If you’re single this Valentine’s Day, we’ve got the perfect list of games for you to play. It’s that time of year again where every shop window is aggressively packed with pink decor, social media is awash with engagements and heart-shaped balloons, and everyone starts asking if you have any plans. But if you’re flying solo this year, here’s a radical idea: don’t fight it. Lean into it. Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be about celebrating someone else, and it definitely doesn’t have to be miserable. It can just be a free evening where no one expects anything from you, everyone’s out of your way, and you know chocolate will be half price in the morning.

The games in this list are particularly good companions for singles on Valentine’s Day. They don’t judge, they don’t require emotional availability, and they’re perfectly happy to keep you occupied for hours on end. Better still, a lot of them tap into feelings that Valentine’s Day tends to stir up anyway–connection, longing, nostalgia, curiosity, even a bit of sauciness–without demanding you dress up or split a dessert.

Some of these games are great strategy games that let you micromanage your way out of loneliness, others let you experience romance at a safe digital distance, and a few just give you permission to feel weird, sad, or deeply immersed in peace. Whether you want distraction, catharsis, or something to laugh at while the rest of the world gets misty-eyed, these games make a strong case for spending Valentine’s Day exactly how you want to: controller in hand, phone on silent, and zero apologies. Love ya!

RimWorld

• Release date: 17 October, 2018
• Developer: Ludeon Studios
• Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

RimWorld is the kind of game that doesn’t just occupy your time–it consumes it, lovingly and without condition. You’re tasked with managing a colony of crash-landed survivors on a hostile alien planet, handling everything from food supplies to interpersonal meltdowns and personality clashes. On a Valentine’s Day where you could do with a solid distraction, that level of micromanagement can be a gift. There’s simply no room left in your brain to wonder what anyone else is doing (or if you should text your ex).

RimWorld can be sweet as well, restoring your faith in human ingenuity and community. Your colonists form relationships, work through hardships, and learn from their mistakes. Romance can blossom, break down, or get interrupted by a manhunting squirrel on the rampage. Colonists can breed, find religion, go exploring, and become experts in their field. RimWorld is great if you’re looking for a game like The Sims but with a bit more strategy, an all-absorbing simulation that proves managing other peoples’ chaos is a fine distraction from your own.

GameSpot and Fanatical are both owned by Fandom.

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach

• Released: 15 September, 2025
• Developer: Kojima Productions
• Platforms: PlayStation 5

Death Stranding 2 is bizarre and obtuse, but how better to find joy in human connection than trying to save the species from extinction. The game actively explores ideas of community and sacrifice for your fellow man, and it’s the perfect remedy for when you’re feeling a little isolated. Playing as Sam once again, you’re tasked with traversing a fractured world, delivering cargo, caring for an adopted child, and quietly holding things together while everything around you threatens to fall apart. Any more and we’d give away all the best bits.

It’s also just a great game to sink into, Valentine’s Day or not. The slow pace, the haunting landscapes, the rich and complex story. You’re alone, but never truly lonely, thanks to connections with other players.

Date Everything!

• Released: 17 June, 2025
• Developer: Sassy Chap Games
• Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch

Date Everything was originally supposed to be released on Valentine’s Day so you know it’s a game for the lovers among us. Sadly, there was a slight delay, but it was worth it. It’s an absurd dating sim that lets you romance just about anything: household objects, concepts, and increasingly unhinged ideas, all in one night. It’s commitment-free, maximalist affection at its finest–and crucially, something you can enjoy alone without judgment. Perfect for those who are single on Valentine’s Day but still love the thrill of the first date.

You can flirt with your fridge, connect with a lamp, and still have time left over to get saucy with one of your emotions come to life. It’s knowingly ridiculous, but also genuinely well-written, with each “date” feeling distinct rather than a throwaway joke, and the collect-a-thon vibe keeping things going for hours on end. We also think it provides some great gay romance game representation, with characters of varying tastes and orientations throughout.

Date Everything is a great Valentine’s pick, with no pressure to find meaning in romantic encounters, and no fear of fumbling a real life catch. Date Everything says what if dating was just… fun? No expectations, no future planning, just getting weird with it.

The Crush House

• Released: 9 August, 2024
• Developer: Nerial
• Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5

The Crush House lets you live out your Valentine’s Day fantasies the healthiest way possible: by watching other people make terrible romantic decisions on reality TV. You play as a producer manipulating a raunchy, deeply messy show, nudging contestants toward drama while keeping a close eye on the ratings. There’s also an underlying plot thread of some sinister goings on, if you can tear your eyes away from the bikinis and slapfights. If sitting back and watching another season of Love Island feels a bit passive, check this indie gem out instead–it’s one of those great spicy games that’s genuinely fun to play.

It’s a game about spectacle and control, and it understands exactly why reality romance is so compelling. You’re not here to fall in love–you’re here to observe it, tweak it, and occasionally set it on fire or give in to the dark desires of your target audiences. The Crush House is perfect if you want romance without vulnerability, intimacy without effort, and the smug satisfaction of knowing that, actually, your evening is going much better than theirs.

Do Not Feed The Monkeys

• Released: 24 October, 2018
• Developer: Fictiorama Studios
• Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch

Sometimes the best way to deal with your own loneliness is to watch other people’s lives quietly implode. Do Not Feed The Monkeys puts you in charge of monitoring strangers through hacked cameras, observing their secrets, routines, and inevitable poor choices.

The game is all about restraint. You’re told not to interfere, but the temptation is always there. Should you help? Should you exploit what you see? Or should you just watch? That push and pull makes it strangely compelling, especially on a day when introspection is hard to avoid. Its sense of creeping dread is complimented by bursts of dark humor that keeps things from getting too heavy, and can be played in one or two sittings to get different outcomes.

Promise Mascot Agency

• Released: 21 June, 2024
• Developer: Kaizen Game Works
• Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

Promise Mascot Agency is warm, empathetic, and genuinely heartfelt–as well as being off-the-wall bonkers in its execution. Ostensibly, the plot is all about running a struggling mascot agency in a small town and slowly building connections through kindness and persistence… there’s just a bunch of stuff in there about Yakuza curses, cover-up conspiracies, and the like, nothing to worry about. It’s genreless, chaotic, creative gaming at its best.

On Valentine’s Day, it’s easy to feel cynical about love, but this game reframes connection as something broader and more communal. You’re not chasing romance; you’re helping people, fixing small problems, and watching friendships grow. There’s comfort in that, especially today.

The game’s charm comes from its characters and tone. It’s funny without being mean, emotional without being melodramatic. Promise Mascot Agency is great if you want a reminder that affection doesn’t have to be romantic to matter, and that being kind, even in small ways, can be its own reward. I know, cheesy. I’ll stop now.

Mask of the Rose

• Released: 8 June, 2023
• Developer: Failbetter Games
• Platforms: PC

Mask of the Rose is a narrative-heavy spin-off set in the Fallen London universe, blending mystery, politics, and sexy old-timey fantasy people. It’s wordy, indulgent, and absolutely aware of how much it wants you to fancy its characters, even the ones that aren’t strictly human. Despite being a visual novel, there’s plenty to do and a range of choices to make as you progress, meaning you can pick a new beau every time.

You play a newcomer navigating a murder investigation while forming relationships that can turn romantic, rivalrous, or both. You can matchmake others, or fulfil your own desires, no matter how strange they may be. Mask of the Rose doesn’t shy away from the more poetic side of romance, understanding that attraction can be intense, complex, and full of longing. If you’re spending the evening alone, you might as well be a little unabashed about who–or what–you’re crushing on.

Fight With Love

• Released: 13 August, 2021
• Developer: Studio Élan
• Platforms: PC

Fight With Love is a ridiculous concept but might be a good shout if you’re not opposed to slightly janky, trippy card games with rhythm-based intercourse sections. The game takes the deckbuilder format and smashes it together with a dating sim–you’re building decks and relationships at the same time, and both require careful choices and strategic timing. If you want to successfully woo the other party, you’ll need to get your cards to spell out a seductive sentence, or risk scaring them off.

Silent Hill F

• Released: 23 September, 2025
• Developer: NeoBards Entertainment
• Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Silent Hill f is the perfect Valentine’s Day game for singles, hear me out. How many relationships have you been in where the other party is too afraid to play horror games, or walks in at an awkward moment and you find yourself having to explain what’s going on (badly)? How often, when in a committed relationship, would you have time to sit and play a game that offers multiple playthroughs uninterrupted? Singles: rejoice. Now is your time to get fully immersed with no distractions, and enjoy something truly new and original with the familiar veneer of Silent Hill’s iconic tone. Set in 1960s Japan, Silent Hill F leans into body horror, symbolism, and deeply unsettling imagery. It’s an unmissable game with a great story to tell that’s best experienced in silence and away from questioning eyes.

This entry is a spin off rather than a continuation of the Silent Hill series, focusing on isolation and transformation, using horror as a lens for internal turmoil and demanding your full attention. No compromises, no shared controller, no awkward pauses to clarify lore. Turns out being alone is exactly what a story like this needs.

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage

• Released: 18 February, 2025
• Developer: DON’T NOD
• Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is tender, nostalgic, and unapologetically emotional, so if you want to just cry it out on Valentine’s Day, no one’s gonna judge you. It follows a group of friends across two timelines, exploring memory, identity, and the ache of growing apart, while solving a central mystery and making choices that determine how your story will end.

It’s paced slowly, letting conversations breathe and emotions linger. You’re encouraged to sit with discomfort, regret, and affection without rushing to resolution. Sometimes you don’t need distraction–you need to just let it wash over you. Lost Records doesn’t try to fix your feelings, it validates them. If you want to end Valentine’s Day emotionally wrung out but lighter for it, this is a beautiful way to do exactly that. It’s ok to cry sometimes.

Source link