This 10/10 game is perfect for playing with the family

Is there anything more fun than a family game night? Whether they challenge each other Mario Kart or Super Smash Bros. or collaborate on running a restaurant overcooked playing together with family is truly one of life's greatest joys. But for those times when go-kart racing or co-op cooking seems too frantic, plenty of cozy games also have multiplayer modes. Titles like Stardew Valley, Hello Kitty Island Adventure, and Animal Crossing New Horizons can be played together with family and friends. One often overlooked co-op cozy game that is perfect for family game nights is Roots of Odor. Roots of Odor is a cool, community-focused, and often surprisingly educational life simulator that takes players all the way back to the Stone Age.

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IN Odor Roots, you play as a member of a small Stone Age community in a time of great innovation and discovery. As you progress through the game, you and your friends and neighbors will come up with “ideas” to improve the quality of life for the entire community, from new Roots of Odor crops to grow and harvest, how to preserve food, to metalworking and ceramics. It is an absolutely amazing experience to see the village grow from a small cluster of basic huts to a rich, thriving community with domesticated animals, irrigation systems, various buildings and of course celebrations throughout the year.

While playing Roots of Odor in multiplayer, which supports co-op for up to 4 players, the emphasis is on sharing and contributing to the community. Each player can have their own house and farm plot, but goals, tasks and projects are shared. Each aspect of the game – farming, fishing, raising animals, foraging, etc. – can be done by each player, allowing players to easily explore different roles or find and focus on a specific task they enjoy.

Like some other farming games, Stardew Valley added multiplayer a few years after its first release, while Roots of Odor'with The developers have had multiplayer in mind since the game was first launched. Its multiplayer is seamlessly integrated – all players can engage in the story, see their characters appear in cutscenes, bond with NPCs and truly feel part of the community. It's the perfect family game because it never feels like one player is the “primary” who is merely hosting the others, but rather that everyone is really working together to survive and thrive.

The emphasis is on cooperation, not competition

the roots of the musical rhythmic game pacha

Most of Roots of Odor'with multiplayer is designed to be cooperative. Any competitive elements that occur are low stakes and purely for fun. For example, some gaming festivals have fishing contests where players can compete to catch the most or rarest fish. But even in moments when players compete against each other, it is a game about teamwork. Fish caught during these contests can benefit the entire village and add progress towards “ideas” such as unlocking the ability to hunt with harpoons.

It is a cozy game that is perfect for all ages

Another reason Roots of Odor is an excellent cozy game for the whole family is that it is suitable for younger players. In particular, it's a great introduction to the cozy genre. Roots of Odor is a non-combat farming simulator, which means it's extremely low-stress and has no chance to die. Even staying out too late and accidentally falling asleep outside comes with no penalty; the player simply wakes up the next morning perfectly fine, no items or money lost.

Kids of all ages can enjoy this easy-going game with a relaxing pace and focus on elements like exploration. Just be aware that it can serve as a gateway to your young family member's lifelong love of farming sims – they may move away Roots of Odor spend hundreds of hours on titles like My time at Sandrock, Coral Island, Fields of Mistria, and other top farming games.

Although it is not front and center, there is also an educational element Roots of Odor this makes it great for younger players. The “ideas” that players discover throughout the game that lead to technological innovations for the village are accurate and well-researched. Younger players can learn about how real Stone Age societies preserved food, worked with clay to make various objects, dug waterways to irrigate their fields, and held ceremonies to honor and connect with nature. Unfortunately, domesticating animals in real life was not as straightforward as it is Pasha, but that's not too bad – in my opinion, the quicker I make friends with a trusty mammoth or wild cave lion, the better.

Cozy play is relaxing and fun for the whole family

Like many of the best cozy games, Roots of Odor is the kind of title you can easily sink hundreds of hours into. The developers also continue to actively update the game and will add even more new content in the future. Update 1.3 for Roots of Odorwhich released in early 2025, added a whopping 21 new characters to befriend, as well as a bug-catching mechanic, two new biomes with associated story content, new animals, seeds, festivals, and more. Giving Roots of Odor a try during your next family game night can easily lead to many, many more such nights—or days, or even entire weekends—in the future.

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Of course, Roots of Odor is far from the only cozy game with multiplayer elements ideal for the whole family. If you enjoy this game, you can give Stardew Valley an attempt at a classic farming experience with elements of combat, mining and fishing. Another great option is Coral island with multiplayer co-op that tells an environmentally and conservation-focused story – plus there's a huge underwater area to explore and meet mermaids. Other great farming and life simulator titles with strong multiplayer elements include Sun Haven, Dinkum, Farm Together, and many, many more. There are so many ways to make cozy titles a regular part of your family's co-op games in the future.