Let’s face it, late capitalism is getting the best of us. Long hours commuting to and from work, very little time to run errands, and the weekend flying by in an instant. Routine can slowly but surely build up stress in all of us. The spare time we get to ourselves must be spent wisely, and we usually do it to decompress.

Video games are a fantastic alternative to disconnect from all the evils of the real world. You can spend hours having fun with high-paced, action-packed games, however, sometimes we require a soothing experience. We require games that will help us relax, enjoy ourselves, and escape to a safe haven.

Here is a list of games that will instantly put you in a state of Zen. Snuggle up and get cozy:

Stardew Valley

In this farming RPG, you will escape the harshness of city life, and tend to a farm left to you by your late grandfather. It is your job to improve it, step by step, and transform it into the best farm in the region.

You can visit the town and make new friends, and who knows, maybe there is eternal love to be found! The place is full of life and things to do; you can even explore caves and find valuable ores.

The game is quite complete in terms of the things you can do, and the depth of its mechanics. It became an instant classic. The game inherits traits from staple names like Harvest Moon, or Story of Seasons. If you have played any of them, then you will feel like a fish in the water!

Graveyard Keeper

Ironically this game also criticizes the monotony of city life. You will find yourself in a peculiar situation because apparently, you were run over by a truck whilst in the city! It is your job to find out exactly what happened, and why you woke up in a shed near the town’s church and graveyard.

You will now be responsible for keeping the place and improving it periodically. This game mechanic is very similar to Stardew Valley; however, the main focus is on the graveyard and everything it entails.

There is also a town where you can meet new people that will help you with your task at hand, and perhaps they can also shed more light on what happened to you. Unfortunately, you cannot romance anyone in this game, however, the game makes it up by having plenty of things to do.

My Time at Portia

This game feels a little bit of what Harvest Moon, or Story of Seasons could have become. These games were opting for a 3D look in consoles like the Wii, and 3DS, however due to hardware limitations, we never got a full 3rd person perspective with free camera angles.

My Time at Portia has a charm of its own by using cartoon-like visuals, similar to games like Breath of the Wild, or the Harvest Moon games found in the Nintendo Wii. There are moments where I get Mario Sunshine vibes.

The goal of this game is to become the best builder by expanding the town of Portia. The mechanics are similar to the other games mentioned, with crafting and using tools present. Players can also romance any of the available suitors. It is without a doubt, a cozy and soothing experience.

Terraria

A game on the vein of Minecraft that will provide you with hours of fun. Terraria is a 2D platformer game that focuses on crafting and building. It has literally been called the ‘2D Minecraft’.

All of the main game mechanics are present, like crafting and building. Exploration is also a fundamental part of the game, and like in Minecraft, the worlds are procedurally generated, so each time you start the game, you get a completely new experience.

Its visuals and esthetics will hook you up instantly.

Minecraft

The mother of all games on the list. Minecraft can be one of the most fulfilling experiences ever. You have absolute freedom once you start playing. You can customize the world you build as you see fit. You can make the game forgiving by making mobs peaceful, you can allow codes to execute commands like flying, spawning animals, resources, and other things. You can also enable creative mode whilst playing in your world to get access to unlimited resources and flying.

It is up to you how you want to play Minecraft. If you are playing on the PC, you can also mod the game to turn it into something else entirely. Some players add quality of life mods like improved maps, the ability to save waypoints and teleport to them. Others like to add to the challenge by introducing mods that will make the game even more complex.

Either way you decide to play the game, Minecraft is one of the best experiences you can get into. You will have countless hours of fun building your base, and farm. Gathering resources, and exploring the world will keep you hooked up.

The game is available for Xbox Game Pass, and PC Game pass so you can play instantly.