There are a variety of relaxing games to enjoy on the Nintendo Switch across an assortment of genres. While Switch puzzle gamesmay at first appear complex, there are plenty of laid-back ones on the Switch that fit the handheld's purpose of getting cozy in bed with a couple of short attempts at levels.

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Many Switch puzzle games have relaxing music playing in the background to create a zen environment that will make players turn the lights down low while they unwind. Therefore, these puzzle games on the Nintendo Switch are by far the most relaxing when enjoying the console in handheld mode.

Updated April 13, 2024 by Megan Smith: Switch puzzle games are some of the most relaxing games for the handheld console. The handheld screen is great for concentrating on details up close that many puzzle titles may use. Besides this, the Nintendo Switch's puzzle games are also the best for relaxation, as the handheld capability of the regular and lite versions of the Switch means players can enjoy the assortment of puzzle titles, even years after the initial release of the console.

12 Pokemon Cafe Mix

Metascore: 64

Starting with one of Nintendo's most-loved franchises, Pokemon has had its assortment of side games that veer away from the typical monster collect format. Pokemon Cafe Mix is one great example of this. Since the game was first released in 2020, the title has seen itself reborn with Pokemon Cafe Remix, which players can enjoy entirely for free on the Nintendo Switch.

Apart from the matching of adorable Pokemon faces, this game is great for relaxation, as players are encouraged to get comfortable and spend an hour or two making matches, and customizing how their Pokemon look.

11 Cats Organized Neatly

Metascore: TBD

Cats Organized Neatly first garnered popularity with players on PC. After many years of the title being available there, the game was finally released for the handheld console.

This adorable 2D puzzle title sees players attempt to fit cats of all sorts of shapes and sizes into a grid perfectly, leaving no empty spaces. As players progress through levels, the game starts to get harder but doesn't lose its adorable nature, with players unlocking new cats with interesting names.

10 Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator

Metascore: 74

Creating potions for a player's potion shop is more of a puzzle than they may first realize. That's because in Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator, every potion requires a certain path to be taken by combining ingredients to achieve a certain function.

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Players will need to experiment with their resources to see what concoctions can be created on the furthest corners of the potion map and what ingredients make them the quickest. As the player creates more potions, they will fall into a relaxing loop of preparing potions before customers arrive in a pleasantly drawn art style that allows them to freely customize how their potions look.

9 Suika Game

Metascore: TBD

• Platforms: PC, Android, and Nintendo Switch
• Released: 2023-10-20
• Developer: Aladdin X
• Genre: Party and Puzzle

Suika Game is an adorable, and cheap, puzzle title that can be enjoyed on the Nintendo Switch console. Players have the simple objective of beating their high score by putting fruit together to make bigger fruit, which will then eventually disappear.

With no other objective than this in this adorable fruit puzzle game, players are sure to find Suika Game to be the perfect title while being cozy on the sofa or snuggled into bed. It can also be rather addictive as players enjoy Suika Game again and again, hoping to better their score when they have free time.

8 Superliminal

Metascore: 75

Superliminal is unlike many other puzzle titles, as the game is experienced from a first-person perspective that puts a heavy focus on what the player can see. Sight is important and can be warped in Superliminal, as players will need to position themselves in a certain way to make objects bigger or smaller to solve the perspective puzzles ahead of them.

Optical illusions can be confusing and may make some players believe that this puzzle title can be quite stressful. However, each room entered is sure to amaze players with plenty of time to explore and experiment with its unusual mechanics.

7 A Little To The Left

Metascore: 75

Some of the best and most relaxing puzzle games on the Nintendo Switch are the ones that take mundane things and turn them into something fun. A Little to the Left is a perfect example of this, as players are given various levels of shelves, drawers, and random clutter to sort through.

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With no clear instructions, players are left to their intuition on how they sort a bookshelf, or what candy goes in each pile. What makes the game even more relaxing than this is that many of the levels have multiple ways that can be solved, allowing players to decide which way something should be sorted.

6 Color Zen

Metascore: 78

Although Color Zen doesn't have a Metacritic score, this simple puzzle title has charmed plenty of players who own a Nintendo Switch with its easy, laid-back premise that doesn't stress players with a time limit in which to solve the puzzles. Color Zen encourages players to take every puzzle as slowly as they want and therefore progress at their own given pace.

The vibrancy of the puzzles that simply require the player to match colors together is a joy to behold. The game gives players a total of 460 levels to complete. This means players are likely to return to Color Zen over several days while they chill out to the music in the background.

5 Please, Touch The Artwork

Metascore: 78

Players who have been to an art gallery may be aware that touching the art is frowned upon. Thankfully, in this relaxing puzzle game, the player is encouraged to touch the artwork to match the pieces together by creating lines and filling in colors.

This is only one of the possible puzzle mini-games in Please, Touch the Artwork, as players progress in the title, the puzzles become harder. Using the touchscreen of the Nintendo Switch makes this a perfect cozy game to enjoy from the comfort of the sofa or bed.

4 The Gardens Between

Metascore: 79

Manipulate time to solve puzzles in The Gardens Between as players explore a storybook-like world that tells a tale of adventure, friendship, and growing up. The wonderful environment that the player explores looks incredible on both the regular and OLED Switch, making for a relaxing adventure puzzle title.

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The relaxation of this puzzle game is only made more soothing by the light and gentle soundtrack that plays throughout the players' experience in The Gardens Between, making it a perfect puzzle title for any player looking for more than completing puzzles.

3 Snipperclips - Cut It Out, Together

Metascore: 80

While relaxation is usually done alone, some players may be looking for a soothing puzzle game to play with a friend. Snipperclips - Cut It Out, Together, is a paper-themed adventure that encourages players to work together to solve countless puzzles.

Players will be required to cut their paper pals into various shapes to solve puzzles such as scooping up a ball to put it into a net. While Snipperclips may be better with a friend, players can enjoy the puzzle title solo as they can control each paper pal separately and solve the puzzles alone for a calmer experience.

2 Dorfromantik

Metascore: 82

Another relaxing puzzle game many players have enjoyed on the Switch is the tile placer known as Dorfromantik. Players must put similar tiles together to create their own world that racks up points for every matching tile put together.

Alongside the challenge mode that limits the number of tiles the player has to work with, the free mode is far more relaxing. Players are free to create large worlds that will see them adventure into different biomes as their lakes, towns, forests, and farmlands expand.

1 Unpacking

Metascore: 86

Unpacking is one of the most relaxing puzzle games available on the Nintendo Switch. Players have multiple levels to complete that represent the story of a woman as she grows up from a little girl moving into different locations.

Each level subtly tells a story of meeting new friends and moving in with roommates, to finally finding the love of her life and settling down with them. Players will unpack various bits of furniture and find the right places in a room or a house to put them in.

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