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.
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.
Here are the best relaxing games:
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. It’s one of my favorite games on the Switch.
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 (check out our Stardew Vallew fish guide to get to grips with it).
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 goose is loose and ready to be obtuse. 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.
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.
Sky: Children of the Light – Switch and mobile
Sky: Children of the Light is a beautifully crafted, award winning puzzle-adventure game with social elements. It invites you to explore a stunning kingdom across seven realms, as you meet and play with new friends and create enriching memories with people from all around the world.
The stylized art style is truly stunning, and the game is full of countless ways to customize your character and express yourself, with new looks and accessories coming in each update. And, with fresh content and exciting events popping up all the time, there’s always something to look forward to – just check out our Sky Season of Moomin review to get a taste. Whether you’re running, gliding, swimming, or sitting at a tea party, there are endless ways to relax in this stunning little gem
We were lucky enough to attend the first-ever SkyFest in Tokyo, Japan to celebrate the game’s fifth anniversary in 2024, and it was a truly magical time. If you want to find out more, you can check out our Sky: Children of the Light interview, where we chat with the game’s art director and community manager about inspirations, music, and more.
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, all while celebrating Japanese culture in a really sweet way. Check out our full Minekeo’s Night Market review to find out more!
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. We think it’s great, as you can see in Alto’s Adventure: The Spirit of the Mountain review.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker – Switch
Toad may have one of the most irritating voices in all of gaming, but the magical puzzle boxes that he explores are charming enough to make you forget about it. All the self-contained puzzles are full of mechanisms, pulleys, and silly little challenges, all wrapped in a gorgeous, toyetic art style. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker may have originated on the Wii U, but its easy-going gameplay makes it one of the best relaxing games on Switch.
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.
Unpacking – Switch
Moving house isn’t really fun at all, is it? But just like Animal Crossing turns everyday chores into videogame fun, Unpacking makes moving house feel like a zen, decluttering vacation. It isn’t just about unpacking boxes, though, it’s also about unfurling a barely-there story, patching together pieces of someone’s life with literal, physical pieces of their life. It’s an experience that rises far beyond the sum of its parts.
Monument Valley – mobile
Monument Valley is a delightful indie puzzle game that sees you lead the princess Ida through mazes of optical illusions and impossible objects in order to help her reach her destination. To do this, you must shift and manipulate the world around her, manipulating movements and creating evolving paths to explore new, surreal, and mysterious locations.
With its perfect pastel palette, breathtaking backdrops, and jaw-dropping geometry, it’s no surprise that Monument Valley has been held in such high regard since its release, seeing it earn multiple awards over the years. It maintains a wonderful balance between challenging and relaxing, allowing you to lose yourself in a sense of surreal serenity, and we absolutely love it. And now, not only is it available on the App Store and Google Play, but you can also enjoy it on mobile through your Netflix or Apple Arcade subscription.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Switch
One time, riding across a wide, windy plain in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the main Zelda theme broke through the silence of nature, and rose up subtly; it made the hairs on my arms stand on end. The magic of BotW is this silence.
The ability to switch off, explore, create, and experiment, without the game intruding. Not even the music is telling you what should be happening. The whole game just wraps itself around any experience you want from it. It’s my favorite game of all time and one of the most relaxing games you can get.
And, if you want even more where that came from, you can check out our Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom review to see how the sequel sizes up, then head over to our Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom koroks, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom shrines, and Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom armor guides to get you on the right track.
Hello Kitty Island Adventure – Apple Arcade
Hello Kitty Island Adventure is an adorable mixture of life sim and adventure game, in which you find yourself on a gorgeous tropical island with a whole bunch of sweet Sanrio characters. Whether you’re exploring caves, crafting items, cooking up a batch of delicious cookies, or uncovering the mysteries that surround you, it’s a wonderfully wholesome and cozy little gem.
And, as you can imagine, chilling out in a tropical island with Kuromi, My Melody, and other pals is about as relaxing as you can get. Plus, as it’s an Apple Arcade exclusive, you don’t have to worry about any microtransactions cramping your vibes. Check out our Hello Kitty Island Adventure review to find out more.
Golf Story – Switch
Golf is the worst. Or, at least, every person I know who likes golf isn’t my friend. Whereas, everyone I’ve met who likes Golf Story is the coolest person in the world. It’s a game about golf, believe it or not, with dialog like an episode of Seinfeld, and loads of quirky characters to meet and hang out with. It’s hilarious, entertaining, and, most importantly, relaxing. For more chill time on the green, check out our golf games guide.
A Little to the Left – Switch
A Little to the Left is the perfect puzzle game to help you unwind after a long day. Muted color palettes, chill music, and no time limits combine as you organize household objects in a variety of ways – and swat away your feline friend’s paw when it comes swipin’. Completing each puzzle offers a wonderful sense of satisfaction, but don’t worry if you get stuck, as you can always refer to the hints in the pause menu!
If you do play this little gem and fancy ooh, ahh, a little bit more, be sure to check out our A Little to the Left Cupboards and Drawers DLC review.
Townscaper – Switch
Hear me out here – city builder games don’t have to be stressful. In fact, Townscaper is potentially one of the most relaxing games we can think of. This toy-like, minimalist sandbox game sees you drop tiny, colorful houses into a vast ocean, connecting them all together and watching your own serene metropolis blossom.
In our Townscaper review we call it “a great relaxation tool, perfect for calming yourself down”, that’s both easy to pick up and affordable. While its simple gameplay may not be for everyone, it certainly achieves what it sets out to do, and with no timers, tasks, or tedious grinding, the only limit is your imagination.
And those are our top picks for the best relaxing games on Switch and mobile. If you fancy a little excitement after all that R&R, we’ve got plenty of freebies to keep the good times rolling, including our Monopoly Go free dice links, Coin Master free spins, Genshin Impact codes, and more.