The Ultimate Guide To Relaxing Games: Unwind With The Best Picks

The world can be tough sometimes, so we’ve put together this list of the best relaxing games to help you out. Whether you’re looking for a laid-back business management game, a wholesome life sim, or a perfect puzzle game, there’s something here to help you unwind. With the right game, you can escape into a world of creativity and relaxation, leaving your stress behind.

If you fancy some more chill vibes, be sure to check out our lists of the best cozy games, the best farm games, or the best life sims. Or, to switch things up a bit, head over to our list of the best Switch RPGs. Each of these games offers a unique experience that allows you to take a break from reality and immerse yourself in a soothing environment.

Here are the best relaxing games on Switch and mobile:

Legend of Mushroom – mobile

Legend of Mushroom is a surprisingly cathartic idle mobile RPG that sees you take control of a little mushroom that dreams of evolving into a human. Simply set up your little fungi friend with the best equipment and pets you’ve got, switch on auto-battle, and let the lil’ guys get to it.

Beyond that, you can also engage in quick arena battles with other players, take parts in limited-time events, and mine for resources. It’s simple, sweet, and surprisingly moreish, and we often find ourselves giggling at the silly little armor pieces and weapons that we come across – who doesn’t want a little shroom friend with flower-shaped glasses and a slipper as a weapon?

To get you started, be sure to check out our Legend of Mushroom tier list and grab some goodies with our Legend of Mushroom codes guide.

A Short Hike – Switch

A Short Hike is a magical little experience. Just like the name suggests, it’s barely over an hour of exploring a gorgeous little island, meeting friends, and attempting to make it to the top of the mountain. The crunchy pixels of the art style, the off-the-cuff dialogue, and the overall vibe of the game creates a perfectly chill experience.

Stardew Valley – Switch and mobile

Stardew Valley perfected the farming simulator, and then extended it in every direction. The core focus of the game is building up a little patch of farmland in a remote town. But as time goes on you meet the various people who live there, explore dangerous underground caverns, and also do a bit of fishing.

It’s a classic among relaxing games, and gripping enough to get lost in for dozens of hours. If you’ve already had your fill of Stardew, check out our Witchbrook release date guide to get ready for the developer’s next game.

Untitled Goose Game – Switch

The Untitled Goose Game took the world by storm with its open, Debussy-esque piano and hilarious premise, featuring a nasty goose ready to play pranks on various people in a little British town. Interestingly, the developer built the town by using Google maps, as they had never actually visited the UK.

The result is a quaint patchwork of brick and lakes, pubs and phone boxes, all ripe for pranks to be pulled. It’s a light-hearted experience that brings a smile every time!

Animal Crossing – Switch and mobile

Animal Crossing is the pinnacle of relaxing games. It’s all about hanging out, doing some chores, and enjoying the breeze. The Switch version, Animal Crossing: New Horizons offers a robust island-building experience, full of furniture and clothes to create, characters to befriend, and many, many ways to customize your haven in the ocean.

On mobile, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, you get a condensed version, all about building out a campsite. Both are all about hanging out, and that’s chill as heck.

Sunrise Village – mobile

It’s time for you to take a trip to Sunrise Village, where the stresses of your day-to-day life will melt away, and you’ll lose yourself in a peaceful world where your only concerns are expanding your farm and gathering supplies to fulfill orders. The simple routine of gathering, building, and expanding is one that will be familiar to fans of games like Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing.

What makes this a super relaxing game is that it is free-to-play. You don’t even need to worry about justifying the costs to yourself, you just need to download the game and then head down to the farm for some good times.

Mineko’s Night Market – Switch

Mineko’s Night Market is a super chill life and social sim that sees you take to the shoes of a young girl called Mineko who moves to a remote island with her dad. Uncover the mysteries of the island, help the Sun God Nikko and the cat population return to their home, and make a whole heap of friends along the way.

You also get to do a bunch of fun, chill things along the way, including foraging materials, crafting items to sell at the market, fishing, giving gifts, and even petting all those kitties you’ve helped along the way. It’s simple, it’s sweet, and it’s most certainly relaxing.

Alto’s Adventure – mobile

If we’re talking chill, there’s nothing more chill than snowboarding down a frosty mountain. That’s all Alto’s Adventure is about, with a set of challenges to complete as you repeat procedurally generated runs. The mountain turns from desolate cold and busy woods, to small sets of buildings and great leaps across chasms.

Captain