Video games can often reflect real-world issues and feelings. As mental health awareness has grown, more developers and storytellers are utilising games as a vehicle to say something, or to share an experience that is personal to them. Listed below are a range of games that were created to challenge how we think about mental health as well as help gamers cope with or understand their own mental health journey.
Human: Fall Flat is a quirky and lighthearted, physics-based puzzle and exploration game set in floating dreamscapes. Your aim is to escape these surreal dreams by solving puzzles with nothing but your wits and physics.
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Spiritfarer follows Stella and her cat Daffodil who are chosen to take on the mantle of 'Spiritfarer', as Charon (Death) goes into retirement. Self-described as a "cosy management game about dying," the Spiritfarer is tasked with helping lost souls in the afterlife move on and come to terms with their past.
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Ghost of Tsushima is an unexpected recommendation, but it has proved to be a great mental escape for many players.
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Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is Takeshi's Castle meets Gang Beasts. You play as a small gelatinous bean, with the aim to make it through a variety of challenges without getting eliminated!
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A young boy finds himself isolated among castle ruins, in a valley known as the Nest. Here, he discovers a winged, mythical creature called Trico that's wounded and chained up, and decides to nurse it back to health. Together they begin to forge a strong, emotional bond on their journey to escape the ruins.
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Explore underwater environments that are bursting with life and discover the secrets that are buried deep in the ocean. Abzû is a relaxing journey that aims to highlight the environmental impact we have had on our oceans.
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Embark on a peaceful journey across the mountainous landscapes and along the island coastline. Interact with other visitors and residents of Hawk Peak Provincial Park and unravel a series of touching tales on your way to the top.
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Last Day of June is touching representation of a person's psyche during the process of grief.
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Heaven is a place called Meadow! Vast, teeming with life and now a unique social experience. Frolic freely and de-stress in the lush fields of Meadow - a unique multiplayer sandbox.
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What Remains of Edith Finch is a haunting series of tales centred around the mysterious Finch family.
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Share your feelings, support others, and share words of positivity in a multiplayer experience like no other.
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NieR: Automata is an exploration of severe depression. It strips down humanity, asks us to confront ourselves, and leans heavily into asking life's biggest question - what's the point? So how can that help us feel better?
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The Unfinished Swan is a beautiful imagining of the grieving process. The world is a vast white canvas and you explore through the eyes of Monroe, as he attempts add colour to his world - in pursuit of the most precious memory he has of his mother.
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Journey is the embodiment of the phrase ‘it’s about the journey, not the destination’. This game is a highly meditative experience which follows the life cycle of a lone wanderer, who’s making a pilgrimage to a tall mountain peak.
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Animal Crossing is the perfect getaway package for the mind, allowing you to create and explore in a low-stress environment with user-friendly systems.
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In Bloodborne you must learn to take risks, prepare for uncertainty and accept that failure is inevitable. These lessons probably sound like your worst nightmare as an anxiety sufferer, but are key aspects to address in order to progress - in Bloodborne and in life.
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Persona 5 is a social-simulation JRPG that puts you in the shoes of a high school student who is on a quest to right the wrongs embedded in society.
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Fran Bow is a creepy adventure game that tells the story of Fran, a young girl struggling with a mental disorder and an unfair destiny.
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Winner of the BAFTA Young Game Designers Award, Fractured Minds is a game created by 17-year-old Emily Mitchell, with the hope of aiding understanding and awareness of mental illness.
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Explore the mysterious city of Shadow’s Edge and the worlds of Disruption, Disillusionment and Discovery
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Catch It is a joint project between the Universities of Liverpool and Manchester, to help users better understand their moods through use of an ongoing diary.
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MHRG contains the most up-to-date, evidence-based treatment and self-help remedies that have proven to be successful worldwide.
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Daylio enables you to keep a private journal without having to type a single line. This format keeps track of your activities and helps to understand your habits better.
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An award-winning mobile app that helps you stay more present and positive throughout the day. It helps lift your mood and capture the small happy moments that you find in your day.
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