As the world is not so cozy and warm, and we’re not all nice to each other in a pastel-colored world of wholesomeness, it’s nice to have Jenny come around every year with a bunch of lovely, mostly wholesome games.

We’ll start off with what I put on my wishlist just the other week, Leaf Blower Co. is a PowerWash Sim-like remedial job game that focuses on blowing leafs into a great big pile in the garden and proceeding to jump in them so you can do it all over again. No release date just yet, but you can wishlist LiFT Games and Folklift Interactive’s upcoming title ahead of its 2025 release. You can also play the demo now on Steam.

This year seems to be a whole lot of shadow drops/advertising what’s already out, and the next one from Endflame, Nexting, and SpaceJazz was the first to do it. Instants is a cozy, colorful, charming little puzzle game about assembling your family photos into a scrapbook and doing so in chronological order. Lovely, charming, and out now on Steam, Epic, and what has been a problem all weekend, “Switch.” I would assume the original Switch with a proper eventual Switch 2 port, or backwards compatibility, but we don’t really know. This was a problem all weekend.

Well, that’s Alexx’s Birthday, Christmas, and an apology for me being… me, sorted. Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar is looking bizarrely interesting, even to me. Set to release on Switch (Switches?) and Steam on August 27th, 2025, the new farming/life sim game from Marvelous Inc. might be a good start for some new fans to jump on the bandwagon. The art style doesn’t so much sell it for me, but the idea of running a small stall in the village square, as part of a Bazaar, if you will, is interesting.

Last August AuntyGames and Future Friends put out a lovely little sandbox world-building game called Gourdlets, and supposedly, the community surrounding it are just as wholesome as these Wholesome Directs. Many of which were requesting a multiplayer mode. Well, AuntyGames did one better than just adding a mode. The solo studio founder, Preethi Vaidyanathan, took that and ran with it, making a multiplayer sequel, with crafting, building, and even fishing together in Gourdlets Together, coming later this year to Steam.

From there, we went straight into this year’s charity and shirt, and it is one that’s quite important (once again). Supporting Point of Pride, a charity that “provides financial aid and direct support to trans folks in need of health and wellness care.” The Campfire Characters shirt comes in Indigo and Mauve, with the Floating Islands shirt only coming in cream. Sadly no posters of that art this year, as I believe has been available previously, but it is worth checking out nonetheless.

I won’t lie, I’m very much not a fan of this next one’s art style, looking a bit like wooden peg people that you’ve drawn a pained, happy expression on. Luma Island is, of course, another one of those farming/life sim games with a simpler style than most, and it was released last November. However, during the Wholesome Direct, we got a look at Feel Free Games’ latest update, titled “Pirates.” Adding a pirate’s life for me theming, you’ll explore and do whatever you do in these types of games. According to a post on Steam, those who’ve played Luma Island before the release of the update on the 20th of June will receive “the exclusive Luma Island Explorer Outfit.”

We saw this next one last year, I want to say, or maybe the year before, and it was just as interesting then too. A sort of casual puzzle game about logic, Is This Seat Taken? is an introvert’s nightmare. You are practically the malevolent hand of god (otherwise a School Teacher) that forces people to sit in certain places, including next to people. However, Poti Poti Studio didn’t show up for no release, as Is This Seat Taken? will release sometime in August for Steam, Switch(es?), Google Play, and Apple App Store.

Next up was a thing I was very excited about getting the release date for, MakeRoom. Developed by Kenney and published by Wholesome Games Presents, you are cleaning up, tidying away, and decorating small dioramas of houses and such. Coming to Steam on August 7th, MakeRoom is one of a few here today already on my wishlist. No demo for this one, but August isn’t too far away.

My only note on this next one is “oh how French!” though it is not Clair Obscur. Topotes Studio is based in Anguiléme, however, so I guess my stereotyping worked out this time. Ambroise Niflette & the Gleaned Bell is a stop-motion influenced detective adventure, which certainly looks original, but something isn’t quite selling Ambroise Niflette & the Gleaned Bell to me. You can wishlist and back Ambroise Niflette & the Gleaned Bell on Kickstarter and wishlist on Steam right now. We don’t have a release date or window, though.

Developed and published by Springloaded, building on the ideas of Let’s Build A Zoo, Let’s Build A Dungeon is another madcap idea from some lovely people. You are effectively the developer of an MMORPG and have to deal with the entire games industry, but as much as that sounds like enough for a management game, you can (reportedly) make your own games within it. We didn’t get a release date just yet, but here we got the announcement of the “low[-]pressure, streamlined version of the in-depth management sim” called Just Build Mode, which allows you and three friends to build an MMORPG together online.

Alongside this, we also got a parody trailer that is taking a swing at Nintendo and Palworld, titled “Buddyland,” showcasing just how much you can add to your games in Let’s Build a Dungeon. Set to also release on Xbox platforms, you can wishlist Let’s Build a Dungeon right now.

Speaking, or rather Squeaking, of right now, we got the shadow drop of Squeakcross: Home Squeak Home, the mouse-based Picross game we’ve seen a couple of times now. Not just a puzzle-focused game in the Picross vein, but also part home interior designer. Available now on Nintendo Switch and PC via itch.io and Steam.

Up next was something everyone got an email about because it was part of the Wholesome Games email blast when the show went live. Monument Valley III had a small trailer-interview thing before announcing it will be released July 22nd for Xbox, PlayStation, Steam, “Switch,” and Netflix Games. I honestly expected this announcement to be bigger or something more significant in the show.

That led into the partner highlights before I instantly ran to Steam to add the next game to my wishlist mid-note-taking – yes, it was that interesting. Big Hops is a 3D platformer in that proper 90s-2000s way, with a cute frog-based character, a unique style, and a really sticky tongue. Luckshot Games’ upcoming title doesn’t have a release date just yet, but Big Hops does have a demo available and is set to release sometime this year. I can’t wait!

Heathen Simulator was next, otherwise known as Little Kitty, Big City. Can you tell I’m tormented by two cats? The beautiful and overwhelmingly positive-reviewed game from Double Dagger Studio was released last year, but came back to announce the big free update coming later this summer. No actual name given to it, but it looks like you’ll be able to customize the look of your adorable little tormentor to look like the real tormentor on your lap. No specific release date for the update other than “this summer,” but certainly worth keeping an eye on.

Now, forgive me for thinking the next game was the studio’s next title, given the similar art style and the fact that there is a cat in the trailer, but Aftabi Games’ early access shadow drop got me quite excited. Vending Dokan!: Kozy Kiosk is a vending machine management sort of game: You paint them, design them, place them, make the surrounding areas look nice, and even stock them throughout the very Japanese-like locations. I’m sure Uncle Kaz will thank you when you provide him with a zesty drink. Vending Dokan!: Kozy Kiosk is available now on Steam in early access.

I said last year that I’m not interested in this next one, and I can’t say the trailer here did much to change that. Developed by Danish studio Pine Creek Games, Winter Burrow is that Don’t Starve-ish thing with the field mouse in the 100-acre wood, and it looks fine. If Don’t Starve is your thing, then you’re as happy as a pig, but if not then it is difficult to get very excited about it. Winter Burrow is set to release sometime in 2025, though something tells me that it might be around November-December time. Coming to Xbox and PC via Game Pass, Steam, and now Nintendo Switch.

Following another look at the shirt supporting Point of Pride, I got excited about a possible Santa game. No, just short people with hairy feet, or as we used to call them, French. Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of The Rings Game is a cozy, farming/life sim game with a very farming/life sim art style to it. It is inoffensive in that it is just a tie-in media thing that is using the Tolkien world to its advantage. Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of The Rings Game will be coming to PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and Steam on July 28th.

Less wholesome was the next one, as it was a dark and horror-based adventure game about two puppies searching for their human. I’m sure it won’t be grim, the trailer and screenshots showcasing a bit of whimsy, but it is an odd one to crossover in such a pastel-tinted, farming/life-sim-focused direct. LazyFlock’s Haunted Paws doesn’t have a release date just yet, but there is a closed alpha available now, which you can sign up for via the developer’s website.

I want to say we’ve previously seen Inlusic Interactive’s The Guardian of Nature before, but I can’t remember how much exactly. A charming, cozy little adventure about Henry, the guardian of nature, in this small section of forest where you look after everything. From the big trees that cover the undergrowth from too much light, to the fungi underground. Surprise releasing during the Wholesome Direct, you can buy the game now in early access, getting access to the “first episode” with the rest of the game coming as free updates.

Doing a little bit of research for you, the studio states that there will be a total of three episodes that are already planned. The full release eis xpected to be sometime in 2026. I’ll admit, part of me wasn’t too excited about it during the showcase, but I was busy taking notes. However, speaking about it and doing a little bit more research on it, I’ve almost talked myself into picking it up.

Next up wasn’t a game announcement but a new yearly thing that I’m highly interested in because I love physical and print media. Patch Magazine announced that this year’s Wholesome Direct edition is available to pre-order/subscribe for now until the 25th of June. Patch is an indie-focused monthly magazine that is available for as little as £3.99 ($6.00) both in print and digital formats. It is a lovely little idea, beautifully laid out, and focuses on many of the games we try to highlight here at Phenixx Gaming too.

The next one, I actually have enough emails on to start my own magazine just about it. Everdeep Aurora is a beautiful, retro-graphics inspired 2D adventure game where you play as Shell, “a determined young cat, on a peaceful journey through the Everdeep to reunite with her lost mother.” Another email continues, “Drill through the dense, procedurally generated rock and stone to reveal new locations and clues to Shell’s mother’s whereabouts,” and “Encounter the curious denizens of the Everdeep and earn their friendship by fulfilling quests.”

Part of me got excited about the trailer itself, looking gorgeous, but I also know I’m not the biggest fan of retro-graphical styles. Nonetheless, Everdeep Aurora will release on Steam and the Nintendo Switch on July 10th, but if you can’t wait that long, there is also a demo available right now.

Shadow-dropping for free and slightly annoying me, this next one is developed by too many individuals to name without it looking like an awards acceptance speech. In my rush to take notes, I wrote down “A Mortician’s Tale” when that came up, forgetting I had already been told to pick that up by our former Managing Editor Lisa, but the team behind that short story focused title from Laundry Bear Games went on to make and release Seasonala Cemetery.

Very experimental (hence free), you can explore this digital cemetery in summer and it will be full of life, or visit in Winter and it will be gloomy. Very interesting, very unique, and this is kind of what I want to see more of, something experimental.

I swear, this show was shadow drop central, and none of the 14:30 trains from Euston weren’t delayed. One we’ve been keeping an eye on for a while here, Malapata Studio and Wings’ Camper Van: Make it Home just dropped out of the blue, and had me running to my editor about it. Wholesome in every sense, the pastel colors match the cozy vibes as you create the nomad van-life home out of your very own VW Type 2 van/bus thing. I love it, need to play it once I’m done here.

Finally, a life/farming-sim aimed directly at me, and no one told me about it. Lynked – Banner of the Spark was released in May, but it is a life-sim gardening thing with a bit of mechanical robot fighting. Set in the far future the world has been overrun by evil robots (some even taking drugs in the White House), and you must help defeat the forces of evil in either single-player or co-op, then once you’ve beaten all the evil robots for the day, relax by building your own cozy little town/farm of friendship. I wish I had known about this long before now.

This next one, trying to actively be funny instead of just being humorous, annoyed me more than it should have. Dan Schumacher and Hjalte Tagmose’s Omelet You Cook is a physics-based cooking Rogue-like that tries to be chaotic and very much that sort of thing. If the trailer didn’t start with those two acting as if random objects are funny, I might have been less dour on it, but here we are. Out now in early access, Omelet You Cook is for those who think Rick & Morty’s Pickle Rick was the height of comedy that will never be surpassed.

Speaking of something that got old quick, the PS1 released over 30 years ago – so what noise do you make when you stand up? Milano’s Odd Job Collection was previously released exclusively in Japan in 1999, yes, before your co-worker was born, and it was an odd game by all accounts. The trailer showcased dishwashing, milking a flying cow’s dangly bits, working in McDonald’s, and more. Set to release sometime this year, you’ll be able to play Milano’s Odd Job Collection on PS4/5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.

From thinking I should be put in my box already to a cozy single-player life-sim about talking to strangers by a campfire. Fireside Feelings shadow dropped (are we really surprised?) and looks to be so interesting. The Steam description simply says, “Fireside Feelings is a mental wellness experience that promotes empathy, connection, and positivity among players,” love it! You can also furnish the campsite to your preference. Lovely, charming, and with intentions that are entirely wholesome.

So from that to deckbuilding, eco-terrorism, and courts. Set in Muciṟi (Muziris, India), the Amsterdam-based Speculative Agency’s All Will Rise takes the word wholesome in a loose sort of lawyer context, being a game about corporate greed and the battle against oppression. “Conversations are courtroom-style strategic card battles. Charm and persuade, or intimidate and manipulate,” as the team describes the gameplay of All Will Rise. No release date just yet, but you can wishlist All Will Rise on Steam and Kickstarter ahead of its push for backing. The trailer does, however, give a 2026 release window.

The final push for Point of Pride and this year’s T-shirts were highlighted, all before we got another look at Gecko Gods. A 3D puzzle-adventure sort of in the platformer vein, it can be quite odd to describe. You play as a charming little gecko as you explore an archipelago full of puzzles and ancient ruins, some of which are familiar light/object movement, while others are seemingly about finding something. The Demo for Gecko Gods should be available now, but you don’t have to wait too long for the release, as that’s “Autumn 2025.”

I think I said the same thing last year, but “Very, very French re-(Un)packing, give it to me now!” That’s about the only note I have for One Move Away, the Unpacking-like we saw last year from Ramage Games. Set to come sometime later this year, there is nothing confirmed as of yet aside from the platforms and a demo that’s available now. One Move Away will be on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and, of course, Steam.

Something about the next one’s art style really annoyed me, probably the fact that the character art fades into the background too easily. Otherwise beautiful in places, Humble Reeds’ Heidi’s Legacy: Mountains Calling is a “cozy narrative sim where you care for goats, craft mountain goods, and help villagers rebuild their lives.” Honestly, I think it is just the exposure of the cutout style of what I assume is Heidi that “bothers” me so much; my eye just glosses over her too easily. Especially against the beautiful backgrounds. Coming to Steam in 2026, you can wishlist Heidi’s Legacy: Mountains Calling now.

Next is another return for this year, I’ll always remember that twink-cat pirate captain for as long as I live. Ancient Forge’s Hotel Galactic finally got a release date. Set to release into early access on July 24th, you’ll manage an anime-inspired hotel full of colorful alien beings looking for specific things from your intergalactic hotel. If you can’t wait that long until the release of Hotel Galactic, there is also a demo available right now.

Let’s go back to the comfortable place of many, with a crafting, cozy, farming sim-ish thing with Yaldi Games’ Out and About. A game focused on foraging – just make sure you aren’t doing so in the UK or you’ll get a visit from the cops. Topical references that will age like a milkshake over a politician aside, the cozy little adventure looks interesting, but I’d have to see a little bit more to really get invested here. You can play the Out and About playtest/demo on Steam right now.

Back to the returning Discounty, we saw Danish studio Crinkle Cut Games and PQube’s narrative-based take on the Stardew Valley gameplay last year. A bit dark and mysterious, you are invited by your granny to come to a rural town and run her supermarket, which she’s agreed to become part of a corporate brand called Discounty. A bit like when Navid agreed to become a Spire shop. There is a demo available for Discounty out right now, but you don’t have to wait too long for Discounty either. Releasing on “Switch,” Xbox One and Series X|S, PS4/5, and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG on August 21st.

In 2019, Coatsink, GrizzlyGames, and Stage Clear Studios released a simple points-based city-builder called Islanders. Now, several years later, The Station (which developed SteamWorld Build back in 2023) is set to release the sequel, Islanders: New Shores. Expanding on the ideas seemingly and keeping the points-based system, it looks as if the studio has made the ideas much bigger in general. You can play a sandbox mode free from the pressure of the points-based system. There is a demo available for Islanders: New Shores right now, but you don’t have to wait long for the 10th of July release date. Islanders: New Shore will be released on Switch, Xbox, PS5, and Steam.

Nice to see Nessie is getting work after Holyrood decided to make Loch Ness a theme park for dimwitted tourists, but that’s enough about Nessie’s work prior to VoodooDuck’s Collector’s Cove. A colorful, boat-based farming/life sim with island exploration and the aforementioned boat riding on the back of your friendly Nessie. No release date or window for this one, but you can play the demo for Collector’s Cove on Steam right now.

Another city-builder up next, and the penultimate game before we go into the montage that is a nightmare to cover. Dutch studio Galaxy Grove showed off the voxel-based Town to City, the studio’s second game after Station to Station (which is part of Prime this month). A nice, sweet-looking meditative city-builder set in a 19th-century Mediterranean town, we’re still waiting on the release date for Town to City. Though the trailer does state that we’ll get a release sometime this summer, there is a demo available now.

Speaking of something lacking a release date despite seeing it before, and it has a demo out now, Fishbowl. A coming-of-age story slice-of-life game about a young video editor, Alo – or as I’m sure some remember it for, it is that game where the brown woman has Vitiligo. Developed by and co-published by imissmyfriends.studio and Wholesome Games Presents, this showcase of Fishbowl was to do two things: Tell you about the demo available now and show that Wholesome Games fully backs this one. At least one of those things came across clearly.

Kicking off the montage, I’m left thinking about Trinket Studios’ Battle Chef Brigade, as Gambir Studio’s KuloNiku: Bowl Up! is quite similar in ideas. Developed by the Indonesian studio, take over and run your gran’s meatball restaurant, and eventually go into reality TV-like battles (“Meatball Brawls”) to see who gets ownership of the “once-legendary meatball restaurant.” Colorful, exciting, and a bit of cooking, everything I love. KuloNiku: Bowl Up! is set to release sometime in Q3 of 2025, but there is a demo now on Steam.

Looking quite adorable, A Tiny Wander from the three-person Japanese studio DOUKUTSU PENGUIN CLUB has you playing as Buu, a pig-person, who goes on a little adventure. Set to release in 2026, we’ll see this one again at some point, hopefully.

A weird and wonderful little diorama-builder up next from Michal Kubas, Outside the Blocks. No release date or anything here, but we do have a demo to play on Steam. Absolutely stunning, I didn’t know I wanted Outside the Blocks until it was in front of my face.

Game about a claw game, check, pun name, check, pastel color scheme, check. Cometa Games’ 2026 title, Clawsome, is everything the Wholesome Direct is about. Especially during these quick montage showcases.

Ok, you can hurry up and give me this one right now, please! Btf’s The Berlin Apartment looks to tell the stories of several people who end up living in one apartment in Berlin over the years, with the Steam page noting, “Experience the unique historic backdrop of a colorful city and its turbulent past.” Set to release this November, I’m really excited to see more of this one, but you can play a little bit of The Berlin Apartment right now, as there is a demo available on Steam.

Right, whoever made up the word Llama is getting beaten around the head with sticks by me and several other dyslexics. Reportedly coming in 2026, Paramo Games’ Llamalandia is a “cozy adventure game about finding your family and making a special bond with each llama you meet.” Explore, make friends, and even build your own little sanctuary for Llamas like it was The Sims. There is a demo available now for Llamalandia.

Sticking with 2026, Danchi Days from gingham games, sandy powder, mogumu, and Melos Han-Tani is a story-focused adventure game with several mini-games. The type of thing that’s easy to paint as influenced by Undertale, but aiming for a more colorful and heart-warming kind of story. You play as Hoshino as she tries to bring her community together in the surrounding danchi (council estate/the projects). There is a demo available now for Danchi Days.

Next up was Ultimo Disco’s co-op-focused game, Sheepherds! A sort of party game about herding sheep… that’s not really something you can extrapolate too much on if I’m honest. No release date, but there is a demo available now.

If it weren’t for the 4×3 aspect ratio, the pixel art, and the heavy autumn brown color palette, anyone would have said The Great Coffee Caper should be my thing. Sadly, Everyday Magic’s 2026 title isn’t lighting the coffee-loving spark in me despite its adorable art direction. Worse still, you play as an owl called “Detective Hootsworth.” Why don’t I like you more?!?!?!

I also want to say we’ve seen Capy Castaway back when every third game that one year was a Capybara-based game, but I couldn’t tell you if I tried. Not much is really shown or said here. Kitten Cup Studio’s game doesn’t have a demo, doesn’t have a release date, and hardly has a Steam page. Though you can wishlist it now.

Another not very wholesome, dog-based game, Anxiety Puppy is a “2D interactive narrative game that focuses on anxiety.” I know, quite informative. Steam states a Q4 2025 release date, with the Wholesome Direct simply giving 2025, we’re not totally sure when. There was supposedly a demo available back in March, but that’s no longer available, so you don’t even have that to look forward to right now.

Well, if there is one thing I’m known to love, it is a camera-focused game, and that’s exactly what Blue Ramen Studios’ MAFATE is. Play as a mail carrier, “take photos[,] and deliver letters while exploring this picturesque spot.” Sold! I want it now! Sadly, I can’t have it just yet as you’ll have to wait until 2026 before we get a MAFATE launch, so I guess for now it is just wishlists and hoping for a demo in a few months.

I don’t want to say the next one is very childish in its art style, but it is that style that is aimed at the 3-5 age range. VideoDojo Games’ Townbox is a “singleplayer sandbox town building game with an emphasis on creativity and self[-]expression.” No release date, just a wishlist for Townbox, but I can’t say I’m too excited with that art style personally.

Shiba Sweet was up next, and it looks a little, tiny bit better. You take over a small dessert shop like it was Pushing Daisies, and you’ll buy, bake, and sell sweet treats to other charming little animal friends. Maowoo’s Shiba Sweet doesn’t have a release date just yet, but we do have the 2025 release window, so maybe expect it sometime later this year.

Play as a mouse-person called Muri in Speidose Interactive’s Muri: Wildwoods, coming sometime later this year. A 3D puzzle platformer with a nice colorful art style, this one went straight onto my wishlist, as I’m sure it will yours. “Solve puzzles, befriend adorable creatures, and cleanse the land and its inhabitants from corruption,” The most wholesome thing is, of course, bashing the oil industry for ruining the natural beauty of nature.

Speaking of wishlists, though, I added this one the other week and I want it right now. Earthquack Games’ Puni the Florist is a “cozy flower shop simulation game that highlights creative expressions” through shop management, design, and a wholesome story of self-discovery. There is a demo available right now, and you can wishlist it on Steam of course.

Another “could we have a less ‘I’m going to appear on a register’ art style?” up next, Mazey Village is very Funko (I have a burning hatred for Funko) in its design. However, aimed much younger. I’m trying to avoid saying that it is chibi because it isn’t, but it is somewhere around there. Developed by Slappy Inc, Mazey Village is another one of those cozy town-restoring exploration things. Supposedly releasing in 2026, you can wishlist Mazey Village right now.

This next one is something I don’t know how I feel about, because it features a wheelchair user, which is a good thing, but they are doing stealth-platforming. What next, a no-legged man in a shooting competition? Ok, dark joke aside, Shishi Studios’ Mecha is a 3D puzzle platformer that otherwise is fine, it is just an odd combination of ideas to have a (seemingly) non-ambulatory person doing platforming. No release date, but you can wishlist Mecha right now on Steam.

“Battle an evil fast food empire in this spicy narrative turn-based RPG,” I wouldn’t expect anything else from Outerloop Games, developers of Thirsty Suitors. As Taylor noted during the Day of the Devs piece, “I think the style here really speaks for itself.” In Dosa Divas, the world has turned away from cooking meals for themselves and allowed corporations to feed them ultra-processed foods in tubes and such. Playing sisters Samara and Amani (and their “ancient spirit-mech”), you’ll fight the world of ultra-fast-food with your own secret blend of herbs and spices. Maybe a punch or two while you’re at it. Dosa Divas will be released “in early 2026.”

I guess this time you aren’t doing crimes (well, many crimes), as you play as Turnip in Letters to Arralla. Developed by Australian studio Little Pink Clouds, Letters to Arralla is a typical wholesome adventure game where you’ll explore, solve puzzles, and make friends. You can play the demo for Letters to Arralla right now, or you can wishlist it ahead of the 2025 release.

Oh, fantastic, a Me simulator. Quail Button LLC’s A Week in the Life of Asocial Giraffe has you playing as a very asocial giraffe in not-so-very asocial situations. A point-and-click day-in-the-life sim, you’ll deal with situations where you have to go into a lift (“elevator” for the Americans) and try to avoid interaction with people. I don’t know what is so weird about that, people are horrible. No release date yet for A Week in the Life of Asocial Giraffe, but there is a demo and you can wishlist on Steam with a 2025 release window.

There are a number of these repair/shop sim things going on, including Trash Goblin. Aiming less at the shady side of doing refurbishments and artifact selling, Gemporium: A Cute Mining Sim is about mining, refining, and selling gemstones in your little shop to dig yourself out of generational debt. Merge Conflict Studios also details that Gemporium has a Stardew-like day cycle, leaving you only so much time to complete tasks. Gemporium: A Cute Mining Sim will release sometime in August, but if you can’t wait, there is a demo available right now.

Disappointingly, we’re still waiting on Electric Saint’s Crescent County. That’s the witchy-postal service game we saw a year or two ago here during a Wholesome Direct. Well, now you can play a demo and pledge to the Kickstarter, but don’t expect to be playing more anytime this year. According to the Direct, Crescent County won’t be releasing until at least October 2026.

The penultimate game and one that I’m highly excited for is Cold Sector’s Pawsta – A Cozy Claymation Cooking Game. Despite the name, not everything is claymation; the animal characters are, in fact, cute 2D stickers. it is everything else that’s claymation and looks wonderful. However, we’ll be waiting a while on this one as it doesn’t release until 2026, and there is no demo. You can wishlist right now on Steam, though.

It is the final game that I am once again questioning its placement and purpose in the showcase, the climax that feels about as exciting as ending a games showcase with, well… a chatroom game. On-together from GigaPufl and published by Future Friends Games is exactly that, one of those apps that you have at the bottom of your screen doing something while you work. I think I’m just too old to be alive at this point because that makes no sense to me; do work and take short breaks, then talk to friends and do things during those breaks.

The press release sent just after the Direct and during the Women-led Showcase, said the following: “On-Together is a cozy chatroom game designed to help you focus and stay connected with friends! Get settled in a digital lounge (fullscreen or neatly at the bottom, top, side, or sticker-style) and work quietly together, dropping in and out of conversations with ease.” Yes, I’m older than the hills themselves, but that’s beside the point, I’m just confused why an idle chat-room thing like On-Together was picked to end the show. Releasing sometime in 2025, you can wishlist On-Together if you are somehow younger than Tumblr, I guess.

As always, you can find the entire showcase below, and of course is time-stamped to the start of the show.

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