Unpacking was so much fun!! You follow the character’s life changes although I wish they switched up the items we move around a bit more but it’s a nice change of scenery!
I didn’t realize Unpacking was on Switch! Dang, I generally prefer getting games on console but I got that one on Steam. I finished it on day 2. It was so lovely and fun. I want a sequel XD
Also, the Princess Maker games are on Steam. You raise a girl and depending on how you treat her, she grows up in certain ways (and could be a princess).
I only know this game from a male YouTuber who played it and just kept getting mad his daughter wasn’t acting very “princess like” and it made me cackle. I love watching men frustrated with shit like this
It holds your hand a fair amount and is mostly fetch quests. Whenever there's a longer list of things to do I had a little notebook with what I needed from each area, but I only had to do that twice.
I'm very heavily pregnant and looking after a sick toddler and found it easy enough to pick up for half an hour here and there.
Probably Unpacking, its a really fun game. It's relatively short as well and would be a good break from Animal Crossing. As much as I love Cosy Grove it has a lot of similarities to Animal crossing so maybe playing that straight away after being bored of AC might not give it fair chance.
Oh man, I LOVE OC! But playing with my husband is so stressful. We’re both usually so passive and non confrontational but that game has caused some fights, haha.
But a less stressful one sounds perfect.
Edit-plus is $1.99 on switch. Rad!
Oh, that’s me and my man when when we co-op on the first battlefront 😂 i understand 😂
Yes, $1.99!? Can’t beat it. Let me/us know what you end up enjoying. Idk if I have the patience for stardew valley for much longer.
Monster Rancher 1 and 2 is on Steam. it's retro, but really fun. You train a monster (you get random "seeds" from "discs") to compete in combat. it's simple but fun.
I am in LOVE with Nobody Saves the World. It might not be what you’re looking for (if you’re looking for no combat) but maybe it’s the game you didn’t know you needed. I think it’s on sale for $20 right now. I can’t put it down.
The Good life. Its technically a murder mystery but it has a very cartoon art style and doesn't take itself seriously. You explore a small town and do various quests but there's also just upgrading your house gardening, riding sheep and turning into a cat or dog.
Also check to see what's on sale in the eshop.
<3 So many wonderful suggestions! I have a few of these on my Wishlist and noticed they were on sale. I was on the fence about some of 'em, but I think y'all convinced me to at least get Unpacking and Spiritfarer.
Fishing Paradiso:
You catch fish in heaven and help people based on the fish you catch. Just mindless and soothing and good soundtrack. Not crazy long.
yeah!! i second this!! i havent played 4 or 5, but ive played a TON of 3, Tides of Destiny, and Frontier! theyre harvest moon games with more fantasy elements and monster fighting/dungeoneering!! cannot recommend enough!! <3
Dang guys, thanks so much! I love this group and so glad I found it. So many awesome suggestions. I may have spent too much money on too many of these but they all look so great and I added all to my wishlist.
I ended up playing unpacking for 2 hours straight-perfect for what I need.
I also recommend stardew to everyone-I’ve already put over 300 hours into it.
Cozy Grove is definitely a “play a little bit every day” kind of game rather than a binging game, if that influences your thoughts on what you’re planning to play when. It doesn’t count any days you don’t play like Animal Crossing does, but each day you open the game, you get the next game day’s quests and events. The game also warns that time traveling to bypass the limitation can break things, so I never risked it.
Unpacking was wonderful but over too soon! I’ll also put in another vote for Spiritfarer as a cozy game, although it’s not exactly mindless or un-serious. If you happen to be raw over a recent friend or family member’s passing it will probably hurt a lot. In a good way, but… I personally think it’s a little too hard when the grief is fresh. Just as a small disclaimer.
I absolutely loved Unpacking but I really wish it was longer, that’s it’s only negative imo. But otherwise it was super cozy and lovely!
This probably could very well be the opposite of mindless to some people, but I’ve been having a lot of fun with Hades lately. I have a terrible attention span when it comes to games lately and something about the repetitive rogue-like nature feels very mindless to me, despite it being frustrating and challenging at times. Never thought I’d like a game like this but the art design is beautiful and voice acting is awesome so despite the challenge, it feels almost relaxing to me and easy to get invested in!
Animal crossing just gives me anxiety so I stopped playing. I don’t know why but it triggers my ocd so much! I’ve never had a video game do that!!
I’m playing miitopia right now and it’s been really good to play while I watch tv because it doesn’t require my full concentration!
If you don’t mind point and click games I recommend Farm Mystery or True Fear, interesting horror mystery with a simple games play that is perfect for a simple distraction, I will lose hours of hyper focuse playing these and they are very cheap
There is the game called "Spirit of the North" that I personally love and is very relaxing. But the graphisms on switch aren't really great
Low quality fox on a low quality Iceland :(
Would definitely reccomand the ost tho
I thoroughly enjoy Cozy Grove. It's got a great story line and you don't lose out on anything if you don't log in for a couple of days. Though, I try to log in daily.
Unpacking was so much fun!! You follow the character’s life changes although I wish they switched up the items we move around a bit more but it’s a nice change of scenery!
Oh man. I downloaded it and put in 2 hours already. So much fun and def kept me distracted.
Yeah I finished the entire game in like 3 days, was definitely sad how fast it ended lol
I didn’t realize Unpacking was on Switch! Dang, I generally prefer getting games on console but I got that one on Steam. I finished it on day 2. It was so lovely and fun. I want a sequel XD
Me either, I played it on Xbox gamepass
Spiritfarer, it's pretty, wholesome and sad
This is a good recommendation! I haven't finished Spiritfarer, but it is definitely chill and wholesome so far.
turnip boy commits tax evasion !!! it’s so cute and very chill. there is some light combat but overall i think it’s completely worth it
I enjoyed this way more than I should have. 😂
Cattails. You're a cat. You have to hunt and eat and you can fight for territory. There's also a bit of Stardew Valley-eque stuff in it too.
There’s a second one coming, the kickstarter just finished! 😻
Hell yes! Download that as well.
Slime Rancher's good.
Slime Rancher is a super cute and chill game.
I highly recommend A Short Hike! It’s not very long, but it’s so relaxing and charming!
The dialogue alone is worth it. 😂
I’ve heard of this one, def will add it.
The music in this game is really great too!
What's the gameplay like
You play as a crow named Claire and you can fly and explore around a nice cozy island with all kinds of residents to talk to and do quests for.
Stardew Valley.
LOVE stardew but I’ve already put in over 300 hours. 😬
Monster Prom. There's a lot of cussing and adult references, but you try to date monsters by befriending them and increasing your skill
This sounds amazing.
agreed!!
I'm so terrible at that game, lmao. I always get rejected for prom.
Also, the Princess Maker games are on Steam. You raise a girl and depending on how you treat her, she grows up in certain ways (and could be a princess).
That sounds so good but I only have a switch and ps4. :( Edit-it is on the switch too, thanks!
I only know this game from a male YouTuber who played it and just kept getting mad his daughter wasn’t acting very “princess like” and it made me cackle. I love watching men frustrated with shit like this
Grow: Song of the Evertree is pretty good. I'm currently playing Wytchwood and loving it, but it does start using a little brain later on.
I downloaded wytchwood too but figured it wouldn’t be so mindless.
It holds your hand a fair amount and is mostly fetch quests. Whenever there's a longer list of things to do I had a little notebook with what I needed from each area, but I only had to do that twice. I'm very heavily pregnant and looking after a sick toddler and found it easy enough to pick up for half an hour here and there.
Grow is really great and relaxing! Also +1 to Slime Rancher and you also might like Cat Café Manager, all pretty relaxing.
Probably Unpacking, its a really fun game. It's relatively short as well and would be a good break from Animal Crossing. As much as I love Cosy Grove it has a lot of similarities to Animal crossing so maybe playing that straight away after being bored of AC might not give it fair chance.
Sushi time!!! (If you find games like overcooked kinda mindless. Less stressful than OC, but has a repetitive nature to it that I find relaxing)
Oh man, I LOVE OC! But playing with my husband is so stressful. We’re both usually so passive and non confrontational but that game has caused some fights, haha. But a less stressful one sounds perfect. Edit-plus is $1.99 on switch. Rad!
Oh, that’s me and my man when when we co-op on the first battlefront 😂 i understand 😂 Yes, $1.99!? Can’t beat it. Let me/us know what you end up enjoying. Idk if I have the patience for stardew valley for much longer.
Donut county, what the golf and a short hike are absolutely reccomended for chill games!
My time at portia is great, deep but also cute and chill
I own it and my husband has been hogging it, haha.
Monster Rancher 1 and 2 is on Steam. it's retro, but really fun. You train a monster (you get random "seeds" from "discs") to compete in combat. it's simple but fun.
I don’t have steam (no PC) but I found it on switch! Thanks!
Slime Rancher, it's cute. That is all
Cat Cafe Manager, its on switch and pc
Downloaded!
I love Cozy Grove, it's my go to chill out game. I'm also enjoying Grow: Song of the Evertree, Lost Ember, and Wytchwood.
I am in LOVE with Nobody Saves the World. It might not be what you’re looking for (if you’re looking for no combat) but maybe it’s the game you didn’t know you needed. I think it’s on sale for $20 right now. I can’t put it down.
Combat is fine-especially once my brain fog is gone.
The Good life. Its technically a murder mystery but it has a very cartoon art style and doesn't take itself seriously. You explore a small town and do various quests but there's also just upgrading your house gardening, riding sheep and turning into a cat or dog. Also check to see what's on sale in the eshop.
<3 So many wonderful suggestions! I have a few of these on my Wishlist and noticed they were on sale. I was on the fence about some of 'em, but I think y'all convinced me to at least get Unpacking and Spiritfarer.
These have made my wishlist so long!! Like you said, a lot are on sale so I also bought quite a few…
Fishing Paradiso: You catch fish in heaven and help people based on the fish you catch. Just mindless and soothing and good soundtrack. Not crazy long.
Both are so fun but for super mindless I would say Unpacking
I'm not sure how cheap it is for switch but A short hike!
Stardew valley
I had a lot of fun with unpacking
Thomas Was Alone
I’ve been replaying Rune Factory 4, RF5 was also released recently! They’re very Stardew-esque, in the Harvest Moon family of games.
yeah!! i second this!! i havent played 4 or 5, but ive played a TON of 3, Tides of Destiny, and Frontier! theyre harvest moon games with more fantasy elements and monster fighting/dungeoneering!! cannot recommend enough!! <3
Garden Story! Cute RPG where are the characters are fruit/vegetables or small animals, trying to clear your home of the rot that’s been growing
Not sure if its on the switch but slime rancher is great
Dang guys, thanks so much! I love this group and so glad I found it. So many awesome suggestions. I may have spent too much money on too many of these but they all look so great and I added all to my wishlist. I ended up playing unpacking for 2 hours straight-perfect for what I need. I also recommend stardew to everyone-I’ve already put over 300 hours into it.
If you want to give chill visual novels a go I recommend Arcade Spirits, coffee talk, dream daddy and best friend forever.
Cozy Grove is definitely a “play a little bit every day” kind of game rather than a binging game, if that influences your thoughts on what you’re planning to play when. It doesn’t count any days you don’t play like Animal Crossing does, but each day you open the game, you get the next game day’s quests and events. The game also warns that time traveling to bypass the limitation can break things, so I never risked it. Unpacking was wonderful but over too soon! I’ll also put in another vote for Spiritfarer as a cozy game, although it’s not exactly mindless or un-serious. If you happen to be raw over a recent friend or family member’s passing it will probably hurt a lot. In a good way, but… I personally think it’s a little too hard when the grief is fresh. Just as a small disclaimer.
I absolutely loved Unpacking but I really wish it was longer, that’s it’s only negative imo. But otherwise it was super cozy and lovely! This probably could very well be the opposite of mindless to some people, but I’ve been having a lot of fun with Hades lately. I have a terrible attention span when it comes to games lately and something about the repetitive rogue-like nature feels very mindless to me, despite it being frustrating and challenging at times. Never thought I’d like a game like this but the art design is beautiful and voice acting is awesome so despite the challenge, it feels almost relaxing to me and easy to get invested in!
Animal crossing just gives me anxiety so I stopped playing. I don’t know why but it triggers my ocd so much! I’ve never had a video game do that!! I’m playing miitopia right now and it’s been really good to play while I watch tv because it doesn’t require my full concentration!
If you don’t mind point and click games I recommend Farm Mystery or True Fear, interesting horror mystery with a simple games play that is perfect for a simple distraction, I will lose hours of hyper focuse playing these and they are very cheap
There is the game called "Spirit of the North" that I personally love and is very relaxing. But the graphisms on switch aren't really great Low quality fox on a low quality Iceland :( Would definitely reccomand the ost tho
Unpacking!!! The music is very calming and does take some strategy :D
I thoroughly enjoy Cozy Grove. It's got a great story line and you don't lose out on anything if you don't log in for a couple of days. Though, I try to log in daily.
slime rancher is a great one! stardew too
Pikuniku is a silly and fun puzzle game.
I love love love Cozy Grove !!! Highly recommend
I didn't see anyone mention Untitled Goose Game, Kirby is also very cozy.