One of the best things I’ve done in recent years is get back into playing games. I am absolutely abysmal when it comes to card or tabletop games, but I love video games. Well, computer games. You can check out my recs from 2025 here, but I wanted to add some more recommendations since I’ve been playing more recently. These are in no order:

1. Dressmaker– I’m listing this first because it’s very popular right now, and I wholly agree that is fantastic. I actually learned about this game because I follow queer author Kerstin Hall, who ended up being the writer for Dressmaker and spoke about it several time in her newsletter. The game is basically a sewing/dress-making simulation where you pick the patterns, the fabrics, trimmings, etc. and design dresses for the people of the town. The sewing mechanic is incredibly realistic and no foot pedal! (my arch nemesis as a crafter). Highly recommend this if you loved the old Barbie and clothes designing computer games back in the day.
2. Coral Island– I believe I spoke about this last year, but I once again want to recommend it as I’m still playing it. It’s a farming sim, like Stardew Valley, but it takes place on an island that is being colonized by a polluting company. You get to do the usual farming game stuff (plant, raise animals, romance half the town), but you also get to clean up the ocean and interact with a whole merfolk village as well. The romances and story arcs are really enjoyable, and while the developers are still updating certain aspects of the game, it’s very complete and something that can be played for multiple years of the game while still finding more to do.
3. Undusted– In this game, we go through the story of a mother and daughter told through objects as the daughter returns to her childhood home to pack up her mother’s things. If you enjoy games where you get to take things apart and fix them, this game is for you. It’s very satisfying to clean things and play around with the mechanics. The only downside is that it isn’t a long game. Still, it’s very enjoyable and the price wasn’t too high when I bought it.
4. Thrifty Business– From the makers of Sticky Business, you get to run a thrift shop and sell things to customers. It’s partly a shop builder and partly a puzzle in figuring out how to arrange things best to level up certain aspects of your shop. It isn’t the most in depth game, but it came out recently and the developers are still adding more. The aesthetics are very cute, and the game feels very unique, especially compared to the shop sim clones that I’ve seen so much lately.
5. Neat!– If you enjoy games where you get to clean up and put things away, this is for you. You’re a young woman who has opened a tidying business, and now, you must tidy the residences and stores of some odd people. The levels get progressively more intense, going from an alley way to an entire convenience store. I enjoy tedious games, so for me, this was a great way to help my brain chill out and restore order to chaos.
6. Camper Van– This is another tidy up game. In this case, you have a TON of items that need to be packed away in a very aesthetic, pretty camper van. The cool thing with this one is that you get to tweak the scenery and aesthetics to your liking as you clean. It is a very peaceful game with a lot of objects to tidy away as you unlock more of the story. My only issue with this game was the camera. At times, it got stuck, and there were places I couldn’t see no matter how hard I tried. The other issue was that it made me motion sick to spin it around too much. I may have needed to lower the frame rate as camera motion sickness is a common issue for me.
7. Is This Seat Taken?– I loved this game. I don’t know if it just hit me at the right time or if it was that good, but I adored it and was so upset when I finished it. It’s a puzzle game where you need to help shapes find their perfect seats on public transit, and these shapes have opinions. It feels very autism coded at times, lol. I empathized with some of the shapes. It’s the kind of game you can grind through in a few hours, so if you’re enjoying yourself, you might want to slow down and savor it.
8. Tiny Bookshop– I’m still playing this game, but I have really enjoyed it thus far. Have you ever wanted to open a bookstore? If so, this is the game for you. You get to drive around the English countryside with a camper filled with books that you get to decorate to your liking and fill with familiar titles. Yes, they’re real books! I was so excited by this, and I loved that patrons will request books. You get to put your book knowledge to good use to help them find the perfect book. It’s immensely fun and very chill. Oh, and there’s a dog.
9. Moonlight Peaks– I am only a year into this game, but I adore it. It’s a fresh take on the usual farm sims. In this case, you play a vampire who has moved away from their famous magical vampire family to live in the small town of Moonlight Peaks. You get to plant strange plants, catch weird creatures, brew potions, and best of all, you get to be involved all the town drama while being able to turn into a cat and later several other forms. The game is very cute aesthetically, but there’s still plenty of spookiness to be had. I love the mechanics of this game and how different they are while still managing to be very familiar to those who enjoy farming games. Much like Coral Island, it’s one of those games where somehow all of the romancable characters are fun. Except Orlok. Never Orlok.