GAMES

Recommended Plays

Every game featured in our posts — filtered by what you're in the mood for.

▾
ALL GAMES
22 GAMES
papers please
SOLO NIGHTDEEP DIVE
Papers, Please
Puzzle · 3909 LLC
"A stamping simulator that turned into a moral reckoning. Play it slowly. Notice what you justify."
Available on: Steam · iOS · PS Vita
Read the post
katamari damacy
SOLO NIGHTSTRESS RELIEFDEEP DIVE
Katamari Damacy
Action · Namco
"Rolling up pencils, cows, and eventually islands until your brain goes blissfully silent. Peak flow state."
Available on: Steam · Switch · PS4
Read the post
firewatch
SOLO NIGHTSTRESS RELIEFDEEP DIVE
Firewatch
Walking Sim · Campo Santo
"Wyoming, a radio, and someone else's voice. Beautiful and honest about what escape actually gets you."
Available on: Steam · Switch · PS4 · Xbox
Read the post
inside
SOLO NIGHTDEEP DIVEADRENALINE
Inside
Platformer · Playdead
"Two hours of atmospheric dread with no dialogue and no explanation. It will stay with you longer than most games three times its length."
Available on: Steam · Switch · PS4 · Xbox · iOS
Read the post
frostpunk
SOLO NIGHTDEEP DIVEADRENALINE
Frostpunk
Survival Strategy · 11 bit studios
"A city builder that turns you into someone you wouldn't vote for. The most effective moral mirror in strategy gaming."
Available on: Steam · PS4 · Xbox
Read the post
night in the woods
SOLO NIGHTDEEP DIVESTRESS RELIEF
Night in the Woods
Adventure · Infinite Fall
"About being 20 and lost and home, which feels wrong because you left. One of the most emotionally accurate games ever made."
Available on: Steam · Switch · PS4 · Xbox · iOS
Read the post
unpacking
SOLO NIGHTSTRESS RELIEFDEEP DIVE
Unpacking
Puzzle · Witch Beam
"You don't control a character. You just put things away. Somehow this tells a complete life story, and it's one of the warmest games ever made."
Available on: Steam · Switch · PS4 · Xbox · Game Pass
Read the post
outer wilds
SOLO NIGHTDEEP DIVE
Outer Wilds
Adventure · Mobius Digital
"A solar system that loops every 22 minutes and hides everything worth knowing. Go in completely blind."
Available on: Steam · Switch · PS4 · Xbox · Game Pass
Read the post
stanley parable
SOLO NIGHTDEEP DIVE
The Stanley Parable
Walking Sim · Galactic Cafe
"A game about following instructions in which not following instructions is also following instructions. Genuinely funny. Genuinely unsettling."
Available on: Steam
Read the post
animal crossing
SOLO NIGHTSTRESS RELIEF
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Life Sim · Nintendo
"The game that sold 40 million copies during a pandemic. The one you built everything in, and then stopped playing, and can't explain why."
Available on: Switch
Read the post
tetris
SOLO NIGHTDEEP DIVEADRENALINE
Tetris
Puzzle · Various
"The most played game in human history. Still teaching things about the brain that nothing else can demonstrate as cleanly."
Available on: Steam · Switch · iOS · Android
Read the post
portal 2
PLAY TOGETHERDEEP DIVE
Portal 2
Puzzle · Valve
"The co-op mode is the best multiplayer experience in gaming. The theory of mind it requires explains why it's also uniquely frustrating with the wrong partner."
Available on: Steam · PS3 · Xbox 360
Read the post
spiritfarer
SOLO NIGHTDEEP DIVESTRESS RELIEF
Spiritfarer
Management · Thunder Lotus Games
"A cosy game about death. Play it when you have the emotional space for it. Play it with someone if you can."
Available on: Steam · Switch · PS4 · Xbox · Game Pass
Read the post
celeste
SOLO NIGHTADRENALINEDEEP DIVE
Celeste
Platformer · Maddy Thorson & Noel Berry
"One of the most honest games about anxiety ever made. Use assist mode if you want. The mountain doesn't care how you got to the top."
Available on: Steam · Switch · PS4 · Xbox
Read the post
hollow knight
SOLO NIGHTDEEP DIVEADRENALINE
Hollow Knight
Metroidvania · Team Cherry
"Forty hours in a hand-drawn underground kingdom. One of the best value games ever made. Do the optional content if you want. You probably will."
Available on: Steam · Nintendo Switch · PS4 · Xbox
Read the post
among us
PLAY TOGETHERSTRESS RELIEF
Among Us
Social Deduction · InnerSloth
"Free on mobile. Best with friends on voice chat who take it slightly too seriously. The psychology of trust happens fastest when the stakes feel real."
Available on: PC · Mobile (Free) · Console
Read the post
journey
SOLO NIGHTSTRESS RELIEFDEEP DIVE
Journey
Adventure · thatgamecompany
"Two hours. Go in without reading about it. Let the multiplayer surprise you. This is one of the few games that changes how you think about connection."
Available on: PS4/PS5 · PC (Epic Games)
Read the post
red dead redemption 2
SOLO NIGHTDEEP DIVESTRESS RELIEF
Red Dead Redemption 2
Open World · Rockstar Games
"Play it without fast travel. The horse animation is not a bug. One of the most ambitious games ever made — and a sixty-hour meditation on patience."
Available on: PC · PS4/PS5 · Xbox
Read the post
minecraft
SOLO NIGHTDEEP DIVESTRESS RELIEF
Minecraft
Sandbox · Mojang
"The best-selling game ever made costs less than a pizza. Start in Survival mode. Build the box. Watch what happens when you impose a constraint on yourself."
Available on: Minecraft.net · PC · Console · Mobile
Read the post
disco elysium
SOLO NIGHTDEEP DIVE
Disco Elysium
RPG · ZA/UM
"Best-written game in the medium. A ruined detective reconstructs his identity through a thousand choices, each one argued over by the thirty voices in his head."
Available on: Steam · PS4/PS5
Read the post
it takes two
PLAY TOGETHERDEEP DIVE
It Takes Two
Co-op Adventure · Hazelight Studios
"The best argument for co-op gaming as relationship maintenance. One purchase, two players, no excuses."
Available on: Steam · PS4/PS5 · Xbox · Switch
Read the post
edith finch
SOLO NIGHTDEEP DIVE
What Remains of Edith Finch
Narrative Adventure · Giant Sparrow
"Two hours. Grief without a stage model. One of the best things ever made in the medium. Do not look it up first."
Available on: Steam · PS4/PS5 · Xbox · Switch
Read the post
knack
SOLO NIGHTDEEP DIVE
Knack
Action Platformer · Japan Studio / Sony
"Unfairly dismissed at launch. The relic-absorption mechanic is a better model for identity formation than most psychology textbooks."
Available on: PS4 · PS5 (backwards compatible)
Read the post
breath of the wild
SOLO NIGHTDEEP DIVESTRESS RELIEF
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Open-World Adventure · Nintendo
"One of the greatest games ever made. No quest marker — just a world. Your brain will thank you."
Available on: Nintendo Switch · Wii U
Read the post
moving out
PLAY TOGETHERSHORT & SWEETSTRESS RELIEF
Moving Out
Co-op Simulation · DevM Games
"Moving is terrible. This makes it genuinely hilarious. Best couch co-op for two people."
Available on: Steam · Switch · PS4 · Xbox
Read the post
overcooked
PLAY TOGETHERSHORT & SWEETADRENALINE
Overcooked 2
Co-op Cooking · Ghost Town Games
"A relationship test disguised as a cooking game. Science says it actually bonds you."
Available on: Steam · Switch · PS4 · Xbox
Read the post
princess peach
SOLO NIGHTSHORT & SWEETSTRESS RELIEF
Princess Peach: Showtime!
Platformer · Nintendo
"Forty years of quiet character development hiding in plain sight."
Available on: Nintendo Switch
Read the post
world of warcraft
SOLO NIGHTDEEP DIVEPLAY TOGETHER
World of Warcraft
MMORPG · Blizzard Entertainment
"Engineered for addiction — dopamine loops, sunk cost, the works. Still worth it in moderation."
Available on: Battle.net · Free to level 20
Read the post
last of us
SOLO NIGHTDEEP DIVEADRENALINE
The Last of Us Part I & II
Action-Adventure · Naughty Dog
"The most morally complex game ever made. Joel's final choice will follow you."
Available on: Steam · PS4/PS5
Read the post
the sims
SOLO NIGHTSTRESS RELIEFDEEP DIVE
The Sims 3
Life Simulation · Maxis / EA
"Turns out it's just a simulation of your thirties. The dirty dishes don't get picked up there either."
Available on: EA App · PC/Mac
Read the post
crash bandicoot
SOLO NIGHTSHORT & SWEETADRENALINE
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
Platformer · Vicarious Visions
"Three games that will reveal your personality flaws in approximately twenty minutes."
Available on: Steam · PS4 · Xbox · Switch
Read the post
pokemon
SOLO NIGHTSHORT & SWEETSTRESS RELIEF
Pokémon Red
RPG · Game Freak / Nintendo
"The original cause of a significant percentage of our collective childhood existential crises."
Available on: Game Boy · Nintendo Switch Online
Read the post
dark souls
SOLO NIGHTDEEP DIVEADRENALINE
Dark Souls III
Action RPG · FromSoftware
"The best interactive argument for asking for help ever made. Die. Learn. Ask. Win."
Available on: Steam · Xbox · PS4/PS5
Read the post
hades
SOLO NIGHTDEEP DIVEADRENALINE
Hades
Roguelike · Supergiant Games
"Possibly the best-designed game ever made. Teaches failure tolerance better than any book."
Available on: Steam · Switch · PS4/PS5 · Xbox
Read the post
stardew valley
SOLO NIGHTSTRESS RELIEF
Stardew Valley
Farming Sim · ConcernedApe
"One of the best value games ever made. Also a diagnostic tool for your work-life ratio."
Available on: Steam · Switch · PS4 · Xbox · Mobile
Read the post
skyrim
SOLO NIGHTDEEP DIVESTRESS RELIEF
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Action RPG · Bethesda Game Studios
"Still extraordinary. The skill tree is a better model for mastery than most self-help books."
Available on: Steam · PS4/PS5 · Xbox · Switch
Read the post
fallout 3
SOLO NIGHTDEEP DIVEADRENALINE
Fallout 3
Action RPG · Bethesda Game Studios
"Play it. Make every choice. Then notice who you chose to be. It'll tell you something."
Available on: Steam · PC · Xbox
Read the post
amnesia
SOLO NIGHTPLAY TOGETHERADRENALINE
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Survival Horror · Frictional Games
"The best excuse to call a friend you haven't seen in a while. Bring snacks. Don't play alone."
Available on: Steam · PS4 · Xbox · Switch
Read the post
undertale
SOLO NIGHTSHORT & SWEETSTRESS RELIEF
Undertale
RPG · Toby Fox
"Under €10. Don't look anything up. Do the Pacifist route first. You'll understand."
Available on: Steam · Switch · PS4
Read the post
rocket league
PLAY TOGETHERSHORT & SWEETADRENALINE
Rocket League
Sports · Psyonix · Free to Play
"Free, infinitely deep, and will immediately reveal exactly how accurate your self-assessment is."
Available on: Epic Games · Free · Switch · PS4/PS5 · Xbox
Read the post
No games in this mood yet — read the blog →

GOT A SUGGESTION?

Think a game belongs here?

If there's a game that changed how you think about something — drop us a message. Every game on this page started as a conversation.

Send a suggestion →