Traditionally, the best games are jam-packed with nonstop action and explosions. And those can certainly be fun, but sometimes you simply need an ambient and relaxing experience to take your mind off the worries of the world. No timers, no lives — just gaming bliss.
We've compiled some of our favorite games with a chill vibe that'll help you relax for those times when you need to.
Hocus
Hocus is a cerebral puzzle game that really requires you to work a cube through puzzles that may well have been designed by M.C. Escher himself.
The aesthetic here is clean and relaxing, with all focus put on the puzzle itself, with calming music playing in the background. There are a 100 mind-melting puzzles included in the core game, but you'll also want to tap the pencil and ruler icon to create or play levels designed by the Hocus community. This is a great pick-up-and-play game that will leave you feeling calm and accomplished.
Alto's Adventure
Alto's Adventure is one of the absolute best gaming experiences for Android, as you play a llama herder who must snowboard down a mountain chasing down his lost flock. The visuals here are stunningly beautiful and the gameplay is smooth as silk. After a while of playing this game, you may fall into a trance-like state.
This is probably the most action-packed game on the list, as you must grind and jump over huge chasms and outrun mysterious mountain men in your journey down the mountain. While the gorgeous visuals and fun gameplay will draw you in initially, you'll keep coming back to complete the run objectives.
Download: Alto's Adventure (Free)
Monument Valley
It may come as little surprise, but puzzle games are typically the best for relaxing and de-stressing, since they allow your brain to block out everything around you and focus on completing one specific task.
In Monument Valley, that task requires manipulating impossible structures to help your sprite get through each level. It's a celebrated mobile game on Android featuring a sleek minimalist design. If you've never played it it's still absolutely worth checking out years out from its initial release.
Download: Monument Valley ($3.99)
I Love Hue
I Love Hue is a newcomer to the Google Play Store, but it's as simple and calming a game as you'll find. The goal is to reorganize the colored tiles so that all the hues flow from shade to shade like a fanned out paint sample book.
Things start out easy in the Beginner levels but gradually get more and more complex. You must spend Prisms to play levels, but the game is very generous with those, so you won't run out of them unless you're down for a major marathon session
Infinity Loop
So far we've shared puzzle games with impossible structures and architecture and reordering color hues, so how about some challenging shape puzzles? Infinity Loop requires you to complete closed shapes by rotating pieces until everything falls into place.
This free game features minimalist visuals with a very ambient soundtrack, which combines to create a very calming and relaxing gaming experience.
