Indie showcase on cozy and optimistic games Wholesome Direct will be featured in the upcoming Summer Game Fest this weekend. Read on to learn more about it and what to expect!
Wholesome Direct 2024: Everything Announced at a Glance
Notable Games
Critter Cafe is Available to Wishlist Now!
Caravan Sandwitch Demo Available Now!
Petit Island Releases in 2024!
Travellers Rest City and Story Update Coming this July!
Discounty Coming to PC and Consoles in 2025
Dungeons of Hinterburg Steam Next Fest Demo Out Now!
On Your Tail Demo Available Now!
Été Available To Wishlist On Steam!
Upcoming Games
Tiny Book Shop Coming 2025
SOPA: Tale of the Stolen Potato Available To Wishlist on Steam Now!
Rooster Now Available to Wishlist and Coming to Steam in 2025
Minami Lane is Coming to the Switch!
Squeakross: Home Squeak Home Coming 2025!
Garden of the Sea Releases Later this Year!
Tiny Lands 2 Coming in 2025!
Moonstone Island is Coming to the Nintendo Switch on June 19!
While Waiting is Coming to PC and Mobile!
Magical Bakery is Coming to PC and Consoles!
Game Demo Available
Into the Emberlands Demo Available Now on Steam!
Crab God Demo Available Now!
ILA: A Frosty Glide Demo Out Now!
Albatroz Demo Out Now!
Lost and Found Co. Demo Available Now!
Sally Demo Out On Steam Now!
Fruitbus Demo Out Now!
Fantastic Haven Free Prologue Available on Steam!
Littlelands Demo Out Now!
Myth Match Demo Available Now
Spilled! Demo Gets a Graphics Update
FREERIDE Demo Available on Switch Now! (Europe Only For Now!)
Games Available Now
Usagishima is Available Now on Mobile!
Tracks of Thought Available Now on PC!
The Palace on the Hill Out On Steam Now!
Rolling Hills: Make Sushi, Make Friends Is Out Now!
POOOOL Released On Steam!
Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge Releases Now
New Cozy Games by Publisher Fellow Traveller!
PlayDate Releases with a Bunch of Cozy Games!
Other Highlighted Games During Wholesome Direct 2024
Notable Games
Critter Cafe is Available to Wishlist Now!
Critter Cafe is now available to Wishlist on Steam and Switch! Critter Cafe is a fantasy life-sim game where your main goal is to seek out these fantastical critters and build a home and safe space together! This cozy exploration game will have you renovate your cafe while also bonding with all your Critters! You’ll be crafting, customizing your character, and uncovering the secrets of the mysterious portals.
Caravan Sandwitch Demo Available Now!
Caravan Sandwitch (yes, witch) is a narrative-driven exploration game that brings you on a journey across a sci-fi Provence-esque world in your van in hopes of finding out what happened to your missing sister. While on your search excursion, you also get to meet various people (and robots) and learn more about what happened to the planet of Cigalo after humans exploited the land.
Caravan Sandwitch’s demo is available now on Steam!
Petit Island Releases in 2024!
Petit Island will be released this year for PC (Steam, EGS), PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and the Nintendo Switch.
Travellers Rest City and Story Update Coming this July!
A new story and city update is coming to Travellers Rest this July! We’ll be sure to update when more information is available so stay tuned!
Discounty Coming to PC and Consoles in 2025
Manage your own supermarket in Discounty! You take on the role of a store clerk manager trying to get this run-down store back on its feet! Set in this relaxing and beautiful pixel world, your tasks include: organizing and restocking shelves, checking customers out, trading with the locals, and befriending these people to earn their trust and get business booming! The game is set to come to PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series XIS! in 2025 and is available to wishlist now!
Dungeons of Hinterburg Steam Next Fest Demo Out Now!
Dungeons of Hinterburg is an upcoming action adventure complete with puzzles, boss battles, and even snowboarding! The goal? To conquer the Austrian Alps as you take a break from your corporate life. Can you become a Master Slayer or go home on the first day?
Dungeons of Hinterburg will be released on July 18, 2024 and has a playable demo out now!
On Your Tail Demo Available Now!
The demo of On Your Tail is available now on the Nintendo Switch and Steam! We’ll be sure to update when more information is available so stay tuned!
Été Available To Wishlist On Steam!
Show off your inner artist in Été (summer)! Step into the shoes of a painter who visits Montreal for a summer for an unforgettable experience. Befriend the locals by fulfilling their commissions, explore the city of Montreal by coloring the world, and ultimately prepare an expo in your art studio.
Relaxing painting game Été releases on July 23 for PC(Steam) and is available to wishlist on Steam!
Upcoming Games
Tiny Book Shop Coming 2025
Tiny Book Shop will be releasing in 2025, with a playable demo out now on Steam! Tiny Book Shop is a cozy narrative game where you manage a small bookshop beside the sea, the lighthouse, and other scenic areas as you get to know the locals, help them with their problems, recommend them books, and create life-long customers. If you’re interested in the game, it’s available to wishlist now too!
SOPA: Tale of the Stolen Potato Available To Wishlist on Steam Now!
The quest of fetching a potato for grandma suddenly makes protagonist Miho suddenly fall into a magical world full of wonders where he must follow the steps of a great traveler that explored that world before him. Venture through deserts, mountains, and meet quirky characters in the heart of South America in this emotional narrative on family and adventure. Stay tuned for their release later on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox this 2024!
Rooster Now Available to Wishlist and Coming to Steam in 2025
Rooster is a single-player puzzle-adventure game that celebrates the best of Chinese culture through an engaging and funny journey of self-reflection and discovery. It also features diverse gameplay, a stunning Chinese brush-inspired art style, and a gorgeous soundtrack.
The twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac have gathered for their annual Lunar New Year’s Eve party for some merriment and good times, but the titular Rooster ends up behaving terribly—so bad in fact, that Dragon sends the naughty Rooster back in Ancient China to give him a good lesson. In Ancient China, Rooster goes through character development with the help of Little Dove. Make wise choices, and prosper!
The game will come out in Q1 2025 on PC through Steam and Mac.
Minami Lane is Coming to the Switch!
Tiny and cozy casual management simulator Minami Lane lets you create and manage your own little street with customizable buildings and shops, all colored in pastel. Keep your villagers happy, make your street pretty, and watch them live their idyllic lives. There are also cats that come to visit ever so often—and who doesn’t love cats?
Minami Lane will be released for the Nintendo Switch this year!
Squeakross: Home Squeak Home Coming 2025!
Solve dozens of nonogram puzzles to get cute furniture pieces for your tiny rodent friend! No time limit, just relaxing puzzle-solving at your own pace. If you’re having some difficulty solving, the game’s got you! A logic-assist system is in place, and the owner of Home Squeak Home, Nini, is also there for you to give tips and some lore. The Home Squeak Home catalog features a wide array of styles, letting you mix and match to your liking. Accessories for your furry friend are also available for you to dress them.
Garden of the Sea Releases Later this Year!
Garden of the Sea is an upcoming gardening game where you can upgrade your home, expand your garden, and even go on your boat to explore!
Garden of the Sea will be released this year for the Nintendo Switch and the Steam Deck.
Tiny Lands 2 Coming in 2025!
Tiny Lands brings miniature worlds to the next level! The game is available to wishlist now on Steam! We’ll be sure to update when more information is available so stay tuned!
Moonstone Island is Coming to the Nintendo Switch on June 19!
Moonstone Island is an open-world creature-collecting sim paired with deckbuilding gameplay with 100 islands to explore! Build relationships, brew potions, collect Spirits, and test your mettle in card-based combat to complete your Alchemy training!
MoonStone Island is coming to the Nintendo Switch on June 19 and is available on Steam now!
While Waiting is Coming to PC and Mobile!
While Waiting is a game all about testing your patience with over 100+ hilarious scenarios where you literally have to do nothing but wait in real time until the situation is finished. Complete meaningless challenges and accept that not everything is instant.
While Waiting is available for wishlist on PC(Steam), Apple App Store, and the Play Store!
Magical Bakery is Coming to PC and Consoles!
Magical Bakery is coming to PC and consoles soon! We’ll be sure to update when more information is available so stay tuned!
Game Demo Available
Into the Emberlands Demo Available Now on Steam!
Take a step into the world of Into the Emberlands as the chosen Lightbringer, tasked to rebuild your home in a world plagued by a mysterious Miasma. You and your ember lantern are the villagers’ last hope. Bring back the lost Knacks and expand your safe haven!
The Demo is available to play now on Steam!
Crab God Demo Available Now!
Make your crabs the next ocean caretakers with Crab God! Guide the crabs through wild ocean depths and defend the next Crab God’s egg. Make waves and praise the claw by restoring and protecting the coral reefs in the deep blue.
The game is now available to wishlist and a demo is up now to download and play on Steam! We’ll be sure to update when more information is available so stay tuned!
ILA: A Frosty Glide Demo Out Now!
ILA: A Frosty Glide’s demo is available now on Steam with a Kickstarter coming soon! ILA: A Frosty Glide is a casual 3D platformer where you ride your broom and get whisked away to explore this atmospheric and colorful world filled with secrets and collectibles to improve your magic as you make your way to the summit!
Albatroz Demo Out Now!
Albatroz is a backpacking adventure RPG which puts you into the shoes of Isla, who is searching for her lost brother through the Forbidden Lands, an otherworldly domain where two worlds collide. Her sibling set out to find the mythical Albatroz Mountain, and never returned. Traverse through stunning environments, visit interesting villages, meet NPCs, enjoy your adventure, and hopefully your brother at the end of it all. The demo is out on Steam now!
Lost and Found Co. Demo Available Now!
Lost and Found Co. is now available for wishlist and has a playable demo out now!
Sally Demo Out On Steam Now!
Live your life the way you want it to be in your magical flying ship—the possibilities are endless! Sally is a life-simulation game where you embark on a giant sky ship headed by kids and two caring grandmas. Cozy activities such as crafting, cooking, farming, and building are at your fingertips, and find your own path, at your own pace. Sally is now available to try on Steam through its demo.
Fruitbus Demo Out Now!
Set out on a culinary journey in this open world where taste is everything. You run your own Fruitbus, picking up fruits from all around the Gustum archipelago and making different dishes for your hungry customers! You can customize your Fruitbus to your liking, and to attract all different kinds of people to give your good a try. As Grandma says, “Food binds us all.” Fruitbus is coming in October this year, but a demo is out right now if you’d like to give it a go.
Fantastic Haven Free Prologue Available on Steam!
Mages and fantastical beings galore! Save mythical beings and protect them until they’re ready to go on their own, and build your safe haven. Fantastic Haven is available to be wishlisted, and a free prologue is available to play on Steam!
Littlelands Demo Out Now!
Littlelands is a game which puts you into the shoes of a big-headed little youngster out to explore the world full of magical creatures and landscapes to discover! Meet the curious inhabitants of the land, learn about them, and help them. In turn, they can also teach you about skills you may not have. You can also grow berries in your garden, hunt for hidden treasure, fish to your heart’s content, or just sit on a wooden bench and take in the beautiful sunset. The demo is out now, so go on your adventure!
Myth Match Demo Available Now
The demo for Myth Match is available now on Steam and can be Wishlisted! We’ll be sure to update when more information is available so stay tuned!
Spilled! Demo Gets a Graphics Update
Clean up the seas and get rid of oil spills with your trusty boat in the game Spilled! by solo indie developer Lente. Move through a total of eight areas with different biomes, each area bigger than the last; which means bigger spills to clean up. Recycle the collected oil to earn coins, and make your boat even more powered up to take on the giant oil spills, and save the environment!
Lente said that she has "something really cool to show then" on the stream, and she can’t wait to share it to everyone.
The demo update is coming this summer and is available for wishlist now!
FREERIDE Demo Available on Switch Now! (Europe Only For Now!)
The demo for FREERIDE is now available on Switch for European players! Board a train to the Spirit World and use your telekinesis power to find the secrets, consume ice cream, and chart your own path in this zany RPG! This game has a rich and deep narrative that will have multiple endings based on your choice. The game is available to wishlist on Steam and is coming out in Q1 2025!
Games Available Now
Usagishima is Available Now on Mobile!
Build your own bunny paradise in Usagishima! Usagishima is now available on Apple and Android devices! We’ll be sure to update when more information is available so stay tuned!
Tracks of Thought Available Now on PC!
Embark on a mystery journey shaped by your own personality in Tracks of Thought! The Card-Based RPG story-rich game is now available on Steam and Epic Games now!
As a ladybug, your job is to talk to everyone on board and uncover the truth and the destination of where you’re going on the train.
The Palace on the Hill Out On Steam Now!
A story about pursuing your dreams as a young boy in 90s rural India, The Palace on the Hill will take you through an interesting journey to find yourself. The game is now released on Steam, so go check it out!
Rolling Hills: Make Sushi, Make Friends Is Out Now!
Serve up delicious sushi rolls and make new friends as an adorable robot in Rolling Hills: Make Sushi, Make Friends!
Check out Game8’s review on the game below!
POOOOL Released On Steam!
Combine cute colorful pool balls to make them bigger and get a high score! POOOOL is now available for purchase on Steam.
Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge Releases Now
Restore the wetlands of your childhood by transforming an empty swamp into a wonderful safe haven for a cast of adorable little frogs! Raise and collect over 500+ frogs, farm and cultivate the area to restore the biodiversity, and customize your frog heaven to your liking.
Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge released during the event, so be sure to check it out!
New Cozy Games by Publisher Fellow Traveller!
⚫︎ Great God Grove
⚫︎ Times & Galaxy
⚫︎ Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo
⚫︎ Pine A Story of Loss
⚫︎ After Love EP
We’ll be sure to update when more information is available so stay tuned!
PlayDate Releases with a Bunch of Cozy Games!
PlayDate is a mini game console that comes with a collection of 24 cozy games, a black and white screen, and a crank!
With games like Spellcorked, Reel-istic Fishing, Faraway Fairway, Bloom, Escape the Arcade, Rowbot Rally, and more, PlayDate is the mini console that’s built for you to relax and unwind.
We’ll be sure to update when more information is available so stay tuned!
Other Highlighted Games During Wholesome Direct 2024
⚫︎ Tukoni: Forest Keepers
⚫︎ Nom Nom: Cozy Cafe
⚫︎ Curiosmos
⚫︎ Hermit and Pig
⚫︎ Letter Bunny
⚫︎ Music Power Up
⚫︎ Dragon Shelter
⚫︎ Goodlands
⚫︎ Boreas
⚫︎ Monterona
⚫︎ The August Before
⚫︎ Opus: Prism Peak (looks nice)
⚫︎ Space Sprouts
⚫︎ Broken Lens
⚫︎ Ringo's Roundup
⚫︎ The Star Named EOS
⚫︎ Tiny Tires
⚫︎ Dawnfolk
⚫︎ Umami Grove
⚫︎ Kitsune Tails
⚫︎ Building Relationships
⚫︎ Tidy Cauldron
⚫︎ Pup Champs
⚫︎ Map Map - A Game About Maps
⚫︎ Omochapon
⚫︎ Catto's Post Office
⚫︎ Wax Heads
⚫︎ Screenbound
⚫︎ Ebitapes
⚫︎ Katsl
⚫︎ Pretty Coo'
⚫︎ Hirocato - The Delivery Cat
⚫︎ Hello Again
⚫︎ Undusted: Letters From the Past
Wholesome Direct Will Stream On June 9:00 AM PDT / 12:00 EDT
The Wholesome Direct 2024 will go live June 8, 9:00 AM PDT / 12:00 EDT, celebrating indie video games that just tug at your heartstrings with its optimism, joy, and warmth.
You can watch the stream over at Summer Game Fest’s official stream, or Wholesome Games’ official YouTube and Twitch channels. Check out the schedule below to see what time it goes live in your region!
| Region | Local Release Time |
|---|---|
| United States (EDT) | Jun 8, 12:00 p.m. |
| United States (PDT) | Jun 8, 9:00 a.m. |
| United Kingdom | Jun 8, 5:00 p.m. |
| New Zealand | Jun 9, 5:00 a.m. |
| Australian East Coast | Jun 9, 3:00 a.m. |
| Australian West Coast | Jun 9, 12:00 a.m. |
| Japan | Jun 9, 1:00 a.m. |
| Philippines | Jun 9, 12:00 a.m. |
| South Africa | Jun 8, 6:00 p.m. |
| Brazil | Jun 8, 1:00 p.m. |
On Wholesome Direct
Headed by Wholesome Games, Wholesome Direct is a video game showcase celebrating indie games that evoke feelings of happiness and emotion, encompassing the word "wholesome" in its curated titles. The games are not just of the Stardew Valley-farming-sim-esque variety—there will be a large collection of games fit for anyone to enjoy.
A number of content creators will be guest hosts for the direct, along with main host Kimchica.
