Cosy games have gained traction in the gaming industry, offering players a comforting escape with their relaxing gameplay and heartwarming narratives. However, a unique subset within this genre blurs the line between cosy and eerie — dark cosy games. The best dark cosy games on Switch don’t fully dive into horror, but they also aren’t your typical feel-good experiences. Instead, they combine the warmth of cosy games with a touch of mystery or the supernatural. This creates an atmosphere that’s both intriguing and comforting.
Playing dark cosy games on the Nintendo Switch adds an extra layer of immersion to your gameplay. You might not experience this when playing on a larger screen. You can curl up in bed, dim the lights, and get lost in captivating worlds with the handheld mode of the Switch. There’s something about the intimacy of a smaller screen that makes the experience feel more atmospheric… Almost as if the game is a secret world just for you. I played Spiritfarer this way, and it definitely made the game feel much more personal.
A quick note before you continue: these titles aren’t in any particular order. I switched them around a few times, but ultimately decided that they were too different to number fairly.
Jump to...
The Best Dark Cosy Games on Switch
Below, you’ll find a list of my top 10 dark cosy games that are available on the Nintendo Switch. These titles offer moody aesthetics, engaging gameplay, and beautiful stories. They’re perfect for anyone looking to get lost in a more evocative story.
Dark cosy games are the perfect mix of warmth and intrigue, making them a great choice for late-night gaming sessions. So, grab your Switch, find a cosy spot, and prepare yourself for some of the most atmospheric dark cosy games the Nintendo Switch has to offer.
Endling: Extinction is Forever – A Commentary On Nature Vs. Humans that Will Have You Bawling
Endling: Extinction is Forever is a survival game that tells the story of the last mother fox on Earth. Set in a world devastated by environmental collapse, you must guide the mother fox and her cubs through the harsh landscape, struggling to survive against overwhelming odds. Each night, you venture out to find food and avoid dangers, with your decisions directly impacting the survival of your cubs and shaping their development.
Endling‘s gameplay may revolve around stealth, exploration, and survival, but it’s so much more than that. As the mother fox, you are responsible for keeping your kits away from threats – and that includes human hunters and natural predators. Your cubs rely on you for protection and sustenance, and every decision you make could result in their death if you aren’t careful. The emotional connection you form with your kits deepens as you watch them grow and learn.
What makes Endling one of the best dark cosy games on Switch is the sombre narrative of the game that pairs so poignantly with the tender bond between mother and cubs. The art style is soft yet melancholic, with a colour palette that highlights the stark contrast between the remnants of natural beauty and the devastation of human impact. Quiet moments, like watching your kits play or sleep, offer warmth amid the bleakness. Yet, the constant threat of danger and the harsh realities of survival add tension, making Endling: Extinction is Forever an emotional and difficult game to play.
Gris – Watercoloured Grief May Look Pretty, but It Isn’t
Gris is a visually stunning, emotional journey. You follow Gris, a young girl navigating a world shaped by her grief. Her dress, which symbolises her emotional state, grants her new abilities as she progresses, helping her travel around the game’s surreal landscapes. As Gris learns to cope with her sorrow, her world transforms from one of desolation to one of hope and beauty.
Gameplay in Gris focuses on exploration and light platforming, where the environment itself reflects Gris’s emotional journey. As you unlock new abilities, you can access previously unreachable areas, symbolising Gris’s growing strength and acceptance. The puzzles are elegantly woven into the fabric of the world, challenging you to think creatively without overwhelming the narrative’s emotional core. This is an experience that is as much about reflection as it is about progression, making each step forward feel meaningful.
The game is a quintessential dark cozy experience, combining themes of loss and grief with an ultimately uplifting story. Additionally, the hand-painted visuals resemble a living watercolour, with colours that shift and change as you advance. The hauntingly beautiful soundtrack deepens the sense of tranquillity, making Gris perfect for players looking for a serene yet emotionally powerful experience.
I Am Dead – Death Isn’t the End When There’s a Volcano
I’m going to ease you into this list with a lighter dark cosy game (that’s a bit of an oxymoron, I know). In I Am Dead, you follow Morris Lupton, a recently deceased museum curator on the quaint island of Shelmerston. Death isn’t the end for Morris; it’s the beginning of a new adventure. Joined by his loyal and very sweet dog, Sparky, Morris learns of an impending disaster that could destroy his beloved island.
As a ghost, Morris gains the ability to see inside objects and people. This allows him to explore his beloved island in a very unique way. Players can use this power to solve puzzles by peering into the hearts of objects to uncover long-forgotten memories and stories.
I Am Dead perfectly balances a somewhat spooky narrative with relaxing, almost meditative gameplay. While you explore the memories of the island’s residents, you will reveal the personal stories of its past inhabitants. With the game’s soft colours and whimsical design, you’ll experience supernatural themes that feel inviting, rather than frightening. If you enjoy a touch of the eerie without venturing into horror, I Am Dead should be your next purchase.
Strange Horticulture – There’s Something Strange in the Air Here
Strange Horticulture takes place in Undermere, a mysterious village surrounded by eerie forests and ominous mountains. As the local horticulturist, you spend your days identifying strange plants in your shop. Your cosy days are over all too soon, as you’re pulled into an ancient mystery that has haunted the village for centuries. Each plant you identify unveils more of the story, revealing secrets about the village and its inhabitants.
The gameplay includes the careful identification and cataloguing of plants, each with unique properties and stories. Furthermore, as you interact with customers, who range from curious to the downright strange, you’ll find clues about the village’s history. The puzzle-like nature of the plant identification system requires keen observation and attention to detail, making each discovery feel rewarding. The choices you make when identifying and using the plants influences the story.
This game captures dark cosiness through its soothing yet suspenseful atmosphere. The peaceful task of tending to plants is paired with a sense of unease as you explore beyond your shop. The hand-drawn art and calming soundscape create a cosy environment, even as the narrative unsurfaces darker aspects of the occult.
Wytchwood – Live Your Dark Cottagecore Dream
In Wytchwood, you step into the shoes of a reclusive old witch living amidst folklore and fables. Your role is to gather unusual ingredients from the wild to craft potions and spells. These concoctions help you deal with the forest’s unruly inhabitants, but the game is as much about the choices you make as it is about the magic you wield.
The gameplay is a mix of crafting, exploration, and decision-making, where each action you make has consequences. As you gather ingredients and craft potions, you’ll encounter various characters, each with their own stories and dilemmas. The choices you make in how you help — or hinder — these characters will shape the world around you. The crafting system is very rewarding, with each potion or spell having its own unique effects that can alter the course of events.
Wytchwood is a whimsical yet slightly twisted take on classic fairy tales. The world is vibrant and full of life, but there’s an underlying eeriness that makes every decision feel significant. The hand-crafted art style will make you feel as if you’ve stepped into a beautifully illustrated storybook with a dark twist.
Beacon Pines – How Many Times Will You Try to Change the World?
Beacon Pines may have adorable aesthetics, but it’s also a game that has a creeping sense of dread. Set within the pages of a mysterious book, you play as both the reader and Luka, a young boy uncovering the strange happenings in his sleepy little town. The game mixes a choose-your-own-adventure narrative with an interactive storybook, allowing you to guide Luka as you wish.
The gameplay is centered around exploring the town of Beacon Pines and collecting “charms”. Charms are words that can alter the course of the story. As you gather these charms, you can revisit key moments in the story and change the outcome. Subsequently, you can enjoy a less linear storytelling experience, where each choice may lead to a new path.
The charm of Beacon Pines lies in its cosy, storybook visuals. These contrast with the darker elements lurking beneath the surface of the town. Beacon Pines is beautifully rendered with warm colours and cute designs, but the narrative quickly reveals a more sinister side.
What Remains of Edith Finch – I Only Hope I Leave More Than Ghosts
What Remains of Edith Finch is a soul-stirring exploration of the legacies we leave behind. It’s perfect for my list of the top dark cosy games on Switch. You play as Edith Finch, who returns to her ancestral home to uncover the stories of her relatives. Each room in the Finch house tells a different family member’s life and tragic death.
But, it’s more than just a simple story. In What Remains of Edith Finch, different gameplay mechanics present each family member’s story. For example, you may go on a comic book-style adventure, or control a character’s daydreams while at work. These shifts in gameplay allow you to explore a wide range of emotions and themes. The house itself becomes a character, filled with secrets waiting for you to uncover.
In summary, What Remains of Edith Finch is a blend of the macabre and the ordinary. The Finch house is a home filled with relics of the past, telling stories of love, loss, and death.
Along the Edge – If Every Choice You Made Changed You, What Would You Look Like?
Along the Edge is a visual novel where your choices shape both the protagonist and her story. Disillusioned with life, Daphné inherits a remote family estate and must make decisions that may lead to self-discovery, romance, or something more sinister. The game’s European countryside setting, vibrant colours, and occult undertones create an atmosphere that is both enchanting and unsettling.
The gameplay in Along the Edge revolves around making choices that affect Daphné’s personality, relationships, and ultimately, the outcome of the story. Every decision you make influences her appearance and the path she takes, whether it leads to happiness, despair, or something in between. The branching narrative allows for multiple playthroughs, each offering a different perspective on Daphné’s journey — this is what makes Along the Edge one of the top dark cosy games on Switch.
Every decision in Along the Edge influences who Daphné becomes, making the story uniquely yours. The hand-drawn illustrations evoke a sense of place and time, while the branching storylines offer multiple endings, each with a different tone.
Dredge – Something Is Waiting In the Water for You
Dredge puts you in command of a fishing trawler; but this is no ordinary fishing adventure. As you explore the remote archipelago known as The Marrows, you quickly discover that the waters hide more than just fish. Sinister secrets lurk beneath the surface, and the more you venture into the unknown, the darker the mystery becomes.
In Dredge, the gameplay includes exploration, fishing, and storytelling in a way that keeps you constantly engaged. By day, you’ll sail through calm waters, catching fish and discovering strange artifacts. By night, the world transforms, and the once-peaceful sea becomes a place of danger and dread. You must manage your time wisely, as staying out too late could lead to terrifying encounters.
The sea is both a source of livelihood and a place filled with hidden dangers. The moody, evocative art style, with its fog-shrouded islands and shadowy waters, enhances the sense of unease as you explore further. The game’s narrative draws you in with its mysterious undertones… Will you set sail?
Disco Elysium: The Final Cut – How Long Can You Fight Your Demons?
Disco Elysium puts you in the decaying city of Revachol. You play a deeply flawed detective trying to solve a murder while grappling with his own personal demons. The game has a complex skill system that influences your abilities, your personality, and your interactions with the world. Every choice you make, from how you approach the investigation to how you handle your thoughts, shapes your experience.
The gameplay in Disco Elysium is unlike any other RPG. Instead of focusing on combat, the game centers around dialogue and decision-making. Your character’s thoughts and skills become voices in his head, each vying for control. This creates a deeply immersive experience where every action feels significant.
The city of Revachol is richly detailed, with a sense of place that feels almost tangible. Yet, the city is filled with surreal moments and existential musings that give it a dreamlike quality. The muted colours of the art style show a world in decline, while the narrative pulls you in to explore.
Many widely regard Disco Elysium as the best narrative game ever made, and it’s certainly one of the best dark cozy games on Switch. However, Rue Valley was recently announced, and it has a very similar vibe to Disco Elysium. I hope I’ll eventually be able to add it to my list of the best dark cosy games on the Nintendo Switch… But, with no release date, I’ll have to settle for following Rue Valley’s development on Steam, Twitter, and the Discord group to stay in the loop.
Conclusion
As much as I’d love to continue — and trust me, there are plenty more dark cosy games out there — that’s it for my list of the Top 10 Dark Cosy Games on Nintendo Switch. If you need something a little lighter after such a dark read, check out my list of Cosy Games You Can Play on Netflix for Free or read our Minami Lane Review!
Decided to play any of these games? Join the discussion over in our Facebook community or tweet us on Twitter about your favourite dark cosy games on Switch!
