The 2025 Wholesome Snack Showcase, presented by Wholesome Games, featured 20 announcements of upcoming indie games in genres like life-sims and puzzles. The 45-minute event showcased world premieres and trailers for relaxing, narrative-driven experiences. Several titles stood out for their themes of community, nostalgia, and personal growth.
Event Overview
The Wholesome Snack Showcase 2025 delivered a compact yet inspiring lineup of indie games, emphasizing comforting and inclusive storytelling. Held as a digital event, it ran for approximately 45 minutes and introduced 20 new projects, blending cozy mechanics with deeper emotional narratives. Wholesome Games curated the showcase to highlight accessible titles that appeal to players seeking relaxation amid everyday challenges.
Highlighted Games
Several announcements drew attention for their unique premises:
Thrifty Business: Developed by Spellgarden Games, known for the inclusive Sticky Business, this simulation lets players manage a 1990s thrift shop. Customize the space with nostalgic items like clothes and antiques, build relationships with customers, and foster a welcoming community. It promises queer representation and is slated for a 2026 release.
Coffee Talk Tokyo: From Chorus Worldwide and Toge Productions, this entry in the Coffee Talk series shifts to a Tokyo cafe serving humans and yokai. Players brew drinks and engage in heartfelt conversations, uncovering twists in character stories. New gameplay footage revealed vibrant interactions, with a full release on March 5, 2026, across platforms. A Deluxe Edition includes a prologue and soundtrack.
Restory: Set in mid-2000s Tokyo, this shop management sim involves repairing vintage electronics for customers, revealing personal histories through restoration tasks. Its calming gameplay focuses on choices that impact relationships, arriving on Steam in 2026.
Fishbowl: A narrative adventure following Alo, a video editor grappling with grief after her grandmother's passing. Players explore memories via mini-games and daily tasks, blending past reflections with present-day coping. It releases in April 2026 for Steam and PlayStation 5, emphasizing themes of hope and self-discovery.
Wylde Society: This prequel to Wylde Flowers centers on Vivian Wylde establishing a magical boarding house in Fairhaven. It features town-building, decoration, and queer-inclusive stories, with familiar characters like a young Peri. Expect joyful yet thoughtful narratives when it launches.
The showcase underscores the indie scene's strength in creating empathetic worlds, encouraging players to anticipate these 2026 releases.
