A lot of people have different ways to cope with anxiety. Some options include writing, singing, reading books, art, etc. One of my personal favorite ways to calm down is playing video games. There are a couple of key factors in picking what games to play when you’re just not in the best headspace. Things like combat and gun games aren’t the best ideas. Having this in mind, here are some of my personal favorite games to play to just chill out and calm down.

Minecraft:

Minecraft is a classic game that is easy to play and really calming. The sound of breaking blocks and the occasional music you hear every two minutes really puts it at the #1 spot for me. Depending on how bad your anxiety is, you could even play on peaceful or creative. Building houses and really just focusing on the small stuff like flowers really helps me and if you try it out, I hope it helps your anxiety.

Animal Crossing:

This game came out at the start of the Coronavirus pandemic, and it really helped calm me down whenever the news was on showing exponentially high death rates. The calming acoustic music with the sounds of my character’s footsteps running on the sand really calmed me down. Being able to talk to my animal villagers and building my dream island really got me through some tough times.

Sims 4:

The Sims is a life simulation game that is really enjoyable. Whenever I design my characters, I always like to zone in and focus on the tiniest facial feature or making sure the outfit has the right shoes. You could also give yourself unlimited funds to be able to build your dream house. Really any of the sim’s games are fine, but the Sims 4 has the best graphics.

Games from your childhood:

Other games that could help reduce stress could also be games you played in your childhood. Doing things that cause nostalgia will most likely have a calming effect. Some games I played during my childhood include Mario Kart DS, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition and Hello Kitty Big City Dreams to name a few.

Whether or not you’ve read this to find new games or if you actually want games to cope with anxiety, I hope this article helped give you ideas.