At the end of a long day of work, a stressful week, or perhaps just taking a day to unwind, we all know the serenity that comes with loading up a comfort game and just losing ourselves in the familiar for a while, forgetting about responsibility, life, and... I don't know, taxes or something.
However, while a number of games are considered to be relaxing experiences, the end result may end up being the complete opposite. In what should be calm, you end up tangled and obsessed over the little things, ultimately making your day that much more stressful - just what you wanted, right?
5 Stardew Valley
Leave behind the city life and begin working on your farm in Stardew Valley. Sounds pretty refreshing, right? Well, it is - right up until you run around trying to please everyone, work on rebuilding the community center singlehandedly, overhaul the overgrown farm you were given, managing how much energy you have day after day, passing out and hoping you don't lose too much, trying to reach further and further into the mines...
And then you know what else? The most stressful thing of all. It's time to get some new crops, the time of the season is perfect, so you head into town. But then... it's Wednesday. Pierre's is closed.
4 PowerWash Simulator
When you start out in PowerWash Simulator, you are tasked with cleaning a van. Simple enough, and it takes some doing, but you eventually clean each nook and cranny of the vehicle until it all sparkles. It is relaxing to do, and gives you a sense of satisfaction when you see your work completed. Excellent, onto the next job.
What could be next? How about an entire garden caked in muck. You better be prepared to spend a ridiculous amount of time running around, spraying the floor, crouching uncomfortably in order to wash some rocks, climb on the shed... oh but there's still a bit of dirt somewhere, and now you must scour for it. So close to 100 percent, and yet you know there are more jobs to come.
3 No Man's Sky
A whole universe to explore, interesting planets to see, nothing but you and your ship just making a path through this vast and beautiful galaxy. No Man's Sky is truly a relaxing game, in which you can take everything at your own pace, and make your home anywhere you wish.
That is - until you come across planet after planet with some kind of blizzard, radiation, or immediate heat death storm every five minutes. Then there are giant sand worms, pirate attacks, creatures that just want to headbutt you, and the ever-lasting problem of running out of resources. It just doesn't stop. It doesn't stop.
2 The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
There are two ways in which Skyrim can easily go from relaxing to stressful. Firstly, you begin a new adventure - perhaps this time, you aim to do things a little differently. Then, you slowly shift into becoming yet another stealthy archer, hoard way too much stuff, become overly invested in the same quests for the 27th time, and suddenly... it's 3 AM, and yet another port of Skyrim has been released.
The other way you can stressfully end up playing Skyrim is actually by not playing it at all. That's right, it's time to spend seven hours looking through mods, picking out countless that you want to try, though you'll never get around to seeing it all. Even after all of this, time passes as if it was nothing, you launch the game, and - oh, oh the game isn't launching. Oh for fu-
1 Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal Crossing: New Horizons launched at the beginning of the numerous lockdowns, giving us something to dive into and treasure, while everything else in the world came to a halt. It seemed like the whole world was in debt to some scummy raccoon while decorating their island, and it's heralded as a peaceful experience for your Nintendo Switch.
However, after 1,000 hours in the game, I dare not go near it once again. I spent countless days finding the optimal way to design my island, structuring it and restructuring it time and again. I began to think of nothing else, wondering how I could make my island perfect. Now, I find myself tempted to play it once more, but I know the lure of a relaxing experience is false. Never again. Maybe.