Waiting in the car in While Waiting
Screenshot by Destructoid

While Waiting, a cozy game that requires you to do nothing, launches on February 5

Patience is a virtue

The world can sometimes feel like a scary place, and the pressure to make the most of every moment can seem all-consuming at times. Gaming offers an escape from this reality, and cozy games like While Waiting can force you to slow down, takeꦿ a breath, and investigate the world 💙around you. 

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While Waiting is a game developed by , and while the demo has been available to play for a while, the full game finally has ♒a solid release date, and it’s going to be available for download on February 5. 

The sole premise of While Waiting is, well, waiting for things to happen. Waiting for a bus, waiting for the rain to stop, or waiting for something to cook… All you really need to do is wait, and there’s no way to make things happen quicker. It’s something we’ve all had to face at some point, and everyone gets impatient for things at times, but While Waiting is the ultimate challenge of that feeling. 

It might not seem like riveting gameplay at first, but there’s more to While Waiting than first meets the eye. Each individual scene has a variety of different challenges to complete in the time it takes to wait, and yo🐼u can usually only complete one challenge per scene before the awaited event ha𝕴ppens, so you can return and play again at any moment. 

Waiting for the toilet in While Waiting
Screenshot by Destructoid

While Waiting will have over 100 different scenarios to play through, and you’re guaranteed to find one that resonates with things you’ve experienced in real life. All parents have waited for a child to go to sleep, and waiting for the elevator is almost a daily experience. These moments in life can drive us nuts, but While Waiting is almost a life lesson in finding 💟a distraction, something to pass the time 🐷before something can happen. 

Sure, the challenges in each scenario are largely meaningless. While waiting for the bus, you can repeatedly take leaflets from someone and plaster them on the bulletin board inside the bus stop, but hey, it’s something to do. There’s also one challenge that appears in ꦺevery level, and that’s to “do nothing”. This might be the most challenging of all to complete, because each level is pac🍸ked with details to explore.

Challenges in While Waiting
Screenshot by Destructoid

Hidden within the different scenarios of While Waiting is the story of the main character’s progression through life, from childhood to parenthood and beyond. It’s cleverly done, and the aging process happens almost without you truly noticing, but there are moments where the scenari♛os hit you straight in the feels. 

If you’re impatient for February 5 and want to begin the journey toward maꦚnaging that impatience now, you can download the , which includes 10 scenarios to play through, via Steam right now.


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Paula Vaynshteyn
With her first experience of gaming being on an Atari ST, Paula has been gaming for her entire life. She’s 9,000 hours deep into Final Fantasy XIV, spends more time on cozy games than she would care to admit, and is also a huge bookworm. Juggling online adventuring with family life has its struggles, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.