The Best Feel-Good Video Games

Summary

• Cozy games like Stardew Valley release endorphins and are great for relaxing solo or with friends.
• Feel-good games can be nostalgic, bring friends together, or immerse players in different genres, like LocoRoco Remastered.
• Games like Rock Band and Split Fiction offer joyful experiences with music and creative gameplay that bring endless fun.

The term “feel-good” can mean different things to many people. A game that makes players feel good can be a cozy game: simple in design and relaxing. Stardew Valley is a good example of a cozy game to play alone or with friends, and it can definitely release those good old endorphins and make its players feel good.

However, a feel-good game can also be a nostalgic trip, or perhaps a multiplayer game that brings friends together once a week. The term is a bit nebulous, but here are some good examples of quality feel-good games to drive the point home. Either way, these games should make players smile thanks to the positive vibes they evoke.

LocoRoco Remastered

Roll Out To Music

LocoRoco was originally released for the PSP and featured tiny little creatures in a cute little puzzle platformer. Instead of controlling the characters manually, players used the L and R buttons to tilt the world and make the creatures go forward or back.

There were a few versions of these creatures, and each one sang a different melody on different levels. From the songs to the creatures to the art style of the world, it’s really hard not to fall in love, and now there is LocoRoco Remastered to enjoy it on multiple modern consoles.

Fantasy Life I: The Girl Who Steals Time

RPGs For Everyone

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is the perfect game for anyone trying to get into action RPGs but is too intimidated by the genre’s more in-depth offerings. There are action classes, or Lives as they are called here, to take on, like equivalents to knights and mages, but there are also more passive classes, ranging from fishers to cooks.

Switching between all these classes is key to progressing in the game, be it alone or with friends. The chilled-out passive classes and the brightly colored world make the game inviting for all to join, and it provides just enough depth to ease newcomers into the genre.

Rock Band

Music Unites The World

Rock Band leveled up the party rhythm game genre by introducing vocals and drums to the established guitars from Guitar Hero. The sequels carried over music collections, too, which is something Guitar Hero wasn’t paying attention to.

Lots of gamers can remember going to their first Rock Band party or seeing a setup in an establishment and thinking it looked like fun. Rock Band, and practically all music games with plastic instruments, are gone now, but the memories will last forever. For those who still have their setup, Rock Band is a game that can bring infinite joy.

Split Fiction

A New Game Every Minute

Split Fiction is a meta-game about budding authors Mio and Zoe accidentally getting trapped in an AI-generated game simulator. It’s a fully co-op game that switches between fantasy and sci-fi genres, but that’s not where the creativity starts or stops.

Each level is a new type of genre, from action to platformer to racer. It Takes Two, by the same developer, was a great co-op game but a bit of a bummer since the two characters were trying to get a divorce. Between the level of creativity and the growing relationship between Mio and Zoe, Split Fiction is a greater experience that never gets dull and should remain fun for both players throughout the campaign.

Astro Bot

A Joy In Every PlayStation Bite

Astro Bot floored the gaming world in 2024, probably Sony most of all, winning all kinds of awards including Game of the Year at The Game Awards. There are a lot of retro and modern platformers that can bring joy, but not one of them features as cute a hero as the titular Astro Bot and all of his little robot friends.

The level design is also great, offering something new every few levels, including being flung around like a cannonball or being blown up like a balloon to float around. The PlayStation nostalgia was on point in Astro Bot, offering cameos from obscure characters like Dart from The Legend of Dragoon to Leon S. Kennedy from Resident Evil 2.

Shovel Knight

More Than A Nostalgia Trip

Shovel Knight could have just been a fun throwback to the NES era with its 8-bit design, but Yacht Club Games was seemingly uninterested in being mundane. They went all out to create something original while drawing on past NES hits like Mega Man and DuckTales for inspiration.

What started as one game with the titular Shovel Knight in control quickly became a platform hosting other modes, new playable characters, and cheat codes. Sometimes, it feels good to just sit back and enjoy a simple game like this.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Choose Your Fighter

True to its name, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is THE ultimate Nintendo experience, just like how Astro Bot is a celebration of PlayStation. Even if players aren’t good at fighting games, they can have fun choosing random fighters from this incredible roster.

Who would have ever thought in 1997 that Sephiroth from Final Fantasy 7 would one day stab Mario in a video game? It’s hard to see Nintendo ever outdoing this game unless somehow Sony and Microsoft IPs jump in for a true industry-wide Battle Royale.

The Jackbox Party Pack 3

A Great Party Game

The Jackbox games are an ingenious idea that don’t limit players to four on a console or even require controllers. Simply log in to their website, input a code, and have a blast with friends or even an audience if players are streaming to their fans.

Among the many iterations, The Jackbox Party Pack 3 stands out because of the mini-games it includes, including Fakin’ It, Guesspionage, Quiplash 2, Tee K.O., and Trivia Murder Party. Trivia Murder Party is like Jeopardy meets Saw, and Tee K.O. allows players to show their creativity and even send in their shirt designs to get them printed in real life. Feeling depressed? Doctors recommend playing an hour of The Jackbox Party Pack 3 to cure those blues, guaranteed.