Did you ever just come home from a hard day at work and simply just want to sink into the couch, throw on a game and just chill? A game where the stakes are low, the fun experiential elements are high, and that unleashes a good flow of serotonin throughout your whole body. Sometimes its fun to have a game that’s full of intense gameplay, winner takes all stakes, and a rich story you can sink your teeth into for hours on end. Other times though, you just want to escape to a new world for a few hours that lets you explore to your heart’s content and fills you with glee. That’s exactly where this list comes in.
While it can be great to have those story-driven or highly competitive games, it’s always nice to throw in a game that’s simply meant to feel relaxing and let your escapist fantasies run wild. Now, it’s not that these games don’t have a story or goal, but they have elements to them that make their unique experiences simply joyous. Whether it’s their music or visuals, these games allow players to just chill and play, something everyone needs every now and again. So, without further ado, it’s time to delve into the top five games that let you just chill and play, but before we do, it’s worth giving a shoutout to one game that sadly didn’t make the final cut – Tetris Effect. If you want a visually mesmerizing game of Tetris that satisfyingly syncs your moves to music, then Tetris Effect is a must-play.
- Wattam
It shouldn’t be a surprise that a game from Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi would be on this list and his latest original game, Wattam, is an absolutely hilarious and heartwarming game about friendship. While attempting to refill a world that’s lost itself after a cataclysmic event leaving everyone disconnected, players will be unable to resist joyously playing around with the wacky assortment of characters Takahashi has created that continually boom with positivity. Each character comes with different abilities that are fun to use and range from sending everyone near sky-high with explosive delight to teleporting characters to different islands that pop up. You can even turn everyone into golden poop if your heart desires.
In between all the fast-spinning friendship circles players can create and stacking characters on top of each other to create the tallest towers, players will find that Wattam tells a surprisingly warm story about forgiveness and reconnecting. Wattam’s ending is still something that resonates strongly for me when thinking about the game and it makes all the simplistic joy the game offers more meaningful. Even after the story is completed, players will find plenty of things to do with the characters that they can even bring a friend of their own in for some co-op fun. Honestly, just putting the game on to listen to Wattam’s incredible music makes it a joyous and peaceful experience all on its own. Wattam is an unexpected joy that everyone should experience and is the perfect kind of chill experience that fills your heart with glee.
- Abzu
There’s really nothing as mesmerizing and fascinating as exploring the beauty of the ocean and developer Giant Squid allows players to do just that with Abzu. If you’re the type of person who’s dreamt about scuba-diving with various sea life, then Abzu is a must-play experience as players take control of diver during her underwater exploration to interact with sea creatures and see new sights. Even five years after its initial release, Abzu offers an unbelievably vivid visual experience with the incredible lighting and brightly colored sea creatures that feature dynamic interactions that are backed by composer Austin Wintory’s powerful score.
With only a few small objectives simply meant to string players along and open up secrets that connect the diver to some of the mythos of the seas, Abzu gives players the freedom to explore the seas their way. Players can swim with massive schools of fish and some of the giant creatures they’ll find are legitimately awe-inspiring. It’s a visually immersive experience like no other that lets players escape to a relaxing and peaceful ocean adventure. Abzu is the perfect kind of meditative cure for a rough day.
- Untitled Goose Game
While most games on this list are meant to relax you through positivity and visual satisfaction, House House created a game that lets you get your post-work aggression out by annoying and aggravating the hell out of a small village as the troublesome and devilishly charming Goose. Untitled Goose Game has, perhaps, one of the most undeniably lovable villains in gaming as it’s just an absolute delight to terrorize and disrupt a calm village setting as a honking, oddly multi-talented goose. Players will have a hilariously rousing time stealing, destroying, and toying with each resident and it’s crazy to see all the wacky and wild things that players can accomplish through Goose’s to-do list.
There’s some slightly sadistic joy players will find in inciting some hilarious spats between neighbors, wreaking havoc on a vegetable farmer’s garden, and causing some chaos in the middle of a town square. It’s all in good fun though as these evil actions can lead to some fun instances that sees the titular Goose make a picnic for themselves with the farmer’s vegetables, play pranks on an old man by pulling out his chair from under him, getting a bow accidentally put on you to look all snazzy, and so much more. Need something more to dive right in? Well, all this delightful insanity is scored with classical music to add some sophisticated charm to the madness and you can even bring a friend along for double the trouble. With Untitled Goose Game, House House created the perfect kind of sadistically charming experience that lets you pester without consequence – the kind of experience everyone could use to unwind from a hard day at work.
- Katamari Damacy REROLL
It should frankly be even less of a surprise to see TWO Keita Takahashi games on here and while the original Katamari Damacy games could also be here, the 2018 remaster brings one of the most chaotically enjoyable games to modern consoles. As The Prince, players will attempt to please the King of the Cosmos by rolling everything they can into a ball to create new stars. Katamari throws players into weird and wild environments to essentially create the biggest ball you possibly can. Although you might start small, you’ll eventually be able to roll up entire cities and possibly even get so high, the clouds can’t even escape your rolling power.
The sheer fun you’ll have in frantically balling up everything in your path makes it impossible to play this game without smiling. The way you build up from balling up flowers to entire buildings is pure fun-filled insanity at its best and the level of charm Takahashi gives the Katamari games through its art style and fast-paced score is undeniable. It’s the kind of frantic fun that reinvigorates you and will leaving you smiling and laughing with each new area and the pure craziness of what you’re doing. If you missed out on the joy of Katamari Damacy, its remaster is the perfect way to jump right in for a uniquely joyous experience.
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Last year, Nintendo offered a necessary and mind-alleviating solution as the world became consumed by COVID-19 – Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Animal Crossing has always been seen as one of the chilliest series you can find, but New Horizons release offered something more. It was like that one bright spot that broke through all the darkness around it and brought the world together in a time that kept us apart. It’s charming music, fun cast of animal townspeople, and simplistic atmosphere allows for an easy jump in, jump out experience that lets players breathe easy.
You can fish the day away, spend some time decorating the town or your house, hunt down different bugs and fossils to make Museum curator Blathers happy, or just chat it up with your neighbors. Players can even head to each other’s islands and build out communities together to feel that relaxing sense of accomplishment. Based on what I’ve seen so far in this list, good music seems to be a key ingredient in creating a relaxing atmosphere to chill with and a recent update to New Horizons brings Brewster and K.K. Slider’s original setting, the beloved Roast Café, back. Animal Crossing music is some of the best in gaming history and it’s the perfect time to jump in to see K.K. Slider back in his favorite spot. Honestly, although Tom Nook is crooked as hell, there’s something kind of nice about him not chasing you down to pay back those bells. New Horizons legitimately saved many from the dour disaster of the pandemic and continues to add more to its experience to make it the best game to chill and play.
Honorary “Hall of Fame” Inclusion – Minecraft
Look, there’s no reason not to fret about having more than five entries on this list and even though it came to mind after the fact, there’s no way that Minecraft can be ignored when talking about games that put you at peace. Minecraft embodies everything that players look for in a game to just chill and play as they are dropped into a world they can explore at their leisure. The level of creativity players have had in building their own cities, creating games within Minecraft, and designing art continues to be mind-blowing and it’s because Minecraft offers a blank slate that players can take full advantage of in letting their mind flow.
Sure, it can be annoying when a Creeper comes along and blow things up, but Minecraft offers endless ability to rebuild and lets your mind wander through its immense maps and biomes. Also, perhaps just below Animal Crossing, Minecraft has some of the best video game music out there and my heart always swells a bit when the score has little emotional bits in it. Minecraft has become one of the biggest games in history and it’s no surprise why as it really offers a freeing and mind-easing atmosphere that everyone should experience.
