Indie games, short for independent games, are usually made by very small teams or even just one person, which is why they feel so much more personal. They don’t try to be big and flashy all the time, they just feel like something quiet and human made. A lot of them live on sites like itch.io, which is like a chill corner of the internet where people just put up whatever they’ve made, no pressure, just good vibes. There is a soft, almost comforting atmosphere, a mystery and a gentle kind of horror to some of them. The artists’ soul stays intact into the story of the game, uncorrupted by big studio expectations.
If “cozy horror” is something you’re looking for, itch.io has a gold mine waiting for you. Simple, low-budget but extremely beautifully made games wait to be played, almost capturing the vibes of animated shows like Gravity Falls, Hilda, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Over the Garden Wall, Coraline and more! Below are some one must try if they are trying to get into indie games! They are all available on itch.io and they are free to download, with a “pay what you want” option if you want to support the creator. If you are able to, please consider any amount you wish as a token of appreciation for the respective artists and writers!
Also, most of these have queer themes.
Mushroom Oasis
Mushroom Oasis by DeersphereStudios is a super soft but kinda creepy visual novel where you’re just trying to find your missing cat that ran away into the woods near your house. It begins as something almost relaxing, just you walking through a peaceful forest, but it turns a little strange when you meet a weird but nice person who offers to lend a hand. This story leans into that cozy-but-creepy feel, with multiple endings and a slow build into darker themes like manipulation and things not being what they seem.
Stillwater
Studio Clump’s Stillwater is a quiet, slightly eerie visual novel about a mystery that feels like it’s from quaint small town. It all starts with a woman who comes with a strange letter for her grandfather, but there is something wrong with it, like a warning from the past. You follow a private investigator trying to piece it all together, finding out secrets, family history and this lingering sense of a curse hanging over everything. It’s peaceful on the surface, but the more time you spend with it the more it weighs down on you. Especially with all the different endings based on your choices.
Leftovers
Leftovers by Realmpact (art and writing by Skekarin) is a short, mildly disturbing horror game that makes something really normal quietly creepy. You’re a kid whose mother asks you to take leftover food to your neighbours but each person you meet feels…weird in their own way as you go door to door. The building, the conversations, even your mom’s reactions get more tense the longer it goes on, like something’s not quite right beneath the surface. It’s simple, slightly creepy and the discomfort builds very slowly.
Dahlia
Dahlia by Crystal Game Works is a really short visual novel where you wake up and realize a vampire girl has snuck into your room and now you’re just…stuck with her. The whole game is basically this quiet, tense interaction between the two of you, where you’re not sure if she’s going to hurt you, leave you alone, or something softer in between. She may even bite you, but you’ll be okay. It leans into that cozy-but-uncomfortable feeling, like it’s calm, even a little intimate, but there’s always this unsure underlying danger. It has multiple endings depending on your choices, so it can go in different directions.
Elevator Hitch
Elevator Hitch by racheldrawsthis (with Rix / Studio Investigrave) is a short, surreal horror visual novel in which two coworkers get stuck in a “perfectly normal” 70s office elevator but it quickly stops feeling normal. Instead of just waiting you find yourself exploring strange, liminal looking floors, solving little puzzles, trying to find a way out, and the whole place becomes more confusing and unsettling the longer you stay. It starts with that quiet, eerie vibe, but it leans more into weird, dreamlike psychological horror, with multiple endings depending on your choices.
Deadplate
Dead Plate by Studio Investigrave (created by RachelDrawsThis and collaborators) is a short, but really intense indie horror game that begins almost normal, then gradually becomes very abnormal. You’re a waiter, Rody, working at a fancy restaurant in 1960s France, just trying to make some money over the course of a week, but the longer you stay, the more things start to feel wrong. The chef, the kitchen, the little details, all of this slowly builds into this heavy, psychological kind of horror instead of loud scares, with multiple endings depending on what you choose to do. This one is not so cozy but it is one that will leave an impact and keep you coming back for more.
These strange little games may not fix your life, but for a moment, you will slow down. Your eyes would read and your fingers would move for something better than scrolling. Maybe for a moment, you will feel okay. The stories of these artists will immortalize themselves in your mind.