Wholesome Direct 2024 - some of our favourite cosy indie games from this year's show

This year’s Summer Games Fest bonanza might have been a bit of a flaccid affair, but the indie showcases continue to knock it out of the park. Following strong showings from Day of the Devs and Devolver, Wholesome Direct has now stepped up with its own offering, this one explicitly focused on games at the cosier end of the spectrum. And there was plenty more good stuff to be found – from beautifully animated tales of loss to slice-of-life glimpses into Indian culture, from whimsical cosmic toy boxes to quirky record store management adventures.

We’ve highlighted some of our favourites from a very busy Wholesome Direct below, and you’ll find the full showcase here. Keen-eyed observers will doubtless notice some crossover with the recent Day of the Devs stream, so rather than duplicate titles that already appeared over there, you can read about them – and check out a whole bunch of other promising indies – elsewhere on EG.

If it’s a temporary escape from the stresses of modern-day life you’re after, an existence of pleasantly low-key quietude can be found in Tiny Bookshop – an “ambient narrative management game” in which players take charge of a tiny second-hand bookshop by the sea. You can explore the scenic coastline of Bookstonbury-by-the-Sea, befriending its locales; you can expand your range of books with new genres to satisfy all tastes, even customise your mobile shop with items you discover while roaming the coast, each affecting your sales in different ways. Neoludic Games’ Tiny Bookshop arrives in 2025 and a Steam demo is out now.