Like many people, I mostly play games to relax. But even after trying countless cozy farming sims and chill puzzle games, I’ve found that nothing helps me unwind quite like a stressful challenge.
To be honest, I didn’t understand why, either. For whatever reason, I’ve found myself gravitating towards roguelikes, soulslikes, and any other “-likes” that offer tough-as-nails challenges and panic-inducing premises. It’s not because I’m particularly good at any of those genres—especiallynot soulslikes—but most “hardcore” titles aren’t all that different from your typical cozy games.
Games Are Only Stressful When They’re Unfamiliar
With any challenging game, your first playthrough will always be the most stressful. When you aren’t sure what lies around every corner or what enemies are waiting for you in the next room, you’re guaranteed to be on edge. Franchises likeResident EvilandDark Soulsprey on this fear of the unknown, hiding monstrous enemies and deadly traps in places that you least expect to create a powerful paranoia that sticks with you for the entire game. It doesn’t matter if you’re armed with a shotgun or greatsword, these games leave you in constant suspense over when and where you might encounter the next terrifying foe.
However, that tension vanishes on subsequent playthroughs. As you learn the layouts of levels, memorize their biggest surprises, and gradually get better at a game, the initial terror of your first playthrough is eventually replaced by a comfortable familiarity. It’s easier to progress through any game when you know exactly what’s waiting ahead, even if it’s for a brutally punishing experience likeDark Souls. This is especially true for any game that allows you to transfer items and character progression into your next playthrough, making each successive run a bit easier than the last.
Because of this, I find myself constantly returning to games that I used to think were nerve-wrackingly terrifying or soul-crushingly difficult.TheResident Evil 2remakeremains one of the scariest games I have ever played, but I’ve replayed it nearly a dozen times, either to speedrun through its multiple campaigns or slowly soak in its haunting atmosphere. Any of the dread that I originally felt from exploring the halls of the Raccoon City Police Department has since run dry, but that hasn’t made revisiting the game seem any less enticing. Even though its scares have been (mostly) defanged after multiple playthroughs, I can still enjoyResident Evil 2as an atmospheric adventure game—ifnot a traditional horror experience.
Any game will start to seem a lot less intimidating once you learn the ins and outs of its maps and mechanics. When you peel back the suspense of venturing into the unknown or learning enemy movesets for the first time, it’s easier to admire everything else about a game. FromSoftware’sSoulsborneseriesis infamous for its intense difficulty, but the games also feature an artistic beauty that’s easy to overlook on your first playthrough.
However, after you learn to navigate their maze-like worlds, master their punishing combat, and eventually reach the credits, later playthroughs offer a chance to marvel at the beauty of their dark fantasy worlds, experiment with different playstyles, and piece together their cryptic stories. While theSoulsbornegames are still immensely difficult on subsequent playthroughs, re-experiencing them is much more relaxing when you’re finally confident enough to fully appreciate the game’s quieter moments.
Resident Evil 2
WHERE TO PLAY
The genre-defining masterpiece Resident Evil 2 returns, completely rebuilt from the ground up for a deeper narrative experience. Using Capcom’s proprietary RE Engine, Resident Evil 2 offers a fresh take on the classic survival horror saga with breathtakingly realistic visuals, heart-pounding immersive audio, a new over-the-shoulder camera, and modernized controls on top of gameplay modes from the original game.In Resident Evil 2, the classic action, tense exploration, and puzzle solving gameplay that defined the Resident Evil series returns. Players join rookie police officer Leon Kennedy and college student Claire Redfield, who are thrust together by a disastrous outbreak in Raccoon City that transformed its population into deadly zombies. Both Leon and Claire have their own separate playable campaigns, allowing players to see the story from both characters’ perspectives. The fate of these two fan favorite characters is in players hands as they work together to survive and get to the bottom of what is behind the terrifying attack on the city. Will they make it out alive?
It’s Easy to Find Comfort in Complexity
Understandably, not everyone has the time toendlessly replay their favorite games, but that’s not the only way to find coziness in hardcore experiences. If fast-paced action games and twitchy horror titles aren’t your thing—or you simply don’t want to wait for credits to roll before you can start relaxing—there are other stress-filled genres that can be surprisingly soothing.
Tension doesn’t always come from moment-to-moment action, and the same is true for coziness. In strategy games likeFire EmblemandXCOM, a single careless decision can have devastating consequences, as permanently losing a valuable unit can leave you woefully unprepared for later battles. Notoriously difficult RPGs likeShin Megami TenseiandDarkest Dungeonbring a similar tension to theirturn-based battles, often pitting you against foes capable of crushing your party in a single turn.
Many of these games are meant to seem daunting and beginner-unfriendly at first, but learning (and potentially bending) their rules adds an element of relaxingly mundane micromanaging to these otherwise hardcore titles. Just as you might find yourself getting lost in designing the perfect farm inStardew Valleyor building the island resort of your dreams inAnimal Crossing: New Horizons, I love immersing myself in the strategic planning of training units inFire Emblem: Three Housesor recruiting new demons to defeat a difficult boss inShin Megami Tensei V.
Much of the fun behind managing party builds or leveling characters into specialized roles comes from the satisfaction of finally overcoming a game’s toughest obstacles through careful planning. TheShin Megami Tenseiseries constantly throws you into punishing battles designed to make you constantly re-evaluate your approach to battles.
You might find yourself breezing past most enemies in one area, only to be swiftly wiped out by a boss that targets your elemental weaknesses or punishes you for not using all the spells at your disposal. Each of these sudden difficulty spikes essentially serves as a knowledge check, forcing you to regularly swap out your entire party, learn every facet of the game’s mechanics, and eventually discover how to turn any encounter into a one-sided beatdown.
Because of this, I tend to approach games likeStarCraftthe same way I playSimCity. For me, the appeal of stressful games doesn’t exclusively come from their tense moments; it’s about getting better at the game and turning that challenge into a cakewalk. Even if I continue tostruggle with the difficulty, simply learning how to play a little bit better and applying that knowledge to my next playthrough is already half of the fun. It’s always satisfying to see a good plan come together, and equally exciting to watch it fall apart and attempt to unpack where it all went wrong.
What Makes Stressful Games Perfect for Relaxation?
You may still be wondering why anyone would want to relax with games that are meant to be stressful, especially when there’s no shortage oftraditional cozy games. Personally, I find that difficult or complex games often strike a perfect balance between calming and captivating. Although I’ve spent hundreds of hours inThe Sims 3andStardew Valley, I’ve always preferred games with lots of action or plenty of complex strategy. Some of my favorite gaming experiences have been practicing the combat ofNioh 2, speedrunning throughResident Evil 2, or finding new exploits inShin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne. While my first playthroughs of each of these games felt like arduous battles for survival, they’re now some of my favorite games for unwinding.
There’s a limit to how much of a traditional cozy game I can play before it loses its charm. While I still occasionally playAnimal Crossing, the mundane fun of upgrading a small town or building up my own island always returns to feeling like a monotonous chore. I can still spend hours upon hours playingThe Sims 3andStardew Valley, but I’ve already seen most of what these games have to offer. While I’ve tried to find other games to take their place, most life sims and farming games come close to replicating the sheer depth and variety of my two favorite cozy classics.
No matter how much time I spend on challenging action games and tense strategy games, I never get tired of these genres. All these games are just as relaxing, they never feel dull or repetitive. They provide just enough challenge and variety to keep me engaged, but I’m still able to comfortably sit back and relax whenever I revisit these games.
Of course, everyone has different tastes in genres, and the experiences one player finds relaxing can seem miserable for someone else. Personally, I find online-multiplayer shooters to be too hectic to be relaxing—even though I still enjoy playing them—but I know plenty of shooter fans who regardRainbow Six: SiegeandCounter-Strike 2as their go-to comfort games.
Your genre preferences will most likely differ from mine, so I can’t guarantee that any of the games I’ve mentioned will be cozy for you. However, if there’s a genre that seems intimidatingly difficult or confusingly complicated, I still highly recommend giving it a chance. I never thought I would enjoySoulslikesor any similarly difficult action games until I finally triedBloodbornea few years after its release. Likewise, I struggled to understand the appeal ofDevil May CryandFire Emblemwhen I first started playing them, but those series eventually became some of my favorite gaming franchises of all time.
Stressful games rarely stay stressful forever. Give it enough time, and you’ll eventually reach a moment when a difficult game finally “clicks” with you. Sure, there are probably a few genres you won’t enjoy, no matter how hard you try. However, learning and overcoming a challenging game is always incredibly satisfying. There’s even a chance that one of these stress-inducers could become your next favorite stress-reliever.
Playing more stressful genres has introduced me to some of my all-time favorite games, many of which I find even more relaxing than typical cozy game series likeAnimal CrossingandThe Sims. If you’re finding the usual cozy games to be too mundane and want something that will keep you comfortably entertained, you should give stressful games a try.
