Video games are gateways to other worlds and can evoke all sorts of emotions. 80% of people who play video games play them for some kind of stress relief, an escape from the responsibilities in other areas of their lives.
It would be fair to say that people jump into video games for mental health purposes. Since the medical and financial fields are intertwined, some people may find it challenging to get the treatment they need and might turn to video games to relieve some of the symptoms of their mental illnesses. Whenever you’re feeling overwhelmed, try out these five video games to boost your mental health.
Best Video Games for Your Mental Health
This game bundle ensures you’ll never run out of something relaxing to explore. Video games don’t have to be intense for you to reap their benefits, as they’re especially handy for learning certain topics as they are in stress relief. Sometimes, you just may need to fly around a fictional world to release your stress from the day.
This franchise pulls you into a bird’s viewpoint, allowing you to explore several worlds as if you had wings. There are no opponents to fight in this game, no overt violence. It’s the perfect way to unwind from a long day. This series features some of the best games for mental health boosts that you can play for just a few minutes or hours.
In this slow-paced game, you can build an island into a bustling metropolis or live the cottagecore life of your dreams. In the Animal Crossing series, you control a human character in a world of animals. This addition for the Nintendo Switch takes it a step further — and you get to decorate the entire island as you see fit.
In this game, you have no bosses to beat. Instead, you only need to worry about paying off the debt for your house. The in-game currency is easier to earn than it sounds, so you’ll pay off your debts and start collecting event items, bugs, fossils and more in no time.
This mobile game can give you an adventure without even leaving your neighborhood. Return to a time of nostalgia as you try to catch all the Pokemon available in your area. Back when Niantic released it in 2016, Pokemon Go was everywhere. People who played it were happier and there was a sense of community in every area.
Luckily, this app is still going strong. The best part is you can play this game cooperatively. It gets you outside in the fresh air and urges you to work together with other people — be it strangers or your best friends — so you can catch even rarer Pokemon.
This Nintendo Switch title will get you up and moving. You can customize your exercises to your routine. Even if you don’t regularly work out, you’ll find this game and its hardware helpful. Exercise can boost both your physical and mental health and increase your self-confidence levels, which can help you out in all areas of life. If you have trouble making exercise a habit, try going through the story mode of this game — it might give you a new favorite hobby.
Under Leaves provides the player with utmost relaxation while giving them the small challenge of identifying things in a given scene. At only about $5, you’ll enjoy all the settings and hidden animals within them. This low-stakes game will help you hone your eyesight while taking a breather away from the stressors of real-life or highly-involved, brain-boggling games.
Play Games for Mental Health Boosts
Video games are a great way to step away from real life. Sometimes, you must turn your brain off and try something in another world, such as finding hidden animals or watering virtual flowers. By giving your brain a break, these games for mental health can help you feel better in several ways. While they’re no replacement for medical treatment, they can help ease some symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress and others on days you think you can’t do anything else.