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Lauren Morton

@comradecupcake.bsky.social
397 followers 41 following 75 posts

She/Her | SEO Editor @PCGamer.com | ✉ lauren@pcgamer.com | Former PCG & RPS freelancer | 🎮 RPGs & cozy games & life sims

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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I'm here again overhauling another one of my PC Gamer lists. This time it's the best cozy games. This is the list of what I personally think are the best cozy games, not a list Gemini will spit you out! In that spirit, scroll to the bottom for another poll on what YOU think needs to be on my list.
pcgamer.com
The best cozy games on PC that aren't farm sims
Cozy games are in their boom era, but some of the oldies are still the best out there.
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
It's very easy to point to Disco Elysium and say 🤔 "yes, that's good writing" because it's smart and cynical. It felt much harder harder to explain why this game full of anime tropes and silly jokes is also excellent writing, actually. Hopefully I did justice to the depth and specificity of it.
Eiland says "Lauren! My dear friend, would you like a slice of delicious Caldosian chocolate cake?"Eiland says "Would you uh, like another slice of cake..?" and the player responds "What is wrong with the cake, Eiland?"Eiland says "It was the special at Darcy's and the slice I had was SO good that I told her I could eat a full size version no problem... and i tjust arrived..."Eiland says "You've got to help me get rid of this cake, Lauren!"
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
I already telegraphed my feelings about Mistria pretty hard, but here's the official score! It's all about customization (decorating, dressing, curating) and not really about automation, which tends to be what splits the post-Stardew audience. I can't get enough of these characters though.
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
I married Edward Kyo Elric Sohma as a service to the people. Please enjoy this big March romance primer while I roll back my saves and marry nice boy Ryis.
pcgamer.com
March romance walkthrough: The full March gifts list, heart events, and marriage details for the grumpy blacksmith in Fields of Mistria
Here's how to beat March's competitive side and finally get onto his good side.
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Thanks Hiero! It sounds like we had really similar experiences, yeah, right down to being unable to ignore the Mistria in the room. I really couldn't get over the Orlock inconsistency. I think there's room for a darker farm sim but this one ain't it. High hopes for Grave Seasons!
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Morgan Park @morganpark.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
The Halo remake is decent. But playing Campaign Evolved and the original back-to-back reveals how right Bungie got it back in 2001. Review: www.pcgamer.com/games/halo/h...
pcgamer.com
I played the Halo: Campaign Evolved remake and original Halo back-to-back, here's my review
A neat, but fundamentally flawed remake that doesn't always understand the appeal of Halo.
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
You come to me on the day of my daughter's wedding and you ask me to play games? Thank you 💖 your taste has never led me astray.
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Giada I promise that I literally thought of you talking about Rune Factory and Atelier as I made this list and debated whether I had time to GET INTO RUNE FACTORY before writing this overhaul. (The answer was god no I don't, but maybe I will before the next time I update it this year)
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
In the era of AI summary slop, I want everyone to know that our lists are ✨hand crafted✨ by losers who stay up late to just get to Winter 1 Year 2. (I'm still trying to finish the fire seal in the mines in Mistria so I can see March and Eiland's 8 heart scenes, leave me alone.)
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Big overhaul on our list of the best games like Stardew Valley! This is my first stab at making PC Gamer's "best [genre]" lists feel more obviously curated by our very expert freaks. They always have been, but you should FEEL it more soon. You can even vote for what should have made the list!
pcgamer.com
The best farm sims and games like Stardew Valley
Games like Stardew Valley have fully taken root on PC, so now we're thoroughly spoiled for choice on new games to plant parsnips in.
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
been adding these little buddies to all my Paralives builds because I choose to believe they are a This Is How You Lose The Time War reference
close up screenshot of a mantle with two small bird figurines on it: a blue and a red
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
One of the premade families in The Sims 2 is just two stray dogs who want to find a place to raise puppies. I love this stupid game.
Sims 2 family named "Crittur" with two stray dogs who have 200 simoleons and a description that partially reads" Despite being homeless, Danny and Sarah have stuck together throughout the years. But Sarah wants a better life for their future little ones, so they're--"
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🔥Christopher Livingston🔥 @chrislivingston.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Summon skeletons, ride dragons, change the weather by shouting at it, sure, no problem. But some concepts are just too ridiculous
pcgamer.com
Even a fantasy game like Skyrim won't let me be a trillionaire
I can be a werewolf or a vampire, sure, but nothing as far-fetched as a trillionaire.
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Morgan Park @morganpark.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Approximately 1 billion embargoes lifted for Summer Game Fest stuff today, so I decided to try something fun: Talk about them all at once and rank them while I'm at it. www.pcgamer.com/gaming-indus...
pcgamer.com
18 embargoes from Summer Game Fest just lifted, so let's rank everything I saw in LA
A gauntlet of new games.
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Even self-declared anti-hype curmudgeon Fraser is excited about Guild Wars 3 with me.
pcgamer.com
A new MMO announcement is more exciting than all the other SGF news combined
Thanks, Guild Wars 3.
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
But mostly: playable Kodan???? Fuck yeah let me finally be a bear lady yessssssssssss.
cropped Guild Wars 3 promo image showing three characters, one a bear in plate armor.
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
Guild Wars 2 has been quietly on the cutting edge of what MMOs are allowed to be, what they should be, for its entire lifespan. It's tossed out old assumptions almost at every chance it gets. Guild Wars 3 will probably feel radically different, it may make me nervous, but I do trust.
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
I remember logging in on the day Anet said there would be a live event for the entire playerbase, a battle for Lions Arch, after which the map was just permanently altered—a thing that would happen to LA multiple more times over the years but nobody was doing in an online game before that.
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
I remember completing the tutorial area with my first norn character, solving riddles from ravens at a heart event, watching other players carefully scramble up the rafters of a longhouse, getting into a snowball fight with a group of kids as a dynamic event. My first Sharkmaw Cavern in old LA!
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
I'll be thinking about Guild Wars 2's innovations a lot leading up to Guild Wars 3 beta next year but ultimately I trust Anet to cook. Putting down GW after 6 years for GW2 was like getting the first pair of glasses you hadn't realized you needed so badly. It was ALIVE.
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
my husband standing on a cliff watching for my sails to reappear on the horizon after Guild Wars 3 launches
Pirates of the Caribbean, Elizabeth Swan and her son waiting for Will Turner's ship to return 10 years later.
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Our list of cozy game launches in June went up yesterday! And yes I probably am going to try playing all three of the survival crafting games. I will probably never change.
pcgamer.com
The cozy game launches of June are a really crafty bunch
Crafting and cooking are all over the menu this month from survival crafting to flower arranging to stamp collection journaling.
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Hey, two (three) cakes!
pcgamer.com
Now that we have Paralives, Inzoi, and The Sims 4, life simmers finally have the variety we've been begging for
With Paralives joining the party, I finally feel like there's a real buffet of choice for life sim players.
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
I been Charlie'd
pcgamer.com
Paralives players are getting jumpscared by a naked chap called Charlie glitching into their games and now I too have been Charlie'd
This unsettling, naked para is bodysnatching our characters and honestly, I want to keep them.
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Not for nothing, I also AM writing longform style on things I'm really liking about Paralives. I begged for life sims to get back in touch with their strategy roots and I really like where Paralives' head is at on that front.
pcgamer.com
Paralives has done the one exact thing I was begging life sims for
I was on my knees pleading for a scrap of strategy gameplay and Paralives has laid me a feast of fun simulation effects.
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
I've had us doing more of these "Is It Worth It?" guides to early access games since we don't do scored reviews in EA. Bit of a different angle than our traditional longform impressions. I was excited to break down Paralives a bit for my fellow life sim fans! www.pcgamer.com/games/life-s...
pcgamer.com
Is Paralives worth playing in early access for life sim fans?
After a lot of hours spent in Paralives, here's my breakdown on how you can decide whether it's your type of life sim or not.
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PC Gamer @pcgamer.com · 22/05/2026
🎨 We're delighted to reveal our specially commissioned posters for the #PCGamingShow designed by digital artist @waxbones.bsky.social! Can you guess the show's theme? These are a pretty big hint 👀
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
The flirting animations are truly some kicking your feet squealing level stuff. They look away and BITE THEIR LIP when someone successfully flirts with them.
Paralives photo mode showing one Para looking flirtatiously at another, who is smiling coyly.Paralives photo mode shot of one Para looking flirtatiously at another who is biting their lip feeling flattered.
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
So far in Paralives I've spent three nights entirely in Live Mode, despite the bugginess, and one night just playing with the photo mode. I've barely touched Build Mode yet, which is normally the only part of a life sim I feel motivated to play. Going to have so much to say about this next week.
Paralives photo mode shot of two Paras posed close together flirting.
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Taking screenshots of cute girls like it's my job* *it is my job
Paralives photo mode shot of a black woman with short curly hair and purple eyeshadow wearing a nose ring and checkered collared shirt looking flirtatious.Paralives photo mode shot of a white woman with long brown hair and bangs with flower earrings and a white bow choker looking flirtatious.
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PC Gamer @pcgamer.com · 14/05/2026
Our fantastic hosts Sean "Day[9]" Plott and Mica Burton return to present the #PCGamingShow next month! The fabulous Frankie Ward and new host Elz will be leading a Pre-Show that you don't want to miss 🔥 📅 Sunday June 7 ⏰ 12pm PDT / 3pm EDT / 8pm BST / 9pm CEST / 3am CST
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Confirmed Games Enjoyer @hjrwithpen.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
I liked Mixtape a whole lot - but when it comes to its existence as a videogame, it felt out of step with its otherwise gorgeous direction. www.pcgamer.com/games/advent...
pcgamer.com
Mixtape review
Perfect playlist, but just a decent videogame.
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🔥Christopher Livingston🔥 @chrislivingston.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
So if someone steals your clothing in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, it's because I lost my boots in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 1 and made a big stink about it 👢👢 www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/if...
pcgamer.com
If you've ever had your shoes stolen in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, that was apparently PC Gamer's fault, sorry
Chris Livingston's fault specifically.
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PC Gamer @pcgamer.com · 06/05/2026
Just look at this guy.
pcgamer.com
This is Chort, a Final Fantasy 14 dungeon boss of absolutely no real significance, but a hero to us all
You can find Chort in the Clyteum.
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Heyo our list of cozy game launches this month is up! Personally I'm most psyched for: > OddFauna (the hand-sculpted critter collecting game I said I wouldn't shut up about) > Paralives (please I want to like this Sims-contender after I bounced off Inzoi)
pcgamer.com
The cozy game launches of May are dominated by a bunch of hotly-anticipated sims
From Paralives to Thrifty Business, this month is going to be all about life sims and shop sims in the cozy game corner.
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lincoln carpenter, skeleton @lincolnhello.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
Late drop of a big story tonight—the research team that jailbroke AI safety standards with weaponized poems have published their Adversarial Humanities Benchmark, broadening their research through cyberpunk attack-fiction and ADVERSARIAL HERMENEUTICS:
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
RDO never gave me the ranching job I wanted, but I'll take it in Palia
pcgamer.com
Horse game klaxon: Palia is adding breedable, rideable horses and they look way more realistic than most MMO mounts
Life sim MMO Palia's next free expansion is just three weeks away and it's giving me the ranching update that Red Dead Online refused to.
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Got yelled at by a shrub, would recommend.
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Songs of Glimmerwick feels like the anti-HP of wizard school games. An entire setting that confronts a society newly escaping 40 years of regressive faux-populist politics. Serious as that sounds, Glimmerwick is SO funny and lighthearted. Excited to see the story continue in the full game.
pcgamer.com
The ethically-sourced wizard school life sim I've been waiting for finally has a playable demo and launches this year
Seven years in the making, the developers of Eastshade are finally ready for us to play a tiny first taste of their cozy witch school life sim Songs of Glimmerwick.
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Wish the gif would come through in the article card because man I love the physicality of all the clovers bending away from my mouse as I search.
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Can't stop staring at this ridiculous four-leaf clover hidden object game made by a guy who actually likes looking for real four leaf clovers.
pcgamer.com
Oh you think you know hidden object games? Then go find a four-leaf clover
One In A Thousand is a mesmerizing replication of real life's most notorious hidden object challenge.
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
@morganpark.bsky.social was celebrating the return of game demos back in 2021: www.pcgamer.com/game-demos-a... And I was thrilled to see that it had become a real golden era for game demos 2 years ago: www.pcgamer.com/were-in-a-go... Every year I'm (pleasantly) surprised that the trend chugs on.
pcgamer.com
We're in a golden era of game demos
We're spoiled for choice in an unending tide of free game trials.
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Month 3 of compiling PC Gamer's cozy game releases calendar and it's wild how many games have persistent demos available these days. Especially in the cozy games space, having a demo is almost an expectation now.
pcgamer.com
Our cozy games of April list is looking so chilled out that there isn't even a single farm sim on it
Don't get a spring in your step just yet because this month's cozy game launches are all so cozy you might want to stay bundled up.
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
First of a couple stories coming from a great conversation I had at GDC with The Sims 4's original AI programmer.
pcgamer.com
'I took those files and deleted them': Former Sims 4 developer says he totally rewrote the sims' AI in the middle of development and 'that was a scary thing to do'
The Sims 4's original lead AI programmer says he pitched the entire AI system not long before alpha and rewrote it from scratch.
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
dungeons are cozy
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Thanks for sharing Alice! Eventually I'll get the chance to actually quote you on one of the horse games, since you're connected to them all now 😆 Related, my personal horse girl bestie was super into the Hoofprint Bay demo from last week!
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
I should do the work keyboard to play keyboard evening swap intentionally more often, it's a fun mode switch
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
this is the most cozy gamer coded I've looked on a Friday night in a while
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
I'm genuinely having a great time with it! But also I've hit a progress-blocking quest bug and don't know yet if it's going to require restarting my save so...it's got good bones and rough edges 😅
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Lauren Morton @comradecupcake.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
Roach is wonderful! Witcher 3 is definitely one of those games with a loveable companion but just isn't really /about/ horses so the depth of Horse Stuff is pretty minimal. This one's got both!
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