Household chores are a necessary evil that every individual will tackle at some point in their lives. Although these boring tasks will typically only take up a few minutes of one's time, they can disrupt the flow of the day, and leave people feeling worn out before their day has even begun.
Some video game developers have had great success in implementing the mundanity of chores into their creations, with many players coming back for more. From unpacking boxes to some everyday gardening, there are a few games that prove that chores can be entertaining, albeit, in a virtual world.
8 Totally Reliable Delivery Service
- Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android devices.
With a charming art style and wacky physics mechanics similar to Gang Beasts, Totally Reliable Delivery Service sees groups of up to four friends tackle a series of challenges and mini-games. The aim of the game is to deliver as many packages as possible while working together to create a cohesive team.
Hilarity and chaos are sure to ensue, as Totally Reliable Delivery Service makes the mundane chore of delivering mail fun. Players are taken through a series of levels featuring different environments, each with different hazards and dangers.
7 Octodad: Dadliest Catch
- Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android devices
Octodad: Dadliest Catch is a hilarious game all about a suave octopus trying to masquerade and pass for a human. Players take control of Octodad himself and try to complete everyday tasks without arousing the suspicions of those around him.
Being an octopus with eight separate legs, each with a mind of its own, the player must shop in a grocery store all while keeping their flailing limbs in check to avoid drawing attention. Octodad: Dadliest Catch is a hilariously entertaining game that sees Octodad being incredibly awkward while doing the simplest of chores.
6 Unpacking
- Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch
Indie gem Unpacking by Witch Beam shows how moving out into a new space can be a relaxing and even fun experience. Through unpacking belongings and organizing rooms, Unpacking tells the story of an unnamed and unseen female protagonist as they grow up and transition to adulthood.
What is typically a mundane and time-consuming process becomes immensely entertaining as the player sees the protagonist's personality and life unfold before their eyes, all through her belongings. There are even tons of hidden Easter eggs for players to discover, like placing the cookie jar just out of reach.
5 Stardew Valley
- Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch
The farming life is anything but glamorous, with farmers having to wake up at the crack of dawn to water crops, tend to any livestock, and maintain general farm upkeep. However, Concerned Ape's popular farming sim Stardew Valley sees players inherit their grandfather's overgrown old farm as they must turn it into a thriving plantation.
Since its release in 2016, Stardew Valley has seen millions of players flourishing with agricultural living. It sees aspiring farmers performing manual labor with all the zest and enthusiasm they would never dream of doing in real life. Eventually, clearing their farm of all the unwanted weeds and trees brings an unparalleled sense of satisfaction.
4 A Little To The Left
- Platforms: PC and Nintendo Switch
In a similar realm to Unpacking, A Little To The Left sees players engaging in methodical organizational puzzles with similar point-and-click mechanics. They must sort messy and chaotic bundles of everyday objects into aesthetically-pleasing piles, with over five different chapters and 70 individual levels to try.
Real-life chores can be tedious, but A Little To The Left offers a peaceful soundtrack and soft pastel aesthetic to calm the player down from the get-go as they go about completing day-to-day chores. From putting their cat's toys tidily away into a basket to sorting pickle jars, A Little To The Left is a short and sweet game that will keep players entertained for a few hours.
3 Moving Out
- Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch
Moving out in real life typically consists of tons of manual labor. From lifting heavy furniture up and down stairs to organizing boxes, it can be an exhausting event. However, Moving Out makes this stressful activity seem like a breeze in this virtual world, with a pinch of chaos added into the mix.
Moving Out brings an entirely new definition to "couch-co-op" as up to four players can work together in local split-screen co-op to take on contracted moving jobs for their company, Smooth Moves. Featuring hilariously-wacky physics, players can hurl boxes across gushing rivers and smash through any obstacles in their way to get the job done.
2 Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Platform: Nintendo Switch
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a wholesome life simulation game that is synced to real-time. Players become indebted to the business-savvy Tom Nook, as they owe him money for turning his remote island into a tropical paradise getaway for other adorable anthropomorphic villagers. They can pay him back by performing tasks like catching rare insects and fish to sell for Bells.
To maintain the general upkeep of their island, players must consistently perform chores, like removing the weeds and litter from their island daily. They can also don a builder's hardhat to beautify their island by doing construction projects like creating gorgeous brick bridges and stairs to improve their islands' infrastructure. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a great game that players can sink countless hours into without even realizing.
1 The Sims Franchise
- Platforms: PC, PS4, and Xbox One
The Sims is probably the best franchise that replicates the ordinariness of day-to-day life, even in a virtual world. Players get to create their own sim from scratch and plunge them into a realistic world filled with bustling AI-controlled Sims and activities.
Chores in The Sims are an unavoidable part of life, and, like in real life, if anyone is surrounded by mess it will certainly impact their mood. Luckily for players, they can swiftly send their Sims on a cleaning spree. Whether it's fixing the leaking toilet, cooking for their family, or tidying the bed, performing chores in The Sims is way more fun and satisfying than it is in real life.