The Top 5 Most Interesting Games to Play to Reduce Stress

After coming home from a long day of work or school, the first thing you usually do is start thinking of ways of relaxing and letting off some steam. Does this situation sound familiar to you? Then look no further! I’ve compiled my picks of the top 5 most interesting games to play to reduce stress from your daily lives, regardless of your level of experience in gaming.

My Top 5 Picks

5. Hearts of Iron IV

For those alternative history gurus, this is the perfect game for you! Spanning from 1936 to 1948, Hearts of Iron IV is a complex real-time strategy game (with the ability to pause and slow down the speed of time) that focuses on the build-up to WW2 and the war itself. You can take over any country in the world and lead them on a path to becoming a great power in the way you want. You have control over everything, including how many soldiers to recruit, how many civilian and military factories to build, who to fight and who to ally with, and most importantly, which national focuses to complete. Ever thought of restoring the old Roman Empire? You can make that a reality in Hearts of Iron IV with Italy (provided you put in enough effort)! If you’re unsure who to choose, here are the best countries for beginners.

4. Kingdom Come: Deliverance

If you want to roleplay as a knight in medieval Europe, look no further! In Kingdom Come: Deliverance, you are Henry, a peasant in the 15th-century Kingdom of Bohemia who loses his home, family, and everything he holds dear to war. In this open-world RPG, you embark on a path of revenge where you hunt down those responsible for Henry’s loss. During this journey, you rise from a lowly peasant who could only dream of interacting with nobility to a knight the nobility regularly calls upon to solve their problems. What makes Kingdom Come: Deliverance special is its realism. For example, you will suffer huge HP penalties if you don’t eat regularly, and enemies can kill you in just a few hits if you’re not wearing armour (just like in real life). Does this sound too daunting? Worry not! Check out these helpful survival tips to avoid sending Henry to an early grave.

3. Baldur’s Gate 3

Baldur’s Gate 3 is an open-world turn-based RPG based in the Dungeons & Dragons continent of Faerûn. Your task is to assemble a party of powerful characters and embark on a journey to save Faerûn from being enslaved, or you can embrace your inner evil and become the enslaver yourself! Whether you want to play alone or form a team alongside your friends, a rich story awaits you. What makes Baldur’s Gate 3 so unique is the sheer amount of depth that the developers (Larian Studios) implemented in their characters. Each conversation you have with the various characters you meet along your journey is meaningful in some way, and many interactions will have ramifications much further into the story that you may not realize at the time. With 12 character classes, 46 subclasses, 11 races, and 31 subraces, you can customize your characters to your heart’s content with various skills, abilities, and cosmetic items. If you’re looking for inspiration, here is an extensive tierlist of the best character builds you can use.

2. Forza Horizon 5

Being stuck in traffic and having to spend time waiting behind others is never fun. With Forza Horizon 5, waiting is no longer a concern, and you can drive as fast (or as slow) as you want with no regard for traffic rules (there are no police in the game)! As an open-world racing game set in a fictional representation of Mexico, you can explore the beautiful and vast Mexican countryside and participate in various races along the way, such as drag racing, road racing, and circuit racing against other players or the in-game AI. You also can collect over 800 unique cars and add them to your personal vehicle collection. Ever dreamed of owning that one $5 million supercar as a child? You can make that dream a reality in Forza Horizon 5! So, if you’re ready to hear the roaring screams of vehicle engines as you step down on the accelerator, here are the fastest cars you can obtain to give yourself a speed thrill.

1. Cyberpunk 2077

Ever wondered what a world set in 2077 could look like? In Cyberpunk 2077, you can satisfy that curiosity as you journey through the streets of Night City as V, a mercenary with nothing to lose. You will witness technological marvels such as flying cars, smart robots, and implants that give people near-superhuman abilities. But be warned, Cyberpunk 2077 isn’t a game of sunshine and roses. As a city ruled by megacorporations and plagued by gang warfare and lawlessness, Night City is a haven for violent crime, and mass poverty is the norm. Many stories also don’t have happy endings, and you will often be forced to make choices that aren’t black and white. However, you will have all the tools at your disposal to help V survive, make money, and ultimately, become a legend of Night City. Think you got what it takes? Make sure you don’t miss these iconic weapons to give your playthrough a huge boost.

Conclusion

While my top 5 game picks all have differing themes, settings, and gameplay mechanics, one thing they have in common is that they are all interesting games to play to reduce stress. In short, they all allow you to enter an alternate reality and forget about your daily stresses by providing you with a virtual world in which to immerse yourself.

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