Need to boost your mental health? Try tending to a virtual succulent.
Stress relief looks different for everyone: A few laps around the track, getting enough sleep and even low-key video games have all been shown to promote well-being and help people find calm. If you’re looking to explore (or rediscover) some new ways to refocus your mind, consider building some castles, tending to a farm, or scuba diving — all in the virtual world. Research has found that online games can actually help you regulate your emotions, reduce stress and even improve physical health.
So here are five online games to help you relax a little and hopefully quiet a restless mind. This list starts with chill games and ends with more challenging games — a little something for everybody.
1. Viridi
This game gives anyone the opportunity to flex their green thumb. In Viridi, you care for virtual succulents while enjoying relaxing background music. You can check in every day or every few days to water your plants, and you can add unique new succulents to your pot.
Viridi requires no time commitment so pop in and out as you feel like it. Between the beautiful plants and the calming music, Viridi is a great way to relieve stress. You can play the game on desktop or on your phone via the app.
2 ABZÛ
Next up, we’re headed to the ocean with ABZÛ, a chill game where you play as a scuba diver exploring the ocean depths. You’ll swim through beautiful locations where you discover new creatures, watch schools of fish, and navigate through underwater flora.
ABZÛ is available on PC, Nintendo Switch, Amazon Luna, PS4 and Xbox One.
3. Stardew Valley
Enjoy a community-centered life in a small town as a farmer in Stardew Valley. This role-playing simulation allows you to play as a character who inherited a farm. In addition to tending your crops, you have other obstacles to tackle, including fishing, foraging, and mining in a dangerous mine with hostile creatures.
The freeing thing about this game is that you decide what you want to do on any given day. If you want to spend an entire day farming and tending to your animals, you can do that. Or you can take a stroll in the community and talk to all the residents.
You can play Stardew Valley on PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, or download the app.
4. Minecraft
Minecraft is all about creating. You can play either the normal or sandbox mode. In the former, you'll have goals and confront enemies whom you’ll need to fight or flee from. In the sandbox mode, you can spend your time just building without worrying about defeating monsters or completing specific goals.
If you've seen posts about Minecraft, you've probably spotted some astonishing castles or even entire towns made by players. The beauty of Minecraft is that you can build whatever you want — the sky's the limit. Add that to the charm of the blocky graphic design, and it makes for an all-around delightful game to play.
Find Minecraft on Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC or download the app.
5. Overcooked
Overcooked is a chaotic and challenging cooking game where you and up to three friends play as chefs attempting to serve as many orders as possible. Cooperation is the key to this game, which is sure to lead to some extremely funny moments in the group.
There are two versions from which to choose, Overcooked 1 and Overcooked 2, so you can start with the original game or jump right into the newer version. Share some laughs with friends in this fun but challenging game.
Overcooked 1 and 2 are available on PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5 and Xbox Series X and S.
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