The genre label for “cozy,” like any genre over time, has begun evolving beyond its own boundaries lately, with games adopting the category even if they’re only cozy in part. At one point, cozy games were defined by non-violence, relaxation, and open-ended play, and while the majority of them still offer one or two of those characteristics, it’s increasingly rare when one offers all three. Even genre-defining games like Stardew Valley have combat or some other non-relaxing element, making the search for true cozy titles all the more difficult. Well, despite not technically being recognized as a cozy game, an upcoming open-world game on Steam already looks cozier than many of the genre’s latest titles.
Under Canopies is an open-world survival-crafting game that specifically places an emphasis on being “non-violent” so players can focus on a legitimately relaxing gameplay loop. In fact, it’s one of the few of its kind in the genre, as there aren’t many true one-to-one matches out there. Games like Astroneer, The Planet Crafter, and Among Trees are close, but Under Canopies looks like its own vibe, especially considering it’s a survival-crafting game. That distinction is what could set it apart in the end too, as it leans fully into a kind of coziness most games in its genre only partially embrace.
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Under Canopies Is Survival Without Pressure
Under Canopies is a first-person, open-world survival game set in a stylized forest, but its premise deliberately strips away the usual tension associated with the genre. Instead of fighting enemies or surviving against constant threats, players are placed in a peaceful wilderness where the goal is to live in harmony with nature, gathering resources, building and customizing a cabin, growing food, cooking meals, and caring for animals. Exploration is driven by curiosity rather than danger, with players documenting wildlife and uncovering the forest’s secrets while managing basic needs like hunger and energy, creating a slower, more self-sufficient rhythm that turns survival into something calming rather than stressful.
Under Canopies’ Core Features
- NO-COMBAT SURVIVAL — No enemies or threats, for a purely peaceful survival experience.
- OPEN-WORLD EXPLORATION — Explore a vibrant forest, discovering resources and wildlife.
- GATHER RESOURCES AND CRAFT — Collect materials and craft tools, furniture, and items.
- CABIN BUILDING SYSTEM — Build and customize a personal cabin from scratch.
- FARMING/GARDENING LOOP — Grow crops, gather ingredients, and sustain daily routines.
- COOKING/RECIPES — Prepare over thirty meals using farmed ingredients.
- ANIMAL CARE/COMPANIONSHIP — Raise animals and live peacefully alongside forest creatures.
- WILDLIFE DOCUMENTATION — Photograph and catalog animals in a personal journal.
From there, Under Canopies starts to show where it distinguishes itself, and it’s not just because it removes combat. A lot of survival games technically allow players to slow things down, but they’re still built around the pressure of needing to manage so many different mechanics at one. Hunger drains fast, resources are scarce, and something is always pushing back on the player moving forward. In Under Canopies, that pressure doesn’t seem to exist. The gameplay loop is more about maintaining a rhythm than fighting to survive, whether that’s gathering materials, tending crops, or cooking meals. Rather than being systems designed to get players to the next major milestone, they are the whole experience.
Something else worth considering is that in most survival games, even the more relaxing ones, there’s generally an underlying sense that something could go wrong at any moment. It might not happen often, but it’s nonetheless there, and that ultimately changes how players approach everything they do. Under Canopies appears to remove that tension entirely. There are no predators, no combat encounters, and no real sense of urgency, which means the game doesn’t need to rely on stress to keep players invested. Instead, it hopes they’ll find pleasure in the routine of it all.
Raise your cabin from scratch and customize it with furniture, decorations, and handmade items. Create a cozy home where every detail reflects your style.
That’s where one of the game’s main gameplay features starts to mean even more. Building a cabin in Under Canopies isn’t because players need a safe place where they’re protected from the weather, vicious animals, or relentless bandits. Rather, this is apparently meant to be seen as something players invest in over time and truly treat like their own virtual home. The same goes for farming and cooking as well, where growing crops, harvesting ingredients, and preparing meals is simply a part of the player’s daily life in the game rather than something primarily meant to help them survive.
Under Canopies‘ open-world exploration follows that same idea. Moving through the forest is about finding new resources, observing animals, and documenting what’s out there rather than moving between objectives or even looking for a new place to set up camp. A big part of Under Canopies‘ gameplay sees players cataloging wildlife and discoveries, reinforcing the idea that players are there to learn the environment rather than conquer it, and it’s what makes this game one-in-a-million for the genre.
There’s no hunting or violence here. Exploration is about discovering unique resources, observing wildlife, and recording each find in your journal.
There’s also a broader context here that works in the game’s favor. The cozy label has already begun stretching beyond what it originally meant in farm life sim games like Harvest Moon, with more of them mixing in combat or other demanding mechanics while still being lumped into that category. That’s part of why something like Under Canopies stands out, because it’s going back to a more straightforward version of the cozy formula and even applying it to a genre that usually avoids it.
Whether that’s enough to carry it long-term is still an open question, especially since slower-paced games tend to rely heavily on how strong their loops are over time. But based on what’s been shown so far, Under Canopies at least understands what players are actually looking for when they talk about a relaxing gaming experience. By removing every bit of the stress that normally comes with the open-world survival-crafting genre, Under Canopies gives players a reason to simply be in its world rather than play its game.
- Released
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2025
- Developer(s)
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Novemtails
- Publisher(s)
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Novemtails
- Number of Players
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1
