The Screening Method: A Guide to Checking Any Cozy Game Yourself
Not sure what’s actually in a cozy game before you buy it? This is the exact process I run on every game before it earns a spot in the database — the four checks, the nine sources, and how I make the call when something isn’t perfectly clean but isn’t a clear no either.
What’s inside
- The four checks I rate every game on — Magic, Spirits & Religion, Combat, Holiday — and what each rating (None, Trace, Central, DLC only, Event only) actually means
- The nine sources I check, in order, from the store page’s hidden tags to a full YouTube playthrough of the last 20%
- How I decide Recommended vs. Your call vs. Not for this site
- Four worked examples using real games from the database, including one everyone assumes would pass and doesn’t
- A fillable worksheet so you can run the process yourself, on any game, forever
This isn’t a compiled list of pre-screened games — it’s the method itself. Once you’ve run it a few times, checking a new game takes less time than reading three conflicting Steam reviews.
Prefer to see games I’ve already run this process on? The full vetted games database is free, and my published screening standard is always public at How I Choose Games.
