What game do you play to just chill?

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?

Bitswap,

Stardew valley and/or kerala space program.

milicent_bystandr,

Is Kerala Space Program similar to Mumbai Flight Simulator?

milicent_bystandr,

I also like Egypt Scrolls V: Seattle; Zimbabwe: Breath of the Wilds; Age of Emirates II; and Maryland Kart.

postmateDumbass,

Cheif Sealth gonna kick some Ramesses ass.

Bitswap,

I’m also into RaWorld!

Bitswap,

Never heard of mumbai flight simulator. In KSP you design, build and then fly rockets, planes, space planes and spacecraft. It’s a one of a kind game.l

milicent_bystandr,

Just joking from your typo: you wrote “kerala space program”, not “kerbal space program” ;-)

Bitswap,

LOL. Didn’t notice at all. I tip my hat to you, sir!

rip_art_bell,
@rip_art_bell@lemmy.world avatar

Any of the building/management games like Factorio or Dyson Sphere Program or RimWorld. You can definitely make those games extremely challenging (speed runs, achievements, ultra hard modes/challenges). But for me they’re cozy games where I can chip away at a small project or part of a larger project, like, I don’t know, slowly building a scale model or something.

Mediocre_Bard,

World of Warcraft Retail.

SgtAStrawberry,

Animal Crossing New Leaf, Stardew Valley, Starfiled, Minecraft and Fortza Horazion 3,4 or 5.

BmeBenji,

Burnout Paradise

There are few games where winning and losing are equally fun, but Burnout Paradise pulls it off flawlessly.

You hit that turn with the perfect drift? Hell yeah. Oh shit, there was a car waiting for you at that intersection and now you have to watch your car and their car get smashed, crumpled, and tossed like a bag of moldy tangerines in slow motion? Hell yeah.

Alfaa,

+1 Burnout Paradise is such a great game for just mindlessly driving around. I think I have that entire map memorized in my brain now.

DashboTreeFrog,

Your description alone is getting this put on my Steam wishlist

BmeBenji,

I got this game a week or 2 after it came out in 2008. There’s literally a whole open city to explore but I remember the first 30-45 minutes I played were spent literally driving up and down the same quarter mile road because I found a split ramp built for barrel rolls but I just wanted to see all the ways I could squish the top of my car with a failed barrel roll and still drive away lol.

15.5 years later it’s still just as satisfying

Alivrah,

Tetris Effect. The funny thing is I used to hate Tetris with passion, but somehow Tetris Effect has won me over. The music and sound effects are so ASMRish it’s almost trance-inducing…

felixthecat,

Slay the spire

Surdon, (edited )

FTL, Stardew valley, No mans sky, Minecraft, Old rpgs like Chrono Trigger

shamrt,

I don’t exactly experience a tonne of chill while playing FTL

DashboTreeFrog,

FTL is a great chill out game for me. The only problem is I’ve put in so many hours that I’ve practically seen everything! I looked into some interesting mods but just haven’t tried them out yet. When I think about it, FTL shouldn’t be that chill, but there’s a certain simplicity in the gameplay, and the ability to pause all the time, even during combat, gives me the ability to take my time thinking through what I’m gonna do.

Underrated chill out game, agreed, maybe I’ll finally get around to trying some mods.

Surdon,

Yeah I haven’t tried the mods either and I kinda suck at the game but I’ve always felt like it has a low cost to entry, which is why it feels chill to me. A lot of death anxiety in games is due to time investment and, frankly, like BOTW, fear of long loading screens more than any in game punishment.

Ftl has such a satisfying and similar gameplay loop and allows so much pausing that it doesn’t really feel stressful for me. I still hate dying and do it a lot in the game, but I can play ftl with a sort of soft mental focus that many other games don’t allow me to do

hubobes,

Mars First Logistics & Animal Crossing

Aesk,

American Truck Simulator or Euro Truck Simulator 2. Pick a long hual, throw on a podcast or some music, and just cruise.

TheOneAndOnly,

Dead Cells. I can just… Zone out and go. It’s really cathartic, and if I do particularly bad during a run, I just… Die and start over. You don’t lose anything you’ve gained, (unless you pick something up in a biome and don’t make it to the exit), and each run is practically a new game that requires nothing to learn it. It’s my Zen game.

monkeytennis, (edited )
@monkeytennis@lemmy.world avatar

I got deeply into this (genre?) when I burned out on a combination of playing big/tough games and the stresses of life. I also enjoyed the pace of Outer Wilds and Subnautica. Some other favourites:

  • Supraland 1/2 (low combat, light hearted metroidvania, I loved it)
  • Psychonauts 2 (amazing adventure game, big but not hard. I loved collecting everything, it was a great balance)
  • Tinykin (similar adventure, a bit like Pikmin, which is also great. Lots of chilled collecting)
  • Spiritfarer (lots of freedom, loose plot, not overwhelming)
  • Breath of the Wild (do what you want, very nice discovery elements)
  • TOEM, A Short Hike, GRIS and Cocoon (light adventure / puzzle games, peaceful but could be boring if you want action)
  • Yokus Island Express (lovely metroidvania, chilled gameplay, not overwhelming)
  • It Takes two (humour, light combat - played with my young son)
  • Unravel 1/2 (easy-ish puzzles)
  • Weirdly, I found Sniper Elite 4/5 fairly chill, lots of scoping out areas
  • Overcooked 2 (zero stress if you play practice mode a ton before attempting a level. I found it a very zen/flow game)
  • Peggle 1/2 (can be frustrating, but is very low stakes and arcadey. Lovely for short sessions)
  • Wilmots Warehouse (can be stressful if you take the timer seriously, but I loved all the organising. Very satisfying)
  • Vampire Survivors (can get a bit much, but pretty simple and disposable)

There are tons more, I deal with a lot of anxiety!

Some games I was recommended for this purpose that didn’t land for me:

  • Powerwash sim / other simulators (these feel like a second job for me. Constant grind and focus on perfection wasn’t helpful)
  • Tetris Evolution / Lumines (either gets too fast / hard, or gets boring)
  • Stardew / Terraria (in theory these look great, but I find huge sandboxes too overwhelming. Always feels like I should be doing more stuff / doing it better)
  • Roguelikes (I like Hades, Dead Cells, etc, but they’re very stressful and frustrating when so much hinges on survival)

Finally, I’d suggest trying a solo board game. More tactile and relaxing alternative to screen time.

jacksilver,

I saw you mention peggle and rouge lites. If you haven’t checked it out yet you should try peglin - store.steampowered.com/app/1296610/Peglin/.

Its a great peggle based rouge lite with a good amount of replay ability (plus there is an excellent android app too).

Ashen,

Might I recommend Alba and Lil’ Gator Game? Both will fit fairly well into your list.

fmstrat,

Rocket League. And then I’m not chilled.

AAA,

Factorio, Minecraft, and… Counter Strike. I exclusively play with a full squad of friends and even if we have a bad game, at least I’m spending time with my friends. Keeping contact with your friends is super important and getting harder every year. So it’s quality time.

justlookingfordragon,
@justlookingfordragon@lemmy.world avatar

Breath of the Wild. I mean, yes, there are quests, bosses, temples, shrines, minigames and whatnot, but it is also completely fine to just fetch your favorite horse from the stable and ride across Hyrule, hunting wildlife, watching the sunset, cooking food for your character, maybe have Wolf Link accompany you on a hunt, just taking in the scenery, foarge for mushrooms, looking for shooting stars at night … a little bit of reality escape helps to unwind after a long, hectic day. And this game is unreasonably beautiful as well, despite the simplyfied graphics.

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