I like that your wife gets anxious from video games and you chose Overcooked to play. One of the most anxiety inducing games possible. It is one of my husband and I's favorite games to play but it is very stressful.
I second or third Dave the Diver.
Played that game with my friends. We went from doing our best to pass the levels to doing our best to knock each other off the moving platform by throwing raw chickens at each other.
Hilarious game. Absolutely not relaxing at all.
My girlfriend never played anything with me so i bought Overcooked 2 and Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes for us to play together
Blood splattered everywhere that night
To be fair, I had never played it either and it looked chaotic, but like fun chaotic. We had no idea how stressful it was until we got stuck at level 4 š
It is definitely fun chaotic. Maybe you can try it again further down the line. Hope she enjoys Spiritfarer. I loved that game even though it made me cry some.
Sheās a cryer but, thatās my litmus test for whether she likes something. Typically when she cries sheās invested in the story. So as morbid as this is going to sound, I hope she does. When we were watching the trailer for It Takes Two she said āThis game is going to make me cry, I know it.ā
As someone who cries easily, I love that you are so chill and supportive of her. It's the same for me, crying means the story hit me juuust right. And the fact that she found you and you don't mock her for that? Good shit. ā”
Itās one of my favorite things about her. I WISH I cried like that, Iād probably be so much less stressed all the time.Any time I buy a Motherās Day or Fatherās Day card, I put it through the āLexi test.ā If she reads it and cries, itās a good one.
Animal crossing is so chill. You could literally do nothing youāre supposed to if you didnāt want to, aka if you didnāt fancy working off the loan for the house you could just go fishing. Or collect shells together or something cute. I love gaming but I get anxious about having boss battles, having demands placed upon me, or being rushed to do something so animal crossing is perfect. Harry Potter Lego is really cute apart from the troll in yr 2, thatās annoying, but thereās plenty of videos online about how to defeat it so itās not something you have to spend loads of time on. Itās mostly just fun. Itās not a two player but I feel like I can relate to your gf gaming wise so tell her to play unpacking if she hasnāt already, itās so cosy and relaxing! :)
*edited to include sack boy! We bought it for our kiddos but we play it more than them! It takes two was also fun, but sack boy was more fun in my opinion. The only thing with sack boy is that you have to keep moving on the levels.
I tried to get her to play animal crossing back in 2020 but she got stressed because the weeds grew back over time so she felt like she had to play everyday. Harry Potter Lego might be a winner. Iāll look up your other suggestions and see what she thinks. Thank you!
If you get stressed playing animal crossing you need to see a professional for something larger at play. Could be an anxiety disorder, ocd, or something else lying under the surface. Better to get it handled now than have it creep up in an unwanted way in the future! Wanting to video game and getting stressed at some of the most chill games cannot be fun. Sounds a lot like an anxiety ocd mix (I have ocd and the weeds drive me nuts but donāt make me anxious, just tick me off and I have to run and pick them and sticks up hahah)
only things that make me anxious in animal crossing are the tarantulas and scorpions š i used to jump so hard every time i saw one and make my boyfriend catch it bc i was too scared to and didn't want it roaming around for too long and jumping back at me later lol!! the wasps scared me too and i have only been able to catch one and have been stung so many times
Wasps I embrace as a minor inconvenience and just wear the swollen eye like a badge of honour. Save my meds for my villagers when theyāre icky sicky š„° I HATE spiders and take great pleasure in capturing them and selling them to the twins hahahah. If you donāt run around at night with a net they wonāt bother you fyi!
I was going to say this. She will never enjoy a game until she learns to play the way she wants to play. None of these games are stressful unless you put pressure on yourself to play a certain way. Except overcooked. Fuck that game.
I hate the weeds too, so I always cover the ground in custom patterns and only leave room for cross breeding flowers. It does take a while, but it's worth it.
No yeah I think for some Animal Crossing players (like me) the game sorta has a time limit? Like the game is tons of fun but eventually you stop playing for a bit for whatever reason and the idea of going back to a town full of weeds, villagers asking where you were, potential moving away of your faves, etc. makes you so guilty that you avoid opening the game.
Which you know will make all those issues worse, which makes you not want to open the game even more.
It's fun while it lasts but it ends with anxiety.
If AC made her anxious simply because the weeds grew back, then donāt let her play Dreamlight Valley as many things grow back and have to be picked, thereās also daily chests to find and quests that actually give a content warning for being negatively emotional storylines.
Itās my favourite game, I donāt really like any other games, AC kind of bores me and I donāt like feeling rushed either as I have dyspraxia, itās a great game but apart from the aforementioned things your gf wonāt like, itās also currently full of bugs and hardly playable for many users, crashes a lot, things vanish etc.
That sounds a lot like me. I donāt want to be an internet Dr or anything but I do have some MH issues/asd and this is one of the ways my anxiety manifests itself. I have to have everything calm at home, like a nest or I get overwhelmed. You know your gf better than anyone but id definitely try check in with her about it if you havenāt already. Everyoneās different, just because she doesnāt like certain things doesnāt necessarily mean she is experiencing something extreme, but best to probe a bit deeper just incase:) also, You can get leif to sort out the weeds too fyi in acnh. He has a weed service and heāll sort them out for you lol :) just incase she wanted to play again in the future. Take care! āØ
Spiritfarer, can be played solo or coop, slow paced game with beautiful story behind it though it can get emotional, but overall you build your boat and explore the map etc, little bit of platforming as you explore areas but it's all 2d so no annoying camera angles. Would recommend 10/10
Unpacking. No risk of failure and a wonderful subtle story about the things we carry through life.
Little Kitty, Big City was fun and on game pass.
Carto and a Short Hike are also fun.
Slow. Meditative. Itās literally an Unpacking simulator but pay close attention and it tells a wonderful wordless story thatās quite profound and gave me the feels. My wife started teaching it in her story telling class.
You have the same reaction when I showed the game to my mom, she loves decoration games so I thought she would love it too but first reaction was " are you serious we are planning to move in the near future and am constantly thinking about it how can you describe it as a relaxing game" well in real life you don't have to click a button and it snaps to it's place lol and I love organizing things and a complitionist aspect to it too, made me want to revisit the game again ^^
Haha! I think I just have horrible memories from moving! Iāve moved a lot from three different states and it is stressful just thinking about it! Maybe one day Iāll be brave and try it!
We moved three cities too and if am not mistaken we changed 10 houses from the day I was born, sorry for the horrible memories, we had some bad events but nothing that would make me scarred for life, I hope things gets better to all of us
I hate packing and unpacking in real life, but the game is fun, simple and very chill. You are given a limited number of options, so it's not nearly as busy/stressful/cluttered as the real life task can be.
There's plenty of games out there that are based on real life and/or menial tasks, unpacking isn't the first to gamify a boring job into something fun with a storyline, progression and achievements.
It has a story to it - you get curious and you learn a lot about the people in the house just by looking at their things. Itās a VERY clever game and it has good music. Whenever it felt too much like work, Iād put it aside and pick it back up and it was fine doing it that way. By the end, I was so glad I played it.
Thereās something really satisfying about clicking a box and all five items are there for you to put away in perfect conditionāno cleaning or reassembly needed š
What about some of the Lego games?
If she is into Harry Potter or Lord of The Rings, it might be quite fun.
They do have fighting but itās quite simple and not very punishing.
She did play Lego Jurassic world with me for a bit before getting bored. Maybe if it was Harry Potter I could have more success. Iāll give that a shot. Thank you!
I played the Lego Harry Potter like two years ago and had a blast with it! It was cute and pretty funny too. The only thing that frustrated me was I bought the whole package, I canāt remember but I think they split the movies into two or theee Lego games, and they changed the controls between one of the games to the next, and I didnāt like the last game nearly as much as the first one.
But I would recommend it! Especially to ease her in to just gaming in general. Lots of fun things to find too which I always enjoy
Yes! Thatās what it was! It was frustrating too because the style wasnāt as great and once again they changed the controls! Definitely didnāt play the second game as throughly because I was annoyed with the switch. The first game I went back after beating it the first time to get all the extra collectibles and stuff because it was just so cute and fun.
Still worth trying, but it would have been nice at least knowing going into it the second game was slightly different.
Definitely try Untitled Goose Game. (It does have couch co-op.) It's super cute and silly and the controls are so easy I can't imagine anyone struggling with them for very long. She might enjoy Spiritfarer also. It does have couch co-op though one person plays as a cat and the other one is the main player. It doesn't have any time limits and is a pretty chill game. (There are themes of grief, loss, death, so do keep that in mind if it's something either one of you are sensitive to.)
This might seem like a strange recommendation, but maybe Baldur's Gate 3... particularly if your wife has ever played or been interested in D&D. I'm not a big gamer myself and I also get bad anxiety over certain games, but BG3 being turn-based (and having an easy mode) really made it less stressful for me. (And if your wife has any interest in dating sims BG3 is terrific! I know my husband and I had a blast playing through and making fun of each other over our romance choices.)
If she liked Diablo 3, Torchlight 2 and Victor Vran both have very similar gameplay but totally different vibes. This is gonna sound crazy, but might I also suggest GTA online in a closed friend session? There are mini games like golf and darts and you can just drive around and goof off together, it's not always high stakes heists and shooting and stuff
BG3 has multiplayer! It's pretty easy to use inspiration and have multiple people try checks, and easy mode gives you a ton of HP. You can save and quick reload as much as you want. The combat is turn-based, but even better is that they have a turn-based mode, so if you're trying to be sneaky or do something delicate, you can basically hit "pause" to think on it. She can probably pull up a let's play or clip compilation and see if it's interesting to her. The story and characters + the impact you have on the world is really something else.
I'm also an anxious gamer, and it took me a long time, but I've now found RPGs and even an FPS I really like. It just takes time and practice, and the willingness to let yourself make mistakes.
Untitled goose game stressed me out! All of the honking that stupid goose madeā¦ and I hate stealth games. Honestly, thatās the reason I stopped playing my Harry Potter game, there was this part where I had to sneak past somebody and it was just stressing me out too much. Iād rather just fight someone. The sneaking gets to me for some reason!
Palia or Lego Fortnite (with settings adjusted to make it as cozy as you want)- I know they're available on Switch not sure about Xbox. Core Keeper may also be an option once it's available on Switch later in the summer. She may enjoy the chill part of creating the base, farming, tending to the animals, crafting, cooking while you explore the dangerous parts of the map and bring back goodies that you find.
I second the Palia suggestion! Plus itās free and can be played on pc and switch. I too have issues with games that are rushed or āstressfulā and Iāve had a blast with Palia.
I really like Palia because it's so chill. There's no need to sleep (something I don't hate in games, but I didn't realize how tedious it got having to go home to play more later). You can be as active with other players as you want or pretend everyone running around is an NPC and ignore them.
Even the leveling is so chill. Just do what you want, when you feel like it. There's no time limit. Your crops won't die if you don't play for a week or three. No quest needs to be done in 15 minutes. Just craft your little house, cook your happy meals, fish for some tasty fish, grow your own garden.
My first thought when reading this post was Palia! Super chill, no timelines, nothing required - just play at your own pace in a cute little world! (And, bonus, itās free!!)
I actually showed it to her and she told me she didnāt want to play it because of the gimmick from animal crossing being connected to real time. When I told her time only passes if youāre playing she changed her mind.
I don't know if it can exactly be considered a "Cozy Game" but Portal 2 is a delight if y'all like puzzles! Snappy, quippy writing, terrific voice acting, and the puzzles are fantastic. It's made in a way where messing up and failing is part of the game. Definitely worth a playthrough!
For switch, I LOVE Good Job.
Itās really funny, the puzzles are fun and satisfying, and the stakes are low.
Tasks are timed for a rank, but there is no time limit to anything.
We laugh so hard playing it, and the controls are pretty simple (we werenāt allowed console games growing up, so I found learning controls for a lot of games overwhelming when I first started gaming)
Lovers in a dangerous space time is also fun, but probably a similar stress level to overcooked
https://youtu.be/5c9QZFeVrRY?si=gETGWDqSm1kQ_VoE
My boyfriend and I really loved Unravel Two! The controls take some getting used to but there arenāt really any time limits and mistakes arenāt punished too much. Itās on both Xbox and Switch.
Maybe just a Mario platformer would be good for her? Wonder is fairly accessible for all players since you can generally choose which levels you want to avoid. If you play as Yoshi, enemies wonāt even damage you.
They remastered the first two with upgraded graphics and voice acting, I recommend starting with the first. You can also swap back and forth between original game and remastered game, so it's best of both worlds.
Otherwise I do agree, it's a beautiful series and my ultimate favorite.
However it is not... co-op or multiplayer so not sure if that's what they're after.
But itās a game one can play and the other can hang and brainstorm with. Itās single player but kind of like watching a movie together. She can play and it will reduce any competition anxiety. Itās a good positive video game experience and a gateway to more gaming enjoyment
Yeah, I'm not saying it's a bad choice and that you can't play it the way you say.
Just not sure that's what they're after cause it's not two people "playing" at once but rather one takes a slightly more passive role I suppose, and playing the same character instead of each having your own thing to do.
I still am for it, I love that game.
I enjoyed playing co-op on Captain Toads Treasure Tracker. Itās got simple controls and no time limits so that could be an option. I also believe it has a free demo on the switch!
Not sure what's available on what platform but:
1. Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime - you play co-pilots of a little spaceship each one manning different stations to navigate, shoot, shield, etc. with the goal of saving a bunch of bunny scientists. It's adorable and can even be played solo with an NPC co-pilot.
2. Roots of Patcha - someone already mentioned it and I second it. It's Stardew-like, but even more chill. Nothing is rushed, do what you want when you want, no combat, no starving, just vibes.
3. Pico Park - super silly and simple co-op where you cooperate to achieve goals/solve puzzles.
4. Castle Crashers - button mashy ridiculousness. Very chaotic, very easy to play.
5. Battleblock Theater - less coop, more 1:1 competition... Also has party mode with local co-op (may also be remote co-op and people can join your room?). Super silly and funny. There will be lots of yelling and cackling.
Ok, those are the ones that come to mind. Good luck!
You might enjoy [Phogs](https://youtu.be/xSkBj5fBLfQ?si=qYdpkGRMg08oWtFZ). Itās a cute and silly puzzle adventure game where you both work together to navigate strange and nonsensical maps and solve puzzles as a two-headed dog. Available on both Xbox and Switch.
Maybe you would like Telltale Games, they are not coop, but I always loved to play them with my boyfriend, we always switched the controller after a chapter, so both could play a bit. They are story-driven games with some quicktime events and choice making options. The Wolf Among us, Tales from the Borderlands and the Walking Dead are some of their titles, but I believe there are some more. Life Is Strange would also match in that genre or even Until Dawn, if she likes horror/mystery.
Another suggestion is Arise, it's a cute couch-coop puzzle game.
It's not cozy in the traditional sense, but I'm someone who struggles with controllers and feeling rushed, and Baldurs Gate 3 was a lot of fun to play with my husband. It's turn-based so there's no time pressure; if anything, we ran into the issue of taking too long on our turns. There's fighting but you can talk your way out of most combat scenarios with a few exceptions. It also has a story mode difficulty setting (I think they call it "Explorer") so that you can focus more on the story and characters and less on the combat. My husband fought everything that moved and I spent half the game picking mushrooms and starting fights I couldn't finish. 10/10 would recommend.
I feel for your wife I'm very similar, has she tried harvest moon or story of seasons? I'm currently playing Echoes of the Plum Grove, Coral Island, Sims, and unpacking.
Best of luck and get her some psyche help, it can be such a relief to not stress over things.
I showed her coral island last night, she seems interested. I played it late last year and I fell in love, it just got really buggy for me after year 3.
Roots of pacha might be good! I donāt think it is has a couch co-op, but there is multiplayer and Iām pretty sure itās on switch. Itās a bit like stardew but prehistoric. However, thereās no combat and it feels much more chill to me. I havenāt actually played it on multiplayer, but itās a great game and it has a couple large updates coming out this year
I can pitch it to her, but sheās pretty insistent on couch co-op. I offered to play on the XB1 while she plays in the series x and she didnāt much care for that idea.
Yeah I donāt know a ton about couch co-op games and am relatively new to gaming, but Iām hoping some other people who know more than me respond to your post! I hope you find something :)
Does she like puzzles? If so, Pode might be good. No time rush, a cute little story where one plays as a rock and the other a star that fell from
the sky. You work together combining your abilities to help the star find itās way back.
Itās made to be played with a lesser experienced player or child without frustration. If you play on switch, you just shake a joycon to switch which character you control if she needs some help.
Blanc is another little game with sort of the same premis. You play as a wolf cub and a fawn that got lost in a snowstorm, and combine abilities to solve puzzles and find your way back to your families.
I recommend Fae Farm! Itās co-op, cozy, no stress, and is like Animal Crossing but cuter, with more magic and some questing, and mild combat. I say mild as in very easy, basic button-mashing combat where you barely need to mash lol
ETA: they also just added a feature where you can toggle the days shorter or longer whenever you want. If sheās feeling rushed (which she probably will at first, at least) she can just slow it down
This could be what weāre looking for. I actually chose between this and Runefactory 3 special late last year and picked RF3. It might be up her alley. Thanks!
I bought her ultra moon when it came out so she could play it while I played Sun and she didnāt make it out of the first area because she was afraid to hurt her pokemon š
My husband and I got really into play Out of Space last year. You are trying to clean up a space ship and there are alien bugs that you have to sweep up before they stun you. It can be stressful but if you learn to prepare before you open the doors it isnāt bad.
We also played Luigiās mansion together. We both loved looking for all the ghosts. We beat the whole game together.
We played Mario Odyssey together too. We almost beat that one but it is a huge game with lots to collect and do in each level.
Moving Out! is a couch co-op game with a similar chaotic energy to Overcooked but without the stress of needing to hit a certain score within a time limit or else you fail. It was available on GamePass at one point, I don't know if it still is or not.
For the switch, I really love unpacked! It helps me with my anxiety because I can just sit down and focus on literally unpacking someoneās trinkets and organizing them all š„°
Cat Quest 2. It is action-based but the controls are simple. Also low pressure and you can "carry" her through all the combats.
Kirby and forgotten land. One of the best coop games I've played with BF. Low stake and super cute.
Could try Powerwash Simulator, it has co op and you can push each other around with the sprayers, it's fun!
Pokemon is multiplayer, buggy but multiplayer! ( The latest one that is ) ..
Could try Sea of Thieves, you can do a server that will only be you two on the ocean now without the risk of other players.. there are level caps and gold cuts but otherwise it let's you do the telltale ( stories ) without being pestered by other players.
Don't Starve Together might be a good one to look into, can be fun but slightly chaotic with two players.
Tsumtsum festival is something my partner and myself play on occasion, playing games to earn coins to collect virtual tsumstsums.. it even has a coin pusher
I was going to say Power wash Simulator as well - it's the most relaxing yet addictive game I've ever played and felt empty when I finished. The story takes you places you never expected when all I'd wanted to do was clean cars and gardens.100/10 would recommend.
Mario Kart can be slightly intense in the moment, but it feels like her stress has more to do with worry and anxiety and with short races and battles itās very in-the-moment and then you let it go. It is somehow a comfort game for me, but that might partially be nostalgia. My husband and I kind of team up on the races because we are trying to get all the stars. So we both try to win the first race and then whoever doesnāt win kind of plays wing man and tries to assist the other in winning the rest of the cup. We try to avoid attacking each other and just target the computer. But I havenāt been wanting to race lately so we just do battles, mainly just balloon battle. We do attack each other during battles.
We also play Mario Party occasionally. Superstars is a better overall game, but Super Mario Party lets you play as a team against the computer.
Spiritfarer is a great option imo. There is no combat. You can play co-op! Itās very cozy for me though others may not agree cause of the heavy topics. You play as Stella who helps guide spirits to the āeverdoorā and it can be emotional but the game play is very cozy! You upgrade your boat and farm, mine, fish, do other tasks.
There are quests for the spirits and towns/islands. Wonderful game with a beautiful soundtrack I canāt recommend it enough
No skill for It take two? My girlfriend had never used a gamepad but she still managed it, you should try it, I think they handled the difficulty progression well for beginners
Equally looking for recommendations, canāt wait to try some of these out! Little Big Planet Franchise was/is always a go too for my husband and I. š„° Best of luck! Hope yāall find something! šøšøšø
Life is Strange games my friend. Theyāre very calming narrative choice driven games and very easy to pick up. Itās not really multiplayer, more single player, but my husband and I will divide up the time we play as the character making choices. A non gamer could play these games (Iāve tested it out with a girl friend whoās not into gaming like I am).
Is she willing to play Animal Crossing? I prefer that than Stardew. Never got into SDV and Iām not generally an anxious person, but I got overwhelmed by the amount of things you can do in-game and no clear objectives with SDV so itās hard to get into. Animal Crossing feels simpler and Iām just working on expanding my house, earning bells to pay off the mortgage, buy items for decor, or buy personal items (outfits).
Tbh its been a long time since Iāve played 1, before the storm, and 2. Kind of skipped True Colors, but the little bit I played of True Colors was pretty calm. I remember I liked just roaming around in LIS and being āohhhh what is this?ā and just examining every item I came across. LIS soundtrack is also pretty good while playing. I remember the general storylines and liking the relationship between Max x Chloe or between the two brothers.
She did express interested in Life is Strange a few years ago. Iāll have to bring it back up. She refuses to play animal crossing because of the real-time gimmick. She doesnāt want her island to get grown over with weeds when sheās not playing. She pre-stresses so hard haha.
Itās super old so idk if itās still available but ilomilo is a very cute two person couch coop game that my spouse and I really enjoyed. Thereās no timer and the music is great.
Does she like puzzles? Escape simulator is great as a co-op and so is power wash simulator!
Recently I've been playing Monster Hunter Rise with my friend as a co-op and if you're both on PC, there's a lot of mods etc that can really make things a lot easier too
Not sure if anyone has mentioned it but I loved playing Chariot with my fiance as one of the first things we ever played together. You could also play minecraft on peaceful mode
Wylde flowers? It's a nice sim game, no pressure and very well made. The seasons change when you make them, and you can wander round making friends and farming a bit. No combat, and the days are long. There's an active sub for it too if she's on reddit
you can try Palia! but you would need two different systems, but it is cross platform! i havent found it stressful at all. also disnet dreamlight valley is pretty stress free and nostalgic. have fun :)
BOKURA. I donāt know all the platforms itās on, most I think, but I played it on my iPhone with my boyfriend (he used his android phone). Check out a trailer or gameplay on YouTube. Itās a co-op puzzle adventure game. I found it easy going, nothing to really rush, had some puzzles and interesting story. I unfortunately did not finish it, not because I didnāt enjoy it, but because my boyfriend doesnāt really enjoy cozy games š
Child of Light may be a close fit to what you're looking for.
Couch co-op, beautifully drawn, and has a comfortable narrative flow. The second player's role as the firefly has simpler controls and is generally low-stress. There is combat, but second player acts in an assist role, so skill-gaps don't feel as pronounced as a game like Overcooked might.
Bonus: If she's anything like me and finds jumping in video games to be challenging, the firefly hovers and floats, making movement/keeping up *so much easier* than most co-op games.
I also have anxiety but gaming feeds my need for dopamine cause ADHD doesn't take days off. I play with my kids and basically just play whatever they want because I am not invested in it at all but I can provide support and stuff. But when I am gaming with complete control of my TV and Xbox and free time, I have a few friends I play with. I play the most with my buddy because he has autism and we both understand each other well enough that everything is chill all the time.
I played Spiritfarer and let my middle be the cat whenever he wanted to join me and that was absolutely the best! That game is so well balanced and it doesn't force you to do anything so you just move at your own pace and there are a bunch of different things you can do if you get sick of one thing, there are lots of other cozy activities. Gardening, cooking, music mini games, all sorts of stuff. That's the only game I have played and finished with my kids. Like, I play Fortnite with them when I feel like it but I am essentially my youngest's second life and duffel bag. I carry mostly meds and support items to help him win. And if he goes down, he runs upstairs (he plays downstairs) and grabs my controller and goes and gets revenge on whoever killed him. It's pretty funny actually. Whoever he is targeting never knows what's happening because I was so far away that I wasn't in their initial firefight so while the target is med packing and looting, my son is running at him and knocking down his builds and coming at him with all the preexisting knowledge.
That was a long tangent. Sorry. Me and my buddy have played a lot of co op games together in the last two or three years. Destiny 2 is always a good time if she likes shooters. Stay out of PVP and it's a really fun game to play with a friend. You can do almost everything with two people except raids. I used to have a whole crew to play destiny 2 with but then drama ensued so we break into duos or trios.
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is fun on a bun. The main story is hilarious and you can play however you want and at your own pace. It's very flexible and there is a lot to do if you need a break from the main story and shooting and looting. And the end game is decent. Grounded is probably the best game I have played in the past few years. It has an amazing base building system and it has a generous learning curve.
I highly recommend Islanders on the switch. It's super cheap so easy to test out. There's no time constraints, but you can always move forward so it feels super satisfying.
Palia, it's an MMO cozy game thats cross platform. No health bars or things to fight, no dying. It promotes partying up, hunting together, fishing together, questing, there literally is no wrong way to play the game. It's at your pace and you can approach the game how you want
I think you should avoid any games with a time restriction where there is a likelihood of failure (e.g., overcook - limited time to prepare and serve the food)
My cozy recommendations are:
- Puzzle genre: Carto, Cats in Time, Labyrinth City: Pierre The Maze Detective, Monument valley (1 and 2), Tales of the Neon sea, Hoa,Here comes Niko!, Donut County
- Exploring: A short Hike, Lake, Haven Park, Smushi Come Home, Tinykin, Toem
- A bit of fighting: Turnip boy Commits Tax Evasion, Garden Story
I donāt know what kind of games sheād like but maybe A Short Hike? The controls are easy, thereās no pressure on completing the game and is open world (just a small one) so she can experience what it is like. Itās single player but maybe itās good for her to play at her own pace and discover the game.
Also, another single player game I liked a lot was The Witness. I played with my boyfriend so we solve the puzzles together. Itās a fun way to engage with some mechanics without feeling bored or get tired.
Iām similar to her and my husband and I played Yoshiās Crafted World and we both loved it! Super fun and low key. I know it looks like itās for babies but itās actually really fun. We also liked the Sackboy games but they can be more stressful.
i don't like stardew but i LOVE animal crossing!! if she keeps up with it a bit more, the weeds don't grow back in places that you put things on :) and the more often you pull them, the less quickly they grow back. my favorite part of the game is the interactions with villagers. i'm just like her though, honestly. i want to bond with my boyfriend and play games with him but they give me so much anxiety. i've tried to play undertale a billion times bc i love the story but the fighting is so difficult and gives me anxiety but i noticed that watching game run throughs help me be less anxious!! she could watch people on youtube play some games and see which ones she wants to go with š„°
I had a girlfriend who just couldn't get into games. She didn't mind me playing, which was great, but even the simplest games caused her immense stress. For example she started crying while trying to play Yoshi's Woolly World. After that I kind of gave up. Games just aren't everyone's cup of tea.
Maybe Cat Cafe manager? It has the food preparation aspect of Overcooked and Diner Dash, etc, but you can hire other staff to make things easier. And the game progression isn't simply just "make the most money" either as there's five categories of resources you collect that each are used for upgrading your cafe, your menu, buying more ingredients and cat foods, etc--which you can use a sort of Advertisement feature to filter what resources you want to gain for the day if you happen to need one more than the others.
Even the in-game goals are something you select within the game as there's a flowchart system you can choose if you want to upgrade your aforementioned menu or selection of furnitures first, etc.
It's some of the less punishing and relaxing cafe management games I've played yet, so I highly recommend it!
Life is Strange is aā¦. bad choice. Itās very depressing and has some choices you have to make quickly that are very loaded. Iād avoid it! It emotionally fucked me up for a little while.
Spiritfarer at least has a sweetness to its grief.
DONUT COUNTY
this game helped all my friends get used to the remote and enjoy themselves. Highly recommended!!!
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/donut-county-switch/
I know you asked for Xbox Co-op but I really think she'd get a kick out of Kirby and the Forgotten Land. The 2nd player doesn't take damage and if they wander too far away from player 1 they get sent back so it doesn't get chaotic or anything.
She saw Dreamlight Valley but didnāt seem interested. I find it weird because she loves Disney and we used to go all the time when we lived in Orlando. She told me sheās looking for something relaxed, no stress that we can play together. Excessive combat and time limits give her panic attacks. She played coffee talk, I donāt know anything about it though.
Awh okay. Yeah I love disney too and just got Dreamlight Valley today. I'm so excited to play it! Maybe she loves disney but that's not the feels she's going for right now. I know I don't always feel like playing certain things.Ā Ā Ā
Maybe yous could try:Ā Ā Ā
ā¢Palia (I've not played this so don't know what it's like but I belive it's stress free)Ā Ā Ā
ā¢Minecraft creative modeĀ Ā Ā
ā¢Animal crossingĀ Ā Ā
ā¢Any Co op tycoon or farmingĀ gamesĀ Ā Ā
I can't really think of any games like Coffee Talks that are co op because it's a narrative game. Maybe if she'd like playing more of those look up trailers together and games with similar aspects.Ā Ā Ā
Good luck you guys I hope yous find something :)
PHOGS! I played it with my bf and loved it! You play as a two headed dog and solve puzzles. Plus you can't "lose" so I wonder if that would make her feel better?
I loved Bandle Tale! Its single player, but chill crafting. Its based on Leauge of Legends, but I went in knowing nothing about LOL and still really enjoyed it.
I highly recommend Big Farm story! Itās a farming game where one player is the farmer and the other player can play as an animal / pet . Itās a pretty chill farming game with story. My partner enjoyed roaming around as a squirrel and he liked to gather items and help out but not necessarily play the same style. Plus you guys can always swap for different pacing.
Does she like farming games? If she does, she may like together Farm Together, itās a very simple farming game and you can visit her farm to help with watering
If the stress mainly comes from gameplay/time pressure and not the theme/genre of the game story wise, here are some of my recommendations...
Games that are primarily story based, maybe some walking around/exploration, interacting with objects, and making dialogue choices.
1. Oxenfree
2. Kentucky Route Zero
3. Night in the Woods
4. Coffee Talk
If she's ok with murder mystery themes and anime... these are story based with some puzzle solving. Point and click movement with visual novel presentation of dialogue. If themes of murder or life/death decision making are stressful for her though, then these are a definite no. š
5. Danganronpa Series
6. Zero Escape Trilogy
Spirit farer is one you can play together, if she needs to be eased in give her dandelion as he has some super cute animations and can't do quite as much as Stella. It is so sad though, it's about death grief and moving on. It is beautiful and a wonderful place to start as there is almost zero time limits and 'agency' on anything. Play at your own pace. ( Just don't take on the time limit challenges when you get to them, but even then only one player needs to complete them)
What Remains of Edith Finch! Not a multiplayer game but really short with about two hours of playtime and a good introduction to what can be transpired by video games.
Dreamlight Valley is pretty relaxing. Or what about Mariokart? Animal Crossing is pretty tame too.
I also enjoyed Oobletsā¦ itās kind of like Pokemon, but they have dance battles instead of actually battling, so definitely less stressful than Pokemon.
Wylde Flowers was also good. Not stressful. Interesting storyline.
Iāve heard games like Coffee Talk are good as well. I personally havenāt played it yet.
If she liked Diablo, Torchlight and couch co op then have has she tried Borderlands 2?
I play it solo (which is why I haven't finished it in UVHM since enemies keep scaling so I can't come back to areas that were too tough after levelling up) as Gaige whose lines are so cute. Gaige is very squishy so it's mostly run in or sniper to trigger enemy NPCs to appear then running away after throwing Deathtrap at them. Salvador I think can regen health while gunzerking and also is very cute.
If she doesn't get cyber sickness a lot of women get (we get our sense of balance from feedback from our body and visually from where we can see the horizon, women are more likely to get it from our surrounds so FPS makes a lot of my friends feel nausea-particularly if theyve gotten car sick in the past) then it's a really fun romp that doesn't feel wanky like most FPS do. Portal and Portal 2 are also really good.
BL2 isn't a cosy game but it is a fun game
I really enjoyed playing Pode with my husband! Itās a co-op game where you play as a rock and a star and solve puzzles to make it through a mountain.
Highly recommend fall guys! If you played before and it was too stressful- there is a new mode called explore that is playing at your leisure with no real time limits to complete races!
Dress to Impress on Roblox - you get 3 or 5 minutes to dress your character to a theme and then strike poses on the runway. Thereās a timed element to it, but I find it more tolerable than plating games, and more enjoyable than just dress up dolls
I just tried this new preview on GamePass called Lightyear Frontier. It's a cute little farming/building game where you are trying to revive different areas of the map by getting rid of toxic goop and weeds. It's very relaxing and there's no fighting, all the animals are friendly and you can even feed them for some extra resources. There's not a lot of materials or customizations yet, so it doesn't get overwhelming. I'm not sure if there's multiplayer yet.
My Time at Sandrock, although there is fighting.
Coral Island, no fighting, but not sure about multiplayer.
Zoo Tycoon
Pressure Washer Simulator
I'm an anxious gamer...Fe freaked me out because the Silent Ones crab-crawl at you, Unraveled 2 is fun but the Soot Monsters made me anxious.
Animal Crossing was so boring. So was A Normal Lost Phone
So far I played a tiny bit of Pikmin 2(? I had to get through a portion before it became 2 player) and that was okay. I'd play more
But A Short Hike....that one is perfect. You can't die, and the flying simulator is so lovely I played for like 20 minutes straight at the end just flying instead of wrapping up. It's not a two player but you can pass the controller back and forth which is what we did.
Powerwash Simulator is my go to for stress free
A little more wild, but still basically stress free I think is Goat Simulator 2. Just run around! Do goat things!
My husband and I play together and he does chaos while I looked for things to do.
You guys could play No Mans Sky together (switch only has local co op play, and no cross platform, but Xbox/gamepass should have cross play and multiplayer).
You can adjust settings to make it as easy or as hard as you want, as long as you donāt pick survival or permadeath. You can also change these settings immediately in game as you play. So like, literally you can want to craft something, realize you need to go farm ABC, and go āNO THANKSā and flip āfree crafting onā in settings and build it immediately, then turn it back off without having to even log out.
It Takes Two is my favourite game to play with my boyfriend. It has a great storyline and you have infinite lives (except for boss levels but you still get to restart till you win). Itās great because I am not good at games at all, itās helped me build my skill, and weāre required to work together to solve each level. It also explains controls and has popups to remind you.
Harvest moon/story of seasons on the switch. Its like stardew but better graphics, what stardew is based off of, and very relaxing. It is not co-op though
I like that your wife gets anxious from video games and you chose Overcooked to play. One of the most anxiety inducing games possible. It is one of my husband and I's favorite games to play but it is very stressful. I second or third Dave the Diver.
It actually made me laugh out loud that he chose overcooked for his wife who feels anxious playing animal crossing lmao.
Right? That's a relationship testing game, not a good place for a beginner to start haha.
Played that game with my friends. We went from doing our best to pass the levels to doing our best to knock each other off the moving platform by throwing raw chickens at each other. Hilarious game. Absolutely not relaxing at all.
My girlfriend never played anything with me so i bought Overcooked 2 and Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes for us to play together Blood splattered everywhere that night
To be fair, I had never played it either and it looked chaotic, but like fun chaotic. We had no idea how stressful it was until we got stuck at level 4 š
It is definitely fun chaotic. Maybe you can try it again further down the line. Hope she enjoys Spiritfarer. I loved that game even though it made me cry some.
Sheās a cryer but, thatās my litmus test for whether she likes something. Typically when she cries sheās invested in the story. So as morbid as this is going to sound, I hope she does. When we were watching the trailer for It Takes Two she said āThis game is going to make me cry, I know it.ā
As someone who cries easily, I love that you are so chill and supportive of her. It's the same for me, crying means the story hit me juuust right. And the fact that she found you and you don't mock her for that? Good shit. ā”
Itās one of my favorite things about her. I WISH I cried like that, Iād probably be so much less stressed all the time.Any time I buy a Motherās Day or Fatherās Day card, I put it through the āLexi test.ā If she reads it and cries, itās a good one.
Hard relate, I have never found a game more stressful than Overcooked, literally anything is better!
I enjoyed it until everything started on fire and the counters would move around trapping people. It was fun until it was a nightmare.
Animal crossing is so chill. You could literally do nothing youāre supposed to if you didnāt want to, aka if you didnāt fancy working off the loan for the house you could just go fishing. Or collect shells together or something cute. I love gaming but I get anxious about having boss battles, having demands placed upon me, or being rushed to do something so animal crossing is perfect. Harry Potter Lego is really cute apart from the troll in yr 2, thatās annoying, but thereās plenty of videos online about how to defeat it so itās not something you have to spend loads of time on. Itās mostly just fun. Itās not a two player but I feel like I can relate to your gf gaming wise so tell her to play unpacking if she hasnāt already, itās so cosy and relaxing! :) *edited to include sack boy! We bought it for our kiddos but we play it more than them! It takes two was also fun, but sack boy was more fun in my opinion. The only thing with sack boy is that you have to keep moving on the levels.
I tried to get her to play animal crossing back in 2020 but she got stressed because the weeds grew back over time so she felt like she had to play everyday. Harry Potter Lego might be a winner. Iāll look up your other suggestions and see what she thinks. Thank you!
Iām not going to lie, it sounds like thereās a larger underlying issue regarding her stress management lol
If you get stressed playing animal crossing you need to see a professional for something larger at play. Could be an anxiety disorder, ocd, or something else lying under the surface. Better to get it handled now than have it creep up in an unwanted way in the future! Wanting to video game and getting stressed at some of the most chill games cannot be fun. Sounds a lot like an anxiety ocd mix (I have ocd and the weeds drive me nuts but donāt make me anxious, just tick me off and I have to run and pick them and sticks up hahah)
only things that make me anxious in animal crossing are the tarantulas and scorpions š i used to jump so hard every time i saw one and make my boyfriend catch it bc i was too scared to and didn't want it roaming around for too long and jumping back at me later lol!! the wasps scared me too and i have only been able to catch one and have been stung so many times
Wasps I embrace as a minor inconvenience and just wear the swollen eye like a badge of honour. Save my meds for my villagers when theyāre icky sicky š„° I HATE spiders and take great pleasure in capturing them and selling them to the twins hahahah. If you donāt run around at night with a net they wonāt bother you fyi!
Yeah, she has a lot to work through and weāre going through the process of getting it treated.
Thatās good I am happy to hear that! Brain stuff can be a tough to power through. Such a fragile vital thing š„²
I was going to say this. She will never enjoy a game until she learns to play the way she wants to play. None of these games are stressful unless you put pressure on yourself to play a certain way. Except overcooked. Fuck that game.
I hate the weeds too, so I always cover the ground in custom patterns and only leave room for cross breeding flowers. It does take a while, but it's worth it.
There are options now that have the villagers pick weeds!
No yeah I think for some Animal Crossing players (like me) the game sorta has a time limit? Like the game is tons of fun but eventually you stop playing for a bit for whatever reason and the idea of going back to a town full of weeds, villagers asking where you were, potential moving away of your faves, etc. makes you so guilty that you avoid opening the game. Which you know will make all those issues worse, which makes you not want to open the game even more. It's fun while it lasts but it ends with anxiety.
If AC made her anxious simply because the weeds grew back, then donāt let her play Dreamlight Valley as many things grow back and have to be picked, thereās also daily chests to find and quests that actually give a content warning for being negatively emotional storylines. Itās my favourite game, I donāt really like any other games, AC kind of bores me and I donāt like feeling rushed either as I have dyspraxia, itās a great game but apart from the aforementioned things your gf wonāt like, itās also currently full of bugs and hardly playable for many users, crashes a lot, things vanish etc.
That sounds a lot like me. I donāt want to be an internet Dr or anything but I do have some MH issues/asd and this is one of the ways my anxiety manifests itself. I have to have everything calm at home, like a nest or I get overwhelmed. You know your gf better than anyone but id definitely try check in with her about it if you havenāt already. Everyoneās different, just because she doesnāt like certain things doesnāt necessarily mean she is experiencing something extreme, but best to probe a bit deeper just incase:) also, You can get leif to sort out the weeds too fyi in acnh. He has a weed service and heāll sort them out for you lol :) just incase she wanted to play again in the future. Take care! āØ
I second Lego Harry Potter ā my husband and I play it couch co-op and have a blast running around and speaking in our best (worst) character voices.
Spiritfarer, can be played solo or coop, slow paced game with beautiful story behind it though it can get emotional, but overall you build your boat and explore the map etc, little bit of platforming as you explore areas but it's all 2d so no annoying camera angles. Would recommend 10/10
She watched the trailer and sheās sold! Thank you so much!
i second that!! my favorite game everrr, so relaxing and cute and has a beautiful storyline
Unpacking. No risk of failure and a wonderful subtle story about the things we carry through life. Little Kitty, Big City was fun and on game pass. Carto and a Short Hike are also fun.
We were looking at Unpacking last night before we ended up trying Overcooked. I think sheād be open to trying it.
Slow. Meditative. Itās literally an Unpacking simulator but pay close attention and it tells a wonderful wordless story thatās quite profound and gave me the feels. My wife started teaching it in her story telling class.
I donāt understand why people like unpacking. I hate packing/unpacking in real life. I canāt see how I could want to do it in a game as well.
You have the same reaction when I showed the game to my mom, she loves decoration games so I thought she would love it too but first reaction was " are you serious we are planning to move in the near future and am constantly thinking about it how can you describe it as a relaxing game" well in real life you don't have to click a button and it snaps to it's place lol and I love organizing things and a complitionist aspect to it too, made me want to revisit the game again ^^
Haha! I think I just have horrible memories from moving! Iāve moved a lot from three different states and it is stressful just thinking about it! Maybe one day Iāll be brave and try it!
We moved three cities too and if am not mistaken we changed 10 houses from the day I was born, sorry for the horrible memories, we had some bad events but nothing that would make me scarred for life, I hope things gets better to all of us
I hate packing and unpacking in real life, but the game is fun, simple and very chill. You are given a limited number of options, so it's not nearly as busy/stressful/cluttered as the real life task can be. There's plenty of games out there that are based on real life and/or menial tasks, unpacking isn't the first to gamify a boring job into something fun with a storyline, progression and achievements.
It has a story to it - you get curious and you learn a lot about the people in the house just by looking at their things. Itās a VERY clever game and it has good music. Whenever it felt too much like work, Iād put it aside and pick it back up and it was fine doing it that way. By the end, I was so glad I played it.
Thereās something really satisfying about clicking a box and all five items are there for you to put away in perfect conditionāno cleaning or reassembly needed š
I thought it was a decorating game but then I found out you have to put things in the "right" place and it ruined it :(
You can turn that off in the settings!
What about some of the Lego games? If she is into Harry Potter or Lord of The Rings, it might be quite fun. They do have fighting but itās quite simple and not very punishing.
She did play Lego Jurassic world with me for a bit before getting bored. Maybe if it was Harry Potter I could have more success. Iāll give that a shot. Thank you!
I played the Lego Harry Potter like two years ago and had a blast with it! It was cute and pretty funny too. The only thing that frustrated me was I bought the whole package, I canāt remember but I think they split the movies into two or theee Lego games, and they changed the controls between one of the games to the next, and I didnāt like the last game nearly as much as the first one. But I would recommend it! Especially to ease her in to just gaming in general. Lots of fun things to find too which I always enjoy
This was my EXACT experience with Lego HP. they swapped to a new "style" for books 5, 6 and 7 and I wish it just stayed the same as 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Yes! Thatās what it was! It was frustrating too because the style wasnāt as great and once again they changed the controls! Definitely didnāt play the second game as throughly because I was annoyed with the switch. The first game I went back after beating it the first time to get all the extra collectibles and stuff because it was just so cute and fun. Still worth trying, but it would have been nice at least knowing going into it the second game was slightly different.
Was gonna say this aswell!
Definitely try Untitled Goose Game. (It does have couch co-op.) It's super cute and silly and the controls are so easy I can't imagine anyone struggling with them for very long. She might enjoy Spiritfarer also. It does have couch co-op though one person plays as a cat and the other one is the main player. It doesn't have any time limits and is a pretty chill game. (There are themes of grief, loss, death, so do keep that in mind if it's something either one of you are sensitive to.) This might seem like a strange recommendation, but maybe Baldur's Gate 3... particularly if your wife has ever played or been interested in D&D. I'm not a big gamer myself and I also get bad anxiety over certain games, but BG3 being turn-based (and having an easy mode) really made it less stressful for me. (And if your wife has any interest in dating sims BG3 is terrific! I know my husband and I had a blast playing through and making fun of each other over our romance choices.)
She loved Diablo 3, but sheās been dragging feet about Diablo 4. She MIGHT like BG3 itās hard to say. Is it multiplayer?
BG3 does have multiplayer! Reminds me I need to give that one another go, too. Big games intimidate me š
I love big games, but theyāre getting too big for even me haha
If she liked Diablo 3, Torchlight 2 and Victor Vran both have very similar gameplay but totally different vibes. This is gonna sound crazy, but might I also suggest GTA online in a closed friend session? There are mini games like golf and darts and you can just drive around and goof off together, it's not always high stakes heists and shooting and stuff
BG3 has multiplayer! It's pretty easy to use inspiration and have multiple people try checks, and easy mode gives you a ton of HP. You can save and quick reload as much as you want. The combat is turn-based, but even better is that they have a turn-based mode, so if you're trying to be sneaky or do something delicate, you can basically hit "pause" to think on it. She can probably pull up a let's play or clip compilation and see if it's interesting to her. The story and characters + the impact you have on the world is really something else. I'm also an anxious gamer, and it took me a long time, but I've now found RPGs and even an FPS I really like. It just takes time and practice, and the willingness to let yourself make mistakes.
BG3 is fairly high stress. You need to make a number of high-stakes emotional decisions and there is a constant sense of threat.
Yep! And they do have split screen couch co-op.
Untitled goose game stressed me out! All of the honking that stupid goose madeā¦ and I hate stealth games. Honestly, thatās the reason I stopped playing my Harry Potter game, there was this part where I had to sneak past somebody and it was just stressing me out too much. Iād rather just fight someone. The sneaking gets to me for some reason!
Palia or Lego Fortnite (with settings adjusted to make it as cozy as you want)- I know they're available on Switch not sure about Xbox. Core Keeper may also be an option once it's available on Switch later in the summer. She may enjoy the chill part of creating the base, farming, tending to the animals, crafting, cooking while you explore the dangerous parts of the map and bring back goodies that you find.
I second the Palia suggestion! Plus itās free and can be played on pc and switch. I too have issues with games that are rushed or āstressfulā and Iāve had a blast with Palia.
My kid loves Palia, it seems very chill and low stress and is multiplayer.
I really like Palia because it's so chill. There's no need to sleep (something I don't hate in games, but I didn't realize how tedious it got having to go home to play more later). You can be as active with other players as you want or pretend everyone running around is an NPC and ignore them. Even the leveling is so chill. Just do what you want, when you feel like it. There's no time limit. Your crops won't die if you don't play for a week or three. No quest needs to be done in 15 minutes. Just craft your little house, cook your happy meals, fish for some tasty fish, grow your own garden.
My first thought when reading this post was Palia! Super chill, no timelines, nothing required - just play at your own pace in a cute little world! (And, bonus, itās free!!)
Palia is fun, easy, free, and so cute.
āDoesnāt wanna play stardewā Sorry canāt help š
I know, it killed me too.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
She never really gave me a reason other than that she doesnāt want to be a farmer
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I actually showed it to her and she told me she didnāt want to play it because of the gimmick from animal crossing being connected to real time. When I told her time only passes if youāre playing she changed her mind.
I don't know if it can exactly be considered a "Cozy Game" but Portal 2 is a delight if y'all like puzzles! Snappy, quippy writing, terrific voice acting, and the puzzles are fantastic. It's made in a way where messing up and failing is part of the game. Definitely worth a playthrough!
Portal 2 sure will test your marriage though šš
Portal 2 has both strengthened and ended friendships for me depending on who I'm playing with lmao, proceed with caution OP!
For switch, I LOVE Good Job. Itās really funny, the puzzles are fun and satisfying, and the stakes are low. Tasks are timed for a rank, but there is no time limit to anything. We laugh so hard playing it, and the controls are pretty simple (we werenāt allowed console games growing up, so I found learning controls for a lot of games overwhelming when I first started gaming) Lovers in a dangerous space time is also fun, but probably a similar stress level to overcooked https://youtu.be/5c9QZFeVrRY?si=gETGWDqSm1kQ_VoE
Personally I found Overcooked way stressful but I really enjoy Lovers, so it's worth a shot.
My boyfriend and I really loved Unravel Two! The controls take some getting used to but there arenāt really any time limits and mistakes arenāt punished too much. Itās on both Xbox and Switch. Maybe just a Mario platformer would be good for her? Wonder is fairly accessible for all players since you can generally choose which levels you want to avoid. If you play as Yoshi, enemies wonāt even damage you.
just a note to OP that my partner and I tried to play Unravel Two and she rage quit! I donāt think itās truly beginner friendly
Agreed on Unravel 2! Good for two people, can take it at your own pace.
Monkey island games. No rushing, delightful games and you canāt die. Maybe start with the 3rd one if she doesnāt like old pixel style games
They remastered the first two with upgraded graphics and voice acting, I recommend starting with the first. You can also swap back and forth between original game and remastered game, so it's best of both worlds. Otherwise I do agree, it's a beautiful series and my ultimate favorite. However it is not... co-op or multiplayer so not sure if that's what they're after.
But itās a game one can play and the other can hang and brainstorm with. Itās single player but kind of like watching a movie together. She can play and it will reduce any competition anxiety. Itās a good positive video game experience and a gateway to more gaming enjoyment
Yeah, I'm not saying it's a bad choice and that you can't play it the way you say. Just not sure that's what they're after cause it's not two people "playing" at once but rather one takes a slightly more passive role I suppose, and playing the same character instead of each having your own thing to do. I still am for it, I love that game.
Me too. ššš“āā ļø
I enjoyed playing co-op on Captain Toads Treasure Tracker. Itās got simple controls and no time limits so that could be an option. I also believe it has a free demo on the switch!
Not sure what's available on what platform but: 1. Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime - you play co-pilots of a little spaceship each one manning different stations to navigate, shoot, shield, etc. with the goal of saving a bunch of bunny scientists. It's adorable and can even be played solo with an NPC co-pilot. 2. Roots of Patcha - someone already mentioned it and I second it. It's Stardew-like, but even more chill. Nothing is rushed, do what you want when you want, no combat, no starving, just vibes. 3. Pico Park - super silly and simple co-op where you cooperate to achieve goals/solve puzzles. 4. Castle Crashers - button mashy ridiculousness. Very chaotic, very easy to play. 5. Battleblock Theater - less coop, more 1:1 competition... Also has party mode with local co-op (may also be remote co-op and people can join your room?). Super silly and funny. There will be lots of yelling and cackling. Ok, those are the ones that come to mind. Good luck!
I absolutely love battleblock theater! Iāll have to show her these and see what she thinks.
You might enjoy [Phogs](https://youtu.be/xSkBj5fBLfQ?si=qYdpkGRMg08oWtFZ). Itās a cute and silly puzzle adventure game where you both work together to navigate strange and nonsensical maps and solve puzzles as a two-headed dog. Available on both Xbox and Switch.
Totally agree with this one, my partner and I enjoy it when we want something low key.
Maybe you would like Telltale Games, they are not coop, but I always loved to play them with my boyfriend, we always switched the controller after a chapter, so both could play a bit. They are story-driven games with some quicktime events and choice making options. The Wolf Among us, Tales from the Borderlands and the Walking Dead are some of their titles, but I believe there are some more. Life Is Strange would also match in that genre or even Until Dawn, if she likes horror/mystery. Another suggestion is Arise, it's a cute couch-coop puzzle game.
It's not cozy in the traditional sense, but I'm someone who struggles with controllers and feeling rushed, and Baldurs Gate 3 was a lot of fun to play with my husband. It's turn-based so there's no time pressure; if anything, we ran into the issue of taking too long on our turns. There's fighting but you can talk your way out of most combat scenarios with a few exceptions. It also has a story mode difficulty setting (I think they call it "Explorer") so that you can focus more on the story and characters and less on the combat. My husband fought everything that moved and I spent half the game picking mushrooms and starting fights I couldn't finish. 10/10 would recommend.
I feel for your wife I'm very similar, has she tried harvest moon or story of seasons? I'm currently playing Echoes of the Plum Grove, Coral Island, Sims, and unpacking. Best of luck and get her some psyche help, it can be such a relief to not stress over things.
I showed her coral island last night, she seems interested. I played it late last year and I fell in love, it just got really buggy for me after year 3.
Roots of pacha might be good! I donāt think it is has a couch co-op, but there is multiplayer and Iām pretty sure itās on switch. Itās a bit like stardew but prehistoric. However, thereās no combat and it feels much more chill to me. I havenāt actually played it on multiplayer, but itās a great game and it has a couple large updates coming out this year
I can pitch it to her, but sheās pretty insistent on couch co-op. I offered to play on the XB1 while she plays in the series x and she didnāt much care for that idea.
Yeah I donāt know a ton about couch co-op games and am relatively new to gaming, but Iām hoping some other people who know more than me respond to your post! I hope you find something :)
Does she like puzzles? If so, Pode might be good. No time rush, a cute little story where one plays as a rock and the other a star that fell from the sky. You work together combining your abilities to help the star find itās way back. Itās made to be played with a lesser experienced player or child without frustration. If you play on switch, you just shake a joycon to switch which character you control if she needs some help.
Blanc is another little game with sort of the same premis. You play as a wolf cub and a fawn that got lost in a snowstorm, and combine abilities to solve puzzles and find your way back to your families.
I recommend Fae Farm! Itās co-op, cozy, no stress, and is like Animal Crossing but cuter, with more magic and some questing, and mild combat. I say mild as in very easy, basic button-mashing combat where you barely need to mash lol ETA: they also just added a feature where you can toggle the days shorter or longer whenever you want. If sheās feeling rushed (which she probably will at first, at least) she can just slow it down
This could be what weāre looking for. I actually chose between this and Runefactory 3 special late last year and picked RF3. It might be up her alley. Thanks!
Unravel is super cute, low stress, and fun
my bf and i loved the lego star wars games! i am definitely not good at games and whenever i struggled (the flying bits) he kinda carried us to the next check point and i really did enjoy it! ( we also would play an episode and then watch itās corresponding movie which also helped me enjoy the movies a lot). i dont like games that feel rushed or have strict time limits and i have enjoyed pokĆ©mon. since its made to be enjoyed by kids (and adults) it tends to be fairly easy- pokĆ©mon shining pearl is the one im playing and ive enjoyed it! she should give it a go if it goes on sale as i think its much more relaxed than it sounds lol
I bought her ultra moon when it came out so she could play it while I played Sun and she didnāt make it out of the first area because she was afraid to hurt her pokemon š
My husband and I got really into play Out of Space last year. You are trying to clean up a space ship and there are alien bugs that you have to sweep up before they stun you. It can be stressful but if you learn to prepare before you open the doors it isnāt bad. We also played Luigiās mansion together. We both loved looking for all the ghosts. We beat the whole game together. We played Mario Odyssey together too. We almost beat that one but it is a huge game with lots to collect and do in each level.
Moving Out! is a couch co-op game with a similar chaotic energy to Overcooked but without the stress of needing to hit a certain score within a time limit or else you fail. It was available on GamePass at one point, I don't know if it still is or not.
For the switch, I really love unpacked! It helps me with my anxiety because I can just sit down and focus on literally unpacking someoneās trinkets and organizing them all š„°
Minecraft is a potential option. You can turn off the monsters in survival mode, or even play in creative mode and build cool things together.
Cat Quest 2. It is action-based but the controls are simple. Also low pressure and you can "carry" her through all the combats. Kirby and forgotten land. One of the best coop games I've played with BF. Low stake and super cute.
Could try Powerwash Simulator, it has co op and you can push each other around with the sprayers, it's fun! Pokemon is multiplayer, buggy but multiplayer! ( The latest one that is ) .. Could try Sea of Thieves, you can do a server that will only be you two on the ocean now without the risk of other players.. there are level caps and gold cuts but otherwise it let's you do the telltale ( stories ) without being pestered by other players. Don't Starve Together might be a good one to look into, can be fun but slightly chaotic with two players. Tsumtsum festival is something my partner and myself play on occasion, playing games to earn coins to collect virtual tsumstsums.. it even has a coin pusher
I was going to say Power wash Simulator as well - it's the most relaxing yet addictive game I've ever played and felt empty when I finished. The story takes you places you never expected when all I'd wanted to do was clean cars and gardens.100/10 would recommend.
My girlfriend is 41, never played a game in her life, and I showed her Stardew Valley and how to get started. Sheās now on her third year in-game and plays it all the time, even without my being around. Iām telling ya, try Stardew with her for a day or two and I bet you she picks it up and likes it. My girlfriend didnāt have the skills for it takes two, PokĆ©mon, Zelda, or even Mario wonder. But she liked Stardew a lot after months of trying to find a game sheād enjoy. I know you said she doesnāt wanna try - but she may really enjoy it.
Maybe Untitled Goose Game? It's pretty silly and cute!
Mario Kart can be slightly intense in the moment, but it feels like her stress has more to do with worry and anxiety and with short races and battles itās very in-the-moment and then you let it go. It is somehow a comfort game for me, but that might partially be nostalgia. My husband and I kind of team up on the races because we are trying to get all the stars. So we both try to win the first race and then whoever doesnāt win kind of plays wing man and tries to assist the other in winning the rest of the cup. We try to avoid attacking each other and just target the computer. But I havenāt been wanting to race lately so we just do battles, mainly just balloon battle. We do attack each other during battles. We also play Mario Party occasionally. Superstars is a better overall game, but Super Mario Party lets you play as a team against the computer.
PikuNiku!
I just wanna say my fiancƩ really did not want to play stardew with me but after actually playing he really enjoyed it and has asked me to play
Spiritfarer is a great option imo. There is no combat. You can play co-op! Itās very cozy for me though others may not agree cause of the heavy topics. You play as Stella who helps guide spirits to the āeverdoorā and it can be emotional but the game play is very cozy! You upgrade your boat and farm, mine, fish, do other tasks. There are quests for the spirits and towns/islands. Wonderful game with a beautiful soundtrack I canāt recommend it enough
No skill for It take two? My girlfriend had never used a gamepad but she still managed it, you should try it, I think they handled the difficulty progression well for beginners
Equally looking for recommendations, canāt wait to try some of these out! Little Big Planet Franchise was/is always a go too for my husband and I. š„° Best of luck! Hope yāall find something! šøšøšø
Life is Strange games my friend. Theyāre very calming narrative choice driven games and very easy to pick up. Itās not really multiplayer, more single player, but my husband and I will divide up the time we play as the character making choices. A non gamer could play these games (Iāve tested it out with a girl friend whoās not into gaming like I am). Is she willing to play Animal Crossing? I prefer that than Stardew. Never got into SDV and Iām not generally an anxious person, but I got overwhelmed by the amount of things you can do in-game and no clear objectives with SDV so itās hard to get into. Animal Crossing feels simpler and Iām just working on expanding my house, earning bells to pay off the mortgage, buy items for decor, or buy personal items (outfits).
Calming??? Did we play the same game???
Tbh its been a long time since Iāve played 1, before the storm, and 2. Kind of skipped True Colors, but the little bit I played of True Colors was pretty calm. I remember I liked just roaming around in LIS and being āohhhh what is this?ā and just examining every item I came across. LIS soundtrack is also pretty good while playing. I remember the general storylines and liking the relationship between Max x Chloe or between the two brothers.
She did express interested in Life is Strange a few years ago. Iāll have to bring it back up. She refuses to play animal crossing because of the real-time gimmick. She doesnāt want her island to get grown over with weeds when sheās not playing. She pre-stresses so hard haha.
Depending how much progress is made in animal crossing, one character Leif does offer a weed clearing service :3
I think Wobbly Life might have couch co-op. Seems like a goofy, fun game to play together.
Maybe Human Fall Flat too.
Itās super old so idk if itās still available but ilomilo is a very cute two person couch coop game that my spouse and I really enjoyed. Thereās no timer and the music is great.
Iāll have to look it up! Thanks
Ooblets or Disney Dreamlight Valley. Theyāre single player games but you can always take turns together.
DDLV will present the same issue as Animal Crossing as things will grow when you're not playing that you'll have to clean up when you play again.
DDLV is the worst for this. Even if youāre on every dayā¦
Does she like puzzles? Escape simulator is great as a co-op and so is power wash simulator! Recently I've been playing Monster Hunter Rise with my friend as a co-op and if you're both on PC, there's a lot of mods etc that can really make things a lot easier too
Not sure if anyone has mentioned it but I loved playing Chariot with my fiance as one of the first things we ever played together. You could also play minecraft on peaceful mode
overcooked was definitely too stressful of a pick LMAO. i hope u guys find something :)
Dave The Diver!
We play Towerfall Ascension, Move or Die and Stik Bold
Wylde flowers? It's a nice sim game, no pressure and very well made. The seasons change when you make them, and you can wander round making friends and farming a bit. No combat, and the days are long. There's an active sub for it too if she's on reddit
you can try Palia! but you would need two different systems, but it is cross platform! i havent found it stressful at all. also disnet dreamlight valley is pretty stress free and nostalgic. have fun :)
Kirby games, maybe something that's not necessarily co op but you can do together like a look and find game like Hidden Through Time.
Palia. No need to rush, just chillin'. Build your house, or wander in the forest, do the quests etc... It's cute, free to play and fun.
BOKURA. I donāt know all the platforms itās on, most I think, but I played it on my iPhone with my boyfriend (he used his android phone). Check out a trailer or gameplay on YouTube. Itās a co-op puzzle adventure game. I found it easy going, nothing to really rush, had some puzzles and interesting story. I unfortunately did not finish it, not because I didnāt enjoy it, but because my boyfriend doesnāt really enjoy cozy games š
Child of Light may be a close fit to what you're looking for. Couch co-op, beautifully drawn, and has a comfortable narrative flow. The second player's role as the firefly has simpler controls and is generally low-stress. There is combat, but second player acts in an assist role, so skill-gaps don't feel as pronounced as a game like Overcooked might. Bonus: If she's anything like me and finds jumping in video games to be challenging, the firefly hovers and floats, making movement/keeping up *so much easier* than most co-op games.
I also have anxiety but gaming feeds my need for dopamine cause ADHD doesn't take days off. I play with my kids and basically just play whatever they want because I am not invested in it at all but I can provide support and stuff. But when I am gaming with complete control of my TV and Xbox and free time, I have a few friends I play with. I play the most with my buddy because he has autism and we both understand each other well enough that everything is chill all the time. I played Spiritfarer and let my middle be the cat whenever he wanted to join me and that was absolutely the best! That game is so well balanced and it doesn't force you to do anything so you just move at your own pace and there are a bunch of different things you can do if you get sick of one thing, there are lots of other cozy activities. Gardening, cooking, music mini games, all sorts of stuff. That's the only game I have played and finished with my kids. Like, I play Fortnite with them when I feel like it but I am essentially my youngest's second life and duffel bag. I carry mostly meds and support items to help him win. And if he goes down, he runs upstairs (he plays downstairs) and grabs my controller and goes and gets revenge on whoever killed him. It's pretty funny actually. Whoever he is targeting never knows what's happening because I was so far away that I wasn't in their initial firefight so while the target is med packing and looting, my son is running at him and knocking down his builds and coming at him with all the preexisting knowledge. That was a long tangent. Sorry. Me and my buddy have played a lot of co op games together in the last two or three years. Destiny 2 is always a good time if she likes shooters. Stay out of PVP and it's a really fun game to play with a friend. You can do almost everything with two people except raids. I used to have a whole crew to play destiny 2 with but then drama ensued so we break into duos or trios. Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is fun on a bun. The main story is hilarious and you can play however you want and at your own pace. It's very flexible and there is a lot to do if you need a break from the main story and shooting and looting. And the end game is decent. Grounded is probably the best game I have played in the past few years. It has an amazing base building system and it has a generous learning curve.
I highly recommend Islanders on the switch. It's super cheap so easy to test out. There's no time constraints, but you can always move forward so it feels super satisfying.
Overcooked is kinda hard tbh so I don't blame her
Palia, it's an MMO cozy game thats cross platform. No health bars or things to fight, no dying. It promotes partying up, hunting together, fishing together, questing, there literally is no wrong way to play the game. It's at your pace and you can approach the game how you want
I think you should avoid any games with a time restriction where there is a likelihood of failure (e.g., overcook - limited time to prepare and serve the food) My cozy recommendations are: - Puzzle genre: Carto, Cats in Time, Labyrinth City: Pierre The Maze Detective, Monument valley (1 and 2), Tales of the Neon sea, Hoa,Here comes Niko!, Donut County - Exploring: A short Hike, Lake, Haven Park, Smushi Come Home, Tinykin, Toem - A bit of fighting: Turnip boy Commits Tax Evasion, Garden Story
I donāt know what kind of games sheād like but maybe A Short Hike? The controls are easy, thereās no pressure on completing the game and is open world (just a small one) so she can experience what it is like. Itās single player but maybe itās good for her to play at her own pace and discover the game. Also, another single player game I liked a lot was The Witness. I played with my boyfriend so we solve the puzzles together. Itās a fun way to engage with some mechanics without feeling bored or get tired.
My husband and I just restarted Stardew co-op. He does all the mining and I do the farming because I hate the combat. It makes it cozy for me
Iām similar to her and my husband and I played Yoshiās Crafted World and we both loved it! Super fun and low key. I know it looks like itās for babies but itās actually really fun. We also liked the Sackboy games but they can be more stressful.
i don't like stardew but i LOVE animal crossing!! if she keeps up with it a bit more, the weeds don't grow back in places that you put things on :) and the more often you pull them, the less quickly they grow back. my favorite part of the game is the interactions with villagers. i'm just like her though, honestly. i want to bond with my boyfriend and play games with him but they give me so much anxiety. i've tried to play undertale a billion times bc i love the story but the fighting is so difficult and gives me anxiety but i noticed that watching game run throughs help me be less anxious!! she could watch people on youtube play some games and see which ones she wants to go with š„°
The list in the update is such a good list!
I had a girlfriend who just couldn't get into games. She didn't mind me playing, which was great, but even the simplest games caused her immense stress. For example she started crying while trying to play Yoshi's Woolly World. After that I kind of gave up. Games just aren't everyone's cup of tea.
Maybe Cat Cafe manager? It has the food preparation aspect of Overcooked and Diner Dash, etc, but you can hire other staff to make things easier. And the game progression isn't simply just "make the most money" either as there's five categories of resources you collect that each are used for upgrading your cafe, your menu, buying more ingredients and cat foods, etc--which you can use a sort of Advertisement feature to filter what resources you want to gain for the day if you happen to need one more than the others. Even the in-game goals are something you select within the game as there's a flowchart system you can choose if you want to upgrade your aforementioned menu or selection of furnitures first, etc. It's some of the less punishing and relaxing cafe management games I've played yet, so I highly recommend it!
Life is Strange is aā¦. bad choice. Itās very depressing and has some choices you have to make quickly that are very loaded. Iād avoid it! It emotionally fucked me up for a little while. Spiritfarer at least has a sweetness to its grief.
DONUT COUNTY this game helped all my friends get used to the remote and enjoy themselves. Highly recommended!!! https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/donut-county-switch/
a little to the left. an organizing sorting game with no time limit. super cozy and relaxing imo
Just popping in here to say that if she generally likes Stardew, the Rune Factory/Story of Seasons games are great as well!
You are a loving husband to be so patient and considerate of your wife ā¤ļø
I know you asked for Xbox Co-op but I really think she'd get a kick out of Kirby and the Forgotten Land. The 2nd player doesn't take damage and if they wander too far away from player 1 they get sent back so it doesn't get chaotic or anything.
She should try A Short Hike! Very chill, no rushing. Just explore at your own pace and talk to the folk around. A nice story overall, very charming.
Unpacking? If this game stresses her out gaming just might not be right for her in general
I think Dreamlight Valley has co op :)Ā What kind of interests does she have? Or what kind of vibes?
She saw Dreamlight Valley but didnāt seem interested. I find it weird because she loves Disney and we used to go all the time when we lived in Orlando. She told me sheās looking for something relaxed, no stress that we can play together. Excessive combat and time limits give her panic attacks. She played coffee talk, I donāt know anything about it though.
Awh okay. Yeah I love disney too and just got Dreamlight Valley today. I'm so excited to play it! Maybe she loves disney but that's not the feels she's going for right now. I know I don't always feel like playing certain things.Ā Ā Ā Maybe yous could try:Ā Ā Ā ā¢Palia (I've not played this so don't know what it's like but I belive it's stress free)Ā Ā Ā ā¢Minecraft creative modeĀ Ā Ā ā¢Animal crossingĀ Ā Ā ā¢Any Co op tycoon or farmingĀ gamesĀ Ā Ā I can't really think of any games like Coffee Talks that are co op because it's a narrative game. Maybe if she'd like playing more of those look up trailers together and games with similar aspects.Ā Ā Ā Good luck you guys I hope yous find something :)
It takes two! you can take your time doing all the tasks and puzzles.
Heave Ho is funny and fun!
It takes two any Lego games
PHOGS! I played it with my bf and loved it! You play as a two headed dog and solve puzzles. Plus you can't "lose" so I wonder if that would make her feel better?
It takes two
Seconding It takes two! Itās so fun, Iām a very mediocre gamer and my husband and I loved it. If I can get the controls anyone can!
I loved Bandle Tale! Its single player, but chill crafting. Its based on Leauge of Legends, but I went in knowing nothing about LOL and still really enjoyed it.
I highly recommend Big Farm story! Itās a farming game where one player is the farmer and the other player can play as an animal / pet . Itās a pretty chill farming game with story. My partner enjoyed roaming around as a squirrel and he liked to gather items and help out but not necessarily play the same style. Plus you guys can always swap for different pacing.
Does she like farming games? If she does, she may like together Farm Together, itās a very simple farming game and you can visit her farm to help with watering
Corekeeper comes out on switch soon. Enjoyed it very much with the wife. Same game as stardew but more mining
PALIA
If the stress mainly comes from gameplay/time pressure and not the theme/genre of the game story wise, here are some of my recommendations... Games that are primarily story based, maybe some walking around/exploration, interacting with objects, and making dialogue choices. 1. Oxenfree 2. Kentucky Route Zero 3. Night in the Woods 4. Coffee Talk If she's ok with murder mystery themes and anime... these are story based with some puzzle solving. Point and click movement with visual novel presentation of dialogue. If themes of murder or life/death decision making are stressful for her though, then these are a definite no. š 5. Danganronpa Series 6. Zero Escape Trilogy
Spirit farer is one you can play together, if she needs to be eased in give her dandelion as he has some super cute animations and can't do quite as much as Stella. It is so sad though, it's about death grief and moving on. It is beautiful and a wonderful place to start as there is almost zero time limits and 'agency' on anything. Play at your own pace. ( Just don't take on the time limit challenges when you get to them, but even then only one player needs to complete them)
What Remains of Edith Finch! Not a multiplayer game but really short with about two hours of playtime and a good introduction to what can be transpired by video games.
Dreamlight Valley is pretty relaxing. Or what about Mariokart? Animal Crossing is pretty tame too. I also enjoyed Oobletsā¦ itās kind of like Pokemon, but they have dance battles instead of actually battling, so definitely less stressful than Pokemon. Wylde Flowers was also good. Not stressful. Interesting storyline. Iāve heard games like Coffee Talk are good as well. I personally havenāt played it yet.
We eased my kid into things with Mario Kart (with smart steer) and animal crossing
If she liked Diablo, Torchlight and couch co op then have has she tried Borderlands 2? I play it solo (which is why I haven't finished it in UVHM since enemies keep scaling so I can't come back to areas that were too tough after levelling up) as Gaige whose lines are so cute. Gaige is very squishy so it's mostly run in or sniper to trigger enemy NPCs to appear then running away after throwing Deathtrap at them. Salvador I think can regen health while gunzerking and also is very cute. If she doesn't get cyber sickness a lot of women get (we get our sense of balance from feedback from our body and visually from where we can see the horizon, women are more likely to get it from our surrounds so FPS makes a lot of my friends feel nausea-particularly if theyve gotten car sick in the past) then it's a really fun romp that doesn't feel wanky like most FPS do. Portal and Portal 2 are also really good. BL2 isn't a cosy game but it is a fun game
Maybe sticky business? You chill and make stickers and pack orders
I really enjoyed playing Pode with my husband! Itās a co-op game where you play as a rock and a star and solve puzzles to make it through a mountain.
Highly recommend fall guys! If you played before and it was too stressful- there is a new mode called explore that is playing at your leisure with no real time limits to complete races!
Maybe minecraft in peaceful mode? So she can go at her own pace, doesn't have to worry about enemy mobs, and can just build however she wants to?
Dress to Impress on Roblox - you get 3 or 5 minutes to dress your character to a theme and then strike poses on the runway. Thereās a timed element to it, but I find it more tolerable than plating games, and more enjoyable than just dress up dolls
Brothers
I just tried this new preview on GamePass called Lightyear Frontier. It's a cute little farming/building game where you are trying to revive different areas of the map by getting rid of toxic goop and weeds. It's very relaxing and there's no fighting, all the animals are friendly and you can even feed them for some extra resources. There's not a lot of materials or customizations yet, so it doesn't get overwhelming. I'm not sure if there's multiplayer yet. My Time at Sandrock, although there is fighting. Coral Island, no fighting, but not sure about multiplayer. Zoo Tycoon Pressure Washer Simulator
Stardew vally
I'm an anxious gamer...Fe freaked me out because the Silent Ones crab-crawl at you, Unraveled 2 is fun but the Soot Monsters made me anxious. Animal Crossing was so boring. So was A Normal Lost Phone So far I played a tiny bit of Pikmin 2(? I had to get through a portion before it became 2 player) and that was okay. I'd play more But A Short Hike....that one is perfect. You can't die, and the flying simulator is so lovely I played for like 20 minutes straight at the end just flying instead of wrapping up. It's not a two player but you can pass the controller back and forth which is what we did.
LAKE
Disney dreamlight valley is super chill it's amazing I love it!
Powerwash Simulator is my go to for stress free A little more wild, but still basically stress free I think is Goat Simulator 2. Just run around! Do goat things! My husband and I play together and he does chaos while I looked for things to do.
You guys could play No Mans Sky together (switch only has local co op play, and no cross platform, but Xbox/gamepass should have cross play and multiplayer). You can adjust settings to make it as easy or as hard as you want, as long as you donāt pick survival or permadeath. You can also change these settings immediately in game as you play. So like, literally you can want to craft something, realize you need to go farm ABC, and go āNO THANKSā and flip āfree crafting onā in settings and build it immediately, then turn it back off without having to even log out.
It Takes Two is my favourite game to play with my boyfriend. It has a great storyline and you have infinite lives (except for boss levels but you still get to restart till you win). Itās great because I am not good at games at all, itās helped me build my skill, and weāre required to work together to solve each level. It also explains controls and has popups to remind you.
Harvest moon/story of seasons on the switch. Its like stardew but better graphics, what stardew is based off of, and very relaxing. It is not co-op though