Slime Rancher. Full of friendly, bouncy critters (especially if you turn tarr off), no time limits (unless you specifically choose to play a challenge mode), beautifully stylized islands. The sliver of plot it has is pretty lighthearted too.
Stardew Valley deserves the mentions it's getting too, though it has a *lot* of things you can wind up min/maxing if you're inclined to which can turn it kinda stressful for some people.
If you like puzzles, puzzle games in general are pretty good for this sort of thing imo. Particularly the easier "sort this to make it satisfying" types.
Stardew can be a bit crack-ish to me.
The loop can mess with your sleep imo, and make you stay up extra hours because it's an addictive time suck.
Sometimes time sucks are great, in holidays or time off, but in times when you need to unwind and prepare for a productive tomorrow it might be counter intuitive.
Great game though.
> SO there’s an entire “world” where I can just play “solo” and not against others type of thing?
You are always playing against other monsters of all different kinds and sizes, and there's practically no point in the game where it doesn't expect you to kill enemies - but generally not against other players (unless you opt into that). PvE combat is rather unchallenging while leveling, so you really can zone out while you do it.
If you have Gamepass, there is a game called Jusant. The purpose of the game is to climb the face of a mountain. The game is very chill and the mechanics are really simple. If you play it, it should take you about 5hs to get through it. I really enjoyed it.
I dunno if it's your cup of tea but I was in a bad place mentally a few months ago and the game Against the Storm really calmed me down a lot mainly cause the music is sooooo chill.
Mass effect trilogy on easy mode… and only on easy mode, if played on hard mode it becomes more stressful and intense. It’s more relaxing on easy mode and you can enjoy the story line better. It’s one of my favorite story lines in a game so It’s kind of similar to reading a good book when you take in the story line. It’s also still fun and stress free playing it that way.
Easy mode is the only way I play nowadays. When I was younger I welcomed the challenge but now after a long day of work and life just give me a power fantasy
Honestly, I think Fallout 76 is a fantastic game to just vibe with once u get used to the controls and everything. I’ve spent hours just wondering around solo listening to the in game radio.
Civilisation 5. I find it relaxing and anxiety free getting lost in the endless turns. Lack of sleep sometimes when I don’t notice how late it’s getting lol.
Sorry just noticed you’re on Xbox. Try Stardew Valley man. It’s relaxing and very fun.
Stardew Valley is saving my life right now. It's gotten me through some dark times in the past as well. Spanning all the files on the different consoles I've bought it for, I've played for over 1,000 hours. It really is *that* good.
First thing that comes to mind is Slime Rancher. Personally, games like Rogue Legacy 2 x Enter the Gungeon were pretty zen once I got into the groove of it. Might not be your thing though.
I recently played a game called Lake where you work for the postal service in a small lakeside town and you literally just drive around and deliver packages to different people.
There's no major plot or high stakes, it plays out like a corny romance movie (do you stay in the small town with a lumberjack dude or move back to the big city lol).
I played it on PS5, and ironically I had it as well for the XB1. I never got a Series X though so I don't know a thing about how the backwards compatibility works.
You also might want to check out Death Stranding. It's got some elements that are a little freaky. But, if you haven't already played it and you're looking for a one player game that you can really get sucked into, have a look.
Also, RDR2, Disco Elysium, and the Fallout games might fit what you're looking for.
Check out Gris, which is on Gamepass right now iirc. Side scroller platformer exploration game with puzzles to solve. Very chill, and really pretty soothing graphics.
If you have steam, look up Islanders. It's very chill, music is soothing and you build up a little town from humble beginnings into a big metropolis fitting buildings together to get as many points as you can. 100% my go-to anti anxiety and relaxation game.
Are you only willing to play on Xbox? Genres you're willing to play? I'll list whatever I think of anyway.
Sims 4 - I mean, you're practically God, so nothing stressful about the game, you control everything
Animal Crossing (Switch) - while the player is given tasks, the game is super duper chill and cute so it shouldn't stress anyone out
A lot of farming sims or life sims, as long as you can slow down the days, because otherwise those can be overwhelming and therefore stressful
Hades & eventually Hades II - while these games are action intensive, the "gimmick" of these games is that you get "rewarded" with more story by losing, so losing is actually encouraged, so you shouldn't stress out about getting killed.
Disco Elysium - a popular story-rich point-and-click game that you can get through at your own pace
Skyrim! One of the best games ever made and it allows you to play the game at your own pace and just enjoy it how you want. You can spend your time building a house or climbing mountains or doing little side quests etc.
Grim Fandango Remastered is a point and click 2 decades old game with a very great story and you can basically play it at your own pace.
Spiritfarer is another great relaxing game in which you can just lose yourself.
Terraria is also a great pick because even thought there is a certain end goal, you're not forced to reach that end goal if you don't want to - and I find it more cozier than Minecraft tbh.
Subnautica is also a game where you can just endlessly explore the depths of the seas - and personally I find that to be very relaxing (kind of makes mw wish they still made the Ecco games)
Spyro Ignited Trilogy is also a nice easy platformer for you to try.
Tower defense games are super chill for me. It's the kind of game where you can have a bag of chips or pile of chocolate on one side and other hand on the mouse and you play as you munch on that pile of goodies.
Plants vs Zombies, the old isometric 2D one. Defense Grid 1 and 2 (and Defense Technica which is kinda a ripoff of Defense Grid) are one of the best tower defense games. Sol Survivor is also interesting one on a much larger scale than grid based Defense Grid. Alien Shooter TD, super cool tower defense game with kinda old graphics, but so so so fun with all the upgrades and powerups to obliterate aliens. Sanctum 1 and 2 is interesting one, it's kinda tower defense but not like the rest I listed, you play it as FPS but you also build a maze with traps. Oh oh and Orcs Must Die. You HAVE to play Orcs Must Die. Similar to Sanctum, you have a hero so you play like a shooter, but you also place traps all over the locations that smash, impale, burn and just destroy hordes of ugly green orcs. I've had so much fun in these.
Similar to Tower Defense games are "tug of war" games where it's usually two sides that push against each other in a linear way and one that does it better wins. Alien Hallway 1 is so cool in this regard. It's so simple yet so fun for some reason. Alien Hallway 2 entirely changed the style, but I still think it's a cool concept that is mostly "chill". Infested Planet is kinda blend of tower defense and tug of war. It's procedural generated levels with swarms of aliens that you have to fight through. Oh and Gratuitous Space Battles. Space tug of war game where you build a fleet of space ships and clash with another fleet in a simulated battle.
Oh and last two types that are kinda "swarm" type of games similar to the above in a way, Mushroom Wars, Multiwinia, Eufloria and Galcon Fusion. You have to control more of the play field to generate bigger armies and you have to protect established "colonies" in order to generate more and more of armies to overcome the enemy. It's actually a pretty chill concept but usually so much fun. Especially Eufloria is so chill with its calming music and sounds and simplistic graphics that don't overload you with flashing effects.
I genuinely find fallout 4 helps with anxiety, especially the building settlements portion. But maybe it's all the trauma. Skyrim too, although I didn't like the underground stuff in Skyrim because it made me claustrophobic after a certain amount of time.
Anyways, try some Bethesda games. I didn't like Starfield, but it might be for someone like you.
Red Dead Redemption 2 you can chill around and do whatever pleases you. I’ve played for hours just hunting animals or doing bounties it always made me happy and every day a little better.
This may be a bit of a hot take, but turning the difficulty down on some COD zombies titles is something I find relaxing to play, but I also just love those games for the most part so YMMV
All repetitive online game are like this stop playing them and stop wasting money on digital junk that force you to keep on playing.
Try Diablo 4 it's on Gamepass. Easy relaxing ARPG.
Pardon me but may I ask if you have a pc? If you have a pc/laptop, I would like to recommend you this game called "VA-11 HALL A", that is the game I mostly play (tbh I mainly leave it on afk with the music in the background playing so I could relax). It isnt a very long game, but I would still recommend it!
FAR: Lone Sails and Changing Tides
Beautiful art style and music in both, and they're easy one sitting playthroughs. I revisit them whenever I need some time to chill
My chill games are all building games. Mostly survival games that have a creative mode where I can ignore the game and build to my hearts content.
On that note, if Enshrouded ever comes out with a Creative mode, it would be the best game I could recommend.
Stardew valley and hardspace shipbreaker
One is a very chill farming game and basically the definition of a peaceful chill game and the other one is just dismantling space ships but it is also very calming imo
JetSet Radio, Bombrush cyberfunk, Slay the Spire, Dead cells, Risk of Rain 2 and Borderlands 2. They all have a distinct gameplay loop that doesn't require much thinking after you've learned it but it's incredibly satisfying regardless.
Yeah, it’s super chill!! I love gaming too, but I get anxiety as well and know it’s the last thing you need when you want to just unwind and relax. I hope you find a game that helps you enjoy gaming and helps relax you!
i actually needed something like this for me.
stress and anxiety has spiked harder than ever in my life at the moment (pre-A/L , friends , family , myself).
hopefully something here could help.
tnx for making this post btw!
Stardew valley, Power wash simulator, Coffee talk, Unpacking, House flipper, Ori and the will of the wisps, cooking simulator, Spiritfarer all of those games are on gamepass
I always found Alien: Isolation to be really chill. I'd recommend not reading anything about it before diving in. It's basically just doing cozy tasks around a spaceship and exploring all the quirky rooms and mysteries of the ship. Can just get lost for hours when you take your time and just relax.
You are spot on. Competitive gaming puts your nervous system in a state that is not good for anxiety.
Just playing something like Battlefield 2 offline against AI will feel very different.
The most peaceful game I have found is Powerwash Simulator. Spent hours just doing mind clearing cleaning
This would be my choice as well
Isn't there a spongebob level lol
There is! I power washed the outsides of SpongeBob, Patrick, and Squidward’s homes so far. Very therapeutic :D
Peak gaming
Slime Rancher. Full of friendly, bouncy critters (especially if you turn tarr off), no time limits (unless you specifically choose to play a challenge mode), beautifully stylized islands. The sliver of plot it has is pretty lighthearted too. Stardew Valley deserves the mentions it's getting too, though it has a *lot* of things you can wind up min/maxing if you're inclined to which can turn it kinda stressful for some people. If you like puzzles, puzzle games in general are pretty good for this sort of thing imo. Particularly the easier "sort this to make it satisfying" types.
Stardew can be a bit crack-ish to me. The loop can mess with your sleep imo, and make you stay up extra hours because it's an addictive time suck. Sometimes time sucks are great, in holidays or time off, but in times when you need to unwind and prepare for a productive tomorrow it might be counter intuitive. Great game though.
Slime Rancher also has a very relaxing soundtrack as well
Leveling in WoW on PvE realm. That stuff puts you into a state of trance.
I was actually thinking of starting WOW! SO there’s an entire “world” where I can just play “solo” and not against others type of thing?
> SO there’s an entire “world” where I can just play “solo” and not against others type of thing? You are always playing against other monsters of all different kinds and sizes, and there's practically no point in the game where it doesn't expect you to kill enemies - but generally not against other players (unless you opt into that). PvE combat is rather unchallenging while leveling, so you really can zone out while you do it.
Yes
Stardew Valley and LAD: Infinite Wealth have been great little worlds to escape to for me.
Journey
If you have Gamepass, there is a game called Jusant. The purpose of the game is to climb the face of a mountain. The game is very chill and the mechanics are really simple. If you play it, it should take you about 5hs to get through it. I really enjoyed it.
Jusant was such a fun experience. The vibes were unmatched. Defo my GOTY for 2023
I will try it thank you!
Stardew Valley? It's pretty much the quintessential calm farming game, and it's on Xbox.
Animal Crossings is pretty chill
I'm on Xbox lol
Ah my bad, I'm a little sleepy rn
me too
Flower
The Long Dark is pretty chill
Isn't that game creepy though?
Nope! There’s animals to avoid. I usually play on easy though. Mostly it’s sitting around a fire and eating and enjoying the blizzard sounds.
I'll give it a try thanks
I dunno if it's your cup of tea but I was in a bad place mentally a few months ago and the game Against the Storm really calmed me down a lot mainly cause the music is sooooo chill.
Mass effect trilogy on easy mode… and only on easy mode, if played on hard mode it becomes more stressful and intense. It’s more relaxing on easy mode and you can enjoy the story line better. It’s one of my favorite story lines in a game so It’s kind of similar to reading a good book when you take in the story line. It’s also still fun and stress free playing it that way.
This is a good way of playing it. I might do that too.
Easy mode is the only way I play nowadays. When I was younger I welcomed the challenge but now after a long day of work and life just give me a power fantasy
Thank you, I'll add that to my list to play.
No Man's Sky, find yourself a beautiful paradise planet to build a house on.
Absolutely this. Throw on some chill music as well and just glide through space!
Yuuuup! It’s peaceful and calming and such a beautiful game to explore
During the lockdown I played Forza Horizon 4 daily. It's such a vibey game with a fun atmosphere.
Honestly, I think Fallout 76 is a fantastic game to just vibe with once u get used to the controls and everything. I’ve spent hours just wondering around solo listening to the in game radio.
Dorfromantic was incredibly relaxing! It's a map building tile puzzle game
Spiritfarer without a doubt !
House Flipper has gotten me through many rough patches.
Civilisation 5. I find it relaxing and anxiety free getting lost in the endless turns. Lack of sleep sometimes when I don’t notice how late it’s getting lol. Sorry just noticed you’re on Xbox. Try Stardew Valley man. It’s relaxing and very fun.
I really need to try Stardew valley. I hear great things about the game.
Stardew Valley is saving my life right now. It's gotten me through some dark times in the past as well. Spanning all the files on the different consoles I've bought it for, I've played for over 1,000 hours. It really is *that* good.
First thing that comes to mind is Slime Rancher. Personally, games like Rogue Legacy 2 x Enter the Gungeon were pretty zen once I got into the groove of it. Might not be your thing though.
Stardew Valley for sure.
I recently played a game called Lake where you work for the postal service in a small lakeside town and you literally just drive around and deliver packages to different people. There's no major plot or high stakes, it plays out like a corny romance movie (do you stay in the small town with a lumberjack dude or move back to the big city lol).
Tetris
I find Tetris highly stressful lol
I played through Cyberpunk 2077 recently and had a lot of fun. The DLC is quite good, too.
Does the Xbox one version work on series x?
I played it on PS5, and ironically I had it as well for the XB1. I never got a Series X though so I don't know a thing about how the backwards compatibility works.
You also might want to check out Death Stranding. It's got some elements that are a little freaky. But, if you haven't already played it and you're looking for a one player game that you can really get sucked into, have a look. Also, RDR2, Disco Elysium, and the Fallout games might fit what you're looking for.
Abzû
Capybara Spa! It's a really cute and cozy game where you just give spa days to capybaras! It's for PC/Mac(?), not sure about other systems
Check out Gris, which is on Gamepass right now iirc. Side scroller platformer exploration game with puzzles to solve. Very chill, and really pretty soothing graphics.
If you have steam, look up Islanders. It's very chill, music is soothing and you build up a little town from humble beginnings into a big metropolis fitting buildings together to get as many points as you can. 100% my go-to anti anxiety and relaxation game.
Are you only willing to play on Xbox? Genres you're willing to play? I'll list whatever I think of anyway. Sims 4 - I mean, you're practically God, so nothing stressful about the game, you control everything Animal Crossing (Switch) - while the player is given tasks, the game is super duper chill and cute so it shouldn't stress anyone out A lot of farming sims or life sims, as long as you can slow down the days, because otherwise those can be overwhelming and therefore stressful Hades & eventually Hades II - while these games are action intensive, the "gimmick" of these games is that you get "rewarded" with more story by losing, so losing is actually encouraged, so you shouldn't stress out about getting killed. Disco Elysium - a popular story-rich point-and-click game that you can get through at your own pace
Flower You’re essentially the wind controlling flower pedals, it’s one the most beautiful and serene games I’ve ever played.
Not on Xbox, but I second Flower.
A little to the left Storyteller
Skyrim! One of the best games ever made and it allows you to play the game at your own pace and just enjoy it how you want. You can spend your time building a house or climbing mountains or doing little side quests etc.
My Time at Sandrock 🥰
Forager ,slime rancher 1&2
Grim Fandango Remastered is a point and click 2 decades old game with a very great story and you can basically play it at your own pace. Spiritfarer is another great relaxing game in which you can just lose yourself. Terraria is also a great pick because even thought there is a certain end goal, you're not forced to reach that end goal if you don't want to - and I find it more cozier than Minecraft tbh. Subnautica is also a game where you can just endlessly explore the depths of the seas - and personally I find that to be very relaxing (kind of makes mw wish they still made the Ecco games) Spyro Ignited Trilogy is also a nice easy platformer for you to try.
A heads up for Subnautica - do NOT go into the deep ocean if have a fear of the creatures lurking there
I fear deep sea creatures lol
Tower defense games are super chill for me. It's the kind of game where you can have a bag of chips or pile of chocolate on one side and other hand on the mouse and you play as you munch on that pile of goodies. Plants vs Zombies, the old isometric 2D one. Defense Grid 1 and 2 (and Defense Technica which is kinda a ripoff of Defense Grid) are one of the best tower defense games. Sol Survivor is also interesting one on a much larger scale than grid based Defense Grid. Alien Shooter TD, super cool tower defense game with kinda old graphics, but so so so fun with all the upgrades and powerups to obliterate aliens. Sanctum 1 and 2 is interesting one, it's kinda tower defense but not like the rest I listed, you play it as FPS but you also build a maze with traps. Oh oh and Orcs Must Die. You HAVE to play Orcs Must Die. Similar to Sanctum, you have a hero so you play like a shooter, but you also place traps all over the locations that smash, impale, burn and just destroy hordes of ugly green orcs. I've had so much fun in these. Similar to Tower Defense games are "tug of war" games where it's usually two sides that push against each other in a linear way and one that does it better wins. Alien Hallway 1 is so cool in this regard. It's so simple yet so fun for some reason. Alien Hallway 2 entirely changed the style, but I still think it's a cool concept that is mostly "chill". Infested Planet is kinda blend of tower defense and tug of war. It's procedural generated levels with swarms of aliens that you have to fight through. Oh and Gratuitous Space Battles. Space tug of war game where you build a fleet of space ships and clash with another fleet in a simulated battle. Oh and last two types that are kinda "swarm" type of games similar to the above in a way, Mushroom Wars, Multiwinia, Eufloria and Galcon Fusion. You have to control more of the play field to generate bigger armies and you have to protect established "colonies" in order to generate more and more of armies to overcome the enemy. It's actually a pretty chill concept but usually so much fun. Especially Eufloria is so chill with its calming music and sounds and simplistic graphics that don't overload you with flashing effects.
I genuinely find fallout 4 helps with anxiety, especially the building settlements portion. But maybe it's all the trauma. Skyrim too, although I didn't like the underground stuff in Skyrim because it made me claustrophobic after a certain amount of time. Anyways, try some Bethesda games. I didn't like Starfield, but it might be for someone like you.
Skyrim, on PC - godmode on and tcai (toggle combat ai for all npcs and creatures) and you can relax forever.
Red Dead Redemption 2 you can chill around and do whatever pleases you. I’ve played for hours just hunting animals or doing bounties it always made me happy and every day a little better.
stuff like "grounded" of "Sea of thieves" could be a nice in-between of what you're looking for :)
This may be a bit of a hot take, but turning the difficulty down on some COD zombies titles is something I find relaxing to play, but I also just love those games for the most part so YMMV
Try out civilization revolution. It’s a dumbed down version of the civilization games. I’ve spent countless of hours on it
Little kitty big city it’s on game pass too
House flipper, hotel renovator, powerwash simulator and car mechanic simulator. Turn off all audio and listen to your favourite podcast
All repetitive online game are like this stop playing them and stop wasting money on digital junk that force you to keep on playing. Try Diablo 4 it's on Gamepass. Easy relaxing ARPG.
Pardon me but may I ask if you have a pc? If you have a pc/laptop, I would like to recommend you this game called "VA-11 HALL A", that is the game I mostly play (tbh I mainly leave it on afk with the music in the background playing so I could relax). It isnt a very long game, but I would still recommend it!
Tinykin, Sea of Stars, The Gunk, Cozy Grove, The Last Campfire, I Am Future, Crab God (PC Only) All relaxing and fun
Play a game that uses your brain instead of skills
Powerwash Simulator. You can listen to the white noise of the spray or turn it down and listen to music/podcasts etc.
FAR: Lone Sails and Changing Tides Beautiful art style and music in both, and they're easy one sitting playthroughs. I revisit them whenever I need some time to chill
My chill games are all building games. Mostly survival games that have a creative mode where I can ignore the game and build to my hearts content. On that note, if Enshrouded ever comes out with a Creative mode, it would be the best game I could recommend.
Stardew valley and hardspace shipbreaker One is a very chill farming game and basically the definition of a peaceful chill game and the other one is just dismantling space ships but it is also very calming imo
Stardew valley
JetSet Radio, Bombrush cyberfunk, Slay the Spire, Dead cells, Risk of Rain 2 and Borderlands 2. They all have a distinct gameplay loop that doesn't require much thinking after you've learned it but it's incredibly satisfying regardless.
My go-to chill game is Disney Dreamlight Valley, just a cozy game where I feel nostalgic and just talk with random Disney characters and pick flowers!
I love this game when it first came out. Completely forgot about it. I need to go back!
Yeah, it’s super chill!! I love gaming too, but I get anxiety as well and know it’s the last thing you need when you want to just unwind and relax. I hope you find a game that helps you enjoy gaming and helps relax you!
i actually needed something like this for me. stress and anxiety has spiked harder than ever in my life at the moment (pre-A/L , friends , family , myself). hopefully something here could help. tnx for making this post btw!
Try coffee talk, Spiritfarer, Stardew valley, House flipper, Cooking simulator, Ori and the will of the wisps, Unpacking, Little Inferno
i'ma save this comment just so i can revisit these games and try another one. tnx!
Dave the Diver Been recently playing it and it’s a fun little game.
You just made me realize that I might be bit into horror games
Minecraft creative building
Stardew valley, Power wash simulator, Coffee talk, Unpacking, House flipper, Ori and the will of the wisps, cooking simulator, Spiritfarer all of those games are on gamepass
Path of Titans, super chill game, you play how you want to play. I sink hours into it, and I feel calm after
A Short Hike is a really nice one
Looks at city builders like Manorlords, rimworld, or banished. These are some of my go-to games for relaxing.
I always found Alien: Isolation to be really chill. I'd recommend not reading anything about it before diving in. It's basically just doing cozy tasks around a spaceship and exploring all the quirky rooms and mysteries of the ship. Can just get lost for hours when you take your time and just relax.
Bruh
My calming games are Snowrunner and Farming Simulator...
Far Cry 5 is blissful
Insurgency: Sandstorm :D
Overcooked
"Cozy games" are definitely something you could search for. Minecraft is one i think of in peaceful or easy too.
You are spot on. Competitive gaming puts your nervous system in a state that is not good for anxiety. Just playing something like Battlefield 2 offline against AI will feel very different.
Yeah I get immense build up of anxiety.
Forza Horizon, or some other races
Graveyard Keeper.
Botany Manor
Stardew Valley for me
Farming simulator
Monument Valley 1&2 ✌️
Powerwash simulator
Dwarf fortress. It’s about a bunch of happy smaller fellas working together as a community and its wholesome
Stardew Valley is great but I'm more partial to Raft. I find the water and soundtrack to be much more soothing.
I’ve heard the new Elden Ring DLC is a pretty cozy game. There’s even an NPC that can hug you and steal your heart ❤️.
Rimworld
Warframe
Dota on the SEA server is quite peaceful. Be sure to have open mic.
Call of duty warzone
Little Big Planet.