The most stressful video games are Dark Souls III and Mario Kart

Video games are fun, and they should be fun. But at times, playing video games can be a stressful experience. And now a study done by Bonus Finder can answer, what games are the most stressful.

The sample size was not big, because 14 people were playing 16 popular games. While they were doing this, their heart rate was monitored. Afterwards their heart rates were compared to a 30-minute baseline determined before they started playing.

Two charts were produced. Peak heart rate was caused by Dark Souls III, Fall Guys, Mario Kart, Street Fighter and FIFA 20. On the other hand, on average, the heart rate stayed the highest while playing Mario Kart, FIFA 20, Call of Duty Modern Warfare (PS4), Dark Souls III, and Fortnite.

The study also revealed some relaxing games, namely Animal Crossing, The Sims and Skyrim.

Animal Crossing, The Sims and Skyrim were all found to lower participant average heart rates throughout the course of a 30-minute session by as much as 5%.

Do you play video games to relax, or to compete and get challenged? Leave your comments below.