Whether you last touched a TV game console in your youth or frequently jump online to duke it out with friends, gaming is a fun way to relax after a stressful day.
To find out which games made for the perfect cosy night in, Northerner ran a test to see which games would top the list. To run the numbers, they worked from a seed list of the most popular video games compiled through a variety of reputable sources including Metacritic, IGN and SteamDB
Once all data was collated, a percentrank formula was used to calculate a final score out of 10 for each video game and games were then ranked in descending order, based on their overall score to reveal the best ones for reducing stress earning a “cosy score”.
Topping the list as the best video game to help reduce stress is Stardew Valley, with a cosy score of 9.4/10. A country life RPG game, Stardew Valley, holds the highest SteamDB rating (98%) out of all analysed games, as well as the highest IGN rating (9/10). It’s also the video game with the second highest Metascore (89/100), after Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons secures second spot, achieving a cosy score of 9.2/10. The game not only has the highest Metascore (90/100) out of all the others in the study, but also the third highest IGN rating (8.5/10), preceded only by Disney Dreamlight Valley and Stardew Valley. Released in 2020, it is the fifth game in the Animal Crossing series.
In third place, with a cosy score of 8.8/10, is the adventure video game A Short Hike. It landed the second highest SteamDB rating (97%) out of all games analysed, after Stardew Valley. With an equally impressive Metascore (88/100) and IGN rating (8.2/10), A Short Hike is a great choice for a relaxing night at home.
See the full list here:
