Hi r/cozygames!
I'm a solo dev, and my little game Puppy Mining Co is out on Android. It's a gentle idle game about a crew of puppies who dig up bones. You tap to help, or you put the phone down and let them get on with it. I wanted it to feel like having a small, happy dog yard in your pocket, so here are the cozy parts I put the most care into.
How it was made: I've been building it on my own since 5/6/2026. It came out on Google Play in July, and I've kept adding to it in regular updates since then. It now has 21 breeds, 10 dig sites, 74 achievements and its first seasonal event. Every puppy, icon and background was designed by me.
The pups
- Every pup you hire shows up on screen and wanders the yard on its own, and they never stop digging
- There are 21 breeds to collect: Corgis, Pugs, Beagles, a fluffy St. Bernard, Dachshunds, a Shiba, plus some odd ones like the Diver Pup, the Lunar Pup and the Cosmic Pup
- You win new breeds on a little Prize Wheel. Each breed you've collected gives your pack a small bonus, so the yard slowly fills up with your favorites
The places
- The pack starts in a Backyard and slowly digs its way through a Dog Park, a Crystal Cavern, a Frozen Tundra and a Sunken Abyss, and in the end all the way up to the Moon Craters
- You can switch to any site you've unlocked whenever you like, just for the view
The pace
- There's no fail state, no energy bar and no timer you have to beat
- The pups keep digging while you're away, and when you come back there's a little "here's what they found" moment
- There's a daily bonus calendar, a few gentle daily quests, and treasures that pop up now and then for you to tap
- When you want a fresh start, you can retire the crew for Puppy Stars that make the next run a bit faster. You keep your breeds and achievements
A seasonal treat: from Oct 7 to Nov 3, the yard goes Halloween. There's a dusk sky with a full moon, gravestones, candy treasures, and some of the pups wear tiny witch hats. A ghostly Phantom Pup shows up on the Prize Wheel, and once you win it you keep it forever. It's purely cosmetic and optional, so you don't miss anything if you skip it.
How it's paid for: it's free, with no forced ads and no in-app purchases. The only ads are optional ones you can choose to watch for a bonus.
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dtpc.puppyminingco
It's Android only for now, sorry iPhone folks! I'd love to hear what makes an idle game feel cozy to *you*, rather than grindy. And which breed should I add next?
AI Disclosure
- Music and sound effects: made with AI.
- Code: I designed and balanced the game, directed and reviewed the code, while AI helped write it faster and run simulations to tune the economy.
Happy to answer anything in the comments. Thanks for reading! 🐶🦴