If you’re anything like me, when it’s especially cold in the evening, the last thing you’re going to want to do is to go out. But staying home, while warm, can really make you feel as if you’ve done nothing at all. Sometimes you just need that little something in the evening to help you through your winter nights.

Here I’ll cover my top 5 games to make your winter night at home a cozy one!

1) Cartographers

Cartographers is a super cute game about, you guessed it, drawing maps. For those like me, who are definitely not gifted artistically, do not worry, you’re not actually going to need to draw.

As a cartographer, you are tasked by the Queen to map the territory of the Northern Lands so she can set up to reclaim them. Players compete to earn the most reputation stars by the time four seasons have passed. Each season, players draw on their map sheets (or as we like to do, colour them in) and earn reputation by carrying out the queen's edicts before the season is over. But watch out for ambushes as these can cause you to lose reputation! 

This game is a mix of relaxing map making and strategically trying to fill in your map to get the highest reputation!

2) Railroad Ink

This is another roll and write, and this another super cute game. You’re going to be putting roads and railway tracks down dictated by the roll of the dice, so it can be pretty random (is this how the city council planned our roads?)

In Railroad Ink players roll the route (which are railway tracks or highway roads) dice and must then draw these tracks or roads onto their boards. Players score points for having long interconnected roads or tracks, connecting the entry points to their homeland as well as having routes through the center of their boards. Make sure you don’t leave routes leading to nothing though as you will lose points!

Not only that, there are a bunch of different editions that have come out and they can all be played together! Compete to get the highest points and end up the best road and railway track planner!

3) Welcome To...

After you’ve had your fix of plotting maps or planning roads and railway tracks, maybe you’re up for planning a suburb in the 1950s? Welcome To… is a quick roll and write (what can we say, roll and writes are great!) which plays for about 25 minutes. It’s super easy to learn and it also has simple and cute artwork.

In Welcome To… players will have 3 options to choose from every round to build their houses and use that effect to create their fenced housing estates, parks and pools. Points are also awarded for certain estate sizes!

During this game you’re trying to figure out which option you can take each turn to ensure you get the most points within the game's own limitations. It is, however, pretty relaxing to play and perfect for a cozy winter night whether with 2 people or with more!

4) Fort

Have you ever been a kid in a playground? The likely answer to this question is usually “what?” In Fort you’re now a kid again! It is a mini card drafting game with the cute theme of playing with your friends in the playground. 

In Fort you will be playing with the kids in the playground! Every round, if you don’t play with all of your friends, they can be taken by the other players to play with them instead. Think trying to convince friends on the playground to come play with you instead because Jenny has ignored them all recess.

With this cute theme, you’ll be playing with your friends, getting toys and pizza in your backpack and earning victory points! Once all the kids have gone from the playground, the game ends and the player with the most victory points wins! A super cute game to play when you're wrapped up nice and snug on a winter night!

5) Parks

When you can’t go outside because it’s too cold, why not bring the outside in? With beautifully illustrated art of 59 US national parks, it’s hard not to get sucked into the feel of the game.

In Parks, you and the other players are all hiking up nature trails taking pictures of all the parks you choose to visit along the way! Each park earns you points, but also costs resources to go to! Resources that you can get along the trail, but also can be harder to come by, as with most hikes, you’re only able to go one way along the track. You can’t backtrack at all!

With the stunning artwork and cute hiker meeples, you and your friends can have a cute little hike inside the privacy and comfort of your own warm house! Visiting the best parks and taking beautiful pictures will earn you points and you’ll be the best hiker!

Buying Guide

In summary, if you’re looking for...

Relaxed map making? Cartographers.

Road and railway track planning? Railroad Ink.

Neighbourhood planning in the 1950s? Welcome To...

A cute drafting game with a cute theme? Fort.

A nice hike in a national park? Parks.

And there we have it! Our top 5 games for cozy winter nights! What do you think? Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments below!