The Most Relaxing Games On The Nintendo Switch

Ever since Animal Crossing: New Horizons launched on the Nintendo Switch, you may have been glued to the console, decorating their islands and interacting with their favorite villagers. The game can be super relaxing and is a ton of fun just to kick back and play, but after months of working on your island, you may be looking for something else to play.

The Nintendo Switch has a massive variety of different games. From puzzle platformers to horror games, there’s something for just about everyone on this console. But big fans of Animal Crossing: New Horizons will likely be looking for something that has a similar relaxing feeling.

Updated on February 13, 2025 by Jerel Levy: With the launch of Hello Kitty Island Adventure, there was nothing to do but update this list and include one of the most adorable pop icon characters in pop media. Whether you’re taking a break from Animal Crossing or want something to play while you wait to do your dailies for the next day, this list has enough relaxing switch games to ensure you’ll find something you enjoy.

28

Hello Kitty Island Adventure

Enjoy Your Stay With These Adorable Iconic Characters

Finally available on the Nintendo Switch, Hello Kitty Island Adventure is the quintessential relaxing, cozy game for Animal Crossing lovers. Fans of the genre will recognize all of the usual cozy tropes that’ll keep you coming back for more, but uniquely, you get to create your own character to join in on the everyday cozy fun.

Dropped onto Friendship Island, it’s up to you to restore the island’s natural beauty while also taking the time to help out the other famous islanders. Go fishing, play dress up, and get ready for a host of activities, from gift-giving to cabin decorating. Get lost in this cozy game with Hello Kitty and all of her friends.

27

Minecraft

Live In Your World Or Create A New World

If you like laid back situations but can also get bored easily, you’ll need a distraction for your imagination. Minecraft can be what you make of it, and if you enjoy relaxing, the repetitive nature of resource collecting can be just what you need. Sitting back and building a house or even mining for some relaxing, repetitive, easy-to-do task, you’ll enjoy the time and ease Minecraft can give to you on the Switch.

26

Paleo Pines

Adorable Dinosaurs Bring Slice Of Life Goodness

Some of the best cozy games are those that give you sweet slice-of-life gameplay. These allow you to relax with familiar activities, things you may or may not do in real life. Dinosaur ranching is as adorable as it sounds, and you’ll get a unique cozy experience. There are several dinosaurs to collect, coming in different colors; all made adorably charming in Paleo Pines.

Whether you’re a completionist or playing casually, there’s enough to do to always keep you engaged. When logging in for a few hours to complete daily tasks and befriend NPCs, you’ll easily sink into the laid-back and adorably cozy nature of Paleo Pines.

25

Calico

Manage A Cat Cafe

Who doesn’t love playing with kittens? Calico is a life simulator where you’re put in a fantasy world and tasked with running a cat cafe. You can furnish it, bake desserts, and fill the place with adorable kittens.

Outside the cafe, you can explore the nearby forest, befriend wild animals, and invite them to stay with you. Animals will let you ride them after you’ve introduced yourself, giving you a speedy way to adventure throughout the world. You may even come across a giant cat if you’re lucky.

24

Donut County

Cause Cartoonish Mischief

Donut County is an excellent choice if you need a good laugh. It’s a puzzle game that has you controlling a hole in the ground to cause as much mischief as possible. Each stage requires you to swallow every object on the screen. The more you devour, the bigger the hole will get.

The game features light puzzle-solving since you’ll need to find a way around obstacles and make certain objects reachable. Everything is presented in a light-hearted, comedic manner, with plenty of cute animal characters and humor to keep you smiling while you cause trouble.

23

Disney Dreamlight Valley

A Magical Life Simulator

Picture Animal Crossing with Disney characters. That’s Disney Dreamlight Valley in a nutshell. It’s a life simulator where you move into a magical town populated by Disney and Pixar characters. You can decorate your house, befriend characters, construct buildings, go fishing, and adventure into the wilderness to gather resources.

Along your adventure, you meet characters from The Little Mermaid, Moana, Lilo & Stitch, Toy Story, and much more. New characters are added to the game all the time, providing plenty of new surprises during your playthrough.

22

Alba

A Wildlife Adventure Tells A Wholesome Story

While Alba: A Wildlife Adventure appears to be a simple game, it tells a touching story about a young girl trying to save her island’s nature reserve. This is an open-world game where you explore the island, rescue animals, take pictures of nature, and rally the townsfolk to help your cause.

All of your actions are important since your actions will attract different types of animals to the village. The gorgeous cell-shaded graphics perfectly complement the game’s cozy, adorable tone. This game is great if you want a wholesome, story-based adventure.

21

Coffee Talk

A Relaxing Visual Novel

Visual novels are often great if you want relaxing Switch games, and Coffee Talk is a prime example. The game has you run a coffee shop in a fantasy world. Mermaids, orcs, elves, and many other fantasy creatures will visit your business, and you get to hear their stories and follow their character arcs.

It’s a text-heavy game, but the captivating story and engaging characters will keep you entertained. The beautiful pixel art and soothing Lofi music add to the relaxing experience, making this a great game to play while snuggling up in bed.

20

A Short Hike Lets You Explore Nature

A Short Hike lets you experience all the neat things about hiking without any of the real-life consequences. Its characters are all cute little animals, and the art does an excellent job of making you feel like you’re really there. The goal is to make it to the top of the mountain, but the game encourages you to take your time and enjoy the scenery.

You can camp, climb, fish, and even fly at your own pace, meeting other hikers you can befriend and help. Not to mention, the game’s soundtrack fits its relaxing atmosphere to a tee.

19

Shape Of The World

A Stunning Walking Simulator

Shape of the World is potentially the ultimate walking simulator. There’s nothing for you to do but explore and admire the gorgeous, ever-changing landscapes unfurling as you walk. There are plants, animals, and objects for you to interact with, which make the surrounding environment change.

What you see is procedurally generated, so you can never have the same experience twice. The music contributes to the ethereal atmosphere, allowing you to lose yourself in the game for a couple of hours. Shape of the World is, by all accounts, literally made for you to relax.

18

Cozy Grove

A Must-Play Relaxing Switch Game

This game has “cozy” directly in its title and definitely delivers on that front. It’s a life simulator similar to Animal Crossing in terms of the activities you can do and the fact that it uses your real-world time to determine its in-game time. In Cozy Grove, you get your own haunted island to transform, and you’ll interact with a bunch of different ghosts.

They aren’t there to scare you, though. On the contrary, it’s your job to help them. There are lots of things to craft, collect, fish, and discover. If you want something like Animal Crossing, you’ll probably love this game, but it also gives enough of its own spin on things.

17

Baba Is You

A Silly Puzzle Game

As far as puzzle games go, few get as meta as Baba Is You. The mechanics are relatively easy to grasp. Each level comes with a set of rules, such as the doors are locked, and you can’t walk through walls. Your job is to change the rules so the end of the level is accessible.

You can make it so you can walk through walls or play as the door to wiggle it free from the doorframe and allow Baba to pass through. It’s best to take the game slowly and solve puzzles at a comfortable pace. Baba is Hard, but Baba is Fun, and Fun is Relaxing.

16

Slay The Spire

A Cozy Deckbuilding Game

While this might seem odd for a relaxing Switch game, Slay The Spire is the perfect game to vibe with. This deckbuilding roguelike moves at the pace you want, and each run has enough variance that it doesn’t feel like running into a brick wall over and over.

Slay The Spire is the perfect podcast game. It’s something to pull up and play while listening to an audiobook or watching a TV show. It never gets so frustrating that it ruins the vibe and provides enough meat to keep you engaged.

15

Yoshi’s Crafted World

The Cutest Platformer On Switch

Yoshi’s Crafted World is the perfect game when you want to feel good. It’s a relaxing 2D platformer with cute visuals, fun music, and just enough challenge to keep your attention. You explore levels designed to look like they’re made from crafts, find secrets, and collect items to progress.

This is a great choice for all ages. Although it’s arguably targeted at younger kids, it still provides plenty of joy for adults. Sometimes, all you need is a green dinosaur made of yarn. It’s a heartwarming and comfy experience.

14

Spiritfarer

An Emotional Journey

Life sims and management games are often ideal for a relaxing afternoon, and Spiritfarer is just that. The game was a sleeper hit in 2020, being overpowered in the gaming discourse by a lot of noise. However, as a vibe, Spiritfarer is hard to beat.

The developers describe Spiritfarer as a “cozy management game about dying.” You must help lost souls move into the afterlife while building up their ships and repairing their lives. It’s fun and exciting but also incredibly moving at unexpected times. It’s a great little game and worth playing to help unwind.

13

New Pokemon Snap

Photograph Your Favorite Buddies

The mainline Pokemon games are generally fun and low-stress titles. New Pokemon Snap cranks the good vibes up to a relaxing eleven. Just like in the original Nintendo 64 version, you’re a photographer who travels down a predetermined path while snapping photos of Pokemon.

With every run, you’ll discover new secrets and Pokemon you missed the first time. With a hefty amount of replayability, tremendously satisfying graphics and sound, and ease of play, it’s one of the most relaxing Switch games of all time.

12

Story Of Seasons: Friends Of Mineral Town

A Cozy Farming Sim

This game is a remake of the classic GBA title of the same name. Yes, Harvest Moon is still alive and features new mechanics. Stardew Valley may have outright replaced it in the minds of many people, but there’s something that can’t be beat about the classic series.

Story Of Season: Friends of Mineral Town is an enjoyable game about managing a farm, exploring dungeons, and befriending townspeople. It doesn’t have some of the bloat of the ‘more advanced’ entries, making it perfect to hop in and play. It’s a great game for veterans and newcomers.

11

Gris

A Breathtaking Adventure

Gris has a unique art style and storyline. The game’s beautiful scenery and relaxed method of playing make it one of the most calming and relaxing games on Switch. It follows a girl named Gris as she struggles with a tough time in her life.

Her sad state is reflected in her dreams, where you navigate through unique platforming levels. There are no enemies or obstacles that can hurt you, only light puzzles that you never have to rush through. It’s a gorgeous game that can really tug on those heartstrings when it wants to.

10

Pokemon Let’s Go

The Most Relaxing Pokemon Game On Switch

Pokemon Let’s Go is a pair of two games; one features Eevee as your companion Pokemon, while the other features Pikachu. The game is a remake of the original Pokemon games Red and Blue, putting a modern spin on the classic titles.

If you enjoyed the games in the ’90s or if you’ve never picked up a Pokemon game before, this game is an easy, relaxing game to play. It’s extremely beginner-friendly and doesn’t have the usual tough challenges of most Pokemon games.

9

Firewatch

A Cozy Mystery

Firewatch is an adventure game set in the late 1980s in Wyoming. You control Henry, a fire watch worker in a national park who has no one to talk to except his coworker on the other end of his walkie-talkie.

The game has you explore the vast wilderness to track down clues to a strange mystery. This makes it interesting without the urgency other mystery games tend to have. Firewatch has an interesting storyline that draws you in, and the scenery is peaceful and fun to sink into.