12 Chill Mobile Games to Relax With This Holiday Season

Monument Valley 2

Monument Valley 2 is one of those games that feels like it was designed specifically for quiet evenings. You guide a mother and her child through impossible architecture, like staircases that loop back on themselves, towers that rotate under your finger, and pathways that only exist from certain angles.

The puzzles are clever without being punishing. You’re not racing against a timer or juggling complex systems; you’re calmly sliding pieces of the world around until everything lines up. The visuals are stunning enough that you’ll probably pause just to take screenshots, and the ambient soundtrack pairs nicely with a pair of AirPods and a cup of something warm.

Each level is short and self-contained, so you can play a chapter or two while you’re waiting for dinner to finish in the oven, then come back later without losing your place. If you prefer games that feel more like interactive art than “levels” and “missions,” this one belongs near the top of your list.

Stardew Valley

If your ideal holiday break involves fantasizing about quitting everything and moving to a farm (like many of us), Stardew Valley for iPhone is dangerously perfect. It’s an open-ended RPG where you inherit a small plot of land and slowly turn it into a thriving farm, complete with crops, animals, fishing trips, mining runs, festivals, and friendships with the locals.

The mobile version includes the full game with more than 50 hours of content and touch-friendly controls. There’s no hard time limit, no "game over" if you don’t play every day, and no pressure to play a specific way. You can spend an entire in-game week just fishing, decorating your farmhouse, or wandering around town talking to NPCs, and the game will happily let you do it.

This is a great one to sink into on longer travel days. Throw on some music or a podcast, plant a few crops, clear some rocks, and let the cozy routine chew through hours without ever feeling demanding.

Sky: Children of the Light

From the creators of Journey comes Sky: Children of the Light, a gentle online adventure that feels like exploring a playable animated movie. You glide through vast clouds, ancient temples, and glowing caves while lighting candles, solving light puzzles, and occasionally helping other players along the way.

There’s no combat and no pressure to optimize anything. You can spend an entire session simply flying around, collecting light, or playing simple musical instruments with other players you meet. 

If you like the idea of a chill social game or something you can play with friends or strangers without voice chat drama, Sky is a great option. It’s free to start, and you can treat in-app purchases as purely cosmetic extras rather than requirements. Plus, while it’s great on iPhone, it also supports cross-play with consoles like the PS5.

Cats & Soup

Imagine a forest where dozens of cats happily chop vegetables, stir giant pots, and lounge around while you listen to the sound of rain and soft background music. That’s basically Cats & Soup. 

It’s an idle game that continues even without your interaction. You just set up cooking stations, unlock new feline helpers, then watch your little soup economy bubble away with minimal input.

The art style is ridiculously cute, and the animations are slow and deliberate in a way that instantly lowers your stress levels. You’re not punished for putting your phone down; in fact, your cats keep working while you’re gone, so checking in a few times a day feels like visiting your own little forest café.

If you’re exhausted and don’t have the energy for puzzles or platforming, this is the kind of game you can open, tap around for two minutes, smile at some cats wearing hats, and then lock your phone again, feeling slightly better. Netflix subscribers can also play a version of this game without any ads or in-app purchases.

Neko Atsume: Kitty Collector

If you want something extremely low effort and extremely cute, Neko Atsume is a classic for a reason. You place toys and food in your yard, close the app, and then check back later to see which cats have stopped by to play. There are more than 40 different cats, including rare visitors that require specific items, and they all pose for photos you can save to an in-game album.

There’s no timer, no score, and no real objective beyond filling your Catbook and enjoying a bit of time with some cute cats. It fits perfectly into your busy schedule because you can check in for 30 seconds while waiting in line, snap a few photos, and then go back to whatever you were doing.

If you’ve ever wanted to be the neighborhood cat person but your landlord says no, this is the next best thing.

My Oasis: Anxiety Relief Game

Some games are just relaxing, but My Oasis is more like a guided breathing exercise disguised as a mobile game. You build up a tiny floating island, adding animals, plants, and structures over time while ambient music and gentle sound effects play in the background. Tapping the screen earns you resources, but there’s no frantic tapping required; the pacing is intentionally slow.

The big draw is how it leans into mental health. The game periodically offers short affirmations, calming messages, and even breathing prompts. It’s the sort of thing you can open after a stressful day, play for a minute, and feel your stress levels drop a little.

Journey

Journey has been around for years, and it's still one of the greatest indie games out there. You’re a robed traveler crossing a vast desert toward a distant mountain, with almost no dialogue or explicit instructions. You glide down sand dunes, explore ruins, and occasionally encounter other real players whose only way of communicating is a little musical chime.

What makes Journey so relaxing is the way it trusts you to move at your own pace. There’s no score, no combat, and no punishment for pausing and just enjoying the view. The controls are simple enough, and the whole experience is short enough to finish in one or two evenings. Still, the hidden story and soothing gameplay will give you a memorable experience that you’ll think about long after the credits roll.

If you like the sound of Sky but want something more self-contained and single-player-focused, Journey is still one of the best games you can buy.

Hidden Folks

Hidden Folks is basically a digital, moving Where’s Waldo book. Each level is a hand-drawn black-and-white scene packed with tiny details like tents you can open, bushes you can rustle, cars you can tap, and crocodiles you probably shouldn’t poke. Your job is to find specific characters and objects by exploring the scene and interacting with it.

The sound effects are all done with human mouths. For instance, you'll hear little “boop,” “beep,” and “raaah” noises that make the whole thing feel playful and homemade. There are no timers, no penalties for random tapping, and plenty of hints if you get stuck. 

This is a perfect game for sharing with family, too. Hand your phone to a kid, a grandparent, or anyone nearby and let other people have fun and relax with you.

Flow Free

Flow Free has been around for a long time, but it still holds up as one of the most satisfying puzzle games on the App Store. Each level gives you a grid with colored dots; you draw lines to pair matching colors and fill the entire board without crossing lines.

The earliest boards are easy enough to complete in seconds, which is great for relaxing your brain, but you can also crank the difficulty up with larger grids and trickier layouts if you’re in the mood for a gentle challenge. 

There are thousands of levels available, plus daily puzzles and optional timed modes if you want them, although for a chill experience, sticking to the untimed modes is the way to go.

Alto’s Adventure

If you enjoy Alto’s Odyssey, it’s absolutely worth grabbing its older sibling, Alto’s Adventure, too. This time, you’re snowboarding down snowy mountains instead of sand dunes, while you enjoy watching the weather shift from sunny afternoons to blizzards and starry nights.

The paid version is full of light challenges, an amazing soundtrack, and beautiful scenery. But if you want a little bit more, the remastered version on Apple Arcade includes a Zen Mode, so you can enjoy endless runs with no risk of wiping out.

Overall, it's a game that needs no introduction, and a perfect relaxing experience for when you want a light challenge without it being too easy. 

Tsuki’s Odyssey

Tsuki’s Odyssey is barely a “game” in the traditional sense, and that’s exactly why it works so well when you’re burned out. You’re not controlling Tsuki the bunny directly; you’re more of a silent observer as they live their life in a tiny village, hanging out with friends, decorating their home, fishing, and occasionally getting into weird little adventures.

In this passive adventure, you just open the game, check what Tsuki has been up to, maybe change some furniture or visit a shop, and then leave again. Life in Mushroom Village moves on without you, which makes every check-in feel like catching up with a friend rather than progressing through levels. The art is charming and a bit melancholic at times, which makes it a nice companion for quieter nights.

Gris

Gris is one of the most beautiful games you can play on an iPhone, even to this day. You control a young girl moving through a strange world that slowly regains its color as she processes grief and grows stronger. There’s light platforming and simple puzzles, but no enemies, no combat, and no way to die. The whole experience is designed to be serene and peaceful rather than stressful.

The art direction is stunning as every part of the game looks like a painting, and the music swells and recedes in a way that makes the whole game feel like an animated album cover.

Gris is a master piece in its own right, and you'll have a blast playing it, whether you're stressed out or just want to play a 10/10 game.