Tiny Bookshop is the coziest game for book lovers

There's something about the holiday season that makes comforting rituals feel important. This year it goes to Tiny Bookshop. I've officially lost count of how many hours I've put into it.

Developed by Neoludic Games, it casts you as the owner of a mobile bookstore in a cute seaside town. On the surface, it's a deceptively simple retail simulation: you stock shelves, recommend books to customers, and watch your small business grow. However, it is the details that give the experience its warmth, the kind that feels particularly at home during the holidays.

A day-by-day rhythm that sticks to you

The game develops day by day, in small but deliberate doses. You check in on familiar customers and make suggestions. It's a “just one more day” game, similar to Stardew Valley, where the hours pass unnoticed because you're invested in small victories: a shy teenager who discovers a love of fantasy, a loyal patron who returns to chat. There is a meditative quality to the work, but it is characterized by a charm that gives the experience a rhythm that feels cozy rather than repetitive.

Tiny Bookshop also splashes in personalization. As you progress, you unlock pets, a dog and a cat, along with decorations for your shop-on-wheels. Personally, my trailer is pink and green and overflowing with plants: a choice that anyone who knows me would instantly recognize as peak me.

Surfing becomes its own adventure

One of my favorite things about Tiny Bookshop is its unexpected immersion. There are no generic titles or fictional novels. Every book on your shelves is genuine. You have Wuthering Heights, The Handmaid's Tale, Macbeth and other classics alongside modern favourites.

It's a grounding touch that makes surfing feel heavy. I've spent more time than I care to admit flipping through my little inventory and reading summaries, even adding books to my actual TBR pile. In many ways, it mirrors the feeling of wandering into a real bookstore: noticing the spines and feeling a spark of recognition or curiosity about a title you know—or don't.

For anyone looking for a gift for a book-loving friend or partner, or, let's be honest, for themselves, Tiny Bookshop feels tailor-made. It's not flashy. There are no boss fights or sprawling open worlds.

What it offers instead is a calm, comforting rhythm, thoughtful interactions, and a city that invites repeat visits. Even for someone who doesn't identify as a traditional gamer, there's a palpable charm. They can still get lost in it, and I can't think of a better gift this holiday season.

Since we're thinking about the holidays, there's a small Christmas market in the game that transforms the city into a twinkling, cozy wonderland. Appropriate, I'd say.

The game often feels dominated by high-energy and frenetic button-mashing titles. I love them too, but Tiny Bookshop is proof that games can be simple yet very satisfying. It's a title that rewards patience and makes you feel, against the backdrop of a cozy seaside town, that sometimes the smallest joys are worth cherishing. Is there anything more Christmassy than that?