Nowadays I find a lot of games feel like too much work and/or anxiety when I just want to relax for like, 30 minutes to an hour after a long day. On the other hand, the games specifically designed to help you unwind just feel boring imo.
In the past I’ve felt like Outer Wilds scratched this itch, cause the whole experience was engaging but generally relaxed. There was a mystery that kept me hooked and the exploration and movement was fun in and of itself. I also felt like Subnautica filled this role since it was very much at my own pace, with anxiety producing portions which could for the most part be avoided or minimized, and also there was a clear objective to fulfill, get off the planet.
So what games do you play when you just wanna relax?
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Civilization. While it CAN be a stressful game if you crank up the difficulty to Deity, at prince or king, it’s just so much fun.
With the advanced setup options, you can set up a game for however you are feeling at the time, explore a large world (however full or empty you want it), expand and watch your empire cover the map, learn and find all the new stuff in the world, conquer everybody, be a neutral power broker, launch into space.
It just feels nice.
Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, My Time at Portia, Cozy Grove or Good Pizza, Great Pizza!
Bloons td6 is pretty cool and laid back.
Splatoon. Don’t ask why, I don’t know. My gf calls it “yelling at 12 year olds”
But seriously it’s like watching your own team score against you in soccer ;___;
Basically Loopy in Simon Tatham’s Puzzles, available on Linux, Windows, and Android (F-Droid), when I don’t want to be stressed.
Otherwise I just play some retro/old school games like Final Fantasy (started IV a few days ago), (Free)Doom, AssaultCube or Cave Story when on my laptop.
BeamNG
Car/truck driving simulator with the best crash physics you’ll ever see. Great to just drive, off-rod, modify cars, race or just smash cars up. The game is only limited by your imagination.
Same here. I’ve got almost 300 hours in beamng
Either ACNH or TotK
Why use acronyms when people are looking for suggestions? What did you do with the 30 seconds you saved by typing acronyms instead of just typing out the name?
Are you not familiar with Animal Crossing New Horizons and Tears of the Kingdom?
I had to look up Animal Crossing by the acronym. But it’s not just about ME, or YOU. You’re attempting to HELP someone, why would you post something that they then have to go look up? Just type out the words for fucks sake.
Chill bruh. Maybe play some ACNH.
Gonna cry about it?
I can’t name a specific game because they all get old, boring, and unsatisfying after a while. However in terms of genre, it tends to be roguelites and poker.
Personally, i just need a game that lets me do something pretty. Satisfactory was mentioned, or City Skylines. Or something that is highly nostalgic and familiar, like Skyrim, Halo or Minecraft. I don’t intrinsically need to think in these cases, which is my goal. I’m a programmer, so anything that lets me shut my brain off and just exist is great. Sometimes BloonsTD is also a great game for this, but it’s situational.
Counter intuitively, most “casual” games like Stardew don’t really fit this vibe for me because of the daily time limit. I need to pick and choose what tasks to do in a day, and I always fall into a min-max schedule, which requires effort. Much as I love them, I also avoid story driven games like Baldur’s Gate when I need to unwind, because I really need to pay attention to progress, and there kinda isn’t any mindless grinding. Multiplayer games with randos is also strictly out. No League, COD, Battlefield, Fortnite etc… Just in general. Don’t like 'em, never did, hate that they are so prolific. They’re just stressful.
Man, sounds like we’re in very much the same vibe, think I’ll give City Skylines and/or Satisfactory a go
In the something pretty department I recommend dwarffortress.
Brotato
It is a chill drug
Terraria
Celeste
Dwarf Fortress
slay the spire
Sometimes I feel like I’m the only person on here who plays Hollow Knight. When I want to chill, I like to start a new game and just go through the early-mid game exploration phase. No pressure, skip bosses if I feel like it. Just run around and enjoy the atmosphere and music. Love it.
burnout paradise. I’ll just put on a podcast and drive around. Sometimes I’m seeking out races, or new best times on roads. Sometimes I’m just driving around more or less obeying traffic laws like a reasonable citizen.
