5 Relaxing Video Games to Play When you Need to De-Stress

When you think of video games, you may first think of fast-paced competitive games.  You may think of video games with complex stories, intricate puzzles, juggling multiple weapons, or games with 30 characters whose names you’ll have to memorize.  And, when you’re looking for a game to help you relax, those kinds of games will bring up more stress and maybe some rage.  Video games are about fun, but not all of us like our fun to be complicated. Sometimes what you want is a nice relaxing game after a long stressful day. We at Fandom Spotlite would like to recommend 5 video games to help you relax and decompress.

Pokemon Snap – Nintendo Switch 

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Pokemon Snap is a relaxing game where it’s your job to take pictures of Pokemon. That is it. You will visit different places in the Lentil Region and discover all kinds of Pokemon. You use your Nintendo Switch as a camera and get the best photos to put in a Pokedex and research books. The only difficult choice you’ll make is what photos to submit.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Switch 

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Animal Crossing: New Horizon is a fun game that allows you to escape the stresses of the real world and enter a virtual one with cute talking animals. You create an avatar version of yourself and work together with your neighbors to create a beautiful island. You can fish, grow flowers, catch bugs, wish on falling stars, and even help a lost ghost. Each day brings something new for you to do, explore, and enjoy.

Stardew Valley – Steam 

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Stardew Valley is an RPG Simulator, similar to Animal Crossing. In this game, you’ve inherited your grandfather’s old farm plot in Stardew Valley. Armed with hand-me-down tools and a few coins, you set out to begin your new life. Can you learn to live off the land and turn these overgrown fields into a thriving home? It’s a farming game essentially, which means you have to toil soil, feed the animals, do repairs, and turn it into something profitable. The game moves slowly, so there is no rush in doing a million things at once. Just enjoy a simple life on your farm with your cute animals.

Lego Games – Multiple Platforms

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If you are looking for something more linear with a clear story, the Lego games are for you. These games are often based on popular fandom franchises from Marvel, DC, Harry Potter, Disney, and even The Hobbit. You can play alone or with friends as you relive key moments from the films. Lego games have simple puzzles and fun challenges that keep you entertained but won’t raise your blood pressure.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch

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Breath of the Wild is for the gamer who wants just a little more challenge but without some of the complexities that games like Final Fantasy, The Witcher, or Resident Evil have. You play as Link as he flows the clues left by Princess Zelda. The game’s graphics are unlike anything else, and you can explore the beauty of this open world. The puzzles have varying degrees of difficulty, but the game often provides hints on how to solve them. The story alone is worth playing, which is why Breath of the Wild has been helmed as one of the best video games of all time.

These are 5 video games for those looking to decompress. They are also great recommendations for new gamers and younger gamers. No matter what you choose to play, always remember to have fun.

What’s your favorite game to play when you want to relax? Please share with us in the comments and online.


About Yali Perez

When she's not writing about pop culture for Fandom Spotlite, curating social media for the*gameHERS, or helping to produce the DB4L podcast, she is a single mom to the coolest kid in the world. In Yali's free time she likes to bake, exercise, watch horror films, and play Mario Kart. Yali's goal as a writer is to share her nontraditional and colorful view of the world with readers everywhere.

View all posts by Yali Perez

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