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?

ChonkyOwlbear,

Especially in the winter,I like to fire up The Long Dark. I put on the exploration setting where the wildlife doesn’t attack. You still have to deal with the need for food and warmth, so there are still stakes. Just not the anxiety inducing animal attacks. There’s a sort of bleak beauty to the game.

LilPappyWigwam,

Top shelf game

iheartneopets,

I just realized, if there was ever a wildlife photography mode in that game, I would play the shit out of it. RP-ing as an ‘extreme’ wildlife photographer trying to shoot around blizzards and keeping your gear in working order would be a really cool way to shake up the gameplay. Would easily get another 200 hours of play out of me.

Ashen,

I’ve forgotten about this! I played it way back when there wasn’t even a real story, but I believed that’s changed.

Constantly finding resources to survive was quite anxiety inducing, lol.

hitagi,

RimWorld. It’s so fun watching your colonists at work, peacefully farming, and suddenly one of them gets hit by a chunk of steel followed by a hundred bear raid.

Very relaxing.

HappycamperNZ,

War crime simulator is apparently quite relaxing.

ShitOnABrick,
@ShitOnABrick@lemmy.world avatar

What’s not relaxing about war crimes and organ harvesting

HappycamperNZ,

You forgot drug dealing and slavery

ShitOnABrick,
@ShitOnABrick@lemmy.world avatar

Ah sounds like a soild bit of fun with the lads

HappycamperNZ,

Its not multi-player:(

ShitOnABrick,
@ShitOnABrick@lemmy.world avatar

Isn’t there a mutitplayer mod in development

needthosepylons,
@needthosepylons@lemmy.world avatar

Yes, and provided you look at the mod compatibility sheet, it’s a blast!

ShitOnABrick,
@ShitOnABrick@lemmy.world avatar

If I ever get rimworld I will be sure to give it ago then it’s been in my wishlist for a while now

MurphysPaw,

You can also play in builder mode where there are no raids (or very little challenge to them i cant remember exactly)

Evotech, (edited )

Path of exile for a few weeks every league

But I’m enjoying rogue lites / vampire survivors like games. There’s a billion of them so you can just chill with one of them. I usually find a new one every other day too, some demo or whatever

Risk of rain 2 is also not something I would call a chill game. But it’s definitely something you can just fire up and play for an hour

Crackhappy,
@Crackhappy@lemmy.world avatar

I play Trackmania at least once a day. The community is so nice and friendly and the racing at high speed is so calming for me.

ImpossibilityBox,

Just. Don’t. Play. Kacky.

You will lose your cool and hate existence. Even if you like kacky it will happen at some point.

LegionEris,

I guess whatever Kairosoft sim game I’m playing at the moment. Right now that’s Tropical Resort Story. I am entirely addicted to their formula. I love watching my little guys do things and helping them succeed.

Or maybe Shadow of the Colossus. It’s the game I know better than any other. I’ll never not be able to jump into at least normal difficulty. And I can just ride around the Forbidden Lands having thoughts and feelings for hours sometimes. The Forbidden Lands are a very placid, pensive place for me. I have known them since I was a teenager, for nearly 20 years. And occasionally I can tackle a Colossus or two.

Poringo,

Roguelikes.

I played Rogue Legacy 1 and 2 for the longest time. Some dead cells. Enter the gungeon, and currently testing the humble roguelikes bundle, really digging Wall World.

ragica,
@ragica@lemmy.ml avatar

Could someone please cure me of my Dredmor addiction? 12 years later and I’m still rolling random builds. Diggles are my only friends.

balderdash9,

I’m just getting into Enter the Gungeon. I heard it was good but I had no idea

RogueBanana,

Are roguelikes chill? I haven’t played much in that genre but hades made me situp and focus every time.

ace_garp,
@ace_garp@lemmy.world avatar

Yes, Shattered Pixel Dungeon is chill.

Once you learn to surprise attack from behind doors and kite the mobs, it is pretty much on rails.

Calm and Zen.

f-droid.org/…/com.shatteredpixel.shatteredpixeldu…

KeenFlame,

Hades is an action game most roguelikes aren’t

shadowSprite,

Skyrim. I played vanilla a bunch and now I’m working through the Living Skyrim 4 mod. I had to tweak a bunch of the settings, but I really enjoy it. I also love the Witcher 3, both actively playing quests and just wandering across the map listening to the howling wind and the soundtrack. I’ve loaded into that game after a long day with every intention of playing and just sat there with my headphones on and stared into space while the trees crackle together in the wind and the music plays.

wjrii, (edited )
@wjrii@kbin.social avatar

Don't overthink it. Minecraft. Vanilla survival world. Don't try to optimize and automate everything (unless you find that relaxing). Make your farm look like a farm. Mine until until your inventory is full. Build towards an Ender Dragon or Wither fight if you have time. Go mining or fishing or do base chores or a beautification project if you don't.

DashboTreeFrog,

I tried Minecraft way back, so maybe it’s changed, but I don’t do to well in setting my own goals in a game. I liked Subnautica because there was an interesting story element and mystery that kept you engaged as you moved towards your goal of getting off planet. In the process of reaching the goal, yeah, I wanna make my base look nice, wanna build some cool things, but my overall actions were still being compelled by the storytelling and world-building of the game. I don’t see those elements in Minecraft but again, it’s been a long time since I played.

Zidane,

Modpacks with a good quest line might be something you’re into

wjrii,
@wjrii@kbin.social avatar

The two big boss fights are the closest thing to a "goal," but yeah, even in survival mode I guess it's as much lego as it is video game. In your case, maybe a Bethesda game but focusing on side and companion quests until you're so overpowered that wrapping up the main plot will feel like one more.

Klanky,
@Klanky@sopuli.xyz avatar

You sound like me. I don’t do well with sandbox games, I like a story related objective to work towards. Subnautica and Outre Wilds are also both favorites of mine. I also think a great chill game is Forza Horizon 4 or 5. Driving around the open world with changing time of day and popping into different events is so relaxing to me, especially if I mute the in-game radio and play some Spotify instead. My only regret is I bought it through the Microsoft Xbox app (to keep my progress I made during a Game Pass free trial) and now I can’t play it on my Steam Deck.

Khrux,

I used to love doing a weird automated laboratory under my classic farm, but yeah it did suck out the fun once I could reliably do it again and again.

I used to specifically farm the ingredients for pumpkin pie, this was just after hoppers and repeaters were added which meant you could use those and pistons to make an automatic egg collector, sugare cane breaker and pumpkin breaker. I’d build the most picturesque farm with a secret trapdoor somewhere that would lead to my food automation zone. I haven’t really played properly since 2017 though, with a brief comeback in 2020.

NorthWestWind,
@NorthWestWind@lemmy.world avatar

Automation is really fun with mods. They are kind of like puzzles and I chill out thinking about them.

wjrii,
@wjrii@kbin.social avatar

In the right mood, I like setting things up and tweaking them, but I don't find it "chill". If I fire up Minecraft to chill, I usually think of it almost like a model railroad or something, occasionally it literally is a virtual model railroad if I want to build nether transit or something. I also find it satisfying to fill in that last patch of a map and put a copy of it on a wall next to its mates. It is very satisfying to get that auto smelter or adjustable enchanting room just right, though, and I can easily see that stuff being a goal in its own right.

What I find brilliant about the concept of Minecraft is the way it hits a sweet spot of being just complex enough to be immersive, but abstract and simplified enough that the open world is actually open and rewards a hundred different play styles.

CalamityBalls,
@CalamityBalls@kbin.social avatar

It might be more catharsis than unwinding, but dark souls/sekiro. I've been through them enough times that it's just comfortable.

Buffaloaf,

Kerbal Space Program

knexcar,

Wouldn’t that be a bit complex to learn/hard to spend just 30 minutes a day playing? I haven’t played, but from what I can tell it’s basically rocket science the game.

Kata1yst,
@Kata1yst@kbin.social avatar

Sure, but once you know how it's very chill.

KeenFlame,

That’s what’s chill, you have no stakes and just build and fail over and over until you succeed and it’s pretty hard so when you do succeed it’s an awesome payoff

EldVrangr,

The latest Zelda games for me, I just wander around aimlessly and it helps me relax.

DashboTreeFrog,

I’m reminded that I used to do exactly this in Ocarina of Time back when I was a kid. Maybe it’s time to relive those days.

EldVrangr,

I’m way overdue for an Ocarina of Time replay, thanks for the reminder!

Popsip,
@Popsip@pawb.social avatar

That game has a lot of peaceful moments when not in combat. One time I was playing while tired from work and I was gliding from a high place towards the direction of one of those symbols that’s etched on the land. I wound up microsleeping mid-glide because of how peaceful it was up there with the rain and the sound of the air gently moving. Had woke up when the air got louder and noticed that I didn’t have any more stamina.

tetris11,
@tetris11@lemmy.ml avatar

Check out Jacob Gellar’s YouTube review about it

cyberpunk007,

Same. One of my fav ways to spend an evening.

CNNFDDR,

Rimworld for me.

chemical_cutthroat,
@chemical_cutthroat@lemmy.world avatar

Chrono Trigger. I have a save that I just load up, do some things on, and then turn off when I’m done. I’ve beaten the game dozens of times, and I know every aspect in and out, so it’s like flipping on the TV and catching an episode of a sitcom, I just roll with it and mellow out.

DashboTreeFrog,

I’ve started rewatching old sitcoms for that kind of feeling, I know them inside and out, so it’s just there for comfort in the background while I do other things. I don’t think my brain can do this with old school RPGs though. I don’t think I’ve ever replayed an old turn-based RPG cause once I beat the story and/or get all the items, my brain is no longer motivated to pick it up.

chemical_cutthroat,
@chemical_cutthroat@lemmy.world avatar

Yeah, I get it. For me, it’s because it is such a long and enduring part of my life. I’ve been playing it for literal decades. When I load it up, I look where I’m at, and when I remember who the next boss is, I get a little excited. “Oh, yeah, I’m going to the Tyranno Lair,” or I’m at the end of time and I pop in to beat Spekkio’s geek ass again. It’s all rote memory, and it brings me back to summers at home with my parents at work, playing video games and eating Cheez-It’s.

kakes,

Noita is a good chill game. You will lose, and you will die a horrible death in the process, but if you can accept that, the journey to death is a fun one.

DashboTreeFrog,

I’ve just become aware of Noita recently. It looks kind of insane in a good way, but looks really hectic and anxiety inducing. But what you’ve said is pretty convincing, maybe I can make the journey to death fun.

kakes,

It’s one of those games where, if it looks interesting to you, I can’t recommend it enough.

KillerTofu,

I got on the hype train when it came out. I’ve played it maybe twice. Too much random chance for me.

dm_me_your_boobs,

It’s not for everyone, but I absolutely adore it. It’s incredibly hard, but once you get the idea of what’s going on, if it’s still too hard I highly recommend checking out the steam workshop. I tend to play with a couple mods to make it a bit easier and then go wild with mods for spells, enemies, world gen, etc. Even without mods every single run is wildly different.

Anyway, again it’s not for everyone, but the combination of a simulating every pixel, endless spell combinations, and the hilarity that ensues because I tried something new that I thought was safe, well, it’s a recipe for either a really good time or throwing a controller at the wall. For me, good times. And I say that when I loathe games that are too hard for me most of the time.

dm_me_your_boobs,

Glad I found this, my brother in pixel sims. This is 100% my favorite game.

TheUsualButBlaBlaBla,

Forza and Rocket League

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