The Witcher 2 is one of the best games to escape in. Just look how relaxed Geralt and Triss are
Relaxing Games that Help with Stress
This article is a part of: Be Selfish: How to Deal with Stress at Work & Home
All the following games have been hand-picked as the best games (of recent times) for getting players to relax, to put aside their stress and concerns and to get away from it all. All these games have an average online review of above 8 out of 10, so are generally considered good games, but are particularly good at allowing players to escape.
Note: Most of the games in this list are RPGs. That’s because of the innate nature of RPGs to relax a gamer, to draw them into a deep story that stirs the imagination and also through gameplay that inspire a gamer to be explorative. For more on this see: The Psychological Benefits of RPGs.
Relaxing Games to Help Deal with Stress: Wii Games
Xenoblade Chronicles: one of the best RPGs for Wii, Xenoblade Chronicles is a very large game with big open worlds that are styled in the typical Japanese-anime arts style. It encourages players to be explorative, to investigate its large maps, which greatly helps to create immersion in the game world. It also includes a strong story and great characters that truly bring the action to life.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword: One of the best games in one of the best series of games of all time, Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is a heart-warming and very relaxing adventure game in a cutesy, cartoon world that (for those who haven’t played many Nintendo games) will remind them of a Saturday morning cartoon. It’s fun, incredibly immersive and generally regarded as one of the best games of all time.
Mario Galaxy 2: Getting a little old now but still a truly remarkable platform game, Mario is filled with all the playful fun you’d expect from the very best of Nintendo. It’s highly creative in gameplay, irresistibly cute in graphics and the sort of pure joy that will make you feel ten years old again.
Relaxing Games to Help Cope with Stress: PS3 / 360
Mass Effect 3: one of the biggest games of the year and the final part of the epic trilogy, Mass Effect 3 is a very deep, story-driven game with characters and plot-lines that will make you feel very much involved with the modern-science fiction world. Mass Effect 3 is a cross between shooting, puzzles, decision making and RPG-style levelling. It’s also one of the most talked about games of the year.
Tales of Graces: Cute really is the word for Tales of Graces. From the voice acting to the floral, picturesque landscape, to the music, Tales of Grace wears its heart on its sleeve and near demands its players to chill out, to have childlike fun, to see the simplicity and pure joy in the world, and it does this with undeniable brilliance and heart-warming charm. Play this game for ten minutes and you’ll be beaming like a kid.
Witcher 2: A game that was met with universal praise, and also quite possibly the game on this list that, at least stylistically and thematically, will likely prove the most popular for those wanting to get away. Witcher 2 is a mature (genuinely mature, mind you, not “gamer-mature”) RPG in a land of sword and sorcercy and with a rich thread of folklore and mythology running through it. With some of the most popular characters in gaming of late and a world that will spark your imagination, Witcher 2 will draw you deep into its magic and totally absorb your mind.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: Arguably the best game of 2011 and one of the greatest RPGs of all time, Skyrim takes place, like Witcher 2, in a world of sword and sorcery, complete with werewolves and dragons. In traditional RPG fashion, Skyrim will have you truly walking in your characters shoes as you level-up to max stats, it will also deliver a well written story of which you’ll want to keep turning the pages. Myth and magic, sword and shield, Skyrim is a romantic romp in the land of dragons.
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception: A lot of the games on this list have been simply amazing. We’ve had Skyward Sword and Mario Galaxy 2, Skyrim and more (all games that are universally recognised as being amazing) yet perhaps none of them compare to this, a genuine masterpiece of everything that is gaming. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception is spellbinding. It’s hard to imagine even a non-gamer not being completely engrossed in Uncharted 3. There simply isn’t anything not to like about it. Uncharted 3, however, isnt an inherently relaxing game. Its gameplay isn’t designed to be relaxing, unlike many of the other entries on this list, but its so adsorbing and engrossing that you’ll find yourself forgetting all about your day to day stresses and concerns as you become lost in what is one of the best games of all time.
More Help with Stress
How to Deal with Stress at Work & Home
Relaxing Movies Relaxing Short Films (online)
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