15 Most Relaxing Video Games You Should Play

Kingdom: Classic

Like many other great games, Kingdom: Classic is a cozy 2D sidescrolling adventure game set in a magical medieval world. It’s a strategy/resource management game, but it’s not too intense. This makes it a great game to relax with while still keeping your mind active.

Kingdom: Classic has surprisingly beautiful pixel graphics that make you feel like you’re really in the world you travel through as a king or queen on a trusty horse. 

The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

Every Zelda game is relaxing, even the ones with intense battles. But The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild might be the most relaxing in the series, with Hyrule being calmer and cozier.

There are many great things about Breath of the Wild. One of them is that players can teleport away from danger whenever they want and go back to the relaxing and natural adventure that the game is known for.

Everything

The strategy game Everything, which is available on Steam, the Nintendo Switch, and the PS4, lets the player take on the role of anything. They could be a rock, an animal, a planet, a star system, an island, or even a microorganism. There is no story, but the player can finish the encyclopedia by playing every single part.

Along with playing the game, the player also gathers records of Alan Watts quotes. So, gamers can listen to Watts talk about Buddhist, Taoist, and Hindu ideas while they play, which is also pretty relaxing.

flOw

Thatgamecompany made flOw, a game that you can get on the PS3, PSP, PS4, and PS Vita. Thatgamecompany is known for making some of the most relaxing games out there. Their approach to making games is to make people feel things more than to send a message.

People who play flOw become worm-like creatures that swim and eat other creatures that are smaller than them. You can’t die, and the level of difficulty changes based on how good the player is. This is part of what makes it so relaxed.

A Short Hike

A Short Hike, which came out in 2019, is exactly what it sounds like. It’s an exploration game that you can finish in no more than two hours. Backrooms Game isn’t very long or hard to play, but most Steam reviews call it a “mellow masterpiece.”

Some important parts of the game are looking for loot, swimming, fishing, and chatting with other hiker NPCs. It is suggested that you play slowly because the easy way to the top isn’t always the way that players have to go. It’s a book that you should read on a lazy afternoon at home.

Journey

Thatgamecompany also made Journey, which is their most well-known game. The player is in charge of a creature that looks like a person and wants to reach the top of a mystery mountain. The online gameplay is part of the magic. Players can only talk to each other with simple squeaks and help charge each other’s scarves.

Even though the game came out in 2012, there are still people out there who are glad to see each other. It only takes two hours to beat, so it’s great for a Sunday afternoon.

ABZU

ABZU was released in 2016 for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and later for the Nintendo Switch and Amazon Luna in 2018 and 2020. It was compared to Journey by many critics, which is not strange since it was made by several people who worked on Journey.

In ABZU, the player is a diver who explores the water. The player can look for collectibles in each area, and the diver can use sonar sounds to talk to sea life. A diver may even be able to ride on one of the bigger marine beasts as it swims around.

Minecraft

One of the best-known computer games out there is this Swedish one. Many people have bought it and liked it, and players of all ages. The player of this strategy game can explore an endless world, gather materials, and use them to build things.

The game can be more or less relaxing, based on the mode picked. As part of some game types, players must fight monsters and other players in order to stay alive. The person can choose what they want to do.

Cozy Grove

People have said that Cozy Grove, which came out in April 2021, is a lot like Animal Crossing because it is a life model and timed to real life. People who play as Spirit Scouts can tour the woods, help the ghosts that live there, and make decorations.

Users on Steam say the game is cute and relaxed. There are people who like it too much, but most people who like Animal Crossing also like this game. Every day, players get to play for an hour to two hours. A trip to the game to spend time with the animals and spirits can be a way to relax every day.

Flower

Flower is another game from Thatgamecompany. You can get it on the PS3, PS4, PS Vita, PC, and iOS. In Flower, the player moves a flower petal by controlling the wind. People know the game for its music, which went with the players’ movements as they moved the petal up and down.

It only takes an hour to finish the game’s six main levels. It doesn’t have any writing or speech. Flower is one of those games that is both a work of art and a game. Many people have said that your should play it.

Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley is a farming simulation game that took a lot of ideas from Harvest Moon games. Early in 2016, it came out only for PC. Later, it also came out for Xbox One, PS Vita, PS4, iOS, Android, and Linux. Eric Barone worked on it for four years straight and it really feels like a labor of love for him.

The whole point of the game is to farm and get along with the locals. Players can mine for gold and fish while also taking care of animals and crops. Just like Minecraft, the game can get more exciting based on how you play it, but you can also just chill out. They can even marry any NPC they want and have a family on the farm.

Astroneer

Astroneer is a sandbox adventure game that came out in 2019 and is about settling worlds. The game doesn’t have a story or a clear goal, but each planet has its own obstacles. You can get the game for PC, Xbox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch. The player is in charge of an astronaut and can change the shape of the land and make things.

There were four Webby Awards for the game in 2019. They were for Best Game Design, Best Art Direction, and Best Visual Design.

No Man’s Sky

No Man’s Sky had a bad start, but it has gotten better and bigger over time, making up for it. Exploration, survival, trade, and/or combat are some of the ways that players can play the game. There is a lot of choice for the player to make the game as serene as they like.

Being a trader or a traveler is the most relaxing way to play. Some players put thousands and thousands of hours into the game because it never ends.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Most people talk about Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but any game in this Nintendo series is fun to play when you want to rest. Everyone can always find something new to play because game time is based on real time. There are different shops, and different items are for sale. Also, the bugs and fish that can be caught for the museum change with the seasons.

Some players like the New Horizons DLC Happy Home Paradise even more than the main game because it’s its own game. Aside from decorating homes, the DLC doesn’t offer many other options. Older games like Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer can also be played.

Slime Rancher

This is a first-person life simulation action game that came out in 2017 for PC, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Linux. The player controls Beatrix, a slime rancher who has moved to a different planet and needs to build her land and take care of her slimes while also exploring the new world.

The game is a sandbox, which means it doesn’t have a clear ending. It’s like Stardew Valley, but the graphics are different, there are no other humans, and the story takes place on a different world. Fans of the type should play it because of the setting, which makes it feel different.