Summary
- Yakuza: Like a Dragon offers a lesson in embracing stillness and intention among the chaos of modernity.
- Sable encourages players to find moments of stillness and personal growth through exploration.
- Skyrim provides a deeply immersive experience, allowing players to embrace contemplative moments within the game world.
To some gamers, open-world games are liberating escapes that offer an entire world to explore, packed with diversions and distractions. To others, the game's size and content are intimidatingly large, and with a million tasks to check off, it is easy to get wrapped up in activities that feel more like mindless chores than meditative play.
Mindfulness does not mean having a head full of thoughts or sensations. It means occupying a state of mind that allows a person to live and act with intention. These open-world games grant players the freedom of wide open space and prompt them to slow down their pace, clear their heads, and smell the roses. After all, as Mahatma Gandhi said, "There is more to life than simply increasing its speed."
7 Yakuza: Like A Dragon
Finding Balance And Intention In The Streets Of Yokohama
Yakuza: Like A Dragon
- Released
- November 10, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
Like a Dragon is a soft reboot of the Yakuza series that continues its tradition of smaller but more densely packed open worlds, but exchanges the adrenaline-pumping action gameplay for tactical turn-based battles. Of all the turn-based, open-world RPGs to choose from, Like a Dragon might be the best for meditation in that it makes for an important lesson in how to embrace stillness and intention even amid the chaos of modernity.
Players explore the bustling city of Yokohama, and while there are plenty of battles to fight, the tender moments, like sharing a meal with friends, sharing stories at a local bar, or saving wayward crustations, are what bring depth. Once players settle into the rhythm of casual encounters, slice-of-life side quests, and thoughtfully paced and delivered dialogue, Like a Dragon opens up space for clarity, warmth, and reflection before and after the player puts the controller down.
6 Walden, A Game
Living Deliberately in a Digital Wilderness
Walden, A Game
- Released
- July 4, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E For Everyone
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Simulation, Educational
Based on the writings of Henry David Thoreau, Walden, A Game offers a rare open-world experience rooted not in conquest, but in contemplation. Players inhabit a small forest near Walden Pond and must tend to both their physical needs and their inner spiritual life. The game subtly encourages choices that feed the soul: reading, writing, walking slowly beneath the trees, or listening to birdsongs and distant trains.
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Rather than reward efficiency or progress, Walden supports stillness. The only objective is to be, at least until the arrival of Spring. Exploration feels secondary to awareness. While it may lack the splendor afforded by a triple-A budget, it is one of the few open-world games where doing less leads to more: more presence, more peace, and more space for intentional play.
5 Sable
Exploration As a Rite of Passage, Not a Checklist
Sable
- Released
- September 23, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
In Sable, players glide across a dreamlike desert world on foot and by hoverbike, exploring ancient ruins and scattered settlements at their own pace. The game never rushes, never pressures, and never overwhelms. Its soft visual palette is complemented by the ambient soundtrack by Japanese Breakfast, which sets a steady, playful pace for players to drift and glide about.
There are no fail states, only discovery and personal growth. Gliding (a rite of passage for the protagonist) mirrors the player’s own inward journey to achieve a state of mind conducive to play. In a genre often ruled by urgency and running from A to B, Sable embraces the occasional moment of stillness as an experience in and of itself rather than a void to be filled.
4 Outer Wilds
Patience Is The Only Path To Discovery
Outer Wilds
- Released
- May 28, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ due to Fantasy Violence, Alcohol Reference
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
In Outer Wilds, players unravel the mystery of a solar system locked in a time loop. However, the game’s genius lies in how it encourages quiet observation over action. Nothing progresses unless players choose to explore, read, or sit and watch celestial mechanics unfold. Planets shift. Sand pours from one moon to another. Ruins hint at something larger than the player and their time.
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There’s no inventory to manage, no combat encounters to survive, just curiosity and reflection. Understanding comes slowly, with careful contemplation over each translated message, and rarely all at once. The act of patiently paying attention becomes the gameplay.
3 Eastshade
Finding Time And Inspiration Out In The World
Eastshade
- Released
- February 13, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ // Mild Language, Use of Alcohol
- Genre(s)
- Adventure, Open-World
Sometimes, the only way to reset and find balance is to touch grass and return to nature. Eastshade is a bright, feel-good game about finding beautiful spots and contemplating them while setting them to paint. Gamers who enjoy natural photography or snapping photogenic might imagine that Eastshade was made specifically for them, but other features make it a great catalyst for intention and mindful living.
The player is often tasked with activities like picking flowers or untangling a misunderstanding between neighbors, but the core game loop always involves traveling to remote or gorgeous locations in search of inspiration (which the player's character requires to produce their art). There’s no combat, no urgent questline, only the goal of seeing the world deeply enough to create something from it.
2 Minecraft
A Sandbox Where Playful Intention Shapes Every Build
Minecraft has moments of terror and panic, to be sure (especially deep underground, surrounded by the undead, or teetering above a lake of lava packed to the brim with diamonds). However, no other game offers such a richness of possibilities while giving players complete control over the pace, purpose, and scale of their experience, from Creative Mode’s free-form building, Peaceful’s safe exploration, to Survival’s immersive, hands-on rhythm of gathering and crafting.
Players can go as big or as small as they want, from sprawling fantasy castles and cities to a quiet off-grid cabin, with no timers or pressure to perform. Gardens grow, villagers trade, and animals wander the endless landscape. While there are faster ways to mine, the player starts out cutting blocks one at a time. Every block placed is a deliberate act, and an invitation to slow down, plan with care, and create with purpose.
1 Skyrim
Sky Above, Voice Within
Skyrim
- Released
- November 11, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
Although video games do not allow for physical or odorous sensations, Skyrim comes pretty close to allowing players to truly feel a fresh mountain breeze on their face outside and a deep breath of incense from within a dark tomb or temple. The series' commitment to immersion and those quiet moments sets The Elder Scrolls apart from any other open-world fantasy game . Skyrim excels at creating the illusion of presence, where players don’t just see the world, but inhabit it with each moment, and explore a world built on meditative concepts like The Way of the Voice.
From chopping wood to reading books in a library, Skyrim is as packed with moments of introspection as it is exploration. The Anniversary Edition leans into this by allowing the Last Dragonborn to fish in open water. Survival Mode invites players to explore with intention as they navigate a cold environment, giving players an excuse to spend a few moments warming up by the fire, stirring a nutritious stew, and taking in the flickering candlelight, shadows, and the relaxing sounds of a rustic Nord inn.
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