Winter Burrow finds coziness in the survival genre

“Cozy” isn’t the first word that comes to mind when one thinks of starvation or frigid temperatures, but it’s what I felt when I played Winter Burrow at GDC. This 2D survival game presents the simple premise of a mouse returning to its childhood burrow in hopes of restoring it, and I can already feel that it’s going to tug at my heartstrings.

Beginning inside of a burrow in a snowy landscape, my Winter Burrow demo tasked me with restoring furniture and other items that were lying around. To do so, I had to venture out into the elements to chop down trees, gather rocks, and haul them back to my burrow in order to craft what I needed. I was able to track the required materials so that I’d receive a notification when I had the necessary ingredients for whatever I was making or repairing.

From the moment you exit the burrow, the clock starts running. There is a warmth meter that steadily depletes when you’re away from shelter, with the screen starting to freeze over when it drops below 50. This created a sense of urgency as I scrambled to get back to my burrow to warm up by the campfire. This stress was amplified by the fact that I got lost multiple times while exploring, though a representative of the developer told me that there will be an in-game map feature when the game launches.

The other two meters you have to manage are energy and hunger. Energy is depleted when you perform actions like swinging an axe. Hunger, naturally, decreases when you don’t eat for long periods of time. I was able to sleep at my burrow in order to refill my energy. This is also great for avoiding nighttime exploration, as your warmth drops twice as fast once the sun goes down.

These elements came together to create an enjoyable, challenging gameplay loop as I went through the cycle of venturing out for materials, barely making it home in time, and crafting what I needed for my next objective.

It’s standard procedure for a survival game, but where Winter Burrow made my eyebrow raise was in the way it blends survival and cozy. From the melodic score to character designs that look plucked from a children’s book, there’s a warmth to playing Winter Burrow. It’s in direct contrast to the cold colors and dreary visuals of your average survival game.

The final objective of my Winter Burrow demo was to repair a bridge and reunite with my aunt. I was left with a brief wholesome interaction between family members catching up after too long apart. I can sense the themes of home and connection from a mile away, and I know the tears won’t be too far behind them.

This preview is based on an early build played at the ID @ Xbox event at GDC 2025. Winter Burrow launches in 2025, for PC, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_