A gaming resolution I set for myself in 2026 was to seek out games that I enjoy playing. Sounds simple, right? Beyond review duties here at Phenixx Gaming, I also make it a personal goal to play the games everyone is talking about. That sometimes means I’ll slog through a Blue Prince, when in reality, it’s not my kind of game, and I’m not having that much fun. Cozy Caravan, however, is very much in my realm of interest and enjoyment, and developer 5 Lives Studios has brought the game to Nintendo Switch. What awaits players in Cozy Caravan is a game that is very heavy-handed in its coziness, and well worth your time if you’re looking for something to breeze through to start the new year.

Are you developing a cozy indie title? Take notes, because Cozy Caravan starts with an adorable character creator that, from the jump, tells the player what’s in store. From anthropomorphized cows and goats to amphibians and everything in between, the game immediately invites you to imagine a world where you’re not some stressed-out human, but a brand new Guild Rookie. Your task is to travel around the landscapes surrounding your town and help the communities that surround you in a variety of ways, all with the help of your best friend, Bubba. As you craft and create solutions to the everyday problems of various residents, you’ll set up a market stall, make a little cash, and be on your way to the next land.

Harvestvale is gearing up for a big community party, the Whizz Bang Fair, and everyone is looking to you and Bubba for help to ensure everything is in tip-top shape. That might mean fixing fences, designing the perfect outfit, or making meals that will delight everyone who puts fork to mouth. Your guild’s motto is help those in need and spread kindness, and that’s truly the entire vibe of the game. With a cute art style and a lot of really wonderful NPCs, players who enjoy a treasure trove of to-dos to work through in their cozy games are going to feel right at home.

There is an issue some games in the cozy crafting genre face, and that’s the menace of comparison to other games that offer a similar experience. While Cozy Caravan does have a great hook that separates it from Animal Crossing or Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar, there are, of course, going to be similarities. From fishing to making meals, and even the fact that your entire life’s mission is apparently to have the coziest, kindest life ever, the concept is far from novel in 2026. What Cozy Caravan nails in setting itself apart is in its name. The caravan that transports you to various places to help out fellow critters is a great way to make this world feel wider than just a scenic farm town.

From fortune tellers to fellow tradespeople, you’re going to meet a lot of fun animals around Harvestvale. As you assist them, you gain a better understanding of how even everyday issues can feel overwhelming. Luckily, a community that helps one another is a community that ensures nobody succumbs to the stresses that accompany existence. That might sound like a deep takeaway from a game where you can literally be a squirrel in overalls, but look, this game breeds moments of meditation. Sadly, that’s actually one element I didn’t always love. This game is so low-stakes and casual that, at times, I felt a little understimulated.

The quests you take on behalf of your fellow animal friends are diverse enough not to be boring, but seeing them through doesn’t really feel all that fun. There are obvious fetch quests, compiling crafting elements for a recipe, and even just dialogue-based interactions that can help someone out. Nothing in Cozy Caravan ever hits the high marks other cozy titles have for me, but it’s not to say it’s ever teetering on a bad experience either. Rather, I think people who like these sorts of games are going to be happy to have another to explore and discover fun companions.

For me, as someone who delves into most genres of games, this was just a tad too tame for me to keep my interests locked-in. I fought the urge to throw on a podcast just to sort of stimulate my brain while working through the lowly ways I was to prove helpful to my fellow animals. The game controls well, the graphics are charming, and the minigames within the world that help you complete tasks are well executed. I just don’t know that any moment or NPC encounter is going to stick with me for very long.

Whereas A Short Hike or Spiritfarer achieves excellence through its blend of character-driven objectives and heartfelt storytelling, kindness isn’t a compelling enough endeavor to put this one up with the greats of the cozy genre. However, many indie games seek to emulate the crafting-based casual game experience and do so with an adventure that’s a hassle to control, or maybe just downright rough to look at. Cozy Caravan is a good game that plays well and strikes every cozy chord a fan of this genre would hope to see. For me, it just lacks that weight that helps a game in this genre stand out, and for that, it’s just a hair short of becoming a staple for the group of games to which it belongs.

A Nintendo Switch review copy of Cozy Caravan was provided by 5 Lives Studios for this review.

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Cozy Caravan

19.99

6.5

Score

6.5/10

Pros

• Delightful visuals and well-designed NPCs
• A great world that feels larger than it looks
• Easy-to-follow objective-based cozy gaming

Cons

• Lacks a major selling point in terms of engaging gameplay
• A bit too light on story beats to immerse the player
• Nothing genre-defining, but not every game needs to be