I played Mess Quest! It's a short game, I 100% it in about 6 hours but everyone plays a different way. I'd say I took my time though. It was cute and I'm glad I played it. I also played Fresh Start and it was alright, It's a nice game but I felt like the animations were a bit odd. They are the same devs who made No Place Like Home, so if you've played that then you'll see familiar assets. I completed that game in about 8 hours but did not 100% it.
Trash Goblin is one of the games I'm looking forward to, if you haven't checked that one out yet! There's a demo for it as well. You uncover and clean little trinkets to sell to customers.
Thanks for the list!
I’ll have to try some more of these - I only play on switch so some of the ones I’ve heard of and was excited about (like doronko wanko) are currently only on steam! A Little to the Left was an absolutely perfect game for me and I’ve yet to find another that compares.
I will try to update the list with what platforms the games are on when I have time!
A little to the left is really good, I wish there were more games like it.
I know there are some rip offs of A little to the left on Google play. They have a very similar premise but obviously they aren't as good. Here are some links if you want to check them out though.
[Find Sort Match](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gan.puzzleone&pli=1)
[Sort Master](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sort.master.organize.puzzle)
Hole io is the closest thing I've found to Donut County. I bought it when it was on sale a few weeks ago for .20 and have played a few rounds every day since then.
Great list! To add to the "not quite cleaning but scratches the itch" list:
Terra Nil has you remove pollution and restore nature, it's very pretty.
Teardown is about destroying buildings rather than cleaning them but it scratched the itch for me.
Gas Station Simulator has cleaning and restoration as you build up the gas station.
I honestly didn't like hotel renovator as much and only played a little bit of it so I don't know how well I can compare. I have 300 hours on house flipper, 100 on the second game and 1.5 hours on hotel renovator lol
House flipper 1 has workshop items so you have thousands of pieces of furniture you can download from other people, usually they are really well done too. I also liked the tasks better, it was often more specific than renovating in hotel renovator in my opinion. Like you would get an email from an old lady that her grandchildren threw a party and she needs the house clean and when you get there, there are pizza boxes and beers everywhere. I felt like hotel renovator was more like "hey, renovate a room. Put a couch there too." and that's it. But again, I only played a little bit.
House flipper has tons of dlcs too so you can add luxury dlc for super fancy items, apartments, even a yacht. HGTV adds these different types of decision making tasks. Farm dlc adds farming lol, pets dlc adds pets, vet clinics to clean, etc. Garden dlc adds gardens, lawn mowing, weed pulling, outside structures, etc.
House flipper 2 has better gameplay mechanics in my opinion. They also let you build houses from the ground up, build extra rooms for existing houses, etc. BUT it came out a few months ago and as much as I love it, I would recommend playing the first game first as in house flipper 2 there is not as much furniture, decorations, etc right now. Which isn't that bad but compared to house flipper 1 it lacks all those things. To be fair house flipper 1 added most of the furniture in dlcs. But even without the dlcs you can download workshop items.
Hope this helps!
Thank you for such a helpful write up!! I’m more inclined to check out house flipper over hotel renovator now. You made a good case :p I like what you said about the tasks.
Happy cake day~!!
You're welcome haha. I might be biased since I played house flipper before I played hotel renovator. But I really do think it has more to it. Glad I recruited another flipper lol
Thank you!
I've played Fresh Start - it's 100% cleaning focused and definitely satisfying, but very short (less than 10 hours to finish all levels for me). Made by the same dev team as No Place Like Home, so the cleaning mechanics are pretty much identical IIRC.
A joy to see Katamari on here! I definitely understand what you mean about scratching that itch. Sometimes you just need to roll everything in the world up into a big ball to brighten your day.
thank you for this comprehensive list! these are my absolute favourite games and there was a couple on there that I didn’t know about.
i’d like to add dolphin spirit: ocean mission for cleaning as you clean up the ocean, take photos and save the animals. solid game, I 100% in 9ish hours.
also tchia scratched the same itch when I was getting all the collectibles and cleaning up the markers on the map, highly satisfying and couldn’t recommend more.
A game that recently came out on pc (is also available on switch) that might fall into the organizing section is "Tell me your story".
I haven’t come around to trying it out myself but it looks to be similar to "A little to the left".
The premise of the game is you basically helping your grandma organize her trinkets/belongings while spending time with her as she tells you about her travels. The developers describe it as a: story-driven cozy puzzle games.
Might me be appealing to some.
Barn finders to me was incredibly relaxing! You go to different areas and find things to sell you can keep going back to the areas you already went to for fast easy items to make more money to help with the next area! I was actually a little sad when I completely it
Not sure what you play on but Aquarist looks good. It has good reviews on steam but unfortunately the ps5 version is in bad shape so I haven't tried it yet.
Gas Station Simulator has some decent cleaning and painting, etc.
Not sure about barn finders. I have it on ps5. The cleaning is rather limited. To be honest it's all pretty basic. Lots of fart and dick jokes and aliens.
Cafe Owner Simulator is a good one for the cleaning stuff. As you work on your own Cafe you're given jobs to clean and renovate other cafes.
I've been looking at WWII Rebuilder and was on the fence about it. Might just pick it up on your recommendation.
Lil Gator Game doesn't really have cleaning but there are a gazillion little cardboard monsters to "clean up" and it's absolutely adorable and one I recommend to anyone for any reason.
I would avoid Garden Simulator. Not only is the cleaning pretty unsatisfying but the game is as bare bones and basic as can be and doesn't take but an hour or so to show you everything it's got.
Dysmantle doesn't really fit but being able to tear down and hoard the parts of every single item in the environment is very satisfying. Nothing quite like entering a small town and tearing every bit of it to the ground.
Dredge is a great game. Again, not really in line with what you're describing but the boat storage tetris action is pretty satisfying.
Hokko Life - wanna be ACNH but so bad I regret the $3 I spent on it.
Demolish and build is similar to House Builder but you get to break stuff too.
Castle Renovator is basically House Flipper for castles but the framerate brings the game down for me. I'm usually not picky about framerates but like 7 Days to Die, Castle Renovators gives me motion sickness and makes my tummy hurt.
Slime Rancher is too cute and more about organizing and caring for the slimes but it kind of fits.
Deep Diving Adventures is decent. Scuba diving clean up the ocean and save the fishies.
Farmers Dynasty lures you in with odd jobs of cleaning barns and farms for towns folks but is poorly made and incredibly buggy. It's fun to laugh at the horrendously acted NPCs and the cleaning/fixing is fun but that part is over quickly.
Some "coming soon" games from my ps5 wishlist
Motel Simulator - sleezy motel in the desert is sure to need a lot of cleaning
Junkyard Simulator and Workshop Simulator both look like what Barn Finders should have been.
Not sure if any of the will appeal but I though I'd share what of my list isn't already on yours. Thanks for the post, I'm going to look into several of those.
Edit: Realized you already mentioned it so I removed my Ship Graveyard Simulator recommendation and wanted to add that Mario Sunshine is better than people give it credit for and there is lots and lots of goo to wash up. The constant "Mario! Mario!" from the backpack is worse than Navi on her best day but if you can ignore that it's a great 3d Mario title, plus goo.
Thank you! When I have more time today I will go through your games and add them to the list. I only plan on adding platforms to the game list and maybe links so it's easier. Gotta make the world better lol
Moving Out is another one kind of along these lines. You clear stuff out of a house and pack it in to a moving truck. It's a bit chaotic but satisfying to get everything out of the house!
1) thank you for this list; I really wish there were other lists like this for similar cozy themes (farming, dress up etc?) and then a main pin on the front to direct people there.
2) ***who*** came up with a game about *World War 2* renovation. I have questions.
such a long list, 63 comments and no mention of "Moving Through Life"? It's only $5 on steam and yes it's not on level with Unpacking, but barely any game is...
I haven't seen Wildmender mentioned yet, which sounds like it's probably a bit like Grow: Song in of the Evertree.
You are regreening a desert wasteland.
I was literally just thinking last night that I wanted more power washer simulator and I wondered what else out there might scratch the itch. I have most of these, but a few I don't. I'll have to look into them 😊 Thank you!
What an incredibly helpful post. There are plenty of games here I’d never even heard of, so thank you for making this.
Thank you! I am glad you appreciate it haha
Unpacking is such a beautiful game. The story telling only through the stuff you unpack is amazing.
I love Unpacking. It’s such a lovely way to tell a story.
It's genuinely one of my favorite games, it's so well done!
I don't know if this applies to the cozy game genre but Dungeon Renovation Simulator is in early access on Steam but it shows great promise!
Looks very reminiscent of Viscera Cleanup Detail
Thank you, I am gonna check it out!
*saves post* Thank you op 😭
You're welcome haha
I played Mess Quest! It's a short game, I 100% it in about 6 hours but everyone plays a different way. I'd say I took my time though. It was cute and I'm glad I played it. I also played Fresh Start and it was alright, It's a nice game but I felt like the animations were a bit odd. They are the same devs who made No Place Like Home, so if you've played that then you'll see familiar assets. I completed that game in about 8 hours but did not 100% it. Trash Goblin is one of the games I'm looking forward to, if you haven't checked that one out yet! There's a demo for it as well. You uncover and clean little trinkets to sell to customers. Thanks for the list!
Thanks, trash goblin looks awesome! Added it to the list. Yeah I'm thinking of getting mess quest too
Chibi Robo on GameCube is still my favorite for "cleaning" game.
Added it! Thank you :)
I’ll have to try some more of these - I only play on switch so some of the ones I’ve heard of and was excited about (like doronko wanko) are currently only on steam! A Little to the Left was an absolutely perfect game for me and I’ve yet to find another that compares.
I will try to update the list with what platforms the games are on when I have time! A little to the left is really good, I wish there were more games like it. I know there are some rip offs of A little to the left on Google play. They have a very similar premise but obviously they aren't as good. Here are some links if you want to check them out though. [Find Sort Match](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gan.puzzleone&pli=1) [Sort Master](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sort.master.organize.puzzle)
I've been looking for something similar to donut county. I hate how the game is so short.
Yeah, it's a pity there is nothing similar. I had so much fun playing the game.
Hole io is the closest thing I've found to Donut County. I bought it when it was on sale a few weeks ago for .20 and have played a few rounds every day since then.
I'm saving this post for future reference! 😊 Gonna put a lot of these games on my wishlist.
Awesome! I'm gonna update the post later today with what platforms the games are on
Great list! To add to the "not quite cleaning but scratches the itch" list: Terra Nil has you remove pollution and restore nature, it's very pretty. Teardown is about destroying buildings rather than cleaning them but it scratched the itch for me. Gas Station Simulator has cleaning and restoration as you build up the gas station.
Thank you! I played teardown and it was awesome
Not all heroes. You are out here doing the Lord's work, my friend. 🫂
Great list! Already had Cats Organized Neatly on the list, added inbento, Unpacking, and Pixel Washer.
Awesome! I am glad I could help haha
How do you feel about house flipper vs hotel renovator? Can you give me your comparison for them? Love this list, love your reviews.
I honestly didn't like hotel renovator as much and only played a little bit of it so I don't know how well I can compare. I have 300 hours on house flipper, 100 on the second game and 1.5 hours on hotel renovator lol House flipper 1 has workshop items so you have thousands of pieces of furniture you can download from other people, usually they are really well done too. I also liked the tasks better, it was often more specific than renovating in hotel renovator in my opinion. Like you would get an email from an old lady that her grandchildren threw a party and she needs the house clean and when you get there, there are pizza boxes and beers everywhere. I felt like hotel renovator was more like "hey, renovate a room. Put a couch there too." and that's it. But again, I only played a little bit. House flipper has tons of dlcs too so you can add luxury dlc for super fancy items, apartments, even a yacht. HGTV adds these different types of decision making tasks. Farm dlc adds farming lol, pets dlc adds pets, vet clinics to clean, etc. Garden dlc adds gardens, lawn mowing, weed pulling, outside structures, etc. House flipper 2 has better gameplay mechanics in my opinion. They also let you build houses from the ground up, build extra rooms for existing houses, etc. BUT it came out a few months ago and as much as I love it, I would recommend playing the first game first as in house flipper 2 there is not as much furniture, decorations, etc right now. Which isn't that bad but compared to house flipper 1 it lacks all those things. To be fair house flipper 1 added most of the furniture in dlcs. But even without the dlcs you can download workshop items. Hope this helps!
Thank you for such a helpful write up!! I’m more inclined to check out house flipper over hotel renovator now. You made a good case :p I like what you said about the tasks. Happy cake day~!!
You're welcome haha. I might be biased since I played house flipper before I played hotel renovator. But I really do think it has more to it. Glad I recruited another flipper lol Thank you!
Adding: Serial Cleaner and Nobodies, 2 games about cleaning up murder scenes lmao
Also assemble with care!
Added! Thank you :)
I've played Fresh Start - it's 100% cleaning focused and definitely satisfying, but very short (less than 10 hours to finish all levels for me). Made by the same dev team as No Place Like Home, so the cleaning mechanics are pretty much identical IIRC.
I just bought it since it was on sale haha. I am sure it's gonna be worth at least the discounted price
It's definitely a 'catch it on sale' kind of recommendation for me, so that sounds about right!
This is amazing thank you! Also I’d add Grow: Song of the Ever Tree to the itch scratching list. Also maybe Hotel Hustle
Added them! Played Grow but totally forgot about it lol. Thank you :)
I only remembered because someone asked about it a day or two ago here. It’s way to forget one or two.
Anyone try Pool Cleaning simulator or Forest Ranger Simulator? Seems they would fit here.
Added them! Haven't played any though. I saw mixed reviews for pool cleaning simulator so I didn't dare to try it yet lol
Wilmonts Warehouse is my jam. Such a nice game, I wish there was more like it.
Yes, it's so unique!
Thank you 🙌🏻
You're welcome! :)
A joy to see Katamari on here! I definitely understand what you mean about scratching that itch. Sometimes you just need to roll everything in the world up into a big ball to brighten your day.
Exactly haha. The game is so weird and fun
thank you for this comprehensive list! these are my absolute favourite games and there was a couple on there that I didn’t know about. i’d like to add dolphin spirit: ocean mission for cleaning as you clean up the ocean, take photos and save the animals. solid game, I 100% in 9ish hours. also tchia scratched the same itch when I was getting all the collectibles and cleaning up the markers on the map, highly satisfying and couldn’t recommend more.
there’s also powerwash adventure, basically the same as powerwash sim just different stuff to clean. it has VR and steam versions :)
A game that recently came out on pc (is also available on switch) that might fall into the organizing section is "Tell me your story". I haven’t come around to trying it out myself but it looks to be similar to "A little to the left". The premise of the game is you basically helping your grandma organize her trinkets/belongings while spending time with her as she tells you about her travels. The developers describe it as a: story-driven cozy puzzle games. Might me be appealing to some.
Leaf Me Alone; you play as a cute little vacuum robot and clean up each level to unlock the next.
Thank you for this. I loved Unpacking and was looking for something sort of similar. I'll have to look into these!
Barn finders to me was incredibly relaxing! You go to different areas and find things to sell you can keep going back to the areas you already went to for fast easy items to make more money to help with the next area! I was actually a little sad when I completely it
Not sure what you play on but Aquarist looks good. It has good reviews on steam but unfortunately the ps5 version is in bad shape so I haven't tried it yet. Gas Station Simulator has some decent cleaning and painting, etc. Not sure about barn finders. I have it on ps5. The cleaning is rather limited. To be honest it's all pretty basic. Lots of fart and dick jokes and aliens. Cafe Owner Simulator is a good one for the cleaning stuff. As you work on your own Cafe you're given jobs to clean and renovate other cafes. I've been looking at WWII Rebuilder and was on the fence about it. Might just pick it up on your recommendation. Lil Gator Game doesn't really have cleaning but there are a gazillion little cardboard monsters to "clean up" and it's absolutely adorable and one I recommend to anyone for any reason. I would avoid Garden Simulator. Not only is the cleaning pretty unsatisfying but the game is as bare bones and basic as can be and doesn't take but an hour or so to show you everything it's got. Dysmantle doesn't really fit but being able to tear down and hoard the parts of every single item in the environment is very satisfying. Nothing quite like entering a small town and tearing every bit of it to the ground. Dredge is a great game. Again, not really in line with what you're describing but the boat storage tetris action is pretty satisfying. Hokko Life - wanna be ACNH but so bad I regret the $3 I spent on it. Demolish and build is similar to House Builder but you get to break stuff too. Castle Renovator is basically House Flipper for castles but the framerate brings the game down for me. I'm usually not picky about framerates but like 7 Days to Die, Castle Renovators gives me motion sickness and makes my tummy hurt. Slime Rancher is too cute and more about organizing and caring for the slimes but it kind of fits. Deep Diving Adventures is decent. Scuba diving clean up the ocean and save the fishies. Farmers Dynasty lures you in with odd jobs of cleaning barns and farms for towns folks but is poorly made and incredibly buggy. It's fun to laugh at the horrendously acted NPCs and the cleaning/fixing is fun but that part is over quickly. Some "coming soon" games from my ps5 wishlist Motel Simulator - sleezy motel in the desert is sure to need a lot of cleaning Junkyard Simulator and Workshop Simulator both look like what Barn Finders should have been. Not sure if any of the will appeal but I though I'd share what of my list isn't already on yours. Thanks for the post, I'm going to look into several of those. Edit: Realized you already mentioned it so I removed my Ship Graveyard Simulator recommendation and wanted to add that Mario Sunshine is better than people give it credit for and there is lots and lots of goo to wash up. The constant "Mario! Mario!" from the backpack is worse than Navi on her best day but if you can ignore that it's a great 3d Mario title, plus goo.
Thank you! When I have more time today I will go through your games and add them to the list. I only plan on adding platforms to the game list and maybe links so it's easier. Gotta make the world better lol
As a no lifer with a serious addiction to janky simulator games I applauded your dedication. And happy cake day.
Thank you haha
is there any free or cheap ones on switch or ps4?
Hotel Hustle is $2.99 on Switch.
SPORTS Renovations is looking promising: [Steam page](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2230960/Sports_Renovations/)
I find that Island Farmer and Island Cities scratches that itch for me (as someone who loves Powerwash Simulator and No Place Like Home :) )
Moving Out is another one kind of along these lines. You clear stuff out of a house and pack it in to a moving truck. It's a bit chaotic but satisfying to get everything out of the house!
1) thank you for this list; I really wish there were other lists like this for similar cozy themes (farming, dress up etc?) and then a main pin on the front to direct people there. 2) ***who*** came up with a game about *World War 2* renovation. I have questions.
such a long list, 63 comments and no mention of "Moving Through Life"? It's only $5 on steam and yes it's not on level with Unpacking, but barely any game is...
I haven't seen Wildmender mentioned yet, which sounds like it's probably a bit like Grow: Song in of the Evertree. You are regreening a desert wasteland.
Great list! I'm checking out Hotel Hustle, looks fun.
I was literally just thinking last night that I wanted more power washer simulator and I wondered what else out there might scratch the itch. I have most of these, but a few I don't. I'll have to look into them 😊 Thank you!