What are the best easy games? Sometimes you just want to chill out with something light and easy instead of playing a giant open-world adventure with hundreds of characters and a backlog of quests. That's where we come in - we've compiled a list of the best easy games to keep you occupied, but not overstimulated.
Still looking for more games? No worries, we've got lists of the best cheap games, free games, and puzzle games on Switch and mobile to keep your wishlists full and your brains occupied.
Here are the best easy games:
Animal Crossing
Portable platforms: Mobile and Nintendo Switch
Live the relaxing island life in Animal Crossing. Decorate your homestead, make some friends, fish, and catch bugs until the sun sets. Tom Nook's getaway package provides all this and more for those who wish to leave the bustling city behind. Check out our picks of the best Animal Crossing plush and see which villagers you can get with Animal Crossing amiibo cards, too. You can also go read our Animal Crossing: New Horizons review to get a better idea of the game.
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp provides an even more laid-back experience, as it's on mobile platforms and only requires the tap of a finger on your screen to talk to villagers and take part in daily activities such as shopping, mini-games, and decorating your camper van.
Camper Van: Make it Home
Portable platforms: Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch
For those of us who like to unpack boxes and place items in aesthetically pleasing ways, Camper Van: Make it Home is a must-play. All you have to do is chill out and open boxes, unpack items, and arrange them in your very own camper van.
You can even get a pet, including the option of a giant blue lizard, as you work through different stages set in different seasons and locations. Eventually, you get a two-storey bus to decorate, giving you plenty of options for placement.
Disney Dreamlight Valley
Portable platforms: Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and mobile
Dreamlight Valley truly makes a lot of our dreams come true - you can hang out with Wall-E, Moana, Goofy, and many more characters, in your own customizable locale, while fishing and farming to keep your kitchen running. The quests are all relatively simple, making for a lovely, easy game, and it's just a wholesome time as you stroll along beaches and through forests.
Grab these Disney Dreamlight Valley codes for some free decorative items in the game and check out the latest Disney Dreamlight Valley update to see who's joining the valley next. If you want to know more about the game, read our Disney Dreamlight Valley review.
Play Disney Dreamlight Valley on Apple Arcade now.
Firewatch
Portable platforms: Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch
If you've not played Firewatch, then we highly recommend you do. Firewatch is a narrative adventure game where you take on the role of Henry, a fire lookout in Wyoming's mountains.
As you keep your eyes peeled for fires and smoke, you get to know another ranger on the other end of your radio. Gameplay involves choices for what you say to them, but that's the only real challenge. Just try to be nice, for Henry's sake.
Hello Kitty Island Adventure
Portable platforms: Apple Arcade, Steam Deck, and Nintendo Switch
If you want something to fill the Animal Crossing-shaped hole, and you have an iPhone, then Hello Kitty Island Adventure is for you. Make your own adorable animal character and set about fulfilling the wants and needs of your neighbors, who are all Sanrio characters!
Meanwhile, those of us without access to Apple Arcade will have to make do with other entries in this list (no, I'm not sad about it, how could you tell?). If you do have access, then check out our Hello Kitty Island Adventure gift and Hello Kitty Island Adventure luggage guides. If you're on the fence, go read our Hello Kitty Island Adventure review first.
Play Hello Kitty Island Adventure now.
Lake
Portable platforms: Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch
Ever wanted to get away from it all and become a postie in a small American town? Perfect! You should play Lake. Set in 1986, you become Meredith, who is taking a break from city life for two weeks and picks up some shifts delivering mail.
Gameplay-wise, there's some walking, a fair bit of driving, and a lot of conversations with different people, featuring plenty of wholesome moments.
Lego Builder's Journey
Portable platforms: Mobile and Nintendo Switch
Who doesn't like playing with Lego? Builder's Journey allows you to craft creations anywhere and any time you like, without needing physical space. Solve puzzles in this pleasant pastel world filled with brick-related obstacles.
The simplistic design and mechanics make it a breeze to play, being one of the most relaxing games on Switch and mobile. If you're looking for something that is the perfect game for chilling out with, there aren't many better than Lego Builder's Journey.
Play Lego Builder's Journey on Apple Arcade now.
Let's Go: Eevee and Pikachu
Portable platforms: Nintendo Switch
2018 saw the release of Let's Go Eevee and Pikachu, spiritual remakes of the classic Pokémon Yellow, set in the Kanto region. The games feature the original 151 Pokémon and have a fairly short story, and they only use one Joy-Con to control the game for the most part. They're nice to look at, nice to play, and definitely some of the easiest Pokémon games out there.
If you're still in need of a little help, then we've got you covered. Here are our electric Pokémon weaknesses, poison Pokémon weaknesses, and ghost Pokémon weaknesses guides.
PowerWash Simulator
Portable platforms: Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch
Not only is PowerWash Simulator one of the most relaxing games on the market, but it's also a pretty darn easy game. You walk around different job sites blasting water at dirty surfaces. That's it. You clean stuff. But oh boy, is it addictive.
The FuturLab team is pumping out the updates, too - following Lara Croft and Final Fantasy expansions, there's a SpongeBob SquarePants DLC, too. Take a peek at our PowerWash Simulator review for some more thoughts.
Sky: Children of the Light
Portable platforms: Mobile, Steam Deck, and Nintendo Switch
The creators of Journey bring us Sky: Children of the Light, a free game for you and other players to soar through. The aim of the game is to relax with others in one of the best easy games - play some music, fly through the clouds, and discover the seven realms that await.
There's no on-screen UI or convoluted flight controls here, just a nice and breezy adventure. Read our Sky: Children of the Light review.
Squiggle Drop
Portable platforms: Mobile
Squiggle Drop is a perfect game for playing while consuming other media or traveling to and from work. With 100 levels, there's plenty to keep you going as you solve puzzles with creativity and imagination - draw a shape of your own creation and see what happens.
Every level gives rewards that help you build up Squiggletown, your very own city, too.
Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life
Portable platforms: Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch
Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life is a remake of the GameCube classic and is a very laid-back experience. There are no confusing crop cycles to memorize or new-fangled tools; it's just a nice, easy, farm game with some romanceable NPCs that you can build a family with.
We've got a Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life review if you'd like more information on it.
Suika Game
Portable platforms: Mobile
Smiley-faced fruits. What more could you want? Suika Game presents a flavorful puzzle game in which you drop fruits onto each other to match them up and merge them into bigger and better fruits. Think Disney's Tsum Tsum Line games of old.
There's not a huge story or an expansive roster of characters to deal with here, and these smiley fruits will keep you coming back for more.
Well, there you go, plenty of easy games to try. For a bit of a change, check out these Wuthering Waves codes, Dress to Impress codes, and AFK Journey codes for in-game currency and boosts as you adventure onwards.