#48 | a very cozy iPad game
Turn off the news & fire up that tablet!
If you have an iPad and a Netflix subscription1, you need to download Cozy Grove.
I think someone on Instagram recommended the game to me last year and I’ve been playing it ever since. The original one left the App Store in early 2024 but they released an updated version via Netflix over the summer. As a non-gamer, I was surprised how quickly I got hooked, but if you’ve ever played The Sims, Animal Crossing, or Stardew Valley, you’ll probably love Cozy Grove.
Before I dive into an overview of the game, let me say upfront that there are no in-app purchases in this game. I repeat, there are no in-app purchases in this game! Not only that, but you can play as much or as little as you want & you will not time out or completely run out of things to do. It does not get harder the further you get into the game & nothing is timed; it’s purely narrative.
With that out of the way, here’s what this game is about: helping ghost bears that are stuck in purgatory ascend into the afterlife.
That sounds like kind of an insane premise but it’s actually kind of cute and much more complex than it sounds. My mother can vouch for this because after we spent a week in London together we ran out of things to talk about, so on our last night I spent 10 minutes explaining the game and how you play while she sat there patiently, probably confused about how this topic of conversation was going on for so long.
The bears all have backstories and your role is to uncover what is preventing them from ascending and helping them resolve it. You don’t need any special skills to do this — it’s baked into the game play when the bears assign you tasks to complete.
You’re a Spirit Scout that got stranded on this island by accident, so you’re simultaneously trying to find your own way home as you assist the bears. You will also need to plant trees, flowers, and bushes to be able to harvest resources, as well as foraging and fishing.
The bears reset their tasks for you overnight so you can check in daily for new things to do. You can also spend lots of time foraging and probably an infinite amount of time fishing (I have never played long enough to run out of fish).
I could definitely give a TedTalk about this game & all the reasons I love it, but I will stop here. It’s a perfectly cozy game to start playing while sitting by the fire with a cheesy holiday movie on and something delicious to sip on. Bonus points if your Out of Office is also set…
There might be other ways to play? Maybe on Switch? I have never tried but don’t give up if you don’t have an iPad!
I LOVE this game! I’ve played it on my iPad but then got it on the Switch and I recently just beat it. It’s so fun and cute but also SO SAD! The bears have such sad stories!