If you follow any recommendations about getting a good night's sleep, then you'll know that you're supposed to be avoiding screens before bed, but it just doesn't always work out like that. So why not play something light to help you relax before bed instead of rolling around restlessly? Having fun and relaxing is kind of the entire point of video games in the first place, after all.
Fortunately, many developers have thought of this idea before, so there are plenty of games made to provide a relaxing experience. So whether it's lo-fi beats, low-effort puzzles, or just mindless exploration that helps calm you down, these games are perfect for helping you relax before bed.
Updated on January 26th, 2023 by Kyle Chamaillard. There are many ways to unwind before going to bed, and sometimes you might feel like turning your brain off with a video game instead of immersing yourself in a novel or podcast. Countless titles with ambient soundtracks and gameplay can make your eyes feel heavy after only a few moments, so we've decided to update this list with a few more entries that are more fun than counting sheep.
15 CATch The Stars
Sometimes when your mind is racing after a stressful day, going straight into a game with no problem-solving at all is next to impossible because it won't distract you enough to let you relax. That's where puzzle games like CATch The Stars are the perfect solution.
With a relaxing soundtrack and puzzles that are just hard enough to make you engage with the game, it's the perfect way to help shift your brain away from the problems of the day and into a more calmed state before bed. Plus, the night theme prevents your screen from becoming too bright and waking you up instead of putting you to sleep.
14 Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is one of the most relaxing games ever made and is just as fun to play at night as it is during the day. Not only do you get to enjoy different sections of the hourly soundtrack when you play before bed, but you also have an opportunity to change your routine a bit as well.
Instead of worrying about earning bells and paying for island enhancements like you do during the day, you can simply wander the island at night, pulling weeds, watering flowers, and talking with your island residents. It's a great way to keep your island looking good and burn the midnight oil before eventually falling asleep like Gulliver on the beach.
13 Melatonin
Melatonin is both a natural hormone produced by the pineal gland in your brain and a medication that helps you sleep. Melatonin is often used to help insomniacs or someone with jet lag fall asleep, but one of the most notorious side effects of the medicine is the strange or abnormal dreams that usually come with taking it.
Melatonin is also a rhythm game about a guy who falls asleep on his couch every night and dreams about stuff like dating, shopping, and more. Its lo-fi aesthetic and beats are hypnotic, and most of its gameplay only requires you to press a button or two in time with a song. Whether you prefer to play something before bed or want some medicine to help you sleep, Melatonin is always a fantastic choice.
12 Sable
If you want to explore a wide-open landscape with the occasional side quest to give you an objective to head toward, Sable is the game for you. Its rolling deserts and soaring cliffs create a wonderfully relaxing environment to explore that's perfect for winding down at the end of the day.
If you're just starting Sable for the first time, it doesn't have much difficulty to it in terms of gameplay, so you don't worry about learning a bunch of complex mechanics and can hop right in. The most difficult part about Sable is trying to make sure you don't spend all night playing it if it gets its hooks into you.
11 Slay The Spire
The best games to play before bed are the ones you can pick up again in the morning to continue your adventure, even if you don't remember exactly what you were doing before falling asleep. Many roguelikes allow you to save mid-run but Slay the Spire is one of the best in the genre for seamless pick-up and play sessions.
If you know the basic rules and premise for Slay the Spire, picking up a run that you fell asleep to the night before shouldn't be much of a problem. Each card has a description of what it does, so even if you don't remember grabbing it, you'll be instantly reminded of its potential when you draw it from your deck.
10 Dorfromantik
Dorfromantik is another great game if you find it difficult to relax with titles that don't challenge you. It's a tile-based puzzle game where you expand a map from a single hexagonal tile into a massive open area that meets a set of objectives along the way.
The gameplay is simple and slow-paced but provides enough difficulty to engage your mind so that you aren't thinking about anything else while playing it. As a bonus, the landscapes you create in Dorfromantik are stunningly gorgeous, so you get a serene and picturesque view to enjoy before falling asleep.
9 Tetris Effect Connected
Puzzle games are great to play before bed, but sometimes it takes more than just the gameplay itself to put you to sleep. Other elements like visuals, music, and more can be used effectively to help someone relax, and few games have all of those factors harmonized as well as Tetris Effect Connected.
Originally developed as a VR game, Tetris Effect Connected contains a plethora of mesmerizing stages that each have a unique song attached to them. While some levels are more high-energy, Tetris Effect has plenty of relaxing environments and melodies that you can play in bed before drifting off toward a good night's sleep.
8 Vampire Survivors
The worst kind of game to play before falling asleep is one that requires you to press every button on your controller to interact with them. If you want something to help you sleep, it should require as little focus from you as possible, and Vampire Survivors somehow balances feel-good gameplay with incredible simplicity.
Your objective in Vampire Survivors is to defeat enemies by moving your character around a map and choosing which weapons to use whenever you level up. You don't need to mash any buttons to attack, as axes, spells, and more are used automatically and more frequently as you get stronger. Most runs end after thirty minutes, so depending on how awake you are, you can easily commit to a single match before calling it a night.
7 Tiny Lands
Before it became common to have the ability to play a video game in bed, you might have relied on certain books like Where's Waldo or I Spy to help you relax before falling asleep. There was also a popular genre of puzzle books that would ask you to spot the differences between two almost-identical photos that feel like they have been lost to time.
Tiny Lands is full of these types of puzzles and uses 3D environments to hide subtle differences between the two images. The calming music that plays while you're solving each puzzle makes falling asleep a breeze, and each puzzle shouldn't take more than ten to fifteen minutes to complete.
6 Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley is a game that excels at making the monotony of farm life interesting, and that is exactly the kind of game you want to be playing before bed. Whether you have a farm that you tend to already or you want to start a new one before bed, spending some time with Stardew Valley is a surefire way to relax at night.
And if you already play one of the best farming games around regularly, playing it at night can be a helpful way of grinding away those days when not much happens in-game, and you are simply left to tend to your daily chores around the farm.
5 Coffee Talk
Many people like to read before bed, so a visual novel is a good compromise if you want something a bit more engaging than a book but aren't looking for the commitment of a story-driven RPG or action game. One of the better options is Coffee Talk, a visual novel set in a late-night coffee shop that exists in a fantastical world.
The events your customers tell you about paint an interesting picture of the fantastical world it is set in, all while you enjoy the lo-fi beats that inspired the game in the first place. So if you're a fan of chill vibes and a good story, this is a great game to relax with before bed.
4 Golf Peaks
Golf Peaks might seem like just another mobile app, but it's actually an interesting puzzle game that you can play on the go, unlike some of the other titles on this list. So if you're coming home late one night or just want to play a game in bed, it might be a good choice for you.
The goal of Golf Peaks is simple; get the golf ball in the hole. The challenge comes from the limited number of movements you can make and the different types of swings you can use. Plus, it's reasonably popular, meaning there are plenty of guides you can use if you want to avoid a particularly difficult level as you try to relax.
3 Our Life: Beginnings And Always
Another great choice if you would rather read than play is Our Life: Beginnings and Always. It's one of the best romance visual novels around. You play as a custom character and witness them develop through life, playing through key events in three major stages of your childhood and teenage years.
The game mainly focuses on your relationship with a new next-door neighbor named Cove Holden. Throughout the game, your relationship can be anything from distant to friendly or even romantic. It's one of the most inclusive visual novels around, with a huge variety of choices regarding race, sexuality, gender, and more, so you'll definitely be able to see yourself in the character you create.
2 Townscaper
Have you ever wanted to live by the beach? How about building a seafront town? If either of those things sounds appealing to you, then Townscaper is worth checking out. This small-scale city-building game allows you to build a town with the simple click of the mouse or button.
It might not be one of the best strategic city-building games, but Townscaper lets you customize the colors and location of buildings to your heart's extent - though the game will also generate and alter the buildings you place to create a varied but cohesive seafront theme. There is also some fantastic sound design that ties the whole game together into a tidy bundle of joyful relaxation.
1 LEGO Builder's Journey
LEGO Builder's Journey is a simple puzzle game that does a great job capturing the fun of playing with LEGO while also having visually-stunning visuals and gripping gameplay. The puzzles are fun but aren't too difficult, which helps make solving them one of the best ways to relax before falling asleep.
With its minimalist aesthetic and straightforward mechanics, the experience of playing LEGO Builder's Journey is pleasant. Whether you want to reexperience the childlike glee that comes from playing with LEGO, or you just want another relaxing puzzle game to enjoy before bed, this is a title everyone should try for themselves.