Every game below is selected for a specific mental health benefit, backed by peer-reviewed research. Browse by what you need.
5 gamesin Social Connection
Social Connection
Mobile / PC / Console
Among Us
A social deduction game where crewmates complete tasks while impostors sabotage from within. Deception, detection, and debate.
Mental health benefit
Social deduction play builds theory-of-mind — the cognitive capacity to model others' mental states. This is a core deficit in social anxiety and ASD, and is targeted by group therapy programmes.
Green C.S. & Bavelier D. (2012). Learning, attentional control, and action video games. Curr Biol 22(6):R197–R206.
Social Connection
PC / Console
It Takes Two
A co-op only platformer for two players. Every mechanic demands cooperation and communication to progress.
Mental health benefit
Cooperative play builds trust, conflict-resolution skills, and shared positive memory — mechanisms identical to couples-therapy exercises.
Kowert R. et al. (2014). The relationship between online video game involvement and gaming-related friendships. Comput Human Behav 36:277–285.
Social Connection
PC / Console / Mobile
Minecraft
An open sandbox where players build, explore, and survive — alone or with anyone, anywhere.
Mental health benefit
Used in autism therapy programs to improve social reciprocity, perspective-taking, and collaborative play. Documented in multiple clinical pilots.
Durkin K. et al. (2016). Video games and wellbeing. Aust Psychol 51:1–2.
Social Connection
PC / Console
Overcooked! 2
Cook and serve meals in increasingly chaotic kitchens — with up to 4 players shouting and laughing together.
Mental health benefit
High-positive-arousal cooperative play increases social bonding hormones. Shared laughter under mild stress is a clinically studied bonding mechanism.
Granic I. et al. (2014). The benefits of playing video games. Am Psychol 69(1):66–78.
Social Connection
PC / Console
Untitled Goose Game
A honking open-world puzzle where you solve problems by causing mischief — ideal for shared-play sessions with mixed skill levels.
Mental health benefit
Shared-task games at equal difficulty level produce cooperative bonding independent of player skill. The absurdist tone reduces social self-consciousness, enabling attachment formation in low-comfort players.
Kowert R. & Oldmeadow J.A. (2015). Playing alone, playing with others: Social contexts and video games. Comput Human Behav 48:372–381.