If you ever need proof of the therapeutic powers of video games, Tiny Glade is it. From two-person team PounceLight (Anastasia Opara and Tomasz Stachowiak) in Stockholm, Sweden, it’s a relaxing diorama builder with much whimsy.
The indie game scene has a lot of this genre going on, but this one is different. Stunningly pretty, it’s also packed with so many accessible feature it’s IMPOSSIBLE not to swoon for it.
Just Chill the Ruddy Heck Out in Tiny Glade
Yeah, so this reminds us of the excellent chill island town builder Townscaper (2021). Tiny Glade matches those relaxing heights almost instantly, offering gamers of all ages something very relaxing indeed.
It’s a game that positively encourages players to take their time with things. The idea is to go into a diorama scene, dawdle, doodle, and create a mixture of whimsical castles and cottages.
As a genre, it’s called a sandbox city-builder and it launched on PC and Linux in September 2024. It’s been a big hit, with rave reviews from players on Steam (even if the gaming press has been a little more lukewarm about it).
Bah to them! For the beauty of Tiny Glade is to relax and build stuff—no pressures.
There’s no goal, you just go in and start building. Design as you please with few limitations and, before too long, you’ve got something epic like this SOB.
The overall theme is Medieval times and players are presented with a wide assortment of fancy tools. But there are five glades to choose from.
Those tools give you godlike powers to alter the scenery and they’re so satisfying to use. In an instant you can raise, lower, transform, and adjust. Add in a smoking chimney or a fence with some sheep. Turn it to a sunset dazzled setting or a rainy spring day.
It’s all rather glorious and easy to get into. But here’s an explainer from Ana at PounceLight.
There are procedurally developed elements, with the player only needing to really drag and click on items to rearrange the diorama world.
In other words, most of the things you add in automatically have detailing and interior design features.
Impressively, you can really go ballistic on this and build the likes of a full scale French village. The cherry atop the cake is how there’s a first-person mode where you go wandering around the village.
In 2025 Tiny Glade was nominated for a BAFTA Games Award for Technical Achievement. Indie games continue to marvel us, as it’s really on two people who’ve created this thing and vast creative potential it offers.
More importantly, it’s just goddamn relaxing.
With the world increasingly tumbling towards an unpleasant future, projects like Tiny Glade offer a wonderful antidote. A super charming time of it where you can craft delightful Medieval mirages until your heart is content.
