14 of the most Relaxing Games on Nintendo Switch (August 2019)

Hard day at work? Stress of the job getting to you? Anxieties creeping in? Sometimes all you need is to play a relaxing game and let your worries drift away. So kick back, relax and check out our list of the most relaxing games for Nintendo Switch…

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

Developed By Nintendo
Published By Nintendo
Genre Puzzle / Strategy
Rating E
Players 1 – 2

Has your day been a bore? Was it dull and you just want to give it a lift? Captain Toad Treasure Tracker is a bright and colourful game that oozes joy and charm. The game isn’t a control-hectic game as Captain Toad cannot jump due to the weight of his backpack. So feel free to kickback and explore every nook and cranny with the adorable Toad and Toadette. Sure you may have some boss fights and a few tight levels, but the charm simply overcomes that and brings out some relaxing vibes.

Donut County

Developed By Ben Esposito
Published By Annapurna Interactive
Genre Puzzle / Adventure
Rating E
Players 1

Donut County is a wacky game with an even wackier concept. Play as a raccoon controlling sinkholes that grow bigger as more falls into it via an app. The game is essentially a physics-based puzzle game that combines a wide variety of elements, topped off with witty dialogue and a sprinkle of concentrated joy.

If you’d like to learn more about Donut County, click here to read our review.

Etherborn

Developed By Ben Esposito
Published By Annapurna Interactive
Genre Puzzle / Adventure
Rating E
Players 1

Etherborn is a 3D puzzle platformer with many twists and turns… literally. The laws of gravity shifts as you continue to traverse it, with mind-bending puzzles and platforming challenges. Do this whilst questioning ones own existence, constantly making your way up The Endless Tree and following the faceless voice that beckons you.

If you’d like to learn more about Etherborn, click here to read our review.

Feather

Developed By Samurai Punk
Published By Samurai Punk
Genre Adventure / Multiplayer / Other / Simulation
Rating E
Players 1 – 4

Take to the skies and feel the wind beneath your wings as you take control of a bird with a whole island to explore. No combat, no enemies, no objective; simply fly to wherever your heart desires and experience the freedom that we all have once longed for when looking up into the blue sky.

Gorogoa

Developed By Buried Signal
Published By Annapurna Interactive
Genre Puzzle / Adventure
Rating E
Players 1

We’ve listed some puzzle games; we’ve listed some beautifully artistic games; so why don’t we list one that combines both of these qualities. Gorogoa is all about guiding a boy through works of art as you zoom in, zoom out and move frames around a 2×2 grid. The beauty of Gorogoa is how fresh of an experience it is. It’s a game that looks stunning upon the TV, but it is also a perfect game to lie in bed with and play until your eyes grow weary.

If you’d like to learn more about Gorogoa, click here to read our Quick Review.

GRIS

Developed By Nomada Studio
Published By Devolver Digital
Genre Adventure / Platformer / Puzzle
Rating E
Players 1

When someone asks you how video games can be seen as art, show them GRIS. The art, the music, the fluidity of the controls, it all blends together in the most beautiful way imaginable. Developer Nomada Studio and publisher Devolver Digital recommend playing GRIS with headphones on in order to be fully immersed in the experience and we couldn’t agree more. There are so many subtleties with the sound design, like the trickling of water and the shifting of stones coupled together with the accurate HD Rumble, that will make all of your worries drift away. There is also no way to die in GRIS, nor are there enemies and combat, you’ll just be solving platform puzzles as you marvel at the game’s majesty.

If you’d like to learn more about GRIS, click here to read our review.

Hook

Developed By Rainbow Train
Published By Rainbow Train
Rating E
Players 1

Hook is a very simple puzzle game that requires you to retract all of the lines to complete a level. However, this is easier said than done. The lines must be retracted in specific orders as one line’s path may be blocked by another. The game starts off easy, but quickly becomes a head-scratching brain-twister as the levels become more complex. Despite all that, the game’s calming ambience makes it a perfect activity under a tree on a nice sunny day.

If you’d like to learn more about Hook, click here to read our review.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Developed By Nintendo
Published By Nintendo
Genre Adventure / Action / RPG
Rating E10+
Players 1

You may find it a little strange that we’ve put an open-world action adventure game on this list, but hear us out. Sure, BOTW can be a combat heavy game at times, but you can also just as easily explore the world at your own leisure, collect a few korok seeds and use your paraglider to soar over a world that presents a ridiculous amount of possibilities. Sink 10 minutes in and explore an enticing-looking mountain or stay up until 4am finding shrines and solving puzzles; BOTW allows you to explore the world at YOUR own pace.

My Time at Portia

Developed By Pathea Games
Published By Team17
Genre RPG / Simulation / Adventure
Rating E10+
Players 1

My Time at Portia is a vastly open life simulation game that takes inspiration from classic games of the like. As one who has just taken over their Pa’s old workshop and handbook, it is up to you to restore it to its former glory. Farm crops, craft in the workshop, tend to livestock and explore the expansive open world to gather the resources you’ll need during your time at Portia.

If you’d like to learn more about My Time at Portia, click here to read our review.

Night in the Woods

Developed By Infinite Fall
Published By Finji
Genre Adventure / Platformer
Rating T
Players 1

Sometimes it’s nice to simply play something for the story. But it’s not just about the plot; getting to know the characters, what makes them tick and what makes them anxious, fleshes out the story and makes them relatable. Night in the Woods is a beautiful example of this, highlighting themes of social pressures and the struggles of daily life, to which Night in the Woods articulates this with a colorfully charming approach.

Nintendo Labo

Developed By Nintendo
Published By Nintendo
Rating E

You know, being hands on and making something from scratch can be very therapeutic. If you do it with some friends or with your family, it can also be an amazing way to bond. Nintendo Labo takes video games into an entirely new direction and its interactive nature takes you back to school in arts and crafts classes. And when you finally catch that first fish with the fishing rod that you built, or release some steam by smashing some buildings with your very own creation on your back, you’re bound to feel a sense of personal achievement.

Picross S

Published By Jupiter Corporation
Genre Puzzle
Rating E
Players 1 – 2

Sometimes it’s good to kick back with a puzzle. Sure you could buy a puzzle book, or you could enter the 21st century and get it on your Nintendo Switch! Just think, works been tough, you’re on your break and you want to focus on something else, so take out your switch and solve a picross puzzle or two… or seven. And when you get home you can dock that bad boy, slide off both Joy-Cons and collapse on the couch with one in each hand and your feet kicked up. Life. Is. Bliss.

Shape of the World

Developed By Seaven Studio / Hollow Tree Games
Published By Plug In Digital
Genre Adventure / Other / Simulation / Music
Rating E
Players 1

Shape of the World is a simple game that consists of exploring a world that grows and evolves around you. It’s a relatively short game as you’d be able to complete it within two hours if you consistently went for the main objective, but the beauty of Shape of the World is watching the world grow around you with beautiful colours and basic textures. The developers also highlight that the game is deliberately for the purpose of relieving anxieties and washing away stress, so if that doesn’t cement Shape of the World’s spot on this list, then I don’t know what would.

If you’d like to learn more about Shape of the World, click here to read our review.

Stardew Valley

Developed By Concerned Ape
Published By Chucklefish
Genre RPG / Simulation
Rating E10+
Players 1 – 2

The stresses of city life can really get to us. Sometimes it’s nice to go outside and get back to nature, and that’s just what Stardew Valley allows you to do. Live the farming life, tend to your crops, partake in community events and fall in love without the stresses of reality. Stardew Valley is one of the most recognisable indie games out there, having sold over one million copies. Chucklefish have also created a co-op mode so that you can destress with a loved one and at $15 why not?!

Will you be checking out any of these relaxing games on Nintendo Switch? Let us know in the Comments section below.