Best Games To Play When Sick

Highlights

• Video games are a great way to distract oneself from feeling sick and can provide a more relaxing experience than watching TV shows.
• Certain games, such as Fortnite and Pokemon: Sword & Shield, are ideal for playing alone or with friends and require little energy to enjoy.
• Cozy and simple titles like Stardew Valley and The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim offer immersive and engaging experiences that can help take the mind off illness.

Feeling sick can be terrible, especially when a person doesn’t feel as if they have the energy to do anything other than stay in bed or curl up on the couch with a box of tissues and a blanket. Thankfully, the creation of video games, means players aren’t stuck watching the same couple of shows on the TV when they aren’t feeling their best.

While long periods of screen time may make a person feel worse, these games are great ways to spend those sick days as they require little energy to enjoy them and don’t have so much happening on screen that it makes the player motion sick; these games are the best to sit down and enjoy.

8 Fortnite

Metascore: 78

Some players may wish to play games alone when they are feeling sick, though others may find it easier to start feeling better when they play with friends. A great title to try while feeling unwell has to be Fortnite. It is possible to go into a game solo, but a player will be in for an easier time if they attempt to play with others.

Besides the regular Battle Royale, there is also Lego Fortnite. It instead plays like a survival title. This is an even better mode to play when sick, as players don’t have to worry about competing with other players, and can instead build structures and enjoy their own island. Alternatively, there’s Creative, which allows players to explore different maps from the community’s own creations.

7 House Flipper 2

Metascore: 79

• Platforms: PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox Series X|S
• Released: 14 Dec, 2023
• Developers: Frozen District, Empyrean
• Genres: Casual, Indie, Simulation

Players can still complete extraneous tasks in video games, even if they themselves are ill. House Flipper 2 is the improved and therefore upgraded version of the house renovation simulator that tasks players with purchasing properties, making them look better, and then selling them for a profit.

Besides this, there are also simple side jobs for players to complete, such as them being given the job of painting a client’s bedroom or installing radiators for them in their new building. While at first glance this may appear boring, when ill, anything to keep the mind occupied can make the day go by.

6 Pokemon: Sword & Shield

Metascore: 80

The Pokemon franchise is the perfect way for a player to distract themselves from feeling unwell. While Pokemon Sword & Shield may not be the latest Pokemon title to be released, it is a lot closer to the classic franchise many players may remember.

Although some may enjoy the open-world nature of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, being able to stay on the specific routes of the eighth generation of the Pokemon franchise means players are sure to stick to completing the various gyms in the sport-like stadiums. With plenty of DLCs to enjoy on top of the original game also means players will have plenty more to do too.

5 Coral Island

Metascore: 82

2023 saw the appearance of plenty more relaxing farming simulator titles for players to enjoy. One such popular title was the tropical life that could be lived on Coral Island. Players who are feeling under the weather may find themselves gravitating towards Coral Island, which can be enjoyed on either a PC, the Steam Deck, or a console to distract their mind from feeling sick.

Coral Island feels different from other farming simulator RPGs due to this warmer environment that sees players also tending to various other animals than usual, such as Luwaks. Not to forget to mention the ocean cleanup storyline to bring the island back to its glory.

4 Vampire Survivors

Metascore: 87

Sometimes the best way to spend the days when a player may be feeling ill is to enjoy a straightforward and somewhat repetitive game. Vampire Survivors is perfect for this due to it simply challenging a player to beat their high score by surviving as long as possible against the vampire threats.

Through making more attempts, players will unlock new things and potentially find better builds that they enjoy using. This can make time fly by as players concentrate on keeping away from danger while also defeating plenty of bats, undead, and the other enemies of Vampire Survivors. It’s also another amazing title that can be enjoyed on handheld consoles for maximum cozy gaming.

3 Stardew Valley

Metascore: 89

Cozy gaming continues to be one of the greatest ways to spend a day or two feeling ill, and therefore simple, no-stress titles are the best way to spend it. One of the most popular of the bunch has to be Stardew Valley, the farming simulator RPG that will have players tending to their adorable pixel farm through the four seasons while also possibly finding love and starting a family.

Players may feel encouraged to start a whole new farm when they get sick to see how far they can get while remaining cozy in bed. What makes Stardew Valley even greater is the wide variety of platforms it can be enjoyed on, meaning a player can choose what would be the coziest for them.

2 The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom

Metascore: 96

When feeling unwell, a player may not even have the energy to make it to their PC or console and that’s when handheld gaming comes in handy. The Nintendo Switch is an incredible console, even if it doesn’t have the best graphics in the world. Though players that have tried The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, may think differently due to the incredible world they are left to explore.

Besides it being an incredible Legend of Zelda game, players have the freedom to fully explore the open-world of Tears of the Kingdom, which now takes players to the skies and underground, instead of just the main lands of Hyrule.

Metascore: 96

Out of all the games available for players to enjoy while they are feeling under the weather, Skyrim is a classic RPG that is sure to occupy those who wish to explore its world. Players don’t even need to complete the main story of Skyrim, as they can have just as much fun simply exploring the cold, harsh, war-stricken world and getting involved with the wide variety of side quests, such as joining the Thieves Guild or Dark Brotherhood.

In many ways, the most loved RPG of the Elder Scrolls franchise is also one of the most relaxing and is sure to keep the player’s mind off how sick they are feeling. Whether it’s being enthralled in an exciting and cold adventure, or simply keeping to one’s homestead, Skyrim is an easy game to enter, but a hard one to leave.