I need games that make me calm and make me forget about life.

[sun0wl]

wait I had a revelation.
Games that are chill and allow your mind to think about something else aren't good for this.
You need a game that requires 100% of your brain power. When you play such games you won't have time to think about anything else, literally.
Probably not what you wanted just thinking out loud nvm me.

Actually, I agree that this could be something OP could explore. Games like chess, much like doing math, use the parts of your brain that would otherwise be occupied with rumination or other negative thought spirals, because you cannot do anything else with your brain while trying to solve complex problems/truly strategizing. Probably not new info if you've read pop sci books like Thinking Fast and Slow, but in my experience, these kinds of games can really help pull you out of a bad mental place.

 

[DAME NINGEN]

Forza Horizon 4 (and maybe 5, although it's nowhere near as good) - happy time funfair motorized racism
JDM Japanese Drift Master - happy time funfair motorized racism but you wag your back end hugging the curves
Racing Lagoon - Sax on Wheels The RPG
Easy Delivery Co. DEMO (free on Steam) - kitty cat enjoying a min wage funtime alternating between relaxation behind the wheel and getting some much needed exercise and time outside by moving heavy objects to and from the company's delivery vehicle
Morgan's Skate Club DEMO (free on itch) - Tony Hawk but fluffy
Knead for Speed DEMO (free on itch) - Need for Speed (well, not really, more like Crazy Taxi I'd say) but fluffy
Atlyss - tiny fluffy critters in a big (for them) fantasy world
Catherine - love is quite a puzzle, I guess, take your time and listen to the solid musical score while you're trying your best to solve it
Bully - the life you wish you had when you were in highschool (well, not really but the game is fun and the soundtrack is stellar)
Steambot Chronicles - funtime kinda sorta open world adventure behind a wheel of a trotting bot
Okami - this one probably doesn't need any explanation, the gameplay's fun, the music and art direction amazing and the adventure itself memorable, it doesn't get much better than that

 

[moonbits]

Catherine is anything but relaxing, thought provoking perhaps but those puzzles while being chased by man made horrors aren't a cozy experience lol

 

[Abecero]

If you ask me, the best games that work for distracting yourself and calming you down are those games from your childhood which you have nostalgia for. Do you have a game that makes you sigh with a warm feeling when you think about it? Then play that, heh.

If you want any specific suggestions, I suppose check out Harvest Moon: Back to Nature for the PS1?
It's a farming sim, but the classic/old school ones, so, no juggling a million materials for crafting bs and all that, just plant and grow stuff, take care of your farm animals, chill with the villagers, stuff like that.

I had a period in which I was just DONE with life and people in general, I just needed time away from everything and everyone in a peaceful and cozy place, and well, as this game was from my childhood, and its quite a chill game, it helped me feel better, yeah.

 

[Zerohour2k12]

Boku no Natsuyasumi, as well as the farming in Sakuna and Guardians of Azuma are pretty chill.

 

[verseeee]

You should try Black Souls

 

[endocork]

As in something that doesn't require too much effort and isn't too complicated or frustrating.

So No games about war. They make me physically ill these days.

I guess animal crossing count's as one but I've never enjoyed something like that. I haven't enjoyed farming stuff like stardew valley either. I'm sorry. If anyone has recommendations i would be thankful.

a ps2 horror game or a take a sunny trip to Lospass which is also on the ps2

 

[jon2]

Steambot Chronicles - funtime kinda sorta open world adventure behind a wheel of a trotting bot

THIS

Not much to think about (as basically you're an amnesiac), you just go along for the ride; literally (pun not intended)

Hearing Connie hum a song was the first time I learned about ASMR before it was famous, and hearing the first song she sings is very uplifting

 

[Evaccaneer Doom]

Final Fantasy V. It’s the most unserious Final Fantasy

 

[Morgana Veil]

@job32

Red Dead Redemption. Do the first few easy missions and just wander about on the horse, with a nice chill background music/noises. If you feel up to it, do the next mission, or just trot around on the horse and hunt for game. Think it was actually the most chill game, I've experienced, in the past.

I Really dig the pfp.
Red Dead Redemption is an overhyped, overrated game, just like GTA.

 

[junkman]

If it hasn't been mentioned already, Boku no Natsuyasumi. Maybe Animal Crossing as well

 

[pingugaming]

dorfromantik, inbento and golf peaks

 

[coldds]

persona 3 helps you think about stuff, in a good way

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

I can only recommend "safe" bets, but I guess that's what you want anyway...

Minecraft, Stardew Valley, Baseball 9, Test Drive: Unlimited, The Secret Of Monkey Island, Day Of The Tentacle, The Legend Of Kyrandia (and its sequel), Jet de Go!... Those never fail to calm me down, specially when paired with a podcast!

 

[Kremiso]

Bejeweled chapters, infinite mode
whatever Peggle game

shame that Kula World PS1 does have a time limit, otherwise it cold be also perfect imo

 

[kamille]

Chibi-Robo on Gamecube.
You're a tiny robot that cleans a house and solves a family's problems.
No time limits on anything either.

This robot game looks comfy.

Post automatically merged: Jun 21, 2025

Maybe some 3D platformers/collect-a-thon? They are pretty chill in general and I find them a good way to forget about other things and relax without having to invest much attention. Ape Escape, Spyro games, Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, Mario 64, Sly Cooper, and hear me out... PS2's Dog's Life

I love all of those... They are my childhood... Oh why oh why did sony abandon ape escape

 

[DAME NINGEN]

Oh why oh why did sony abandon ape escape

It was called Ape Escape for a reason after all. Not because Sony let the Ape Escape. No, it was Sony that Escaped the Ape. Think about that for a while.

 

[Serotonin]

Kirby's Epic Yarn!

 

[NekketsuFighter]

Wait! I just found the perfect game to make people feel chill and relaxed... and something else :

 

[Esidemoken]

Gris, Neva, Journey

 

[job32]

@job32

I Really dig the pfp.
Red Dead Redemption is an overhyped, overrated game, just like GTA.

Cheers, I never liked any of the GTA games and you're probably right about the full game of RDR. Just at that point of my life, trotting around nice scenery with chilled out background music and sounds, while doing a little bit of hunting and collecting pelts chilled me right out. Suppose it depends on the person and their situation at the time. I mean you can't just walk out your front door, tame a wild horse and go around collecting pelts, without getting picked up by the law or thrown into a loony bin, lol.

 

[Atlas45]

The game that worked for me when I was going trough some stuff was psychonauts, it was just the perfect thing for me when I played it, a world I could lose myself in, it does have some war stuff at the start, but it's a bit silly

 

[Cantarella]

Actually, I agree that this could be something OP could explore. Games like chess, much like doing math, use the parts of your brain that would otherwise be occupied with rumination or other negative thought spirals, because you cannot do anything else with your brain while trying to solve complex problems/truly strategizing. Probably not new info if you've read pop sci books like Thinking Fast and Slow, but in my experience, these kinds of games can really help pull you out of a bad mental place.

split the diff between cozy and brainy

 

[trickybus]

Journey

I don't know, man. Journey made me cry and get really existentially philosophical for several hours afterwards. And my eyes have been missing for decades! Crazy stuff

There are already a plethora of great retro recommendations, so I'm going to suggest something a little more modern: Grow Home.

IMHO, Grow Home is a beautiful game with a deceptively simple goal: nurture a plant from the planet surface until it grows all the way back up to the Mother Ship that dropped you off.

You play as a cute little robot named Bud who's exploring a new world for information on its flora and fauna. However, Bud isn't controlled like a typical video game protag: his legs, right arm and left arm are all independently controlled. You'll have to climb and grab stuff as a primary means of interacting with the environment, so locomotion is clumsy but ultimately fun to get the hang of.

The thing I love the most about Grow Home is the freedom of movement. You'll eventually find organic upgrades for Bud that provide alternate means of transportation and it's the closest I've ever gotten to the feeling I get when I play Gravity Rush.

If you do pick it up, I hope you enjoy it.

 

[Numubunde]

I just remembered Doki-Doki Universe! Probably the single most wholesome game I've ever played, it was so heart-warming to play! May not be for everyone though.