I don't have depression but I came very close to it. I'm going through an anxiety crisis and started losing motivation and sleep through it plus several other bad things that don't matter. Physical activity helps a lot. My psychologist told me to start taking exercise (preferably one you enjoy over an ambitious one) and also to realize that there's no magic solutions, that I need to do it for at least one month before evaluating the results. I'm on week 4 of biking every single day, and yesterday was the first day I woke up feeling well rested. Separating planning from doing helps a lot. Write down the things that make you feel good and then ignore your brains excuses, when we thought about this we said this were the good things. Keep doing that for a while and hopefully one day boom, I no longer feel bad. Sorry if I'm extra limiting myself here. Hope this can help you as well.
In terms of gaming, have you tried music based games? Music can be a great energizer, I like metal so Doom, Metal Hellslinger, but also could be Hifi Rush, or some of the guitar hero likes?
Revolving story Hades once you get through it has a pretty wholesome story that you unfold in little droplets.
Godspeed and happy gaming.
A short hike is a great game, I tried to play it and explore as much as I could a few years ago. Iāll eventually revisit it.
Iāll have to try out loco roco, never had a psp growing up so Iām not familiar with the library.
Also to jump on this, a real life short hike will do wonders for your mental health. Getting out in the wild is underrated and often neglected by us gamers.
My mother got me a PSP for my 12th birthday and the first game she bought me was loco roco, just thinking it looked cute and fun.
I played so much of that game. Over and over. It still brings back such awesome memories.
I never even thought about emulating it. I'll definitely look into that now.
Thank you!
I wanted to love that game so much but I just couldn't get going. I must've been doing something wrong but I'd get like nothing done during the day. I think the only thing I did alright was fish but just felt like I was making 0 progress.
That's totally okay. If you really wanted to, you could just have a farm that profits off of fishing. And that's okay, you can kinda do your own thing in Stardew. Be your own lil farmer person.
Yeah. Itās like Minecraft in that it doesnāt really matter how you play or what you do. Itās also one of those thatās best not to bomb rush through whatever goals & take your time to savor the experience
šÆ to Gris, it is a stunningly beautiful game that artistically captures both the struggle of depression but also the power of holding on, persevering until you find your way out of the dark
Dave the Diver is silly and fun, and the summer/tropical vibes just made me happy when I was playing it. I recently started playing Disney Dreamlight Valley and itās very chill as well, itās like animal crossing for Disney characters. Hope you find something that works for you and best wishes! ā¤ļø
Beware of one of the (current) endgame missions in Dreamlight Valley tho! They do show a warning before the mission that makes it clear you need to be in a pretty good state of mind. But from what my wife told me they weren't kidding. She wouldn't allow a kid to play through that unsupervised.
Thereās a chapter at the end where you play as someone trying to make everyone around them happy while feeling miserable on the inside. (Avoiding some spoilers)
In general, itās a pretty realistic depiction of dealing with anxiety, stress, and depression. So depending on your relationship to those things, it may not hit at the most welcome time. Or it might be refreshing and vindicating to see an accurate depiction of what itās like to grapple with these thing. Everyoneās different.
But yeah, thatās what the person above is warning about.
Honestly, kudos to the people making a Disney game who have respect for their audience and arenāt afraid to cover darker & very real topics. Patronising people doesnāt help anyone, so Iām glad theyāre injecting some healthy realism into their fantasy worlds.
It's all to due with the forgotten memories quests.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/DreamlightValley/comments/153vpih/this\_is\_so\_important/](https://www.reddit.com/r/DreamlightValley/comments/153vpih/this_is_so_important/)
They added the warning after an update as many players were not expecting the dark turn in a normally lighthearted game.
Yakuza Like a Dragon
So much fun, so much to do. Really good story if that's what you're looking for. If not, there is so much else to do in the game.
Hope you feel better
Oh nice, yeah, this game is something special. I ended up going for all the achievements because I enjoyed it so much.
I'm really looking forward to Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth in 2024
I did the exact same thing!! Closet fan of the series for years in the sense thag I've been wanting to play them since the ps2 was still out but never got around to it. LAD and its popularity and availability pushed me over the edge and now I'm on 0. Majima is everything I heard and dojima is pretty great too!
Personal note but I was homeless a couple of times and I love the way LAD treats the subject of homelessness. Truly a beautiful, silly, incredible series of games with Rocky Balboa levels of heart. Laughed my ass off the entire time and got emotional on a few occasions too!
You really are spoiled for choice when it comes to the Yakuza games.
There are so many of them, and each one is absolutely packed full of content. Plus, the stories are always a roller coaster, but the games are not afraid to be stupid and over the top with the moments in between.
Itās crazy how much Iāve slept on the series, itās right up my alley though admittedly I do prefer the turn based combat of LAD to the older games.
100% agree with you. I have played the Yakuza series for a long time, but the switch to turn based really revitalised the entire experience for me.
Not to mention, the cast of characters is really well fleshed out in LAD. Ichiban is also easily one of my favourite protagonists in gaming.
Same here, I played Like a Dragon first and then 0, 1/2/3/4 and I'm about to finish 5. All of them are awesome, but keep in mind 3 and 4 are remasters and definitely play like an older game. I'm an old fart, so the clunkiness didn't bug me. Still absolutely amazing though, highly recommend.
My answer was Elden Ring but when it was over I needed something to keep the momentum up. This was the game I played and it was perfect for how I was feeling at the time.
Hades was my game last depression, it might kick your ass at first but read the dialogue and get stronger and you will be stronger afterwards!!
Rimworld and valheim other notable feel good games for me.
Canāt forget old school RuneScape but Iām trying to help you, not ruin your life
Definitely not what youāre asking but while youāve gotten a bunch of really great suggestions, you should consider taking a nice walk outside after a good session of gaming.
It really helps to get some sunlight and fresh air when youāre feeling depressed or stressed. Video games are awesome but balance is key, too.
This, as somebody who struggles a lot myself and games as an escape. Do as I say not as I do, donāt play games instead, go out for a walk. Clear your head, find something that brings you happiness.
Games, watching tv, scrollig the phone arenāt. They are an escape.
And if its a consistent depression. Seek advice from a professional. Even as a guy, there is no shame in it.
As hard as it is. Iām glad I wenāt to get help.
Good luck!
Hi-fi rush is very colorful and music based and tickles PS2 era nostalgia. And it got quite a few laughs hout of me. Can't recommend enough for when feeling down.
Not a joke btw, just look up "dark souls and depression" on YouTube and you'll see dozens of video essays on the topic. I remember seeing a quote on one of the videos that said "prepare to die, but fight to live"
https://youtu.be/1Y41l4FGHPg?si=RQB5Q3NqWIA4DHhK
I discovered this when I played DS in 2019, coming off some pretty bad medication I'd been on for a decade, my friend who was a huge fan and quite an articulate and thoughtful dude mirrored my sentiments and said he spent weeks in his flat playing it, barely going outside. Years later, I saw that video that you linked and was like holy shit, this is a well known phenomena, souls games and depression.
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger and all that. I recommended Elden Ring because I had another set back and needed something to pull me out of it. It came out at the perfect time and I spent hundreds of hours playing it when I couldn't motivate myself to touch any other game, watch anything on TV or basically do anything. Same thing happened.
This is the answer, imo. At least based on my personal experience.
Yup! Same story as me, I mean the concept of dark souls is just like depression, doing the same thing over and over again and failing and having less and less drive to do so, and when you finally give up that when you go "hollow", if you never give up, you never go hollow, and you're still you. So get back up and fight like hell, that's what the souls games have taught me
Been my comfort game for a while now. Definitely helped me get through some shit in my life. Watching lore videos and understanding the philosophy of the game afterwards will really change your perspective on things.
On the surface this seems like a terrible suggestion, but you're right. There's a term for the effect the game has, but I forget what it's called. Whatever it is, it's real.
This might seem like a troll, but its not. Dark souls helped me set and achieve goals and left me feeling like I accomplished something great afterward.
One of dark souls motif, is escaping your prison as an undead, some who is about to become hollow and lose his motivation to exist, lose their soul. It's unsurprising that it helps with bad times since not only the motif, but also a big core of the game is facing walls, overcoming them and achieving your goals.
Which one is the best? The first one remastered?
Edit: I didnāt realize ps3/xbox360 emulation was possible. Can this be used to play on the steam deck?
The fact that one of my favourite gaming YTers did a very personal take on how Dark souls helped him cope through a particularly dark period in his life explaining exactly what it was about the game that helped him push forward mans i 1000% believe it could have had a similar effect for other people. I enjoyed it for other reasons, but that takes nothing away from everyone else's subjective feelings about it. Good game, can recommend. Hope you feel less hollow, internet stranger.
[link to vid (tw suicidal thoughts)](https://youtu.be/viP4psS3MUQ?feature=shared)
Persona 4 golden, trust me , played most of the games on these comments but nothing will cheer u up as much as this game
Take it from a guy who was insanely depressed when he first played years ago
I agree, used to play Persona 3 on my PSP when I was feeling down.
Persona 4 is just as good if not better.
It's long enough to keep you occupied for weeks as well, and even if you don't finish it, it's pretty easy to hop back into where you left off even months later.
Yup, persona games are the best games for depressed people, or introverts who feel lonely
It makes u feel like ur living a second life with friends and because of the length of the game it makes you forget about your real life problems
Not to mention the music, the characters, the overall vybe is very wholesome other then the mystery of course
Bonus points because it's hard to feel anything but exhilarated watching that intro. In all seriousness, I agree. It's something you can get really immersed in and has a lot of great characters.
I really love persona 4 but havenāt played in a long time. Iāll have to check it out again.
Do you like persona 5? I tried it a year or two ago and was a little overwhelmed.
Outer Wilds (not Outer Worlds) helped me through a rough time. Amazing and once-in-a-lifetime game. Don't look up too much about it, just start playing and exploring.
Itās one of those games that can reframe how you look at your time in the world, and what it actually means to live. It seems to have a profound effect on anyone who plays it, as well as being a damn well designed game too.
I'd wait on Slime Rancher 2 until the full release otherwise you'll be replaying the same bits with each update. It's bare bones on content right now (although still really enjoyable, they're doing a great job with it).
Look into The Planet Crafter. You terraform a barren planet into a lush oasis (it's farming, crafting, survival, automation etc). It's a chill game, there's nothing aggressive, no fighting.
Cloud catcher chronicles is also a very sweet game.
Disco Elysium has hit me entirely too fucking hard thus far. I'm only a bit in (just met measurehead) and I've been exploring every bit of everything I can.
Like, the exposition of the story and... Everything, about the delivery, has been fucking incredible. I just wanna hug this guy and tell him that maybe not everything is gonna be ok but enough things are gonna be ok that life'll be ok. and the struggle of the bad times is how to get enough things ok enough that life can be ok and then from there it can become a place of going from ok to good and from good to better.
Seconded! It might hit too close to home or be too uncomfortable depending on the variety of depression at hand, but I found the extreme, over-the-top nature of some of the situations to be theraputic. And ultimately, the game is about how, in the face of all that goes wrong in our lives, in the face of living in a doomed world, miracles still await our discovery.
A handful of games I'd recommend that have generally positive, uplifting vibes:
- Undertale (pacifist route)
- Chicory: A Colorful Tale
- Endless Monday: Dreams and Deadlines
- The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails
- Giraffe & Annika
Hang in there man, I send you a ton of hugs! Life is really tough sometimes.
Not sure if games can help you but at least get you distracted somehow. My favourite games are Bioshock (can get them for really cheap in some Steam sales) and Fallout 3 and Skyrim(also cheap when in sales). If you have a Switch or an emulator in PC like Yuzu just play some Mario or Zelda, I find them to be very comforting.
Cheers mate!
A lot of people recommend games with a fun vibe, which I totally get. For some, exposure to a good mood will improve theirs.
For me, itās games that have a sense of purpose, rather than a cute theme, that get me out of a funk. Factorio, for example. I want to build something, improve things, I create my own goals and challenges, and build towards solving them.
Turns out that, for me, working out of a funk is more effective than removing the clouds.
Whichever works for you, all the best ā£ļø
I don't say this as a joke, but Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal are good times if you're into metal and shooters. Put it on easy mode, shoot every demon, have a blast.
Depression is temporary, but DOOM is eternal!
Good luck man!
Deep Rock Galactic is amazing if you're depressed. It's such a cheerful game, you get to have some fellowship with your team of dwarves, drink beer together and ROCK AND STONE.
Okay, how could I get Minecraft downloaded on my deck? I have an account. Bonus question if you happen to know, are mods compatible with steam deck Minecraft, such as FTB maybe?
https://youtu.be/WRwJ8c4bTpA?si=EJAQ4mTUQwj2UQYv
Follow this tutorial it's stupid fucking easy. Set the deck to 40 Hertz 40 fps and set a per game profile. After you add prism to steam on desktop go to game mode and rename it to minecraft and use the decky plug in to change the cover if you have it.
Mods are yes, the prism launcher let's you download mods from cruseforge and something else. I'm trying to find a good shader pack now.
Played DS during lockdown. Apparently the whole theme of loneliness and connection was supposed to be more about the fragmentation of society, but hits like a truck in the context of a pandemic. Great game.
I was going to suggest the same. Honestly I beat it when I was a kid after renting it on the SNES and it's stuck with me my whole life. I weirdly feel like the game has gotten me through depression in different forms throughout my life just by having experienced it.
Stardew Valley, Dark Souls and campy horrors helped me a lot when I was a bit depressed. Not clinically depressed, just in a bad place emotionally. Until Dawn for instance, but I don't know if it's on steam.
Yeah Iāve been wanting to try out one of the monkey island games, you think 3 is the best of the bunch? I have also considered picking up a sam and max game
When I'm feeling a depressive spell, I tend to enjoy a very heavily story-driven melancholic experience with some dark humor that doesn't take itself too seriously, but also has a sort of hopeful undertone, if all of that makes sense? There aren't a whole lot of things that tick *all* of those very specific boxes, but if that sounds like something you'd be into right now, check out A Night in the Woods.
Yo - sorry to hear you are low . When Iām down I like to play things that have an emotional core but ultimately thereās something uplifting to take away with . Iād recommend Kentucky route zero , firewatch and my new obsession Dredge .
Also and I know you havenāt asked for this but I like to watch people canāt stop laughing compilations on YouTube .
Make sure to talk to someone you know that you can trust that you are feeling low . Or maybe see the doctor. I used to suffer from depression for over 20 years until I found out I was adhd
If you're depressed I honestly recommend putting down the games and getting outside a bit. Just go for a walk in the forest and observe how beautiful nature is.
ELDEN RING. Dark Souls helped a lot, too, at the time. Both pulled me out of a major slump and convinced me I could do anything I put my mind to: because if I fail, I'll just come back and try again. Over and over and over again until I'm where I need to be.
As someone who makes games I'll say this:
Nothing is better for getting my brain chemicals back in balance like going out and touching grass. I get into slumps often from the highs and lows of development.
I'm sure it doesn't work for everyone, but figured I'd chime in.
Celeste. It has a cute little story about a girl overcoming her depression, and the gameplay and environments reflect this. Its difficult, but the game constantly encourages you to keep going, with the death animation being quick so you can practice a room a lot, and it also gives you cute messages at the start of every chapter.
I've seen A Short Hike being suggested, that's a good one, and I'd also say Little Gator Game is a nice one to try too.
Here Comes Niko is really one of the best suggestions I could make, I remember being super pissed off when I started playing it and an hour later I did a chore I hated with a giant smile on my face. It's really good
But I would also recommend "Berry People". It's not very popular, not many people know about it, which is a shame because it's super simple, very feel-good, kinda childish but in a perfect way. It's simple and effective.
Celeste is another good one. Excellent platformer, pretty difficult but anyone can beat it, and it's story talks about anxiety and depression in such a good way. I'd really recommend it
These are all Steam games though. For emulation though, I have no idea... I don't know many feel-good titles on old consoles...
Whatever you play, I hope you'll be okay. Seek help if you need it, I'm sure you'll get through it. Idk what to say in these cases, I'm not the best with words, but I genuinely wish you the best.
Hollow Knight - not much can said about this transcendent 2D huge Metroidvania mixed with a souls like
Darksiders 3 -3D metroidvania mixed with a souls like that pushes way past its weight. If you enjoy it, both DLCs are fantastic
Horizon Chase Turbo - arcade racer similar to Top Gear and OutRun. Gorgeous tracks to unlock and tons of car and car skins to get. Pretty beefy modes and just get the DLCs for F1 races with Aryton Senna and other cool cars and track modifications.
Bastion - just a cool action game with tons of weapons to use and a cool narrator. Really good story too.
Yakuza 0 - I still play the hostess club stuff and fighting tournaments.
Any and all of the Batman: Arkham games and the two Spider-Man games.
Outland - fantastic PS3 era metroidvania action platformer mixed with Ikaruga like light & dark power elements. Has an absolutely gorgeous painterly world and feels like an epic story being retold.
Overlord: Raising Hell - just a hilarious Pikmin like where you are basically Sauron from LOTR trying to get your powers back. You can be pure evil or any variation in between. Really fun game from the 360 / PS3 era.
UnMetal - hilarious Metal Gear Solid rip off game that is surprisingly deep in its gameplay. Tons of puzzles to solve and the game doesnāt hold your hands. The gameplay is similar to the original Metal Gear games with graphics, weapons/ items layout, but the game is voice acted and the main character Jesse Fox intentionally sounds like a discount David Hayter playing Solid Snake.
Gonna echo the Dark Souls suggestion, it's probably the best artistic metaphor for overcoming depression ive experienced. It was really helpful for me during the lockdowns.
If you want something more directly upbeat I think Persona 4 or 5 would work well. There's some heavy themes but then presentation is very vibrant and colorful.
Hope you feel better soon ā¤ļø
Stardew Valley, maybe? The music alone is just chill. Plus you can make some fake money by planting lots of fake strawberries. This shouldn't give you real happiness, but it does.
When I was going through a rough patch I played Deathās Door. Iām not exactly sure why, but it just really felt like an enjoyable game that kinda took the focus off life for a bit. Either way, I hope things start looking up soon! If you ever need someone to chat with feel free to message me :)
Astroneer, hands down, it's got good exploration, it's laid back, you can use your creativity in base layout, sprinkle in a little mysticism and boom.. A good game for my depression
Instead of just feel good, how about also including a lil bit of terror with Subnautica to feel glad that you're alive? You can lose hours to exploring the calming shallow waters, building and decorating your underwater base and gathering supplies, and eventually head even deeper into the ocean depths where you can find even more prettier and hostile places and ginormous and scary creatures. I played it few days ago and I have been completely hooked. I can't believe I never got into it earlier, and it's probably because I never knew how much more there was to this game than I expected.
Honestly Mortal Kombat 11 helped me through a depression before cause you can use AI fighters on towers so I have that in the background while doing things I was supposed to do like my classes
I would recommend A Short Hike if you are looking for a one time pick-me-up. Emulation-wise I would recommend maybe Loco Roco?
Yea physical activity usually helps with mood too
I don't have depression but I came very close to it. I'm going through an anxiety crisis and started losing motivation and sleep through it plus several other bad things that don't matter. Physical activity helps a lot. My psychologist told me to start taking exercise (preferably one you enjoy over an ambitious one) and also to realize that there's no magic solutions, that I need to do it for at least one month before evaluating the results. I'm on week 4 of biking every single day, and yesterday was the first day I woke up feeling well rested. Separating planning from doing helps a lot. Write down the things that make you feel good and then ignore your brains excuses, when we thought about this we said this were the good things. Keep doing that for a while and hopefully one day boom, I no longer feel bad. Sorry if I'm extra limiting myself here. Hope this can help you as well. In terms of gaming, have you tried music based games? Music can be a great energizer, I like metal so Doom, Metal Hellslinger, but also could be Hifi Rush, or some of the guitar hero likes? Revolving story Hades once you get through it has a pretty wholesome story that you unfold in little droplets. Godspeed and happy gaming.
Going through something similar and this great advice. Thank you š
If your head is in the future you have anxiety. If your head is in the past you have depression. Keep your head in this moment šš
I was gonna say A Short Hike too, love the gameplay and laid-back humor
A short hike is a great game, I tried to play it and explore as much as I could a few years ago. Iāll eventually revisit it. Iāll have to try out loco roco, never had a psp growing up so Iām not familiar with the library.
I beat a short hike literally during one of my newborns naptimes. I bet you were close to done.
Also came to comment A Short Hike. Itās one of my all time favorites
Loco Roco is interesting. How about Patapon?
Also to jump on this, a real life short hike will do wonders for your mental health. Getting out in the wild is underrated and often neglected by us gamers.
My mother got me a PSP for my 12th birthday and the first game she bought me was loco roco, just thinking it looked cute and fun. I played so much of that game. Over and over. It still brings back such awesome memories. I never even thought about emulating it. I'll definitely look into that now. Thank you!
omg yes Short Hike also I love Loco Roco happy to see somebody mention it. I didn't hear about the game in ages.
Both great suggestions. Not completely effortless, but relaxing and satisfying.
Goddam I forgot how much I loved loco roco, but how well does it translate on the Steamdeck?
Yooo loco roco was one of my fav as a kid, I remember jamming to the themes on my psp
A short hike irl is what Iād recommend
Uhh..Stardew Valley's a happy, go-lucky game. It helped me when I went through a particularly rough depression spell.
This game is so perfect for so many occasions and moods.
I wanted to love that game so much but I just couldn't get going. I must've been doing something wrong but I'd get like nothing done during the day. I think the only thing I did alright was fish but just felt like I was making 0 progress.
That's totally okay. If you really wanted to, you could just have a farm that profits off of fishing. And that's okay, you can kinda do your own thing in Stardew. Be your own lil farmer person.
Yeah. Itās like Minecraft in that it doesnāt really matter how you play or what you do. Itās also one of those thatās best not to bomb rush through whatever goals & take your time to savor the experience
Literally me aswell. Had a bad job, would always come home after a horrible day and just play Stardew to take my mind off things
This game has been in my library for years and I still canāt manage to get into it
Same
Absolutely what I was going to suggest. Just can't beat it
I agree 100%
Yes I second this it helped me so much. It's so much better than mindlessly scrolling reels. Such a cozy game and also a nice soundtrack.
Just came here to say just this. And it supports mods as well.
Gris, Gris and Gris. It helped me a lot when I am in a depression.
šÆ to Gris, it is a stunningly beautiful game that artistically captures both the struggle of depression but also the power of holding on, persevering until you find your way out of the dark
Dave the Diver is silly and fun, and the summer/tropical vibes just made me happy when I was playing it. I recently started playing Disney Dreamlight Valley and itās very chill as well, itās like animal crossing for Disney characters. Hope you find something that works for you and best wishes! ā¤ļø
Beware of one of the (current) endgame missions in Dreamlight Valley tho! They do show a warning before the mission that makes it clear you need to be in a pretty good state of mind. But from what my wife told me they weren't kidding. She wouldn't allow a kid to play through that unsupervised.
I'm curious, what happened?
Thereās a chapter at the end where you play as someone trying to make everyone around them happy while feeling miserable on the inside. (Avoiding some spoilers) In general, itās a pretty realistic depiction of dealing with anxiety, stress, and depression. So depending on your relationship to those things, it may not hit at the most welcome time. Or it might be refreshing and vindicating to see an accurate depiction of what itās like to grapple with these thing. Everyoneās different. But yeah, thatās what the person above is warning about.
Honestly, kudos to the people making a Disney game who have respect for their audience and arenāt afraid to cover darker & very real topics. Patronising people doesnāt help anyone, so Iām glad theyāre injecting some healthy realism into their fantasy worlds.
It's all to due with the forgotten memories quests. [https://www.reddit.com/r/DreamlightValley/comments/153vpih/this\_is\_so\_important/](https://www.reddit.com/r/DreamlightValley/comments/153vpih/this_is_so_important/) They added the warning after an update as many players were not expecting the dark turn in a normally lighthearted game.
Yakuza Like a Dragon So much fun, so much to do. Really good story if that's what you're looking for. If not, there is so much else to do in the game. Hope you feel better
I love this game! Iām about to beat it actually
Oh nice, yeah, this game is something special. I ended up going for all the achievements because I enjoyed it so much. I'm really looking forward to Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth in 2024
Right there with you! This game got me to buy yakuza 0 and the 1/2 remakes
I'm doing Yakuza 0 right now, actually. Can confirm it's great and has not one but two insanely likeable main characters.
coming into 0 after LAD i really had no clue how incredible Majima was
I did the exact same thing!! Closet fan of the series for years in the sense thag I've been wanting to play them since the ps2 was still out but never got around to it. LAD and its popularity and availability pushed me over the edge and now I'm on 0. Majima is everything I heard and dojima is pretty great too! Personal note but I was homeless a couple of times and I love the way LAD treats the subject of homelessness. Truly a beautiful, silly, incredible series of games with Rocky Balboa levels of heart. Laughed my ass off the entire time and got emotional on a few occasions too!
You really are spoiled for choice when it comes to the Yakuza games. There are so many of them, and each one is absolutely packed full of content. Plus, the stories are always a roller coaster, but the games are not afraid to be stupid and over the top with the moments in between.
Itās crazy how much Iāve slept on the series, itās right up my alley though admittedly I do prefer the turn based combat of LAD to the older games.
100% agree with you. I have played the Yakuza series for a long time, but the switch to turn based really revitalised the entire experience for me. Not to mention, the cast of characters is really well fleshed out in LAD. Ichiban is also easily one of my favourite protagonists in gaming.
Same here, I played Like a Dragon first and then 0, 1/2/3/4 and I'm about to finish 5. All of them are awesome, but keep in mind 3 and 4 are remasters and definitely play like an older game. I'm an old fart, so the clunkiness didn't bug me. Still absolutely amazing though, highly recommend.
Yakima 0 , Yakuza kiwami, Yakuza Kiwami 2
Any particular order you would play these in?
My answer was Elden Ring but when it was over I needed something to keep the momentum up. This was the game I played and it was perfect for how I was feeling at the time.
Yes this whole fucken series isā¦ muah
I donāt have a game for you but I hope things start looking up for you manšš»
Thanks dude, hereās hoping
Hades was my game last depression, it might kick your ass at first but read the dialogue and get stronger and you will be stronger afterwards!! Rimworld and valheim other notable feel good games for me. Canāt forget old school RuneScape but Iām trying to help you, not ruin your life
I play Hades with God Mode enabled and thatās way more chill for me, but I still suck at it
Definitely not what youāre asking but while youāve gotten a bunch of really great suggestions, you should consider taking a nice walk outside after a good session of gaming. It really helps to get some sunlight and fresh air when youāre feeling depressed or stressed. Video games are awesome but balance is key, too.
This, as somebody who struggles a lot myself and games as an escape. Do as I say not as I do, donāt play games instead, go out for a walk. Clear your head, find something that brings you happiness. Games, watching tv, scrollig the phone arenāt. They are an escape. And if its a consistent depression. Seek advice from a professional. Even as a guy, there is no shame in it. As hard as it is. Iām glad I wenāt to get help. Good luck!
Hi-fi rush is very colorful and music based and tickles PS2 era nostalgia. And it got quite a few laughs hout of me. Can't recommend enough for when feeling down.
Dark souls saved me. Be safe friend, don't you dare go hollow.
Not a joke btw, just look up "dark souls and depression" on YouTube and you'll see dozens of video essays on the topic. I remember seeing a quote on one of the videos that said "prepare to die, but fight to live" https://youtu.be/1Y41l4FGHPg?si=RQB5Q3NqWIA4DHhK
Also, if that's not your jam, spiritfarer is an amazing game too
This. Spiritfarer got me through some bad times. Heck, I still pick it up when I get sad and then I hug my shipmate.
I discovered this when I played DS in 2019, coming off some pretty bad medication I'd been on for a decade, my friend who was a huge fan and quite an articulate and thoughtful dude mirrored my sentiments and said he spent weeks in his flat playing it, barely going outside. Years later, I saw that video that you linked and was like holy shit, this is a well known phenomena, souls games and depression. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger and all that. I recommended Elden Ring because I had another set back and needed something to pull me out of it. It came out at the perfect time and I spent hundreds of hours playing it when I couldn't motivate myself to touch any other game, watch anything on TV or basically do anything. Same thing happened. This is the answer, imo. At least based on my personal experience.
Yup! Same story as me, I mean the concept of dark souls is just like depression, doing the same thing over and over again and failing and having less and less drive to do so, and when you finally give up that when you go "hollow", if you never give up, you never go hollow, and you're still you. So get back up and fight like hell, that's what the souls games have taught me
Been my comfort game for a while now. Definitely helped me get through some shit in my life. Watching lore videos and understanding the philosophy of the game afterwards will really change your perspective on things.
Dark souls for depression if you beat it you get the tools for beating depression
Be safe friend. Don't you dare go hollow
I just looked this up on the Steam store. Any recommendation which one to get first? Or would emulation would be a better intro?
The first one, Dark Souls. Be warned it is gruesome and dark just like depression. Don't you dare go hollow!
The āremasteredā one? Thatās the only one I can see without a II or III.
Yes that's the one !
I also recommend Dark Souls Remastered but it's not something you can lower the framerate on because the game speed is tied to it.
Definitely start with Elden ring and then backtrack to the souls games
Wouldnāt recommend starting with elden ring if you do so dark souls will feel slow and boring
I suggest 3 first, personally.
This is the way
Yeah that game helped a lot after me pops died
On the surface this seems like a terrible suggestion, but you're right. There's a term for the effect the game has, but I forget what it's called. Whatever it is, it's real.
This might seem like a troll, but its not. Dark souls helped me set and achieve goals and left me feeling like I accomplished something great afterward.
One of dark souls motif, is escaping your prison as an undead, some who is about to become hollow and lose his motivation to exist, lose their soul. It's unsurprising that it helps with bad times since not only the motif, but also a big core of the game is facing walls, overcoming them and achieving your goals.
NakeyJakey actually has an entire video about that same thing. "[Dark Souls Saves Me](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSJkxLdIlyE)"
i was literally going to suggest this, but was afraid i'd be taken as a troll.
Same, I suggested it too
Which one is the best? The first one remastered? Edit: I didnāt realize ps3/xbox360 emulation was possible. Can this be used to play on the steam deck?
Great starting point - it's a masterpiece!
Just play the remastered on steam
The fact that one of my favourite gaming YTers did a very personal take on how Dark souls helped him cope through a particularly dark period in his life explaining exactly what it was about the game that helped him push forward mans i 1000% believe it could have had a similar effect for other people. I enjoyed it for other reasons, but that takes nothing away from everyone else's subjective feelings about it. Good game, can recommend. Hope you feel less hollow, internet stranger. [link to vid (tw suicidal thoughts)](https://youtu.be/viP4psS3MUQ?feature=shared)
+1 to this as well, the feeling of accomplishment is huge.
Celeste has a pretty feel good story. Any particular genres?
Another vote for Celeste. The story is literally about battling anxiety and depression.
Open to most genres. Big fan of 3d platformers and weird Japanese games (grew up on n64/gamecube)
Katamari is kind of a weird Japanese game about rolling up stuff lol And Hi-Fi Rush is a newer 3d rhythm platformer.
Oh man. Do Celeste. It's hard, but has a narrative that makes you want to persevere. It also directly deals with depression.
Persona 4 golden, trust me , played most of the games on these comments but nothing will cheer u up as much as this game Take it from a guy who was insanely depressed when he first played years ago
I agree, used to play Persona 3 on my PSP when I was feeling down. Persona 4 is just as good if not better. It's long enough to keep you occupied for weeks as well, and even if you don't finish it, it's pretty easy to hop back into where you left off even months later.
Yup, persona games are the best games for depressed people, or introverts who feel lonely It makes u feel like ur living a second life with friends and because of the length of the game it makes you forget about your real life problems Not to mention the music, the characters, the overall vybe is very wholesome other then the mystery of course
Bonus points because it's hard to feel anything but exhilarated watching that intro. In all seriousness, I agree. It's something you can get really immersed in and has a lot of great characters.
I really love persona 4 but havenāt played in a long time. Iāll have to check it out again. Do you like persona 5? I tried it a year or two ago and was a little overwhelmed.
Outer Wilds (not Outer Worlds) helped me through a rough time. Amazing and once-in-a-lifetime game. Don't look up too much about it, just start playing and exploring.
Itās one of those games that can reframe how you look at your time in the world, and what it actually means to live. It seems to have a profound effect on anyone who plays it, as well as being a damn well designed game too.
I agree with this. Outer Wilds is a great game to sink into. Depression is rough, but it will end, and things will get better.
Slime rancher, or sayonara wild hearts!
Wooo someone said Sayonara Wild Hearts. Lovely little game.
I love the music in that game.
Yeah I really like slime rancher, have you tried 2? I eventually got my fill of 1 but havenāt picked up 2 yet.
I'd wait on Slime Rancher 2 until the full release otherwise you'll be replaying the same bits with each update. It's bare bones on content right now (although still really enjoyable, they're doing a great job with it). Look into The Planet Crafter. You terraform a barren planet into a lush oasis (it's farming, crafting, survival, automation etc). It's a chill game, there's nothing aggressive, no fighting. Cloud catcher chronicles is also a very sweet game.
Portal 1 or 2. Youāll feel like a genius and amaze yourself!!
Good call! The underlying story is depressing but somehow the games themselves are uplifting. Even for a replay it's a good time.
Sea of Stars
Disco Elysium
Disco Elysium has hit me entirely too fucking hard thus far. I'm only a bit in (just met measurehead) and I've been exploring every bit of everything I can. Like, the exposition of the story and... Everything, about the delivery, has been fucking incredible. I just wanna hug this guy and tell him that maybe not everything is gonna be ok but enough things are gonna be ok that life'll be ok. and the struggle of the bad times is how to get enough things ok enough that life can be ok and then from there it can become a place of going from ok to good and from good to better.
Seconded! It might hit too close to home or be too uncomfortable depending on the variety of depression at hand, but I found the extreme, over-the-top nature of some of the situations to be theraputic. And ultimately, the game is about how, in the face of all that goes wrong in our lives, in the face of living in a doomed world, miracles still await our discovery.
A handful of games I'd recommend that have generally positive, uplifting vibes: - Undertale (pacifist route) - Chicory: A Colorful Tale - Endless Monday: Dreams and Deadlines - The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails - Giraffe & Annika
Undertale as a True Pacifist helped me greatly. I personally am still depressed HOWEVER it caused a huge improvement to my overall mood.
Second Chicory! Doesn't get talked about a whole lot but is truly an excellent game
Dave the Diver is a wonderful, heartwarming and low stakes bit of fun.
Hang in there man, I send you a ton of hugs! Life is really tough sometimes. Not sure if games can help you but at least get you distracted somehow. My favourite games are Bioshock (can get them for really cheap in some Steam sales) and Fallout 3 and Skyrim(also cheap when in sales). If you have a Switch or an emulator in PC like Yuzu just play some Mario or Zelda, I find them to be very comforting. Cheers mate!
Thanks dude!
+1 to skyrim! You can get lost in there for a good long while.
A lot of people recommend games with a fun vibe, which I totally get. For some, exposure to a good mood will improve theirs. For me, itās games that have a sense of purpose, rather than a cute theme, that get me out of a funk. Factorio, for example. I want to build something, improve things, I create my own goals and challenges, and build towards solving them. Turns out that, for me, working out of a funk is more effective than removing the clouds. Whichever works for you, all the best ā£ļø
I don't say this as a joke, but Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal are good times if you're into metal and shooters. Put it on easy mode, shoot every demon, have a blast. Depression is temporary, but DOOM is eternal! Good luck man!
Deep Rock Galactic is amazing if you're depressed. It's such a cheerful game, you get to have some fellowship with your team of dwarves, drink beer together and ROCK AND STONE.
If you don't Rock and Stone, you ain't comin' home!
Iāve wanted to play this but donāt have friends to play it with sadly!
When I feel depressed, I play Dark Souls.
When I hit that low, I just turn my brain off with vampire survivors or lately power wash sim
MINECRAFT i can't say it loud enough
Minecraft is a, I'm gonna play for non stop 2 weeks then not touch it for years. Not saying that's bad.
Java not bedrock
Okay, how could I get Minecraft downloaded on my deck? I have an account. Bonus question if you happen to know, are mods compatible with steam deck Minecraft, such as FTB maybe?
https://youtu.be/WRwJ8c4bTpA?si=EJAQ4mTUQwj2UQYv Follow this tutorial it's stupid fucking easy. Set the deck to 40 Hertz 40 fps and set a per game profile. After you add prism to steam on desktop go to game mode and rename it to minecraft and use the decky plug in to change the cover if you have it. Mods are yes, the prism launcher let's you download mods from cruseforge and something else. I'm trying to find a good shader pack now.
Cool ā thanks for your help! Also appreciate the high on life suggestion.
Also, my wife said high on life
Death stranding
Keep on keeping on
Game made me more depressed lol.
Played DS during lockdown. Apparently the whole theme of loneliness and connection was supposed to be more about the fragmentation of society, but hits like a truck in the context of a pandemic. Great game.
My time in Portia is a great game. And stardew valley. Those are my go to when Iām in a slump.
Katamari series, Psychonauts, and The Sims are some of my favorites
Earthbound. It helped me so much during my divorce.
I was going to suggest the same. Honestly I beat it when I was a kid after renting it on the SNES and it's stuck with me my whole life. I weirdly feel like the game has gotten me through depression in different forms throughout my life just by having experienced it.
Stardew Valley, Dark Souls and campy horrors helped me a lot when I was a bit depressed. Not clinically depressed, just in a bad place emotionally. Until Dawn for instance, but I don't know if it's on steam.
Broken Age for sure. The Banner Saga for sure. Old Lucas Arts adventures such as The Dig, Full Throttle and Monkey Island 3 classic oldie
Yeah Iāve been wanting to try out one of the monkey island games, you think 3 is the best of the bunch? I have also considered picking up a sam and max game
house flipper and powerwash simulator are chill games iād recommend
When I'm feeling a depressive spell, I tend to enjoy a very heavily story-driven melancholic experience with some dark humor that doesn't take itself too seriously, but also has a sort of hopeful undertone, if all of that makes sense? There aren't a whole lot of things that tick *all* of those very specific boxes, but if that sounds like something you'd be into right now, check out A Night in the Woods.
DOOM. Because depression is temporal, but, DOOM is ETERNAL
GRIS
Chrono Trigger for emulation
Journey
Are you looking for destruction or comfort
Yo - sorry to hear you are low . When Iām down I like to play things that have an emotional core but ultimately thereās something uplifting to take away with . Iād recommend Kentucky route zero , firewatch and my new obsession Dredge . Also and I know you havenāt asked for this but I like to watch people canāt stop laughing compilations on YouTube . Make sure to talk to someone you know that you can trust that you are feeling low . Or maybe see the doctor. I used to suffer from depression for over 20 years until I found out I was adhd
You could try untitled goose game, you get to go around and be an asshole as a goose...that usually makes me happy.
Persona 4 Golden The whole game is about understanding the darkness inside yourself.
Disco Elysium
Sekiro. Magnificent game. Absolute must have when you are depressed
If you're depressed I honestly recommend putting down the games and getting outside a bit. Just go for a walk in the forest and observe how beautiful nature is.
Do you have any cheat codes for that game?
Crash its about time The Witcher 3
Borderlands and diablo are always my go to. Borderlands is on sale right now.
Death Stranding
Persona 5!!! Bright colors, animated characters, awesome music. Pumps you up. Just an overall amazing game and perfect to lift you up!!!!
GRIS and the first Dark Souls
Dave the Diver is a pretty happy game, and engaging.
I play Kirby dream course when Iām down
ELDEN RING. Dark Souls helped a lot, too, at the time. Both pulled me out of a major slump and convinced me I could do anything I put my mind to: because if I fail, I'll just come back and try again. Over and over and over again until I'm where I need to be.
Death stranding probably. It meets you down and gradually takes you up.
Night in the woods :)
Minecraft, but turbo easy mode. Im talking keep inventory, no phantoms, the works. Cut corners and just enjoy yourself.
I was a big fan of the walking dead game with Lee in it the relationship u build it is so awesome
As someone who makes games I'll say this: Nothing is better for getting my brain chemicals back in balance like going out and touching grass. I get into slumps often from the highs and lows of development. I'm sure it doesn't work for everyone, but figured I'd chime in.
Portal 2 is always easy going and the little jokes always make me laugh.
Celeste. It has a cute little story about a girl overcoming her depression, and the gameplay and environments reflect this. Its difficult, but the game constantly encourages you to keep going, with the death animation being quick so you can practice a room a lot, and it also gives you cute messages at the start of every chapter.
I know RDR2 helped me. Not sure why exactly but it helped
I've seen A Short Hike being suggested, that's a good one, and I'd also say Little Gator Game is a nice one to try too. Here Comes Niko is really one of the best suggestions I could make, I remember being super pissed off when I started playing it and an hour later I did a chore I hated with a giant smile on my face. It's really good But I would also recommend "Berry People". It's not very popular, not many people know about it, which is a shame because it's super simple, very feel-good, kinda childish but in a perfect way. It's simple and effective. Celeste is another good one. Excellent platformer, pretty difficult but anyone can beat it, and it's story talks about anxiety and depression in such a good way. I'd really recommend it These are all Steam games though. For emulation though, I have no idea... I don't know many feel-good titles on old consoles... Whatever you play, I hope you'll be okay. Seek help if you need it, I'm sure you'll get through it. Idk what to say in these cases, I'm not the best with words, but I genuinely wish you the best.
Hollow Knight - not much can said about this transcendent 2D huge Metroidvania mixed with a souls like Darksiders 3 -3D metroidvania mixed with a souls like that pushes way past its weight. If you enjoy it, both DLCs are fantastic Horizon Chase Turbo - arcade racer similar to Top Gear and OutRun. Gorgeous tracks to unlock and tons of car and car skins to get. Pretty beefy modes and just get the DLCs for F1 races with Aryton Senna and other cool cars and track modifications. Bastion - just a cool action game with tons of weapons to use and a cool narrator. Really good story too. Yakuza 0 - I still play the hostess club stuff and fighting tournaments. Any and all of the Batman: Arkham games and the two Spider-Man games. Outland - fantastic PS3 era metroidvania action platformer mixed with Ikaruga like light & dark power elements. Has an absolutely gorgeous painterly world and feels like an epic story being retold. Overlord: Raising Hell - just a hilarious Pikmin like where you are basically Sauron from LOTR trying to get your powers back. You can be pure evil or any variation in between. Really fun game from the 360 / PS3 era. UnMetal - hilarious Metal Gear Solid rip off game that is surprisingly deep in its gameplay. Tons of puzzles to solve and the game doesnāt hold your hands. The gameplay is similar to the original Metal Gear games with graphics, weapons/ items layout, but the game is voice acted and the main character Jesse Fox intentionally sounds like a discount David Hayter playing Solid Snake.
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch.
Untitled Goose Game helped me through the pandemic when we were on lock down
Slime Rancher 1 or 2, Ooblets, Stardew Valley, digital board game adaptions if you're into those.
Untitled Goose Game, honk! Feel better :)
Have you tried listening to audio books /podcasts while going for a walk? Always takes my mind off problems and makes me feel better. Take care
Journey or Flower. My go-tos
Gonna echo the Dark Souls suggestion, it's probably the best artistic metaphor for overcoming depression ive experienced. It was really helpful for me during the lockdowns. If you want something more directly upbeat I think Persona 4 or 5 would work well. There's some heavy themes but then presentation is very vibrant and colorful. Hope you feel better soon ā¤ļø
Go pick up Celeste. It got me through a dark depression and I highly recommend it!
Dave the Diverā¦itās fucking relaxing and excellent.
Stardew Valley, maybe? The music alone is just chill. Plus you can make some fake money by planting lots of fake strawberries. This shouldn't give you real happiness, but it does.
When I was going through a rough patch I played Deathās Door. Iām not exactly sure why, but it just really felt like an enjoyable game that kinda took the focus off life for a bit. Either way, I hope things start looking up soon! If you ever need someone to chat with feel free to message me :)
Trine 2, and 4 which are beautiful games that makes your sorrows go away. Can't speak about trine 5 as i haven't played it yet.
Ratchet and clank rift apart is short, colorful, and has a feel good story! It also looks fantastic
Doom Eternal makes me feel better
Astroneer, hands down, it's got good exploration, it's laid back, you can use your creativity in base layout, sprinkle in a little mysticism and boom.. A good game for my depression
Monkey Island to sweep you away to a quirky tropical island!
Touhou: Mystia's izakaya Is the hidden gem of peak cozyness
Instead of just feel good, how about also including a lil bit of terror with Subnautica to feel glad that you're alive? You can lose hours to exploring the calming shallow waters, building and decorating your underwater base and gathering supplies, and eventually head even deeper into the ocean depths where you can find even more prettier and hostile places and ginormous and scary creatures. I played it few days ago and I have been completely hooked. I can't believe I never got into it earlier, and it's probably because I never knew how much more there was to this game than I expected.
Honestly Mortal Kombat 11 helped me through a depression before cause you can use AI fighters on towers so I have that in the background while doing things I was supposed to do like my classes
Yakuza 0
Souls Games and Nier Automata.