10 Relaxing Games to Play When Feeling Tired or Unwell

Everyone has those days where you want to unwind but don’t have the energy for anything demanding. A complex video game might be overwhelming, but something like exploring the world in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom or solving easy puzzles in Dorfromantik could be just what you need. Luckily, there are plenty of games in all sorts of genres that are still enjoyable when you just want to relax and switch off your brain.

I’ve been dealing with a difficult illness for the past year, which has left me feeling drained both mentally and physically, making it hard to enjoy demanding games like Hollow Knight: Silksong that I usually love. Even on days when I barely had the energy to shower, I still wanted to find something to do. So, if you’re going through illness, burnout, or just feeling tired, here are the games that have helped me cope over the last few months.

The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom

A Beautiful World To Explore

While The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is full of exciting stories and adventures, the main villain, Ganondorf, doesn’t seem to be in a hurry. This makes the game feel pretty relaxed, so you can jump in and explore without needing a specific goal or plan.

Whether you’re hunting for hidden Koroks, exploring every corner of the map, or simply experimenting with the Ultrahand to build creations, this Hyrule offers a fantastic getaway. The world is beautiful, and it’s incredibly satisfying to wander and discover its secrets. There are hidden treasures everywhere, and if you’re up for it, lots of quests to tackle.

Two Point Museum

Silly Fun Where You Can Just Let Chaos Reign

Two Point Studios games are known for being incredibly funny and lighthearted. I especially love the comedy, and it always cheers me up when I’m down.

While Two Point Hospital and Two Point Campus are both great games, Two Point Museum is the newest addition to the series and quickly became a favorite. What really sets it apart is the fun of collecting and displaying wacky exhibits. Sending teams on expeditions and seeing visitors hilariously devoured by rogue plants is a particular highlight!

Hidden Through Time 2

Hidden Pictures Puzzles With Fun Story

If you’re like me and love a good hidden picture puzzle, you HAVE to check out Hidden Through Time! It totally brings back childhood memories of pouring over Highlights magazines, and both the original game and the sequel are just fantastic takes on that classic puzzle style.

This game features bright, lively visuals and objects you can click on, creating a relaxing experience that’s also mentally engaging. You won’t feel rushed, as there’s no timer, and helpful hints are available if you get stuck. A simple map editor lets you design and share your own hidden object scenes with friends online.

Vampire Survivors

Just Shoot Everything

Games like Vampire Survivors are surprisingly relaxing. You’re constantly swarmed by enemies, and your only job is to run around and shoot them all. As you play, you become stronger while the enemy numbers keep increasing.

While not a traditional bullet hell game, it feels similar with its simple yet chaotic action. The gameplay is repetitive, but satisfying – you automatically attack and easily defeat waves of enemies. Random events keep things interesting and prevent it from becoming too monotonous.

Tiny Glade

Beautiful, Simple, And Serene Way To Get Creative

Unlike the previous game, Tiny Glade lets you build charming miniature worlds. As you create landscapes, delightful buildings and animals will magically appear. It’s easy to use, offering simple tools and plenty of creative freedom to design a cozy village or grand castle.

Your buildings and worlds naturally come to life with decorations, but you also have lots of options to customize them with different props.

If you’re feeling uninspired, Tiny Glade provides daily themes and challenges to help spark your creativity. It’s designed to be a relaxing and comfortable experience, and you can enjoy a feeling of achievement without worrying about making mistakes.

New Pokémon Snap

The Most Calm Pokémon Game Ever

Unlike most Pokémon games where you collect and battle creatures, New Pokémon Snap is different. It lets you travel to Pokémon habitats and focus on taking amazing photos of them in their natural surroundings.

The game features many different areas to explore, each with unique environments and Pokémon. It’s a relaxing and visually appealing experience, and the gentle challenge of capturing the perfect photo keeps you engaged. Seeing the Pokémon thriving in their natural habitats is also really charming.

Diablo 4

Run Around And Kill Everything In Sight

Look, Diablo 4 is seriously immersive – it’s a really dark action RPG with a great story about saving the world. But honestly, sometimes you just want to switch your brain off and smash stuff, right? That’s where the Seasonal content comes in. It lets you basically just run around, obliterate tons of enemies, and grab a ridiculous amount of loot. It’s perfect when you don’t want to focus too much on the story and just want pure action!

Even if you don’t know what’s happening in the current season, you’ll likely make progress simply by defeating creatures you find in the world.

I’ve been a big fan of the Diablo games since the very first one. I enjoy the stories, but what really keeps me hooked is the fast-paced combat against large groups of enemies – it makes me feel incredibly powerful. When I’m facing challenges in real life, I can always escape into the world of Diablo 4 and defeat waves of demons.

Hello Kitty Island Adventure

Sanrio Friends On A Calming Tropical Island

I considered including Animal Crossing: New Horizons on this list – it would have been a good choice. However, I’ve been playing Hello Kitty Island Adventure more this year. Like ACNH, it’s a relaxing life simulation where you live on a beautiful island and get to know your neighbors – in this case, many beloved Sanrio characters.

This game is wonderfully relaxing, especially with its simple tasks. It’s a really stress-free experience – you can pick it up whenever and there’s no pressure to keep up. There’s a ton to do, like gardening, making things, cooking, fishing, and decorating your space. You can even transform into a mermaid and swim around underwater!

Dorfromantik

Go For A High Score, Or Just Relax And Play

Dorfromantik, whether you’re playing the video game or the board game version, is a fantastic puzzle game for unwinding and de-stressing. It’s designed to be relaxing—you can’t actually lose!—but you can always challenge yourself to improve your score with each playthrough.

Dorfromantik is easy to pick up, even if you’re new to the game. It’s a relaxing tile-laying game where you connect hexagonal tiles featuring different landscapes like forests, fields, rivers, and railroads. The goal is to create connected regions of similar terrain – joining forests to forests and fields to fields – and you earn points by building these connections. It’s all about creating a peaceful world and maximizing those connected areas.

PowerWash Simulator 2

The Ultimate In Relaxation And Joy

I’ve been really into PowerWash Simulator this year as a way to relax, and the sequel, PowerWash Simulator 2, just came out! It’s the perfect game when you just want to switch off and not think too much.

This game offers a surprisingly relaxing experience. You can listen to music or podcasts while you play, or follow a funny story told through messages. The core gameplay is wonderfully simple: you just clean dirty things with a virtual pressure washer, and it’s incredibly satisfying.

Even if you only play to enjoy the satisfying sound of finishing a cleaning task, PowerWash Simulator 2 is a great way to get a quick boost of feel-good energy without needing much concentration.

2025-10-26 04:26