Cosy games that actually help you switch off

Not every game needs to challenge you. Some of the best evenings I've had with my phone lately involved doing almost nothing — watering plants, arranging a little garden, letting a slow story unfold.

The key ingredient is the absence of pressure. No energy meter, no daily streak guilt-tripping you, no timer counting down. Sky Orchard nails this by simply letting you stop whenever you like and come back with nothing lost.

Hollow Lantern is cosy in a different way — it's quiet and atmospheric rather than cheerful. Both scratch the same itch: something to slow your brain down before sleep.

My rule for a genuinely relaxing game is that closing the app should never feel like a mistake. If a game punishes you for putting it down, it isn't restful, whatever the art style suggests.

Keep one of these installed for the days that drain you. It's a small thing that helps more than you'd think.