Video games are designed to capture your heart and captivate you with their narratives, gameplay, and designs. Some of the best are filled with locations that are mixed with danger, safety, and in some special cases, cosiness. Sometimes these places are entirely optional, while others are where our journey begins.
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If you’re interested in finding cosy safe havens away from the main story and the trails of the game, then these are the places you’ll want to visit. Take care, as once you step into these whimsical and magical places, you might never want to leave. These are some of the best places to sit and stay a while as you progress through dangerous and intriguing narratives.
12The Ranch - Slime Rancher
The Ranch inSlime Rancheris a place of conflicting emotions. It is home, your refuge in this strange place you found yourself. It will wrench at you with loneliness yet somehow invite you to stay in its warm embrace. All of these feelings are compounded by the overall narrative and backstory, which is explained through correspondence with someone extremely dear to you who you left behind to pursue this life.
You want to return there, but you feel a slight sadness every time you do. Despite this and the somewhat freaky nature of the slimes you are corralling into cages and harvesting, there is apleasantness to the ranch.Perhaps it is because a letter from Casey is waiting for you there?
11Corvo Bianco - The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt
The world ofThe Witcher 3is definitely not a place any sane person would want to live in. But Toussaint seems to be a far cry from the horrors of other locations in the Continent where The Witcher takes place. There is something so relaxing about Corvo Bianco that you may’t help but feel glad for Geralt that this is his final reward.
Few Witchers will die happy in their beds, and Corvo Bianco could be the place Geralt finally retires at. He can live out his life in peaceful, winey bliss alongside Yennefer or Triss, and enjoy a visit from Ciri – but hopefully not Dandelion. With so much horror outside your door in The Witcher, Corvo Bianco does an excellent job at making this feel like one of the safest and cosiest places you could want.
10Hateno Village - The Legend of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
There’s a big difference between Hateno Village inBreath of the Wildand Tears of the Kingdom. There is something so undeniably relaxing about Hateno in BOTW, and maybe it is because Link’s home is there. When you stumble upon this quaint village, looking for some shelter or hearth to save yourself from the rain, the proud wooden archway at the front of Hateno welcomes you warmly.
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Yes, you should begoing to the Divine Beastsand trying to save Zelda, but it’s hard not to wander out of your home and take a stroll through the village as the warm sun is rising overhead.Link likes to take in the scenery,and this place offers you a slice of village life you don’t get elsewhere in Breath of the Wild. It feels safe, straddling a line between pangs of nostalgia and beautiful serenity.
9Wangshu Inn - Genshin Impact
It should come as no surprise that all of Liyue is absolutely stunning. Even the creepiness of Wuwang Hill has a certain charm to it. Located in the heart of Liyue, acting as a checkpoint before Liyue Harbor, Wangshu Inn is a warm and welcoming place that any adventurer would love to stay in.
The large, beautiful tree striking through the middle of the Inn is breathtaking, and the small rooms you find at the top that can look out over the land or hide you away in a corner to enjoy a cooked meal all add to the cosy vibe this place cultivates in spades. You’d be forgiven for frequently returning there, even if you’re only there to take in the gorgeous scenery.
8Outset Island - The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
The Legend of Zeldaalways does a great job at spinning a humble origins story, and this is especially true when it comes to Outset Island in The Wind Waker. Outset Island gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling, like snuggling into a familiar blanket.
The place is so serene that you will frequently find yourself yearning for those days of yore; lazing around on the tower mast with your sister, bathed in the waning sun and yearning for the adventure waiting for you in the world outside this small island. Not to mention, Outset Island isthe home to Link’s Grandma, and she makes the most downright incredible soups you’ll ever eat in your life. Good luck trying to tear yourself away after that.
7Neha’s Home - Disco Elysium
Disco Elysiumisn’t something you’d call cosy, even at the best of times. Everything around you is rundown and grimy, to the point of repulsion. This is exactly the case with the location you find Neha, but there’s something about her place that covers you in a sense of warmth and joy.
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Neha is a novelty dice maker who can be found living inside the Doomed Commercial Area in Martinaise. While the rest of the block she lives in is completely dilapidated and downright haunting, her little nook is the polar opposite. It’s the contrast that makes this place so cosy, to the point where you’d never want to leave. Not to mention the sublime soundtrack that plays subtly creeps up on you as you first enter her humble abode.
6The Roost - Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Introduced toAnimal Crossing: New Horizonstragically late in its lifecycle, The Roost is one of the most downright pleasing and cosy places you can ever visit, even if you are someone who has perfectly manicured their island with several water-filled retreats and hidden nooks.
The Roost is a coffee shop, found inside the already off-the-charts cosy museum on your island. When you unlock the Roost, Brewster works diligently behind the bar and you can hang out with your Villagers there whenever you want. It’s the perfect place to sit back and unwind, especially taking a break from cultivating your golden roses and other precious Bell-creating avenues.
5Skyloft - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Skyloft is the starting location ofSkyward Swordand the home of Link and Zelda. In Skyloft, there is everything you could ever want from a cosy little town. It’s suspended in the sky, safe above the ruined and scary surface land below. There are ponds, a town square, friendly neighbours, warm air, and a cool breeze.
While you adventure through Skyward Sword, you’ll be hard-pressed to tear yourself away from Skyloft and continue your quest. Considering everyone from Skyloft is blessed with a faithful and adorable Loftwing, how could you not want to spend your time lazing around with your trusty bird friend?
4Aerith’s House - Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Aerith’s Home inFinal Fantasy 7is squirrelled away in the Sector Five Slums, and it’s one of the most beautiful places you might find in all of Midgar. Ignoring for a second just how and why Aerith’s mother has this house while everyone else lives away from nature and in some ramshackle hell-hole in the slums, this place is a veritable paradise.
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It turns out,flowers can grow in Midgar, even with that garish plate blocking out the sky. It was serene in the original Final Fantasy 7, but seeing it fleshed out in FF7 Remake is a whole new world. With the flowers, the water, the music, and the adorable house, even the most diehard Cloti fan can’t deny that the area surrounding Aerith’s house is beautiful in every way.
3Seliana Gathering Hub - Monster Hunter World: Iceborne
Seliana is the base introduced in the expansion toMonster Hunter World. In Iceborne, you travel to a frozen land, and the Gathering Hub is set up in the best way to accommodate any hunter looking for comfort in this new frontier. Inside the hub, you’ll find hot springs and a view over the hauntingly beautiful frozen land in front of you.
There’s something to be said about sitting in a room with a roaring fire while the world outside is frigid and cold. Your Hunter has this time to relax with friends, and not be drenched in monster guts for a time. Not to mention, you can dip your feet in the hot water while you play with your adorable and loveable Palico.
