on top of gaming releases. They have a community on Steam and host a Wholesome Direct every summer to showcase upcoming games.
All of these games are available on Steam for PC, but someone may be accessible on consoles.
Life/Farming Sim
This type of game is probably what I play most. Wrap me in blankets, get me a bevvy, and watch me sink hours tending to crops, catching bugs and fish, and spelunking in the mines. Bonus points if the game lets me kiss someone.
Stardew Valley
I have hundred upon hundreds of hours in this game. Developer ConcernedApe also released a beefy update earlier this year. If you’re open to modding your game, there’s the Stardew Valley Expanded mod, which adds even more content. This proudly holds the top spot in my cozy gaming list.
Reka
This game launched in early access recently, which means it isn’t finished yet! However, if you’re looking for spooky season vibes, I can’t think of a better setup than this. You play as a witch assistant to the legendary Baba Yaga. As you explore, you discover people in the surrounding woods needing help. You can also build and customize your own chicken-legged house! The color palette is dark and autumnal
Little Witch in the Woods
Another early access game! There are a few of them on this list. You play as a cute, little witch with a snarky, talking hat. You’re on a train to begin your years-long apprenticeship when it unexpectedly stalls. You get off the train to do some exploring until the issue on the tracks can be cleared, but sadly you get distracted and the train leaves without you! Now you’re stranded in the woods. There’s an adorable collection aspect to this game, where you fill out your journal with various flora and fauna. You also get to know local villagers and craft helpful potions.
Fields of Mistria
I absolutely love this early access farming sim! If you have a fondness for the art style of early 90s anime, this is for you. It operates similarly to Stardew Valley, but exchange the magical junimos for a secret dragon statue. There’s roughly 30-40+ hours of content right now and I have to really exercise caution to pace myself. According to the developer’s road map, a content update should be coming out before the end of the year.
Wylde Flowers
In this one, you play as Tara who travels to a rural island to help her grandmother on the family farm. There’s the usual farming, but it also has some cozy, small town, paranormal mystery elements. If memory serves, the whole game is fully voice acted, which is impressive. My biggest downside is the lack of character customization, but that’s a personal preference.
Moonstone Island
Pokémon meets Stardew! You’re a witch who can collect spirits (and you battle other spirits when exploring). What I love is that you get to ride your broom to other islands and as you beef up your broom, you can explore farther and farther. They offer a lot of cosmetic DLC packs, if that interests you, and they just a had a recent free update to include annual festivals.
Cozy Caravan
I’m willing to go on record and say this is the cutest game on my list. This is also the last early access game on the list. You play as a cute little critter. It took me so long to decide on an animal and color scheme (I went with a strawberry cow!). You help townspeople out with errands in exchange for goods to sell at the weekend market. You live in a caravan, which you can drive around to different locations.
Bear and Breakfast
This is a mix between life sim and a management game. You gather materials and complete quests to renovate a bed and breakfast, plus other locations. You play as a bear and you can equip a variety of hats to disguise yourself to humans. It has a great, quirky cast of woodland characters!
Puzzle and Sandbox Games
This category is more for open-ended games or short little puzzles. This is the most relaxing category on the list with very little in the way of combat, quests, or timers. I highly recommend these if you want to turn your brain off with repetitive and somewhat mindless gameplay!
Garden Galaxy
You start with a small area of tiles where little creatures leave behind coins. You exchange those coins for a random item. Sometimes it’s a landscape tile, decor, or special items, all of which have a certain theme (harvest, beach, etc.). As you get more and more items to place, you’ll slowly start creating different kinds of biomes. You’ll also unlock items to change the time of day, weather, and more.
Unpacking
I love this game so much! It’s also one of the few (or only) game on this list available on mobile platforms. It’s short; it took me around 4-5 hours to complete. You play as a character who unpacks boxes and decides where to put things away in their room or house. You progress through time, starting as a kid, then become a college student with their own dorm and so on. There is a story to this one and I’m still amazed at how much can be expressed and conveyed with absolutely no sort of text or narration.
Tiny Glade
If you love whimsy, this is a quaint diorama creator with a whole customization options. You can create cozy cottage scenes, moody abandoned ruins, and more. You’re only limited by your creativity! If you, like me, would prefer some direction, the game does have daily prompts you can use. There’s already an active subreddit with people sharing their dioramas. I can also see this being used as a tool for creating images to help visualize scenes for writing or tabletop gaming.
PowerWash Simulator
I am loud and proud about my love for this game. It is my go-to for “no thoughts, head empty” quality time. They recently released a new DLC, which is Shrek themed and I think it’s a good addition for the fall season! I cracked into it over the weekend. I’ve also purchased every DLC for this game and have logged over 100+ hours.
Horror Games
As much as I love horror movies and books, I’m not a big horror gamer and I do get scared more easily. I’d much rather watch a streamer play those games. However, there are a couple horror games that I’ve played that I would love to recommend.
Inscryption
I have such a hard time describing this game to people because it’s a whole mix of things! It’s a meta psychological horror game played over a quirky and gory card game while you’re trapped in mysterious cabin. Horror + escape room + a deckbuilding card game. If you like this sort of bizarro, layered game where not everything is as it seems, I also recommend the developer’s previous title, Pony Island.
Dredge
This is an eldritch horror fishing game and I recommend this to anyone who likes mysteries and creature collector gameplay. I found it to be spooky and atmospheric. The first time you get stuck out at night or encounter one of the many sea monsters can be truly terrifying. The sound design is eerie and on point! There are two DLCs, with the most recent one, The Iron Rig, released in August. I’m eager to see what the developer, Black Salt Games, does next!
Visual Novel Games
If you’re a certified yapper and you are the kind of gamer who looks forward to chatting with all the villagers or hemming and hawing over the right dialogue response, these games are for you. No combat or crops to manage! Just a lot of chitchatting as you get to know an eclectic cast of characters.
Coffee Talk
Set in a fantasy version of Seattle, you work as a barista and get to know your customers as you mix up their drink orders. Coffee and tea always make me think of fall because a warm beverage and crisp morning are a very good pairing. It has a soothing lo-fi soundtrack and a sequel is planned for next year, Coffee Talk Tokyo.
Tavern Talk
If you blow through Coffee Talk and want more of the same until its sequel comes out, I recommend picking this one up. Instead of being a barista, you run a fantasy tavern. I really loved the art style of this one and all of the creative fantasy drinks you can serve. This one leans heavily into a Dungeons & Dragons theme, offering up downloadable battle maps and a one-shot campaign for tabletop gaming.
Love, Ghostie
If Cozy Caravan is the cutest game on my list, this comes in as a close second. You play as an adorable matchmaking ghost, trying to set up the people that visit and live in the manor you haunt. There is some replayability here as you can choose to set up different characters on your next playthrough. Additionally, your little ghost can wear hats!
Vampire Therapist
When this popped into my Steam Discovery Queue, I immediately added it to my wishlist. In this, you play as a vampire cowboy who decides to become a therapist for other vampires. You see a variety of clients and help them work through their own problems. I found the art style to be incredibly detailed and beautiful. I’m a gamer who is very picky about graphics!
Action RPGs
A majority of the games listed so far have been light on combat, but if you love to hack and slash, these next two are for you! I, personally, have to be in the right mood for games that require combat or even the slightest bit of platforming because I am a woman with little patience.
Pumpkin Jack
Right now this is 88% off on Steam through October 20th, dropping the price to less than $4! You play as Jack, the Pumpkin Lord, which is perfect for Halloween. The developers wanted to harken back to Playstation 2 action games. I totally understood that feeling, as this reminded me a lot of games like Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, and Beyond Good and Evil.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Technically, this game isn’t out yet, but is the game I am most looking forward to this fall. I have waited a decade for its release, following the end of the third game Dragon Age: Inquisition. The Dragon Age franchise is my favorite game series of all time and I frequently revisit the game and its characters. It has a great blend of action, story, romance, and character development and I love discovering different playstyles with each new playthrough.
I’ll be preordering this one and taking the day off on release, which is slated for Halloween! My PC probably isn’t beefy enough to run this (though a new system and a peachy gaming paradise are in the works for the new house), so this is the only game on the list that I’ll be playing on console.
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Whew! That is my list! Thanks for sticking with me!
Have you played any of these games? Did any of these tempt you enough to wishlist or, dare I say it, even buy? Do you have any fall gaming recs you’d like to add?
Let us know in the comments!
