Cute games can involve all manner of things – loads of cats, little chibi characters, or strange and adorable creatures. There's a lovely subsection of the games industry that just makes lovely stuff. Whether it's the type that'll feature in the Wholesome Direct 2022, or just some titles designed to be cute as heck, there's a lot to choose from. So, whether it's kawaii, wholesome, or somewhere in between, there are a lot of games that tick the box. This list is us restraining ourselves, otherwise, it would go on forever and ever. Either way, here's the very best choices with some interesting additions.
Once you reach a cuteness overload, we can offer up all manner of alternatives. Check out our art games guide if you're the creative type, our gardening games guide if you're the outdoorsy type, or our flying games guide if you're a bit of an adrenaline junky.
Anyway, UwU… here's the best cute games on Switch and mobile.
Peridot – mobile
Niantic recently gave us Peridot – a new AR adventure where you hatch and grow your own, unique, Peridot animals. Each player has a brightly coloured animal of their own to pet, walk, and interact with. Think a Tamagotchi but on today's smartphone hardware.
Unpacking – Switch
This game has a steadily growing collection of tiny plush chickens. Though we needn't say more, we will – Unpacking is a zen puzzle game focused on unpacking boxes of belongings in different stages of a character's life. You learn about them (and their plush collection) as the years pass, while enjoying a very relaxing atmosphere.
Animal Crossing – Switch and mobile
I feel like Animal Crossing can fit into pretty much every genre list out there. It's a life sim, it's a building game, it's a gardening game, but most of all, it's cute as heck. From the many lovely villagers to the different animals (bar the hyper-realistic fish), and changes to the island through the day and seasons, the whole world is so engrossingly lovely, whether it's Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the Switch or Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp on your mobile.
Katamari Damacy Reroll – Switch
Katamari Damacy is one of those games that some people swear is one of the best games ever, but a lot of people don't notice. Its amazingly cute, charming, and wacky vibe and pretty simple gameplay – that involves rolling a small ball around, picking up other objects to add to it, thus making the ball bigger – can make people think "oh cool, a videogame!" But Katamari Damacy is perfect. Everyone should play it.
Stardew Valley – Switch and mobile
Another game that can fit on so many different genre lists, Stardew Valley has all the charm a farming sim needs. With various characters with unique personalities, cute pixel art, and so many things to do in a world that's way too easy to get lost in, it's the perfect cute game to sink hundreds of hours into. Check out our Stardew Valley Sebastian or Stardew Valley Shane to learn more about the inhabitants.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Switch
Kirby's first open-world adventure on Switch features the pink puffball gobbling up a range of items to take on their powers, while discovering treasures and fighting off really quite cute enemies. Control Kirby as he runs through themeparks, malls, and more all with a smile on his face.
Pikuniku – Switch
Pikuniku is a chill puzzle/exploration game where you play Piku, a pink blob on legs. As you explore the world, meet other similarly cute blobs, and solve simple but charming puzzles, the universe unfurls a tad, as the peace and tranquillity of the village become a little more sinister. No matter what, it's still cute, and that's what we like to see.
Gibbon: Beyond the Trees – Switch and mobile
While it may deal with a very serious subject matter, Gibbon: Beyond the Trees does so with gorgeous art and animation. As you swing through the trees as a gibbon, every noise and movement is so expertly done that the animals endear themselves to you almost instantly. They're wonderful, making the story the game tells all the more heartbreaking. Check out our Gibbon: Beyond the Trees review to see why it's such a brilliant experience.
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening – Switch
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is probably the weirdest Zelda game, but that didn't stop Nintendo from making the remake incredibly cute. It kinda chibifies Link et al, adds a soft focus onto everything, and makes it all look like it's made of plastic. This makes everything feel like a playset, and, while it may not run all that well, it sure does look good.
Cats & Soup – mobile
Some of us are very busy, and don't quite have time to sit and play games for hours on end (as much as we wish we did). Therefore, we recommend something cute and simple like Cats and Soup. This idle game has you collecting items to welcome cats to your woodland area, where they create soup, among other things.
Pocket Love – mobile
Hyperbeard Games, creators of Pocket Love, are experts when it comes to cute and wholesome games that you can sink hours into. Pocket Love allows you to build up and furnish a house for a couple, with pets of your choice. Everything is in pleasing pastel shades -even the minigames where you earn more coins. Plenty of furniture and adorable memories await you here.
Slime Rancher Plortable Edition – Switch
Wobbling onto Switch with it's own special edition is Slime Rancher. Take up a new job as Rancher on the Far, Far Range and collect as many wiggly, jiggly slimes as you can. They can't get hurt and they'll not even be mad at you if you miss feeding time. Even the plorts are cute despite them being the, um, leftovers of the slimes after lunch.
Fae Farm – Switch
Fae Farm is a witchy, farmy, cute, and cozy simulation game for you to indulge all of your wholesome gaming needs. You use spells to help around the farm while collecting ingredients for cooking and crafting, and making friends with the local residents.
You can read our Fae Farm review right here to find out exactly what we think and check out all the Fae Farm fish available to catch.
That's all the cute games you're getting today, but if you need more games to play on Switch or mobile then look no further than our list of the best farm games, wildlife games, and this year's indie games.