Summary
No matter where you play them, there are plenty of reasons to start a new game. Some people want a distraction, others want to feel powerful, and more still just want to spend time with their friends. No matter your reason, there’s probably a good selection of games out there for you.
Sometimes, though, when life gets you down, you just want something a little more hopeful. The good news is there are plenty of games out there to help pull yourself out of a rut, leave you feeling a bit more optimistic, and altogether just leave you appreciating life a little more.
Playing games with your friends is a great start to make yourself a little more optimistic about life. Combine that with the humorous and peculiar tone of Deep Rock Galactic, and you have yourself a winner.
The story of Deep Rock Galactic, is ironically, not that deep. It has you and a host of other space dwarves mining various asteroids for minerals that the company that hires you needs. Of course, nothing is that easy.
The miners and their simplistic one-liners don’t seem to care much about the company that employs them, they’re all about camaraderie and the love of the thing that brings them all together. Maybe we can all learn from that?
Unpacking is a surprisingly deep indie game considering its discussed as more of a simple, puzzle-lite type of game. True enough, you do unpack plenty of boxes and try to find where everything goes in a series of houses and apartments.
What is underneaththis simple organization game, though, is a surprising amount of emotion. Your unnamed character goes through a series of defining life moments, all told through her personal belongings. It’s interesting to see the things she holds dear, even when life throws a setback her way. It’s a journey that will make you feel a little more optimistic about your own.
It’s an odd one for this list, but don’t sleep on Doom Eternal to make you feel a little bit better after a few hours of playing it. It’s definitely a game more for the FPS fans out there, but it has a surprising amount of heart.
As the Doom Slayer, you enter the game high in earth’s orbit, where a full demonic invasion is taking place. Your job is simple: stop it. There’s something special about how powerful this game makes you feel, taking on waves of enemies with nothing more than your will (and an impressive amount of weapons too). By the end of the game, you’ll feel like you can take on the world yourself.
Plus, at least you aren’t living through a demonic invasion. It could be worse.
When life gets hectic, it can be easy to get caught up in all the big stuff. PowerWash Simulator teaches you that it can be beneficial to sit back, take your time, and focus on the smaller aspects of your life.
The goal of the game is simple; go from level-to-level cleaning things with your handy power washer to complete the level. It sounds easy, but it’s amazing how quickly you’ll find yourself focusing only on the task in front of you. By the end of each level, you’ll feel accomplished by the good job you’ve done.
There are a handful of great DLC’s too if you still can’t get enough from the base game. Some take you to different times, planets, and even fictional universes.
Minecraft is perhaps one of the most talked about feel-good games out there, and while there is a lot of combat and action you may take part in, most of the game is great for making you feel a bit happier about life.
Escapism or not, Minecraft will have youbuilding whole towns, crafting ingredients, or just mining away for hours on end. If you want a little more pressure to take your mind of things then survival mode is there for you, but enjoying creative mode (solo or with friends) is still one of the best ways to unwind and reassess your life.
There are plenty of games out there with amazing stories, but sooner or later that discussion always comes to The Last Of Us. Set in the U.S. both before and after aparticularly nasty zombie apocalypse, it may not necessarily strike you as a great game for this list.
However, the emotions that this game will make you feel are astounding. The plot boils down to found families, endurance, and rolling with the punches. While plenty of games deal with hope and the human condition, few do it as seamlessly as The Last Of Us.
It may be best to focus on the first few chapters of the game, the prologue is a rough ride emotionally.
Stardew Valley is a great balance of a few of the other attributes that some of the other games on this list prioritize. It has a similar exploring and building focus to Minecraft, but also balances a good story and repetitive tasks that can take your mind off things.
Stardew Valley starts off with you arriving to take care of your late Grandfather’s farm, but what follows is an interesting journey about helping others, hard work, and the journey of life. If you’re unsure of the choices you’re making, or are nervous for starting something new then this is a great choice.
Sometimes feeling better means diving into a story about someone else. For a great narrative that focuses on character, there are few games that hold the weight like Night In The Woods does. As Mae, an anthropomorphic cat, you return to your hometown after dropping out of college.
What follows is a tale about change, finding who you are, and connecting with others. Sometimes it’s seeing other people (or cat people) deal with their problems that can make you hopeful about your own journey.
Mario games are something that have been bringing people together with joy and shared journeys for decades now, so, it would be remiss to not have them on this list. Especially the powerhouse that is Mario Party.
Super Mario Party has all the fun games and bright colors that you would expect from the series, but with some new changes, and sharper visuals. Joining up with your friends inthese laughable minigamesis a great time, whether you win or lose.
