10 More Uplifting Games for Self-Care and Mental Wellbeing

“Whatever may be the tensions and the stresses of a particular day, there is always lurking close at hand the trailing beauty of forgotten joy or unremembered peace.” – Howard Thurman

Overview

Sometimes things just get a bit too much, and it is important to try to make time for ourselves and to look after our own wellbeing. This can take many forms but one thing I personally enjoy is escaping into a relaxing game and forgetting about all the day-to-day hullabaloo for an hour or two! This article lists ten games with the potential to help with relaxation, self-care and mental wellbeing. Some have been created with mental health or self-care in mind, some are just pleasant, relaxing experiences and others may even encourage self-reflection and gratitude!

We also have an earlier article ‘10 Uplifting Games for Self Care and Mental Wellbeing‘ which was written in 2021, which you can check out for further game suggestions.

Games for Mental Wellbeing and Self-Care

Spirit City: Lofi Sessions

Spirit City: Lofi Sessions is a very relaxing productivity tool and idle game in which players can customise their avatar and virtual space, as well as collect cute spirit critters. It is a great way to help manage time and tasks with gamified elements and uplifting content.

This game has a lot to offer, it provides useful and practical productivity and wellbeing tools as well as fun customisations, XP, and spirit collection to add a sense of fun and progress. The art style is delightfully stylised, providing a serene setting for the player’s activity and the customisable sound design is a stand-out feature of the experience. The game does exactly what it sets out to and does so in a beautifully original way allowing the player to relax and enjoy themselves whilst simultaneously concentrating on personal objectives and tasks. Overall, it is a fantastic game, designed with wellbeing in mind and I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking for a unique tool to help them focus and achieve goals but at the same time have a bit of fun!

Full review available HERE.

Kind Words 2

Kind Words 2 (lofi city pop) is a newly released sequel to Popcannibal’s previous game Kind Words (lo-fi chill beats to write to). It is possibly the most wholesome take on the MMO genre ever to exist and its primary focus is for players to exchange kind-hearted letters with other people from around the world.

Kind Words 2 is a wonderful experience that goes beyond the realms of what a typical game can offer. It provides a safe and wholesome world in which players can seek reassurance and tips for dealing with various types of problems, share positivity and immerse themselves in a cute, casual community setting. The interactions are, for the most part, incredibly uplifting and often quite emotive. There is a certain comfort to be obtained by knowing other people experience similar problems and a sense of well-being and kindness in offering a response to those in need.

This second iteration of the game has expanded the experience in thoughtful and engaging ways that stay true to the original and do not detract from its intentions or cheapen the experience. Every new element is relevant and appropriate and only serves to make Kind Words 2 more rounded and enjoyable. The more gamified parts, such as sticker collecting and customisations, do not overshadow the main purpose of the game and simply add a light-hearted and fun aspect to what is already a charming and beautiful experience. I would highly recommend this game to everyone, I can’t imagine anyone who would not benefit from some time positively interacting with wonderful people around the world in such a safe and nurturing digital environment! It’s a must-play for anyone looking for a game to promote self-care and mental wellbeing.

Full review available HERE.

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure is a charming game in which the player must explore a Mediterranean Island as Alba, helping out and taking photos along the way. It was developed by Ustwo Games, the creators of the Monument Valley series of puzzle games and Assemble with Care which are also very relaxing, wholesome games.

This is a fantastic casual game for anyone looking to take a break for their mental wellbeing. It is enjoyable, engaging, and utterly charming. It will take around 4-5 hours to complete and has a lot to offer. It boasts an adorable aesthetic, relaxing but gripping gameplay, tactful and moderate handling of hard-hitting themes such as the environment and political corruption, and delightful, immersive sound design. I had a lot of fun playing this game and it is easy to recommend to anyone looking for a wholesome and (mostly) easygoing experience. It can be enjoyed alone but would also be great to play with a younger family member due to its intuitive gameplay, and meaningful narrative.

Full review available HERE.

Tiny Glade

Tiny Glade is a relaxing and cosy diorama-building game in which players can create whimsical structures and scenes using intuitive tools and procedural generation. It is an extremely calming and enjoyable experience that could easily be a bit of a time-sink once a player’s creativity begins to flow. Its distinct aesthetic is both a highlight of the experience and one of its more constraining features. The whimsical visuals are incredibly charming and add to the game’s calming nature but do restrict the player in terms of what they can create. The intuitive mechanics and creation tools are easy to master, ensuring the process of building different dioramas is fun from the start and completely stress-free.

Tiny Glade is a lot of fun, and despite its limitations, it does what it aims to do very well. I would happily recommend it to anyone looking for a wholesome and relaxing building game that places zero pressure on its players.

Full review available HERE.

Garden Buddies

Garden Buddies is a wonderfully wholesome game in which players help create a charming little garden while making new friends and helping them out!Garden Buddies is a wonderfully wholesome game in which players help create a charming little garden while making new friends and helping them out!

This game is a truly delightful experience with a charming approach to relaxation, self-care, and mental wellbeing. It offers casual and creative gameplay, cute characters and a brief but lovely narrative. The sound design is subtle but effective, adding to the calming tone of the experience and the dialogue is uplifting and fun! It is a fairly short family-friendly experience, with some replayability afforded to players by the additional game modes, and is definitely suitable for players of all kinds of ages. The self-care exercises and wholesome dialogue from Mutsy are a highlight of the game and create a really uplifting and rewarding experience overall. I had a very playful and jolly time with this game and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a calming crafting game with a lot of heart!

Full review available HERE.

Unwording

Unwording is a short but insightful exploration of overcoming negative thoughts and other aspects of depression. Players can explore, solve word puzzles and help the protagonist, Tom, find a new outlook on life.

Overall, the game is a cute and moving experience that offers a brief look at how it might feel for somebody battling cognitive distortions and negative thoughts. It will take around 1-2 hours to play and carefully combines gameplay, narrative and styling elements to create a comprehensive and emotive experience that a lot of people will be able to relate to. I thoroughly enjoyed this game and would highly recommend it to fans of narrative-driven puzzles and word games or anyone seeking an insightful look at specific mental health issues.

Full review available HERE.

Asfalia: Anger

Asfalia: Anger is a wholesome point-and-click game that follows Charlie as he explores the land of Asfalia, a mysterious and fantastical representation of emotions.

It will take around 60-90 minutes to complete Asfalia: Anger with all collectables and provides decent family-friendly gameplay for a reasonable price. The puzzles and overall gameplay are fairly simple and casual, but a lot of fun. This makes it accessible to younger audiences without being boring for parents or older players. The narrative is equally accessible, being easy to digest, relatable to a wide audience, and also offering a little life lesson. There is a lot of meaning conveyed through the various aspects of the game but this is done with balance and accessibility in mind. Additionally, it is delivered in an entertaining way with top-notch voice acting, strange but adorable characters, and a charming aesthetic.

I found this short point-and-click game very relaxing, enjoying the silliness and the way it is used to convey something with some meaning and I’d happily recommend it to anyone looking for a chilled-out game to spend an hour with, but also to people looking for something to play with their children – this is perfect for that. Also, for anyone who enjoys this game, the developers have released a sequel – Asfalia: Fear!

Full review available HERE.

Smushi Come Home

Smushi Come Home is a delightful platforming adventure starring Smushi, a lost little mushroom trying to find his way home. Players can explore, meet friendly characters, and complete different tasks and challenges in a bid to get home to Smushi’s siblings!

This is one of the most wholesome platforming adventures out there. It manages to maintain a relaxing gameplay style whilst offering a good amount of challenge through achievements and different tasks. Some platforming sections get especially tricky, making them very satisfying to complete, but the unpunishing nature of the game keeps things casual and laid back throughout. The meditative audio and colourful visuals match the gameplay and storyline perfectly, and Smushi Come Home even offers customisation in terms of the level of pixelation. Overall, the game will take around 3-6 hours to finish, depending on the level of exploration and completion and offers a good amount of gameplay and substance for the price. I wholeheartedly recommend this game to a wide range of player types, as it has so much to offer and will please a multitude of tastes. It is an ideal game to enjoy as part of an extended break to aid one’s mental well-being.

Full review available HERE.

Cozy Caravan

Cozy Caravan is a delightful, top-down adventure in which the player embarks on a journey through charming towns, helping kind and jolly citizens along the way, all in aid of the upcoming whizz-bang fair!

Thisd game is an absolute joy to play, with laid-back gameplay, wholesome themes, a delightful narrative, and adorable characters. Despite being in early access, there is a good amount of content so far and consistent and regular updates are always being added. The game is entirely family-friendly and will be enjoyable for a range of player types and age groups. The devs have created a game world that is delightful and adorable in all its facets, ensuring a charming and relaxing experience that is very engaging. I thoroughly enjoyed this game and would recommend it to fans of wholesome games without hesitation.

Full review available HERE.

Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge

Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge is a casual creature-collector and farming sim in which players hop into the role of Cleo and help restore and manage a delightful frog sanctuary.

This is a charming game, full of cute frogs and fun farming and management gameplay that avoids being too taxing or stressful. The aesthetics are lovely, with the soft pastel visuals and delicate piano soundtrack really emphasising the relaxing tone of the game. Playtime can vary, and players can expect to spend anywhere from 6 to 20 hours in the game, depending on the level of completion they wish to achieve. It is a compact but entertaining farming and management game with plenty of cute creatures and a light but fitting narrative that helps with immersion and increases the player’s level of engagement. Overall, this is a great game, and I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking for a farming sim and collectathon that doesn’t insist on meticulous attention to detail or massive time commitment. I’d also recommend it to anyone who loves frogs! Another game that is great to relax and chill out with, a perfect reprieve from impending burnout!

Full Review available HERE.

Giveaway

To celebrate the existence of such positive gaming experiences and give you the chance to try one of the games featured in this article, we are giving away a Steam key for Smushi Come Home!

For more details and your chance to win (or just to chat about indie games), simply join our friendly Discord server and check out the announcements!

Summary

There are plenty of ways to use games and interactive media to help look after one’s mental well-being and use them as self-care tools. Whether it’s using games as a way to take a break and relax or if they are more specifically geared towards mindfulness or mental health there are lots of options and this article only covers ten!

If you’d like to explore more games with a focus on mental health or wellbeing, you may also enjoy these articles:
10 Uplifting Games for Self Care and Mental Wellbeing – Five Free Games that Attempt to Tackle Mental Health Issues – Beat the Lockdown Blues with the Care Package Game Bundle