If you think about it, there are thousands of ways you can have fun. From listening to music, streaming new shows and films, to maybe even doing some gardening or looking for numbers to prank call, anyone can find the fun in the simplest ways. Still, a good number of people find their source of happiness from playing games, most especially now that they can be accessed with a swipe of a finger through mobile devices.
With various game types, there are certainly tons out there that fit one’s definition of “fun” best. And while heart-racing fighting games, exciting adventure games, and slightly frustrating-yet-fun puzzle games are great for some, others might prefer something a little less lively and a little more chill. If you’ve ever wanted to play mobile games to keep calm during your break time or enter zen mode after a long day, here’s a couple of apps you might want to check out!
Stardew Valley
Ever felt the urge to take a breather from the city life and move to a small town surrounded by farmlands and pastures? This game allows you to experience exactly that! Developed by ConcernedApe and published by Chucklefish Limited, Stardew Valley is a simulation role-playing game where a player lives the life of a character whose grandfather leaves them his farm in Pelican Town.
You can do various activities like growing crops, fishing, foraging, mining, attending town events, and many more. You also get to interact with the townspeople, discover their stories, make friends, and even marry them if you’d like (and you’re not restricted to heterosexual relationships)! What makes this game so chill is that it’s open-ended, which then means you can do all those activities at your own time and pace. This is why most players find themselves completely immersed in the game and play it nonstop. Not to mention, the art style is beautiful (reminiscent of some amazing GBA games), and the NPCs’ stories are just as interesting!
Hungry Hearts Diner
Diner or cooking games are loads of fun, but sometimes, the pressure of impatient customers and getting orders right can be too much when you just want to relax and stay away from the stresses of the real world. If that’s the case, then you can still play a restaurant game while being wholly at ease through Hungry Hearts Diner: A Tale of Star-Crossed Souls, a casual simulation game produced by GAGEX Co., Ltd. Here, you take on the role of an old lady who manages a small diner.
It’s similar to other restaurant games where you tap to create the dishes that customers order and serve them; only you don’t have to worry about strict time constraints and demanding people here. Instead, the key aspect of the game is each customer’s story, which you unlock when you interact with them (that, plus the yummy food that might make you feel a bit hungry too). Level up the dishes to unlock new menu items, upgrade the diner itself, and raise the customers’ satisfaction levels to unlock new interactions and stories. The art style here is adorable, and the stories are just so heartwarming that they’re sure to put you at ease!
Adorable Home
Moving forward with another adorable game, there’s, of course, Adorable Home. If you’ve been a chill game enthusiast for a while, chances are, you’ve probably downloaded and tried this game developed by HyperBeard, Inc. out before. If not, then it’s highly recommended!
The premise of the game is you move in with your chosen partner (it’s LGBTQ+ friendly too!) and a cute cat named “Snow,” clean up the house, decorate it, and capture moments. You can buy different items and renovate the house to fit in what you’d want your own “adorable home” to look like. Arguably the cutest part of the game is the currency – you use “love” to make your purchases. And how do you earn “love”? You prepare a bento box for your partner before they leave for work, care for your cat or cats (YES, you can get more!) through mini-games, and even collect love from the sky by checking the weather. There’s really no pressure for you to do anything fast or tasking here, so it’s a good choice if you just want to chill and play games.
AdVenture Capitalist
In this incremental game by Hyper Hippo, you get to handle businesses and, as the name suggests, be a capitalist with just a tap (or multiple taps in this case). You start by running a lemonade stand, tap to sell lemonade, and earn enough money to open other lemonade stands until you’re able to open other businesses (like a car wash, pizza delivery, movie studio, etc.) on Earth and even beyond! Hire managers, make upgrades, and open other businesses to maximize profit without even lifting a finger–literally, you can gain profit even if you exit the game.
What makes AdVenture Capitalist so stress-free and slightly addicting is that you don’t have to consider the specific costs of managing a business. For instance, you don’t need to buy the lemons or cups themselves; you can just earn profit and keep expanding! Of course, if the whole capitalist thing doesn’t work for you, but you’re into the chill gameplay, you can also check out the spin-off, AdVenture Communist, by the same game developer.
Cats & Soup
Combine the cuteness of cats with the appeal of food-related games in this app by HIDEA. You start with one cat making soup, which you can sell by tapping on the soup at the bottom of your screen. Once you earn enough, you can craft new spaces for other cats to come and tend to other soup-related tasks, like cutting carrots and cabbages, allowing the cats to make different kinds of soup. If you’re not assisting with the soup-making, you can also interact with the cats by dressing them with cute outfits and accessories or taking photos. Since it’s an idle game, if you have to put down your phone or leave the app, the cats will proceed to make soup and earn gold!
There’s absolutely nothing stressful about this game. Even the developers describe this game as a “relaxing cat game perfect for cat moms and dads.” If the gameplay itself isn’t enough, the overall ambiance, charming art style, and relaxing ASMR sounds and background music can undoubtedly help make you feel calm.
And that was the list for the five chill mobile games you might want to check out! The next time you’re taking a break at work or lying down after a stressful day, try playing one of these games to help you unwind. Have fun and get that well-deserved relaxation time!