Autonomous sensory meridian response, or ASMR, is a sensation where visual or auditory triggers fire off synapses in the brain that create a pleasant, calming feeling — colloquially referred to as “tingles.” The concept has made for a massive industry of content creators on YouTube and TikTok, all dedicated to helping viewers fall asleep, avoid panic attacks, or just relax by triggering ASMR.
But recently I’ve found that when I play certain games with my headphones plugged in, my tingles sneak up on me. I’m not the only one, either — there are entire YouTube channels dedicated to ASMR in video games. I’ve gotten ASMR from crouching through the grass in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and the scraping sound of carving down a mountain in Lonely Mountain: Snow Riders makes the top of my head tickle. No promises, though — only about 20% of people get ASMR. But if you’re one of those people, these games just might become your new favorite ASMR triggers.
Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders
Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders is the game that gave me the idea to write this story. Whether it’s the sound of the wind whooshing past as you zoom down a mountain or the lovely snow-scraping sound when you cut a sharp corner, there is no shortage of possible ASMR triggers in this game. Best of all, there’s no background music — just the sound of riding down a mountain on some skis with nobody else around.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Breath of the Wild deserves to be on every “best of” list about video game foley sounds. The music alone might elicit ASMR, like when a hesitant piano note drops as you climb a mountain, but the environmental sounds are the ones that really give me tingles. Walking through brush, your feet crunching through snow, the sound of your gear jingling as you hop on your horse — just pop on some headphones and listen to the beautifully immersive soundscape in this game.
If you like wet sounds (don’t come for me, OK? This is a thing), PowerWash Simulator is your jam. I first got tingles from the sound of the soap washing away scum — which resembles playing-with-slime triggers I quite enjoy — but there are tons of lovely ASMR sounds in this game. I have found that the sound of the water itself can kill the vibe a bit, but the game’s settings are super customizable, so you can turn that off if it doesn’t work for you.
ASMRtists, the term commonly used to describe folks who make ASMR content, would probably be desperate to learn how Tiny Glade’s developers foley’d its “building a wall” sound. It sounds like rocks rolling against one another on a beach, or like sticking a microphone into a bowl of pebbles. Whatever it is, it makes my brain very happy, along with all the other lovely sounds in this chill sandbox game. The whoosh of erecting a new tree, the soft “baa” of a sheep, the plunk of water when you make a pond — it’s all as relaxing as the gameplay itself.
The iconic organization game A Little to the Left is filled with sounds of ceramic bowls being stacked, leaves shuffling around, and tools being organized into neat compartments. In this game, you’ll only hear those when you move items, though — it doesn’t quite give me the tingles, but the foley sounds are certainly ASMR-worthy for someone out there.
The Lego video games might be my first experience of ASMR, long before I knew what it was. My favorite is Lego Star Wars, but all of the Lego games have amazing sounds of blocks breaking apart and minifigs walking on plastic and metal platforms. Unfortunately, these games aren’t really designed for a relaxing experience, and you can’t turn off the character dialogue. Nonetheless, nothing beats the sound of Legos moving around in a Lego bin — in a video game or in real life.
Potion Craft is relaxing all around — the color scheme is neutral-toned, the gameplay doesn’t require any speed or quick reactions, and the sounds are to die for. You’ll play to the sounds of water pouring into your potion pot and bottles clinking together as you pick out products to sell to your customers. The music can get repetitive, though, so I’d recommend turning it off to get the best out of the game ASMR-wise.
