Against the backdrop of new massive missile strikes, we decided to remind you of calming games that will help you and your family to “unwind” a bit after another shelling.
The terrorist group Russia does not stop trying to break and intimidate Ukrainians. For more than two years now, most of us have been living in a state of constant stress. Everyone has their own methods of coping with stress. Some people turn their anger into donations for the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces during the next attack, others do household chores against all odds, others pay attention to hobbies, but many use video games as one of the important pillars that support their mental health.
We are well aware that we are all different, and each of us has our own “calming agents”. Someone is “unwound” by the opportunity to kill at least a virtual [CENSORED] Russian in some Call of Duty or Sniper Ghost Warrior, for someone, solace is a tense game of Dota 2 or LOL, someone meditates on highly complex economic simulations, and someone even drives a wedge out of a wedge in some Dark Souls. But in this article, we decided to collect the most calming, cozy video games without violence that you can and should play with your kids. Believe me, kids suffer from war more than adults, although sometimes it is not noticeable. So choose a game and spend time with your children.
Have a good game and take care of yourself, your family and your own mental health. And, of course, donate to the best sedative – the Armed Forces of Ukraine!
ABZÛ
Platforms Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Genre adventure
Year 2016
A game filled with love for all living things from the creators of Journey and Flower about a boy (or is it a girl?!) in the ocean. ABZÛ has a great visual style and fantastic music, it’s a real underwater symphony.
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure
Platforms Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One / Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, iOS
Genre adventure
Year 2020
A little game about a girl who explores the nature of a fictional Spanish island and helps people and animals. One of the main tasks in Alba is to find a rare Iberian lynx. The game was developed by Ustwo Games, the studio behind Monument Valley and Assemble with Care.
A Little to the Left
Platforms Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch
Genre casual game
Year 2022
A calming casual game about sorting objects and organizing space for those who like order in everything. Right now, A Little to the Left is available as part of the Xbox/PC GamePass.
American Truck Simulator
Platforms Windows
Genre simulator
Year 2016
What could be more soothing than transporting goods from one city to another? It also means traveling abroad, which many of us miss. If you don’t like the US, you can return to Europe in Euro Truck Simulator 2, but we think ATS is developing more actively now.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Platforms Nintendo Switch
Genre social simulator
Year 2020
Some people think that all Nintendo Switch games have a calming effect. This is true. But in this case, Animal Crossing, in which you have to equip your own cozy little island and visit your friends, is super calming.
Assemble with Care
Platforms Windows, macOS, Android, iOS
Genre puzzle
Year 2020
Another small masterpiece from Ustwo Games. Assemble with Care is a game in which you have to restore and repair antiques to help people preserve their memories and connect with the community. A very apt analogy.
Car Mechanic Simulator 2021
Platforms Windows, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One / Series X|S, Android
Genre simulator
Year 2021
A car mechanic simulator in which you have to repair and restore cars, buy rare models at auctions, visit junkyards in search of parts, and so on. Thanks to the support of Steam Workshop, the game already has hundreds of models of famous brands. It’s like Forza Horizon, but about car repair.
Dorfromantik
Platforms Windows, Nintendo Switch
Genre puzzle
Year 2022
A calming place-building puzzle for those who are “on calidor” and we have already recommended it as a mental support game. In fact, Dorfromantik has already had a bunch of clones and followers, some of which are quite good, such as Pan’orama or TerraScape.
Fishing Planet
Platforms Windows, PlayStation 4, Android, iOS
Genre simulator
Year 2015
It is believed that fishing is a very calming hobby, although it depends on how you look at it. Choose between the Ukrainian Fishing Planet, which recently appeared also on Android, iOS and the Epic Games Store, and Call of the Wild: The Angler from Expansive Worlds (a division of Avalanche Studios).
Hidden Folks
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch
Genre search
Year 2017
Hidden Folks is a mindfulness game about finding people in hand-drawn black and white pictures, which was once shortlisted for many gaming awards. Now it already has 100500 free clones with cats baked by 100 Cozy Games.
House Flipper 2
Platforms Windows
Genre simulator
Year 2023
The best repair and renovation simulator in which you can build the house of your dreams. If anything, we’ve already written about him. There were some questions about the release version of House Flipper 2, but the authors are actively improving the game.
Journey
Platforms Windows, PlayStation 3/4, iOS
Genre adventure
Year 2012
Perhaps the best game from the author of Cloud, Flow, Flower and Sky: Children of the Light. A melancholic journey through the desert with soothing music. Journey is a short game, but you can play it as many times as you like.
Jusant
Platforms Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Genre action/adventure
Year 2023
A melancholic climbing game with interesting gameplay mechanics and unique graphics from Don’t Nod. Available on Game Pass. Our review and positive feedback on Jusant is here.
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Platforms Windows, Xbox Series X|S
Genre simulator
Year 2020
The whole world is at your feet. Feel the joy of unlimited flight (except for the power of your PC). Flying along the sunny Adriatic coast or the fjords of Norway is very calming. MSFS already has Ukrainian aircraft An-2 Kukurudznyk and An-225 Mriya. The game is also available on Game Pass. The new installment, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, will be released this year, but the 2020 version is still very much alive.
Monument Valley
Platforms iOS, Android, Windows
Genre puzzle
Year 2014, 2017
A very nice meditative spatial puzzle game with soothing music and nice graphics. Monument Valley: Panoramic Collection includes both parts of the game, as well as all available add-ons. The game was released on Steam in 2022.
PowerWash Simulator
Platforms Windows, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One / Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Meta Quest (2, Pro, 3)
Genre simulator
Year 2022
A simulator for fans of cleanliness, in which you have to use a high-pressure washer to clean cars, houses, and anything else you want. A good cleaning is always soothing. More than 1 million copies of the game have been sold on Steam alone, and it is also available on Game Pass. There is also a VR version. A lot of DLC has already been released for the game, including the Back to the Future movie, Tomb Raider, and the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
Stardew Valley
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation Vita, iOS, Android
Genre simulator, strategy
Year 2016
A pixelated farmer simulator. Stardew Valley is an unrivaled original that has sold more than 30 million copies. Nowadays, there are a lot of clones of the game, some of which we have added to the list at the end of the article. Despite its venerable age, the game is still actively supported by the authors, a major update 1.6 was released just a few days ago.
Train Sim World 4
Platforms Windows, Xbox One / Series X|S, PlayStation 4/5
Genre simulator
Year 2023
The rumble of train wheels is as calming as traveling, so we recommend trying the Train Sim World 4 driver simulator. Of course, there are also overlaps and accidents, but only virtual ones. The number of DLCs for the game is a bit scary (almost 100 pieces with a total cost of 34 thousand UAH), but the standard version, which is available in Game Pass, will last you a long time. And then maybe a free Ukrainian Train Planet will be released.
Unpacking
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4/5
Genre puzzle
Year 2021
Another game about putting your things in order. You have to unpack things and put them back in their places. At the same time, it’s like a story about the life of the main character, who changes homes and surroundings. A meditative soundtrack is included.
Way of the Hunter
Platforms Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Genre simulator
Year 2023
We thought for a long time about whether or not to add hunting simulators to the list of calming games, because you have to shoot and kill animals, even if they are virtual. But on the other hand, there is an incredibly beautiful forest, mountains, and nature, where it is just a pleasure to walk without thinking about the possibility of stumbling upon a mine. There are even the Carpathians. So let it be. But a photo hunting mode would be nice for these games. We wrote about Way of the Hunter we wrote. An alternative is theHunter: Call of the Wild.
In fact, there are a lot of good calming games out there and it is simply impossible to write about them all. Below is a short additional list, and we encourage you to share your own “calming” games in the comments.
Other soothing games
Call of the Wild: The Angler
Cloud Gardens
Construction Simulator
Coral Island
Cozy Grove
Dave the Diver
Disney Dreamlight Valley
Euro Truck Simulator 2
Garden In!
Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator
ISLANDERS
Minami Lane
Model Builder
My Time at Portia
My Time at Sandrock
Pan’orama
Rover Mechanic Simulator
Sky: Children of the Light
Slime Rancher 2
Station to Station
Sticky Business
SUMMERHOUSE
Tchia
Terra Nil
TerraScape
theHunter: Call of the Wild
The Sims 4
Townscaper
Loading comments …