{"id":1187224,"date":"2026-02-16T09:19:03","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T09:19:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/?p=565869"},"modified":"2026-02-16T09:19:03","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T09:19:03","slug":"wholesome-direct-returns-in-june-packing-about-60-cozy-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wholesome-direct-returns-in-june-packing-about-60-cozy-games\/","title":{"rendered":"Wholesome Direct returns in June, packing \u2018about 60\u2019 cozy games"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure> <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/wholesome-direct-returns-in-june-packing-about-60-cozy-games.jpg\" \/><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Wholesome Direct, the annual showcase of indie games with uplifting vibes, is returning to the Summer Game Fest slate this year, publisher Wholesome Games announced Monday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">The 2025 edition of Wholesome Direct will kick off at noon EDT\/9 a.m. PDT on Saturday, June 7, and will stream on Wholesome Games\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/WholesomeGames\">YouTube<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.twitch.tv\/wholesome_games\">Twitch<\/a> channels.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Last year\u2019s event <a href=\"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/24171519\/wholesome-games-direct-june-2024-showcase-trailers\">showed off dozens of games<\/a>, and the upcoming stream will be no different. Expect looks at \u201cabout 60 emotionally resonant titles,\u201d according to a news release from Wholesome Games. The list of indie developers and publishers involved includes Playstack (publisher of <em>Balatro<\/em> and the Golden Idol games), Ustwo Games (Monument Valley), and W\u0113t\u0101 Workshop (<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/lord-of-the-rings\/454592\/hobbit-life-sim-game-tales-shire-impressions\">Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game<\/a><\/em>).<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Wholesome Games is also promising updates on titles from its own publishing arm, Wholesome Games Presents, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/impressions\/527239\/is-this-seat-taken-steam-next-fest-demo\">Poti Poti Studio\u2019s <em>Is This Seat Taken?<\/em><\/a> and Kenney\u2019s <em>MakeRoom<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">As usual, Wholesome Games will be selling merch during the show and donating the proceeds to charity. This year, the company is partnering with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pointofpride.org\/\">Point of Pride<\/a>, a nonprofit organization that helps provide gender-affirming care and financial support to trans people.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/news\/565869\/wholesome-direct-2025-date-time-cozy-games\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wholesome Direct, the annual showcase of indie games with uplifting vibes, is returning to the Summer Game Fest slate this year, publisher Wholesome Games announced Monday. The 2025 edition of Wholesome Direct will kick off at noon EDT\/9 a.m. PDT on Saturday, June 7, and will stream on Wholesome Games\u2019 YouTube and Twitch channels. Last year\u2019s event showed off dozens of games, and the upcoming stream will be no different. Expect looks at \u201cabout 60 emotionally resonant titles,\u201d according to a news release from Wholesome Games. The list of indie developers and publishers involved includes Playstack (publisher of Balatro and the Golden Idol games), Ustwo Games (Monument Valley), and W\u0113t\u0101 Workshop (Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game). Wholesome Games is&hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"excerpt-more\"><a class=\"blog-excerpt button\" href=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wholesome-direct-returns-in-june-packing-about-60-cozy-games\/\">Read More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1187225,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1187224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-polygon"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Wholesome Direct returns in June, packing \u2018about 60\u2019 cozy games | Arcader News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Wholesome Direct, the annual showcase of indie games with uplifting vibes, is returning to the Summer Game Fest slate this year, publisher Wholesome Games\" 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