Cozy cleaning games are a great alternative to more action-packed fare, letting players unwind with soothing music and simple tasks. Offering a place for everything and the chance to neatly nestle it all in place, here are three cozy cleaning games to turn to when relaxation is the order of the day.
1. Bao Bao’s Cozy Cleaning Service
Released on October 29, Bao Bao’s Cleaning Service is a sequel to a previous cozy game featuring the industrious panda, Bao Bao’s Cozy Laundromat. In Cleaning Service, players, solo or in a co-op group of up to three friends, help Bao Bao with his mission to make everything nice and clean. Using a power washer, Bao Bao cleans inside and out, letting the water spray wash away dirt from stone pathways, faded wallpaper, and more.
Bao Bao’s Cozy Cleaning Service offers adorable 2D pixel art in soft pastel shades, along with a selection of lo-fi songs to listen to while Bao Bao, or Bao Baos if playing with friends, cleans one tile after another. According to the Steam page, players are also encouraged to listen to audiobooks or their own favorite music while playing. There are no timers to worry about when completing a level, so players can relax and take their time.
The game is available on Steam, Switch, and Xbox.
2. Fresh Start Cleaning Simulator
For gamers looking for a bit more to sink their teeth into, there’s Fresh Start Cleaning Simulator. While it’s also designed to be relaxing, the game expands the mission to include cleaning up the environment. Players use a special machine that combines a vacuum with a watering hose to rescue various ecosystems, including beaches, mountain ranges, and rivers, as they explore a colorful 3D world.
Beyond cleaning up, players can solve puzzles and unearth hidden elements to upgrade travel vehicles, while discovering man-made environments like campsites and shrines. And that’s not all. Players are able to nurture plant life and make friends with the animals they meet while cleaning up their habitats, from pandas and penguins to sea turtles.
Fresh Start Cleaning Simulator is available on Steam, Switch, Xbox, and PS5.
3. Unpacking
Maybe one of the most popular cozy cleaning games out there, Unpacking’s premise is right in the title. Players unpack their belongings in eight different homes, each marking a new chapter in the character’s life. The game starts in a childhood bedroom, then moves to the first apartment the character shares with a roommate. It culminates in the character’s own family home, where a new chapter is about to begin.
Like Bao Bao’s Cleaning Service, this is a relaxing 2D pixel-art experience with no need to rush. As they unpack in each home, players learn more about the character whose belongings they put away. Another game with a relaxing soundtrack, Unpacking focuses on organizing and decorating, leaving players with a strong sense of satisfaction when the last box is empty.
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