One of my favorite games is A Short Hike. It's not the same kind of game as Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, etc, but the writing is brilliant and it always makes me content whenever I play it.

I really wish more games like it existed.

There are tons of games like A Short Hike.

Alba, Little Kitty Big City, Lil Gator Game, Haven Park, Time on Frog Island, Little Wings Deliveries , The Kind Chamomile, Smushi Come Home, Petit Island, Luna's Fishing Garden, ...

Another game that gave me similar vibes to A Short Hike was Lil Gator Game.

For me though, a game doesn't have to have cozy aesthetics to put me in a more cozy or calm mood, and I've never really gotten into games like Stardew Valley or AC. Beauty in a sense is probably important. Celeste comes to mind, though it can also be quite challenging. My own favorite game even for destressing purposes is Dark Souls... And then you have things like classic solitaire/klondike, or recently I played through the entire SNES Populous conquest mode, where they're almost more meditative than anything.

Thank you for the recommendation!

I generally play http://slither.io/ to relax. I find the visuals when the snakes explode very relaxing for some reason. Play some slither, pop on an interesting audiobook = chill out bliss for me.

I know slither is played by a lot of kids, sometimes I wonder if I am the only adult on there. Curious if anyone on HN has ever played it or heard of it. I know it's popular with kids because one time I was in Party City getting some party supplies and in the kids birthday supply aisle there was an entire "slither" party section with graphics and themed stuff from the game.

Just a note if anyone from here checks it out it's WAY better if you install the chrome zoom mod, it becomes 1000x more fun after that.

Absolutely love A Short Hike. Perfect to relax in bed or on the couch on the Deck and just relax. I have fallen asleep playing it multiple times. Just wandering and soaring and climbing.

When I want to relax I play Euro truck simulator. Its similar to IRL driving slowly through the city in the night.

A friend gifted me A Short Hike after my cat died suddenly during covid, and it really did make me feel better. It’s a lovey game.

A Short Hike is such a gem. It nails that cozy feeling without trying too hard

Spilled! is a short game about cleaning up oil with a similar vibe.

I recommend all 3 installments of Frog Detective. They are all short plays and zero challenges, just really fun writing and adorable characters.

Smushi come home if the most similar I've played