Cooking games are a delicious blend of creativity, strategy, and sometimes outright chaos, letting you run bustling restaurants, craft intricate recipes, or survive absurd kitchen challenges-all without washing a single pan. Whether you’re a foodie dreaming of Michelin stars or a gamer craving lighthearted fun, these titles offer something for everyone. From realistic simulations to quirky adventures, they capture the joy of cooking in wildly different ways. We’ve scoured the latest releases and player favorites to bring you the 20 best cooking games of 2025, each packed with unique flavors and gameplay. Every detail-titles, publishers, features, and more-has been rigorously fact-checked to ensure accuracy, drawing from the most reliable data available as of April 15, 2025. Get ready to fire up the virtual stove and dive in!
1. Overcooked! 2
Imagine chopping veggies on a hot air balloon or plating sushi in a haunted castle-that’s the wild world of Overcooked! 2, crafted by Ghost Town Games and Team17. This co-op masterpiece throws 1-4 players into ever-changing kitchens where you’ll cook, serve, and dodge obstacles like moving floors or pesky ghosts.
With over 40 levels, you’ll tackle recipes from pizzas to dumplings, all while shouting (or laughing) with friends to keep orders flowing. The cartoonish visuals, catchy music, and online multiplayer make it endlessly replayable, while seasonal DLCs like Sun’s Out, Buns Out keep the chaos fresh. It’s stressful, hilarious, and pure fun.
Key Highlights
- Co-op for 1-4 players with local and online modes
- 40+ levels featuring dynamic hazards and new cuisines
- Simple controls with a steep mastery curve for high scores
- Regular updates with festive events and expansion packs
Who It’s Best For
- Groups craving high-energy multiplayer madness
- Players who love teamwork under time pressure
- Families or friends seeking a chaotic, laughter-filled party game
2. Cooking Simulator
Ever wanted to sear a steak or bake a cake with real-world precision? Cooking Simulator, from Big Cheese Studio and PlayWay S.A., brings the kitchen to life with physics-based mechanics that feel scarily authentic. In first-person view, you’ll chop, sauté, and plate over 80 recipes using 140+ ingredients, from herbs to seafood.
Career mode has you running a restaurant, upgrading equipment, and pleasing picky customers, while sandbox mode lets you unleash chaos (yes, you can burn the place down). Expansions like Sushi, Pizza, and Shelter add new vibes, and VR support makes it feel like you’re wielding the knife yourself.
Key Highlights
- Realistic cooking with interactive tools and physics
- Career mode for restaurant management, plus freeform sandbox
- Expansions for sushi, pizza, and post-apocalyptic settings
- VR compatibility for a hands-on chef experience
Who It’s Best For
- Aspiring chefs craving a true-to-life cooking sim
- Simulation fans who love tinkering with every detail
- Players who want to experiment without real-world cleanup
3. Good Pizza, Great Pizza
Step into a cozy pizzeria with Good Pizza, Great Pizza, created by TapBlaze. You’re the new chef in town, slinging pies for quirky customers-think a werewolf who loves extra meat or a kid obsessed with pineapple. Its pixel-art charm and lighthearted story (rival pizzeria drama included) make every shift a delight.
With over 300 unique orders, you’ll customize toppings, manage ingredients, and upgrade your shop to keep the cash flowing. The Russian-titled version adds a fun cultural twist, but the gameplay’s universal: make pizza, make people happy.
Key Highlights
- 300+ unique customer orders for endless variety
- Customize pizzas with dozens of toppings and sauces
- Story-driven progression with rival shop challenges
- Charming pixel-art visuals and relaxing pace
Who It’s Best For
- Fans of casual management sims with a cozy vibe
- Players who love pizza and creative customization
- Solo gamers seeking a light narrative with heart
4. Battle Chef Brigade
Battle Chef Brigade, by Trinket Studios and Adult Swim Games, is a delicious mashup of action and cooking. You play as Mina, a chef-in-training competing in a fantasy cooking tournament. By day, you hunt monsters in 2D brawler-style battles; by night, you turn their parts into dishes via match-3 puzzles.
The hand-drawn art pops with color, and the story blends humor with heart as you face rival chefs. With multiple characters, daily challenges, and a campaign full of surprises, it’s as unique as it is addictive.
Key Highlights
- Combines monster-hunting combat with match-3 cooking
- Vibrant hand-drawn visuals and a fantasy storyline
- Multiple playable chefs with distinct styles
- Daily challenges and post-story content
Who It’s Best For
- Gamers who love genre-blending adventures
- Fans of action-packed gameplay with puzzle twists
- Players who enjoy rich stories and colorful art
5. PlateUp!
PlateUp!, from It’s Happening and Yogscast Games, takes restaurant chaos to roguelike heights. You and up to three friends design and run a diner, cooking dishes like steaks or salads while upgrading your layout each shift.
Procedural kitchens and random events-like a sudden rush of picky eaters-keep you on your toes. Automation tools (think conveyor belts) add strategic depth, but one bad day can end your run. Its clean visuals and tight mechanics make every failure as fun as a win.
Key Highlights
- Roguelike restaurant sim with procedural layouts
- Co-op for 1-4 players with dynamic challenges
- Upgradeable kitchens with automation options
- Replayable runs with randomized menus and events
Who It’s Best For
- Strategy fans who love roguelike unpredictability
- Co-op groups seeking a teamwork-heavy challenge
- Players who enjoy building and optimizing systems
6. Papa’s Freezeria Deluxe
Flipline Studios’ Papa’s Freezeria Deluxe is a time-management classic reborn for 2025. You’re running a tropical ice cream shop, crafting sundaes for a parade of colorful customers. Blend ice cream, add toppings, and drizzle syrups to match orders perfectly, all while juggling multiple stations.
With seasonal flavors, 100+ customers, and customization galore, it’s packed with charm. The updated visuals and new features make this the definitive version of a beloved series.
Key Highlights
- Craft custom sundaes with dozens of ingredients
- 100+ unique customers with quirky orders
- Seasonal events and unlockable toppings
- Polished visuals with intuitive controls
Who It’s Best For
- Fans of fast-paced time-management sims
- Players who love dessert-themed customization
- Nostalgic gamers craving a modernized classic
7. Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?!
Vertigo Gaming Inc.’s Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! puts you in a food truck racing across a war-torn America, serving up 300+ dishes to hungry customers.
Each level is a typing and timing gauntlet-input orders, cook fast, and keep the line moving. With over 400 levels, a relaxed mode for chilling, and co-op support, it’s both intense and accessible. The quirky story and retro art tie it all together, making every shift a blast.
Key Highlights
- 400+ levels with 300+ unique dishes
- Fast-paced typing and cooking mechanics
- Co-op mode and relaxed difficulty option
- Narrative-driven food truck adventure
Who It’s Best For
- Players who love high-speed multitasking
- Fans of retro-style games with deep gameplay
- Co-op duos or solo gamers seeking variety
8. Venba
Venba, by Visai Games, is less about cooking and more about feeling-specifically, the heart of a South Indian family in 1980s Canada. You play as Venba, an immigrant mom, recreating Tamil recipes like idlis and biryani through tactile mini-games.
Each dish ties to a story of love, loss, and culture, told through gorgeous art and a soulful soundtrack. It’s short but unforgettable, blending food with family in a way that lingers.
Key Highlights
- Narrative-driven cooking with authentic Tamil recipes
- Stunning hand-drawn visuals and emotional storytelling
- Intuitive recipe mini-games tied to plot
- Compact experience, perfect for a single sitting
Who It’s Best For
- Story-driven gamers who love cultural narratives
- Foodies curious about South Indian cuisine
- Players seeking a short, heartfelt experience
9. Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly
Toge Productions’ Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly is a cozy visual novel where you brew drinks for a cast of fantasy creatures-elves, vampires, and more-in a rainy Seattle café. Each order, from lattes to teas, shapes conversations and stories, with your choices driving the narrative.
The lo-fi beats and pixel-art aesthetic create a chill vibe, while deeper dialogue options add replayability. It’s like running a coffee shop with a side of magic.
Key Highlights
- Brew custom drinks to influence branching stories
- Pixel-art visuals with a soothing lo-fi soundtrack
- Diverse cast of characters with interconnected tales
- Relaxed pace with meaningful choices
Who It’s Best For
- Fans of narrative-driven games with cozy vibes
- Players who love coffee and character-focused stories
- Gamers seeking a relaxing, dialogue-heavy experience
10. Cooking Mama
Office Create’s Cooking Mama: Cookstar, a family-friendly classic, continues to charm on Nintendo Switch with 80+ recipes via motion mini-games. You’ll chop, stir, and bake through 80+ recipes using motion-based mini-games that mimic real cooking-think flipping pancakes or rolling sushi.
The colorful visuals and encouraging mascot, Mama, make every step a joy, whether you’re a kid or just young at heart. It’s simple, charming, and perfect for quick sessions.
Key Highlights
- 80+ recipes via intuitive motion mini-games
- Bright, welcoming visuals for all ages
- Encouraging feedback with unlockable rewards
- Compact gameplay ideal for casual play
Who It’s Best For
- Families or kids new to cooking games
- Casual players who want quick, fun sessions
- Fans of the series seeking nostalgic comfort
11. Chef Life: A Restaurant Simulator
Nacon’s Chef Life: A Restaurant Simulator lets you chase Michelin-star dreams. You’ll design menus, cook 100+ recipes, and manage a restaurant, from hiring staff to balancing budgets. Every dish, from risottos to soufflés, requires precision, with customizable recipes to flex your creativity.
The realistic visuals and detailed systems mimic a real chef’s life, minus the 3 a.m. cleanup. It’s a deep sim for those who take their virtual culinary career seriously.
Key Highlights
- Manage a restaurant with 100+ customizable recipes
- Realistic cooking mechanics with staff and budget systems
- Michelin-star progression for added challenge
- Detailed visuals that bring the kitchen to life
Who It’s Best For
- Sim fans who love running a business
- Players who want realistic cooking challenges
- Foodies dreaming of high-end restaurant life
12. Ravenous Devils
Ravenous Devils, by Bad Vices Games, serves dark humor with a side of horror. You play a twisted couple-a chef and a tailor-in a grim city, turning “unconventional ingredients” into pies.
The gameplay splits between cooking (crafting dishes via mini-games) and resource management (ahem, gathering supplies). Its gothic art and cheeky tone make the macabre premise oddly fun, though it’s not for the faint-hearted.
Key Highlights
- Dual gameplay of cooking and sinister resource management
- Gothic visuals with a darkly comedic narrative
- Strategic mini-games for crafting dishes
- Compact campaign with surprising depth
Who It’s Best For
- Fans of dark humor and unconventional stories
- Players who enjoy strategy with a horror twist
- Gamers seeking a short but memorable experience
13. Lemon Cake
Soedesco’s Lemon Cake is as sweet as it sounds. You inherit a rundown bakery haunted by friendly ghosts, turning it into a cozy café. Grow ingredients in a greenhouse, bake cakes and pastries, and serve quirky customers.
The pastel art and magical vibe make every task-mixing batter, decorating cookies-feel soothing. With upgrades and customization, it’s a delightful escape for stress-free baking.
Key Highlights
- Run a magical bakery with farming and crafting
- Cozy pastel visuals and ghostly helpers
- Customizable recipes and shop upgrades
- Relaxed pace with daily customer challenges
Who It’s Best For
- Players who love cozy, low-stress sims
- Foodies into baking and café vibes
- Gamers seeking a charming, magical escape
14. Kebab Chefs!
Biotech Games’ Kebab Chefs! brings shawarma to the spotlight in a lively co-op sim. Up to four players team up to slice meat, wrap kebabs, and serve hungry crowds in a bustling restaurant. You’ll upgrade recipes, expand your menu, and compete to outshine rival shops.
The vibrant visuals and fast-paced orders capture the energy of a real kebab joint, making it a tasty multiplayer treat.
Key Highlights
- Co-op for 1-4 players with kebab-focused cooking
- Upgradeable recipes and competitive business growth
- Bright, energetic visuals of a busy eatery
- Fast-paced orders with teamwork challenges
Who It’s Best For
- Co-op fans who love food-themed chaos
- Players craving a fresh take on restaurant sims
- Foodies who can’t resist kebabs
15. Cooking Fever: Restaurant Game
Nordcurrent Games’ Cooking Fever: Restaurant Game is a mobile juggernaut with a 4.3-star rating, 5 million reviews, and over 100 million downloads. You’ll dash through 1000+ levels across 20+ global eateries, from sushi bars to bakeries, serving dishes under tight timers.
With ads and in-app purchases, it’s free to play but rewards strategy-upgrade kitchens to handle the rush. Rated for ages 3+, its colorful chaos is addictive for all skill levels.
Key Highlights
- 1000+ levels across diverse global cuisines
- Fast-paced time-management with kitchen upgrades
- 4.3-star rating with 100M+ downloads, rated for 3+
- Free-to-play with optional in-app purchases
Who It’s Best For
- Mobile gamers who love time-management thrills
- Players seeking variety in cuisines and settings
- Casual fans okay with ads for free play
16. Espresso Tycoon
PlayWay S.A.’s Espresso Tycoon lets you build a coffee empire, one latte at a time. Design cafés, create custom drinks, and manage staff across global cities. You’ll tweak recipes (think foam art), hire baristas, and keep customers buzzing.
The 3D visuals and deep systems-budgeting, marketing-make it a caffeine-fueled sim with charm. Whether you’re perfecting an espresso or expanding to Paris, it’s a brew-tiful challenge.
Key Highlights
- Design and manage coffee shops worldwide
- Customize drinks with latte art and flavors
- Deep business sim with staff and budget mechanics
- Sleek 3D visuals for immersive café vibes
Who It’s Best For
- Coffee lovers who dream of barista life
- Sim fans who enjoy business management
- Players who love crafting and customization
17. World End Diner
CyberStep, Inc.’s World End Diner, released in 2024, flips cooking into a post-apocalyptic adventure. You run a diner serving robots and mutant animals, growing ingredients and fishing for supplies in a ruined world.
The pixel-art style and quirky premise-think cooking for a cyborg bear-add charm, while farming and crafting deepen the gameplay. It’s a weird, wonderful take on survival cooking.
Key Highlights
- Post-apocalyptic diner sim with farming and fishing
- Serve quirky robotic and animal customers
- Pixel-art visuals with a unique sci-fi vibe
- Released in 2024 with ongoing updates
Who It’s Best For
- Fans of quirky, story-rich sims
- Players who love post-apocalyptic settings
- Gamers seeking a blend of cooking and survival
18. Toca Kitchen 2
Toca Boca’s Toca Kitchen 2 is a sandbox delight for kids and the young at heart. There’s no pressure-just pure creativity as you cook for cartoon guests, blending bizarre combos like pizza with jelly or fried watermelon.
The guests’ funny reactions (giggles or gags) add humor, and the vibrant art keeps it engaging. With no timers or rules, it’s a stress-free way to play chef, perfect for sparking imagination.
Key Highlights
- Freeform cooking with endless ingredient combos
- Humorous guest reactions to your creations
- Colorful, kid-friendly visuals and sounds
- No rules or timers for pure creativity
Who It’s Best For
- Kids or families wanting playful cooking fun
- Players who love sandbox-style creativity
- Casual gamers seeking stress-free playtime
19. The Chef’s Shift
Step into a bustling restaurant where your keyboard is your chef’s knife. The Chef’s Shift, cooked up by Panitia GameDev and served by Catoptric Games, blends fast-paced typing with culinary chaos. You’ll whip up dishes-from pizzas to dim sum-by typing words that pop up over ingredients and orders, all while dodging distractions like sneaky rats or rowdy customers.
Set in vibrant eateries with a spicy mafia-themed story, it’s a whirlwind of serving food and unraveling secrets. The cartoonish art and quirky characters keep things lively, while the typing mechanic tests your speed and wits. Fans rave about its clever mix of cooking and crime drama, making every shift a thrilling typing sprint.
Key Highlights
- Type to cook and serve across diverse global cuisines
- Mafia storyline with colorful characters and choices
- Chaotic gameplay with pesky distractions like rats
- Bright, playful visuals and addictive mechanics
Who It’s Best For
- Typing enthusiasts who love a culinary twist
- Story-driven gamers craving quirky crime plots
- Time-management fans seeking fast, fun challenges
Conclusion
Cooking games in 2025 are as diverse as a global buffet, offering everything from heart-pounding co-op chaos to soothing solo sims. Whether you’re flipping burgers with friends, brewing coffee for fantasy creatures, or baking cakes in a haunted café, there’s a game to match your vibe. Some lean into strategy with deep management systems, others focus on storytelling or pure fun-no culinary skill required. The beauty of these games is their accessibility: you don’t need to be a chef to enjoy them, just a gamer with a taste for adventure. So grab your virtual apron, try a few of these titles, and find the one that spices up your playtime best.
FAQs
What are cooking games, and why are they so popular?
Cooking games are video games where you prepare food, manage restaurants, or tackle culinary challenges, often with a mix of strategy, creativity, and fun. They’re popular because they let anyone-from kids to adults-play chef without the real-world mess or stress. Titles like Overcooked! 2 and Cooking Simulator appeal to different vibes, whether you want chaotic co-op or realistic recipe-crafting, making them versatile and replayable for food lovers and gamers alike.
Are cooking games suitable for kids?
Absolutely! Many cooking games are kid-friendly, like Toca Kitchen 2, which has no timers or rules, just creative sandbox cooking for ages 3+. Cooking Fever: Restaurant Game is also rated for 3+, with colorful visuals and simple mechanics. Others, like Ravenous Devils, have darker themes, so check age ratings-most games in our list lean toward all-ages fun with intuitive controls.
Do I need to know how to cook to enjoy these games?
Not at all! Cooking games are about fun, not culinary skills. Good Pizza, Great Pizza teaches you to top pizzas through gameplay, while Papa’s Freezeria Deluxe guides you through sundae-making. Even realistic sims like Chef Life: A Restaurant Simulator simplify cooking with clear instructions. They’re designed to be accessible, whether you’re a kitchen pro or can’t boil water.
Can I play cooking games with friends?
Many cooking games shine in multiplayer. Overcooked! 2 and Kebab Chefs! support up to four players, perfect for chaotic co-op laughs. PlateUp! adds roguelike teamwork, while Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! offers duo mode. If you prefer solo, games like Venba or Coffee Talk Episode 2 deliver rich single-player stories, so there’s something for every vibe.
Are there free cooking games available?
Yes! Cooking Fever: Restaurant Game is free-to-play on mobile, with over 100 million downloads and a 4.3-star rating, though it includes ads and in-app purchases. Food Poppers is another affordable option, being a niche clicker from 2021. Others, like Espresso Tycoon or Cooking Simulator, require purchase but often have sales, so watch for deals if you’re budget-conscious.
What platforms can I play these games on?
Cooking games span platforms. Good Pizza, Great Pizza, Lemon Cake, and World End Diner are on PC via Steam. Cooking Fever: Restaurant Game and Toca Kitchen 2 are mobile-first, available on iOS and Android. Overcooked! 2 and Papa’s Freezeria Deluxe hit PC, consoles, and sometimes mobile, while Cooking Mama has roots in handheld devices. Check each game’s store page for specifics.
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