High-energy, action-packed, and chaotic 'closed-world' video games will always be celebrated in the gaming industry, but overstimulating titles can sometimes be the antithesis of relaxing after a stressful day. Many gamers de-stress by taking out their frustrations on high-stakes combat and perilous objectives, while others understandably prefer less combat-heavy and life-threatening gameplay. Open-world games are seeing a huge rise in popularity with 'after-work' gamers or those who suffer from sensory overload and are seeking a more peaceful gaming experience.

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Open-world gameplay makes for great relaxing video games because players have the freedom to meander across land, air, sea, and space, in all kinds of fantastical worlds without the pressure of time limit. Stunning visuals, a calming soundtrack, uncomplicated gameplay, and fewer high-pressure decision-making situations all contribute to this selection of the best relaxing slow-paced, open-world game.

Updated on December 15, 2023, by Holly Dixon: The gaming world is full of open-world games that let the players take control of their destiny, but not all are relaxing and calming. Many are rich in combat, peril, and stressful scenarios that raise player's blood pressure, which although thrilling is not conducive to relieving anxiety and unwinding after a long day. In October 2023, Marvel released Spider-Man 2, a free-roaming sequel for those who found Marvel's Spider-Man equal levels entertaining and calming. Slow-paced, relaxing open-world games have a quality that is truly soothing, immersive, and enriching for those who crave a cozy feeling in their gaming experience.

14 Marvel’s Spider-Man (2018)

Metacritic Score: 87

Anyone who has ever watched an incarnation of Spider-Man swing through New York City has probably felt envy and awe, even if the actual web-slinging leaves them feeling more like Zendaya’s frazzled, motion-sick M.J. For players who struggle to pay attention to slow-paced, minimal story and combat in video games, Marvel’s 2018 Spider-Man may be a perfect solution when seeking a stress-relieving open-world game that doesn’t compromise the elements that gamers love.

Although players are still heavily prompted and guided by missions, tasks, and mapped objectives, Spider-Man is technically an open-world, free-roam game where players can swing across New York as they wish. Despite the jarring, frequent explosions and violence, the detailed, gorgeous graphics and the cut scenes worthy of a polished animated film can easily seduce most gamers into enjoying the ride. Already completed this game? Marvel delivered yet another crime-fighting open-world game with their 2020 Spider-Man: Miles Morales for gamers to enjoy.

13 Hogwarts Legacy

Metacritic Score: 84

One of the most detailed and highly anticipated open-world games in the industry is Hogwarts Legacy. Its popularity is of course due to the realistic recreation of Hogwarts castle and the ability to roam the grounds freely, something which previous Harry Potter games could only allow limited access to. In this witch or wizard simulator, players can virtually experience their dreams coming to life, flying broomsticks, casting spells, caring for magical creatures, and feeling fully immersed in a world of magic and witchcraft.

Hogwarts Legacy’s visuals are polished to the point of shining, the unique characters are interesting and entertaining in their own right, and the ability to customize each player’s character and experience (to a point) will please even the most hardcore Potter fans. The soundtrack is highly reminiscent of the scores composed for the Harry Potter film franchise, adding to an overall blissful atmosphere. For many Potterheads, the joy of reliving nostalgic memories of desperately wishing to get their Hogwarts letter and study magic at the prestigious wizarding school is more than enough to qualify this open-world game as one of the most enjoyable and soothing to play.

12 Firewatch

Metacritic Score: 81

Ever felt like abandoning all responsibilities to take up a low-effort job watching over a tranquil forest and hiking through the wilderness? Campo Santo’s 2016 game Firewatch enables players to follow fire lookout Henry as he explores Shoshone National Forest, putting out fires and admiring the color-soaked scenery. Throughout Firewatch, players flirt and joke with supervisor Delilah over walkie-talkies, providing pleasant commentary as Henry wanders alone.

Mysteries unravel as the game progresses, although the peril remains so low that players will rarely feel stressed or perturbed during gameplay. While some areas (such as Delilah’s tower) are off-limits until they are unlocked, players are given enough freedom to spend hours hiking wherever they please, making this a beautiful game for getting lost in the woods.

11 Alba: A Wildlife Adventure

Metacritic Score: 79

• Released: December 11, 2020
• Developer: ustwo Games
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Developed by ustwo Games in 2020, Alba: A Wildlife Adventure is a wholesome, sweet-natured open-world game about a child, Alba, who visits her grandparents’ home on a Mediterranean island, inspired by the nostalgia of childhood in Spain. Quickly discovering that the wildlife is in peril, Alba traverses the island taking photos of over 62 species of animal in their preferred habitats, saving creatures affected by litter and pollutants and recruiting townsfolk to protect the environment. Eco-friendly both virtually and in real life, as the developers of Alba: A Wildlife Adventure plant a new tree for every new download of the game, to combat deforestation. So this open-world game truly is “feel-good” in more ways than one.

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With gameplay spanning only a few hours, Alba: A Wildlife Adventure can be concluded in a single relaxing evening (if players can find the elusive Iberian Lynx without resorting to online cheats and guides). The short completion time and the small-scale open world will be a relief for gamers who like the freedom to wander but feel overwhelmed without a defined end goal, or regular objectives. Alba: A Wildlife Adventure is one of many beautiful photography video games; but what makes this title stand out as particularly charming and lighthearted is a combination of the art style, quirky upbeat music, beautifully drawn peaceful animals, and endearing characters, all of which make for a fun, uncomplicated open-world game to unwind with.

10 Eastshade

Metacritic Score: 78

• Released: February 13, 2019
• Developer: Eastshade Studios
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows

Eastshade is the perfect open-world game for players craving a peaceful wander across a beautiful, bizarre landscape. Developed by Eastshade Studios in 2019, the combat-less gameplay of Eastshade asks players to work as traveling painters capturing and appreciating their majestic surroundings. The open-world gameplay centers around simple fetch quests for the anthropomorphic residents of Eastshade island, collecting art supplies, gifting canvases to NPCs, and quietly uncovering secrets and resolving conflicts.

Players have the freedom to paint whatever catches their eye in this picturesque world using an easy screen-shotting paint mechanic. Paired with a mellow soundtrack and soft, glittering visuals, Eastshade is an uncomplicated open-world game that eases the minds of those who paint and explore within it.

9 Astroneer

Metacritic Score: 71

For gamers who tire of space gameplay that largely consists of survival horror, Astroneer is a vivid, colorful fantasy space environment in which players explore, shape, and craft themselves. The overarching goal of Astroneer is to journey through seven planets rendered in a pleasing, exotic low-poly art style while collecting resources, opening portals, and building space structures.

Astroneer is not driven by pressure to complete tasks and missions, allowing players to creatively interact with the bright, whimsical landscape in ways that satisfy their heart’s desires. While not a great fit for gamers who crave a fixed plot, complex narrative, and engaging characters, Astroneer perfectly suits players who want to potter around a radiant, quirky galaxy at their own pace.

8 Season: A Letter To The Future

Metacritic Score: 76

Those who know the joy of riding their bike leisurely through picturesque countryside may not need beginner tips for Scavenger Studio’s 2023 game Season: A Letter To The Future, which is akin to one long lazy Sunday afternoon outdoors. Players embody Estelle, a young woman writing a journal for future generations, to document her life and the world she lives in before it is wiped away completely. The game opens with a calming, nostalgic scene of Estelle and her mother collecting endearing memories to melt into an ‘identity pendant’ so that Estelle will never lose herself on her journey.

With a stunning, warm color palette and beautiful scenery, players can easily get lost in sensations and sights and miss unique mysteries and secrets while exploring, accompanied always by a serene, meditative score. Unlike similar open-world games that boast a gorgeous open-world but still have restrictive mechanics, Season: A Letter To The Future takes an extra step towards player freedom and control down to even the most minute details. They can customize the journal they are collating to the extent of resizing images and freely organizing where to place photos. Season: A Letter To The Future has a lot of soul and heart, with a therapeutic component that many players may find soothing, enlightening, and even healing after a long day.

7 Call Of The Sea

Metacritic Score: 75

In Out of the Blue’s 2020 game Call of The Sea, Norah arrives at an isolated and idyllic island in the 1930s in search of her voyaging husband, while also seeking a cure for her mysterious illness. Players have a vast vibrant tropical landscape to traverse to the sounds of chirping parrots and chattering wildlife while looking for clues.

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The puzzles are fairly quick to solve in Call of the Sea, perfect for players who enjoy a light challenge without hitting impassable puzzle walls or needing to repeatedly run back and forth between locations to fetch items. Gamers can relish this intriguing, slow-burning game without lying in wait for combat, jump scares, or peril beyond a brooding mystery.

6 Ooblets

Metacritic Score: 74

Ooblets is an absurdly endearing, bizarre, and wholesome spin on the open-world farming simulator and animal collecting games available on the market. Ooblets are tiny unique creatures, resembling food, animals, and everything cute, which follow the player everywhere once adopted; adopting multiple results in a stampede of adorable creatures sprinting behind players, as helpful assistants. The humor, the quirky dialogue, the vibrant visuals, and silly occurrences in Ooblets are the main draw and what makes this game stand out from other open-world titles.

Ooblets is a perfect alternative to the Pokemon franchise, for those who adore collecting colorful creatures but hate training their tiny friends to fight each other. All conflict in Ooblets is resolved via enthusiastic card-based dance battles, so the cheerful little Ooblets stay unharmed and get to light up the dance floor. There are numerous breeds and variations of Ooblets to encounter, all of which have unique abilities, so building a strong dance team is encouraged. Additionally, there are multiple themed worlds to traverse and spirited townsfolk to befriend, if players tire of the farming, fishing, pet adoption, customizing outfits, and building mini homes and accessories for their Ooblets. If the name itself doesn't put a smile on every player’s face, the joyful, stress-free gameplay will.

5 Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles

Metacritic Score: 64

Seeking an open-world game that feels completely safe and comforting with minimal threats? The only obstacle in Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles (developed by Prideful Sloth in 2017) is a relatively harmless substance called Murk, which can be easily dispersed to de-pollute the environment. Players can happily wander through this kind of immersive open-world game without any fear of being attacked or preyed upon.

Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles is a new variation for players who have already enjoyed other foraging, farming, or light questing games. The visuals alone are breathtaking, with shimmering light sources and cute, friendly wildlife to befriend. Freedom is highly valued in Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles, as gamers can customize their avatar and opt into whatever activities they fancy at their own pace in this dreamy world.

4 Red Dead Redemption 2

Metacritic Score: 97

Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2 might seem an unlikely choice for relaxing gameplay, considering the Wild West gun violence, serial killers, cannibals and the potential to be mauled by bears and alligators. However, Red Dead Redemption 2 provides a great escape into snowy nights and the warm, green wilderness of 19th-century America. Players can ride leisurely across this open world participating as they wish in adventures of their choice or avoiding more grizzly, unsavory characters, and chance encounters.

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3 Abzu

Metacritic Score: 78

For gamers who adored Subnautica but secretly wanted to spend less time being relentlessly pursued by terrifying predatory sea creatures, Abzu by Giant Squid Studios is a gorgeous, pacifist underwater alternative. Even the scariest-looking Great Whites or Goblin Sharks are relatively peaceful animals in Abzu, that gamers are encouraged to protect and befriend.

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Gamers can hold onto the fin of a passive, tranquil manta ray or a sea turtle and float through shimmering vast light blue water and watch teeming wildlife exist undisturbed while trying to restore life to damaged areas of the ocean. With an ethereal, undeniably mesmerizing soundtrack, Abzu is a stunning open-world underwater diving simulator that provides a hugely soothing experience.

2 No Man’s Sky

Metacritic Score: 71

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Originally released in 2016 by Hello Games, No Man’s Sky has been frequently updated to vastly improve gameplay and is now considered to be incredibly versatile and one of the best open-world games to be set in space. Gamers can choose from some survival or exploration modes to customize their experience while playing solo, enlist friends in multiplayer, or participate in weekly community events.

No Man’s Sky contains a plethora of activities to fulfill every player’s interests, from pet systems and bizarre creatures to tame, ships to fly, bases to build, combat to engage in, and cosmic environments to explore. The uninhibited, celestial open-world gameplay of No Man’s Sky will keep many players busy and relishing their in-game freedom.

1 The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

Metacritic Score: 97

There’s no questioning why The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is viewed as a classically relaxing and impressive open-world game - and it’s not just due to the everlasting popularity of The Legend of Zelda Franchise. Once again, players reunite with Link in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, with the main goal of reclaiming memories of Princess Zelda and defeating the primary antagonist Calamity Ganon.

The gameplay feels endless, perfect for becoming lost in whimsy, nostalgia, and beauty as players navigate the land of Hyrule, following their own curiosity to discover secrets. Players are easily occupied with numerous puzzles, side quests, resources to gather, and endearing characters to meet throughout the serene, awe-inspiring landscape. It’s no wonder that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild remains an idyllic, tranquil open-world game that players find entertaining and peaceful.

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