Hope you’ve all had a chance to relax a little bit to start the new year! Over the past two weeks our judges have been hard at work deciding on our Top 3 (and winner) of the 18-Card Cozy Challenge. As you probably remember from our last announcement, we had 10 finalists to evaluate – and it was tough to even get these 10 finalists down to a Top 3. Our judges went over each of these games with a fine-toothed comb to see which one really captured the coziness we were looking for while still providing interesting and elegant gameplay.

RUNNERS-UP

Down By the Water by Joseph Frederick

What the judges loved most about this meditative game about exploring a local pond is how relaxing it felt. With player-directed goals and a steady rhythm of shifting cards, Down By the Water impressed our judges with its uniquely calming take on the challenge.

Stitches by Nick Smith

 

Stitches made our Top 3 because of how cleverly it hides its strategic depth with an elegantly simple decision space. As players slowly expand their quilt through satisfying chains of actions, they build a beautiful tableau that makes you just want to snuggle in for an evening of games. 

WINNER

And the winner is…

 

Cats in Magic Hats by Neil Kimball

 

One look at this drafting game tells you all you need to know: it’s all about the cats and their hats! Of course, there’s also the game’s interesting drafting mechanism, the push-and-pull trackers that allow players to steal victory from the jaws of defeat, and the unique hat abilities that twist scoring just enough to make every decision consistently interesting. From theme to gameplay, Cats in Magic Hats wowed our judges on every level.

Congratulations to our winner, our runners-up, our finalists, and to everyone else who participated! We’ve had a wonderful time going through these entries, and we’re looking forward to launching the next 18-card Challenge on April 1, 2026. For up-to-date information on challenges, as well as a supportive community of designers across all skill levels and styles, join the Button Shy Discord here: https://discord.gg/aUBMvnu