Best 3 Relaxing Mobile Games to Decrease Anxiety

Released in 2016, this farm-style simulation game shot to popularity once users got hooked on its calming yet addictive gameplay. In Stardew Valley, you play as a customizable young adult who inherited their grandfather’s farm following his passing. Initially, you do simple but entertaining tasks such as watering plants, mining, and foraging. You can upgrade your equipment as the game progresses to make those tasks easier. However, Stardew Valley is much more than it appears.

In between runs to the general store and back, your character has the ability to change the story of what is happening around them. They can build relationships, help out their fellow neighbors, or completely ignore them and live a solitary life. Throughout whatever story you embark on, there are magical areas, moments, and people to discover. Stardew Valley additionally has occasional events where you can use in-game money to buy special-edition items that aren’t available at any other time. What makes Stardew such an anxiety-buster is that hours feel like minutes as you never run out of tasks to do or missions to complete.

2. My Oasis

Another app that users tend to find relaxing is an idle-clicker game named My Oasis. Usually, one wouldn’t tend to think of idle-clickers as relaxing due to the fervent clicking that goes into trying to progress through the game quicker. However, this free game is different than the rest. While the user buys animals and cultivates their own unique atmosphere, they are soothed by calming ambient music. The whole flow of this work of art was designed to be a chill break from our everyday worries.

My Oasis also offers mindfulness exercises that users can interact with in case they are having an especially difficult time or are suffering from active anxiety. Two examples this experience offers are practicing meditation and mindfulness. One five-star reviewer stated: “Oasis is a very relaxing and calming game. The music is super sweet, and the little messages from all the animals are really heartwarming.” This reviewer’s positive experience is reflected by many others, which earned My Oasis its 4.4/5 stars on the Play Store.

3. Alto’s Odyssey

This award-winning game uses beautifully crafted scenes as well as a calming soundtrack to give the user a good experience. They even have an option to make the sandboarding character invulnerable, which would reduce any anxiety the player may feel while traversing through the several different biomes the game offers.

Alto’s Odyssey is different from the others on this list as it is an endless side-scrolling type of game. Multiple different mechanics in Alto’s Odyssey allow the user to perform tricks, ride on vines, climb up canyon walls, and more. One of the most common things that people positively comment on is the powerful music that some reviewers describe as having a meditative effect. However, this game also has the potential to cause some players to feel anxious if they want to purchase new in-game items, which typically require quite a lot of coins.

Final Thoughts

There are many different avenues that a person can traverse when finding new ways to lessen anxiety. If one uses their phone a lot, finding serene games such as Stardew Valley may be a good choice. Especially because once the user invests in that experience, they won’t have to worry about the game trying to push anger/anxiety-inducing ads or purchases on the user like in My Oasis and Alto’s Odyssey. If methods such as games, meditation, or mindfulness aren’t working, please reach out to friends, family, or a psychiatric professional for further guidance.