The 10 Most Anxiety-Inducing Video Games & The 10 Most Soothing
What Kind Of Player Are You?
Video games can take players to extremes: while some seek heart-pounding thrills, others play to unwind and recharge. Luckily, the gaming world is vast and offers plenty of options that fit the bill, no matter what kind of player you are. From fast-paced and overstimulating to calming and zen, here are the 10 most stressful video games ever made and the 10 most soothing.
1. Cuphead
Cuphead stresses players out mostly due to its unforgiving difficulty. It demands constant concentration in order to succeed, has tight controls, and a lot of visual chaos.
2. Dark Souls
The Dark Souls series can only be described as intense. It's super difficult with a high margin for error, constant threats, and can feel like an endless cycle of failure even when you're progressing.
FromSoftware and Bandai Namco Entertainment on Wikimedia
3. Resident Evil
Resident Evil is fittingly stressful for a zombie game. Jump scares and ambushes are frequent, and the game is purposely designed to fill the player with a sense of dread and hopelessness.
4. Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Amnesia: The Dark Descent is horribly stressful because it's designed so you can't fight back against the monsters. Your only options are to run and hide, and your sanity levels are monitored with a meter that goes down the more disturbing events you witness. The atmosphere of the game is extremely unsettling, with a pervasive sense of dread.
5. Outlast
Outlast is known for being one of the scariest videogames ever made. It uses intense jump scares, disturbing imagery, and a terrifying narrative to create anxiety and tension in players. Like in Amnesia, you can't fight back against monsters, and can only run and hide, adding to the terror.
6. Papers, Please
Instead of using horror tropes to create tension, Papers, Please creates anxiety through a combination of financial stress, oppressive rule, and moral dilemmas. The pace of the game is frantic and mistakes have harsh and immediate consequences. The game is designed to make you feel like a cog in the system, creating a sense of dread.
7. Five Nights at Freddy’s
Five Nights at Freddy's is a horrifying game where you have to outsmart animatronic characters possessed by a serial killer and the spirits of his victims. You must survive the night with extremely limited resources, there are several intense jump scares, and the atmosphere is undeniably creepy and unsettling.
8. Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy
In Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy, you must navigate up a massive mountain of garbage. Failure is frequent and can set you all the way back to the bottom of the mountain, adding a sense of psychological torment that tests your patience and perseverance.
9. Darkest Dungeon
Darkest Dungeon is highly stressful because of its permanent and unforgiving consequences. It's a very difficult game with a high level of unpredicatbility where defeats are crushing and character deaths feel personal.
10. Call of Duty
Call of Duty is known for being extremely fast-paced with high-pressure challenges and overstimulating sounds and visuals. The game's heavy and negative themes relating to war and violence add to the stress.
Now that we've covered some of the most stressful games ever made, let's talk about the ones that instill a sense of chill.
1. Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley is a highly satisfying game where players can move through tasks at their own pace. The game's aesthetics are comforting and charming and the melodic soundtrack is gentle and relaxing.
2. A Short Hike
A Short Hike features a low-stress open-ended environment where the main objective is exploration. There are no time restrictions, all side quests are optional, the visuals are charming, and the characters are friendly.
3. Animal Crossing
Animal Crossing entails extremely low pressure tasks in a conflict-free setting. There are no time limits and the environment is predictable with cute visuals.
4. Minecraft
Minecraft is a low-pressure sandbox game where you can basically create as you please. The ambient soundtrack creates a relaxing setting where players can get into a "flow state" through simple tasks like mining and building.
5. Journey
In Journey, the main objective is exploration, and players are encouraged to pause the game and practice mindfulness as they play. The atmosphere of the game is minimalist and peaceful and there is zero pressure.
6. ABZÛ
ABZÛ is a game based on free exploration in a beautiful, underwater world. It features stunning scenery, a soothing orchestral soundtrack, and fluid movement.
Abzû game designers on Wikimedia
7. No Man's Sky
No Man's Sky is another game based on exploration rather than combat or competition. Players can create their own goals while exploring a vast and beautiful world with no pressure or competition.
8. Sims
It's strange that a game closely resembling real life should be so relaxing, but it is. Sims gives players the opportunity to control a virtual life, completing simple and satisfying tasks like designing your home, eating a healthy meal, or getting a promotion.
9. Dorfromantik
Dorfromantik is a low-stakes puzzle game with charming visuals and ambient background music. The only "goal" of the game is placing tiles to create the most pleasing landscape possible.
Spiel des Jahres e.V., Christian Linck on Wikimedia
10. Gris
Gris is a visually stunning game with low-stress gameplay that offers a meditative experience. The game starts in black-and-white, but as the hero earns back her strength, the color gradually returns to the world: a metaphor for grief and healing.
