I haven't seen anyone mentioning this gem:
Vampire Survivors
It is still Guild Wars 2 for me.
It is very chill to play and only explore and it also has more challenging content if i feel like it. Best MMO out there. At least for me personally.
If anyone can show me the way to a guild wars 2 community here i would be grateful btw.
Bloons TD 6. Just so incredibly addicting, and there's depth to the different monkeys and how they interact, especially when you think about all the upgrades.
For me that'll be Stardew Valley. I can just zone out to the really nice music. Also a few years ago I used to have Planetside 2 in that rotation. I was kinda bad but with the MMO aspect, I could always run somewhere for the objectives and have fun. Finally, I like Trackmania to discover new tracks and just chill.
Lots of love for Stardew. “The Valley Comes Alive” is, for my money, one of the finest pieces of video game music out there.
I recommend Sun Haven then. There's no stamina and you can adjust the day to last from 15 mins to 40 mins (although passout time is 12am compared to 2am in SDV) but with the 40 mins per day, I felt a lot less rushed
I can see how it'd do that to someone, I know some people that are in it only to optimize their revenue to squeeze out more golds for instance, and that'd be stressing to me. Personally I don't care about completing the game, at a given time I just try to fill a few objectives, like getting a spouse and finishing the community center bundles, or reaching the deepest in the mines while upgrading my tools... Just free yourself from that FOMO feeling and you'll be better off :)
Gaming is probably the only sphere of my life where I actually experience FOMO. There are several games where I can't resist trying to do EVERYTHING, only to get burned out and leaving the game before I finish it. If I'd just concentrated on the story, I'd probably have actually finished in half the time, but instead I walk around trying to achieve everything.
I've been enjoying this game on the phone. It's really chill and perfect for playing in short spurts.
Stardew Valley is amazing for this. Minecraft was it for years and years, but Stardew is just like a nice hug. I adore it.
Hogwarts Legacy has also fallen into this category for me now.
Star Wars: Racer - I know every track by heart at this point, have it on my Switch and still play quite a bit. Amazing flow state game.
Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 - absolute classic and the nostalgia I get from playing is unmatched
Age of Empires 2 - the music is just muah
KotoR - Best Star Wars game ever made next to Dark Forces 2 and Jedi Outcast
Try not to have an overly rosy retrospection about this. There were plenty of crappy, cash-grabby games in decades past. We just don't remember them because they were crappy, cash-grabby, and not worth remembering. They hadn't invented microtransactions yet, but that's just one more flavor of crappiness.
Anyone of my simulation/management games. Whether it's running a hospital, creating an auto manufacturing assembly line or helping some brave adventurers find oxygen I'm always more at peace with a single player goal driven experience.
Im gonna be "that guy" and say dark souls 1. Subsequent playthroughs of the game are surprisingly relaxing, when you know where everything is and you're just putting together a build and steamrolling bosses.
Stardew Valley. Pretty much the community I wish I could live in.
Portal. I've played through it enough times that I can complete it in a little under 20 minutes. I'm not very good at games but there are a lot of fun and easy tricks to run through it quickly. Playing it a bunch of times is relaxing and fun for me.
Stardew Valley or Borderlands.
Old school point and click adventures. They tend to be lighthearted, you can't really "lose" in the sense that would generate anger/stress, and the stories tend to be quite good. LucasArts adventures in particular are good for this
I'm surprised Katamari Damacy hasn't been mentioned yet. Both that game and its sequel, "We Love Katamari," have been remastered in recent years (in fact, the sequel just came out last week) and they're a joy to play.
The game has all that OP mentions... Quirky art style, awesome music, simple tactile gameplay, and just overall a relaxing and fun time.
Stardew Valley comes to mind right away, but I think it applies to all titles after you get the hang of it, with the exception of heavily RNG-based games like Risk of Rain 2, Hades, Dead Cells where you have to be alert almost all the time. Currently I'm enjoying playing Red Dead Redemption 2. Definitely a comfort game just riding your horse around.
Over the past years I've played a lot of relaxing indie- and open source games. The ones that really stuck with me were Eqilinox (Steam), Endless Sky (homepage, open source) and Veloren (homepage, open source).
Bonus game which just came to my mind: Slime Rancher (Steam) was a really fun, too!
No Man's Sky is a good mix of nice scenery, low stress, and engaging without requiring a lot of mental capacity that can be comforting.
Factorio, mostly. I can play it slowly and methodically with an audiobook when I want to, or throw my brain into it and build a beautiful large processing plant when I need to. Sometimes it's an exercise in fighting personal demons of paralyizing choice and breaking down overwhelming tasks.
Second is Rimworld. Getting lost in the drama of my colony is an effective escape from the world.
Factorio
Deep Rock Galactic (lower difficulties)
Risk of Rain 2
OSRS (stay tf away from the general community, skill n' chill)
Games I used to play more for that comfy feel
Minecraft (discovering cool new things in overhaul mods is just neat, probably need to figure out how to get my account back after the Microsoft stuff)
TF2 Community Servers of the hyper casual variety, running in circles all day shootin' dudes is just fun.
As others have already touched upon, I think the Zelda series is masterful (pun semi-intended) at this.
I can't count how many times I've replayed through Ocarina of Time just to relax and vibe. These games really excel at creating little moments of catharsis.
I used to spend hours in OOT just hanging around Kakariko or Lon Lon Ranch or soaking in the ambiance of the Forest Temple.
Or hanging outside the Stock Pot Inn in the morning, waiting for it to open in Majora's Mask.
Or floating around on the Great Sea in Wind Waker.
Or taking Marin down to the beach in Link's Awakening.
And so on, up through the BotW/TotK era.
super Mario galaxy for sure
When I was very young I had something wrong with my nose and I couldn’t breathe so I had to get surgery
When I left the hospital my parents said I could get a game to play while I couldn’t go to school for a week and I chose super Mario galaxy
I played the shit out of that game and it just has such a calming positive vibe, like everything is gonna be ok
That game is a part of me, I love it so much
… that or left 4 dead 2
I have no game to contribute here, but wanted to say thanks for the thread and those who replied.
My go to game has ways been WoW (lately Wotlk classic). However last night I had to put my crying kid to bed who's about 1 week post surgery (he's ok and will be ok), logged on 20 min late to raid time, had no spot (I get it, I do, I was late with no comma), and just off the weight of the week was feeling a bit numb.
I opened Steam to see if I could play something else and just stared at my library of unplayed games for an hour and picked nothing.
Sorry that's all quite sad. I'm ok. My kid is ok. But my overall point is, this thread has given me some ideas of what to play instead of WoW. And for that, thanks!
At the moment I'd probably say: Minecraft, Celeste, Vampire Survivors, Hollow Knight, and the Valve single-player games like Half-Life 1/2 and Portal 2.
Valheim's pretty great especially when you spend long hours just gathering resources. I like to put on long form video essays in the background while chopping down trees and mining ore.
I'll boot up Outer Wilds and go chill in space for a while sometimes.
Currently it's Tears of the Kingdom. The music, the atmosphere, stable side quests etc. make it so chill and comforting. Some others are Ori and the will of the wisps, My time at Portia, Spiritfarer, Crosscode. Witcher 3 is also great to get lost in and forget about real life.
Rock and stone to the bone
Power wash simulator. Feels good to clean.
XCOM 2 on the lowest difficulty. Sacrilege, I know, but there's just no better feeling than waltzing through some aliens with my whole squad intact at the end while feeling like a tactical genius. And even the weird Chimera Squad is just fun at times for a bit of a changeup.
Diablo games. It's nice being able to slay demons and not put much thought into it.
GTA, online friends mode, cruise on my motorcycle checking out scenery, ride the coasters.
Slay the Spire for me. Got all the characters to A20 with multiple heart wins, 700+ hours in across phone and steam deck, still having a blast with every run. The awesome thing is that every run is so distinct, every card in the game can be good in the right scenario.
Modded dwarf fortress. I've always been a bit of a baby, so I mod out the invasions and aquifers. It's almost like watching ants work once it all gets going.
Of course the right answer will alway be Roller Coaster Tycoon! Combined with this: https://openrct2.org/ ... calm and peaceful bliss.
Loved the RCT games growing up. I distinctly remember the water park expansion pack not working with my local copy of RCT3, for whatever reason. Being a kid, I never thought to contact support, and so I waited and waited for the platinum edition to release.
Those roller coaster vids back in the day with the 3D view were nuts! Some people are so creative...
You might enjoy Marcel Vos' videos on YouTube if you don't already know about them. Dude loves his classic RCT games and he has a ton of in-depth videos about the nuts and bolts of the game.
BOTW for sure. The expansive open world is just great to get lost in. Not to mention the soundtrack can be calming when you're out riding your horse in the fields.
In order of comfort:
Lately I've also really been enjoying Sheltered 2.
Rimworld- I can and have lost hours managing my little space colony. You can make it as action oriented as you want, so if I want to focus on building my base and farming then I can switch off the raids for example.
I also love Two Point Hospital - so relaxing as there's no firm end point to levels, you can keep going if you want.
I have a few, Skyrim is my biggest one. I basically maladaptive daydream Skyrim. If I'm feeling bad I play through it in my head. Some others are No Mans Sky, Vampire Survivors, and generally pixel games are always really comforting to me. I also like to go back and play dragon fable sometimes when I need some nostalgia.
Townscaper or Islands & Trains. Just totally chill and fun, no goals or time limits or anything. Just hang out and build what seems neat to you.
Wind Waker for me. I love the game, but it's more that it brings me back to cozy weekends when my sister would ask me to "play the boat game" so she could watch.
Euro Truck Simulator/American Truck Simulator
It quickly just becomes a virtual road trip simulator, and as someone who generally enjoys driving and road trips its very chill
Deep Rock Galactic is my comfort game. The fun nature of the dwarves and the constant funny quotes never fail to get a laugh put of me. Turning the mission difficulty down, and just spending a while mining gold and other minerals can be very relaxing.
No one has said it yet, but I find Raft to be incredibly relaxing. Especially if you just ignore objectives and just sit there collecting debris. It can be so tranquil and a ton of fun
This might sound weird but Dark Souls 1 does give me a certain level of comfort, not sure what that says about me lol. I haven't played it in a while but back then, creating new builds and trying out new weapons was really fun, and I got very accustomed to the game's mechanics and it's general progression and pathing. I could run through the whole game without even thinking about it. I'll still go back to it every now and again and it still gives me that comfortable nostalgic feeling.
Hardspace: Shipbreaker can be a super relaxing game. You sit back and slowly disassemble massive spaceships in a salvaging yard. I love playing it when I want something mindless but relaxing. It's nice sitting alone in the salvaging yard with the catchy music and slicing apart a bulkhead.
rimworld - so many different things to make your pawns do - endless mods as well. recently picked up factorio, still getting used to it but it looks like a fabulous timesink
Fallout: NV
Came here to say this. Fantastic game and relaxing music. I’m so glad they have continued to update it even after their “last update ever”
Trackmania! So many user made maps you never have to see the same map twice, and every map looks unique. You have a simple task: go from start to finish after collecting all checkpoints. Endlessly trying to get random bounces on "LOL" maps just never gets old.
Super Mario kart and the original doom. I can play either of those games at any point and always have fun. There are newer games in both of those series, and I do love them too, but if I want some comfort gaming it's the originals for me.
Rimworld, honestly. I've logged 3k hours already. Probably have closer to 4k, if I had had the moolah for the game when I pirated it. It's the game I play when I don't really feel like playing something sweaty, just load up my latest colony and drink coffee or have my breakfast while watching my colonists go about their work. I just ended a 23 year colony based on aztec, kemetic, hellenic and solarpunk themes, due to mod conflicts making advancing a hassle. I've since cleaned up my modlist and I'm running a... Hm, dunno how to describe it. Monastic bounty hunters colony ig. Rootin tootin prayin magic cowboys in the desert.
Recently I picked Tunic as well as a chill game. It's pretty fun!
In addition to RimWorld, I would say Deep Rock Galactic has never even once left me in a worse mood after playing it. Every time I boot it up, I cannot stop admiring the love and care GSG has put into their game and almost all of it for free. The only monetisation in this game is purely cosmetic, but they make sure that the stuff you can get through gameplay alone doesn't look worse than the stuff you pay real money for. Add on top of that the awesome gameplay, atmosphere and community and you got a game that pretty much never fails to lift you up.
If shooting native lifeforms as an exploited space miner isn't quite your mood right now, you could also try Tchia. Super pretty and lovely game, although I suspect it doesn't offer too much replayability, once you completed it. But the same could be said for Okami and that is the game I first say when asked what my favorite game is.
!!! Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps. Easily in my top 3 games holy shit they're so good
!!! Hogwarts Legacy
!!! Control (if you're into 3rd person shooter with powers and a neat story)
!!! 7 days to die is probably my most addicted to game. (it's zombies) but imo way more fun with friends
Age of Empires II HD is a classic if you're into RTS (but I go brainless overpowered farming mode lol)
Any of the Assassins Creed games (I like 2,3,origins,odyssey,and Valhalla the most) if you want some stealth and fun combat
Walking sims:
Cozy adventure/puzzle games:
I always prefer to play with people. If I do:
I recently heard that a Skyrim was a comfy game and I'm one to agree. Now I haven't picked up the game in months, but I know I can go back and pick it up again knowing that I'll be able to get lost in the world of the Dragonborn.
Another one for me is Stardew Valley, and I've also started to play Veloren bit which could also go up there as a cozy game.
Skyrim for sure. I have an embarrassing number of hours thanks to the modding community.
GTA San Andreas brings back so many memories for me. There was a specific summer, when I was 12 years old, that I spent hours just driving around listening to music. I really wish rockstar would do an actual remaster of this game instead of whatever they crapped out.
Any of the Yakuza games for me! I love the feeling of walking around Kamurocho or Sotenbori and just trying different arcade games, karaoke, food, baseball etc 😊 the ambience and overall vibe is so nice (even if you do have to beat up random thugs every few minutes). Also, there are so many (very long) games in the series that there's always something new for me to try
Breath of the wild has some chill situations, just going about in nature, or walking through the villages. It can also go absolute bonkers when you're unprepared.
Me and my wife just finished It Takes Two. What an incredible game and story!
My first go to games for this would be Pokémon Red/Blue/Yellow. I played those so much as a kid, and the nostalgia is wonderful.
Others that are high on my list would be Stardew Valley, Valheim, and one I don’t think I’ve seen mentioned yet - Satisfactory.
This is going to sound silly, but Clicker Heroes. There's nothing necessarily "comforting" about it in the classic sense, but I have ADD, depression, and anxiety. Putting that on and just mindlessly clicking and resource-managing allows me to focus just enough on that, without it needing my full attention, to be able to also sort through my otherwise incoherent strands of thoughts.
But going by art, music, experience, gameplay, etc, I guess I'd have to say Bastion from Supergiant Games. It's definitely up there as one of my favorite games of all time.
Transport Tycoon, using OpenTTD. If you've never played it you can download OpenTTD and use their graphics, sounds, and music replacement sets to play it for free. However as I own the base game I like to keep the original music as it helps to drive the nostalgia.
I love Doom, and I've been playing it since I first got hold of the shareware episode, but when I really need a comfort game it's almost always Transport Tycoon.
Pure comfort? Pokemon Crystal Clear - it's like healing for the soul after a long day of marking.
Less pure comfort? Darkest Dungeon - because sometimes you need to feel pain to really relax!
Minecraft and Stardew Valley.
Audiosurf for me. Just listening to my favorite mp3s and not really caring if I set a new world record or not.
In the same vein, doing a job in American Truck Simulator or Euro Truck Simulator 2. Just chilling out, driving across the map to deliver cows or whatever.
Trombone Champ,
The game is a bit of a challenge at first. But even if you screw up, it's so fucking hilarious. I just love it. My wife hates it when I play it. But I adore the game.
PowerWash Simulator is another one that is actually pretty relaxing for me. Some of the DLC coming looks fun too.
OG Star Wars Battlefront I & II.
Easy to just put on, play a few rounds and clear my head.
Simple & fun to play.
Cruising around in BeamNG.drive is fun
Probably strange to call them comfort games but I've played them so many times they've become comfort games: Mass Effect trilogy, Dragon Age games, KOTOR and KOTOR II, and even SWTOR.
Yes, I recognise I have a BioWare bias but honestly no games feel like theirs. I hope they stick around for a long time and manage to claw their way back to being a trusted RPG maker.
I think the familiar world building, the fantastic characters, the cinematic conversations, dialogue options all make it comforting to me. And they're my happiest gaming memories.
Journey (PS3, PS4, PS5)
A perfect emotional escape for a couple of hours, I have lost count of how many "journeys" i have done, and its made all the richer if you meet another traveller along the way and complete the journey with them.
Dragon Age: Origins, Mass Effect, and the NHL/MLB games are always my go-to when I just want to chill out and be comfortable. There's lots of comfort in being "with" some of your favorite characters time and time again. There's a different comfort (more of a zen feeling) in booting up my favorite sports games, turning off my brain and just letting instinct and reflex take over. Most Friday nights at the end of a tough week, I play MLB with some beers until late in the night after my friends log off.
Slay the Spire is a big one. Casually smacking out wacky runs during a lunch break is the bee knees.
Brotato is good for this too, even if the game can be a bit repetitive. I wish it would grow even bigger with more items, more deep mechanics, more everything. Thank goodness there's modding.
As a kid, Alien versus Predator co-op survival maps were a big one. Mindless mayhem clears the mind like nothing else.
I have never heard of this game before your comment, now I'm staring at it wondering if I should get it. Currently busy enough with D4, but this looks interesting!
I saw this recommended earlier this week - it's on sale currently so I picked it up. Does anyone know if it works on the Deck?
Oh man that is hard to put down.
I find it frustrating that I consistently fail to make proper industries for e.g. schools and raincoats. Once I'm a bit more in control of that, I'll probably be able to chill with it a bit more.
it's a mix of luck and good upgrade picking. some games you get all the widgets in place to get everything, some you have to barely scrape by. I think some tower upgrades make the higher level buildings more accessible though.
It's not exactly cozy or anything but mine is probably Mini Metro. It's just a perfectly crafted puzzle game in every single way, I can play it on my laptop or my phone or my Steam Deck depending on the situation, it's always there and takes enough focus that there's no room to be worrying about life at the same time. Absolute masterclass in audio design which makes it very immersive considering you're just looking at lines and basic shapes.
Or or course as someone else already said, sometimes you just need to blast some bugs in Deep Rock Galactic. For rock and stone!
Big pro of both of these games is you can feel happy about supporting the devs as they're both genuinely awesome, which might help with the whole depressive headspace thing.
Hmmm probably civilisation is the one that I always go back to… but for pure comfort warm fuzzies - animal crossing.
As well as just being a nice, no pressure game it’s also associated in my mind with when my little boy was born. Spent many sleepless nights & mornings with our newborn snoozing in my lap while I played to keep myself awake. It was perfect as it’s such a nice gentle game.
Psychonauts. Amazing style, level design, gameplay, and top notch humor.
If I'm just relaxing, probably Arma 3. It's editor is like playing with toys for adults. I love making missions or armies that aren't balanced or made for other people. I do this little mini-game with myself where I build up an army starting with only pistols and a few guys. Then as you beat more competent opponents, like maybe it starts put with poorly equipped pirates and looters and goes up to fighting the United States or PLA, you get more and more equipment and fight on progressivly larger maps. It's very fun, and feels like being a child again. Plus, maybe it has a bit of Metal Gear Peacewalker inspiration.
Anything based on Kirby! The music, aesthetic, everything just makes me happy
Civilization 4. Incredible quotes, amazing sound track, deep mechanics
Zelda games are this for me (except Twilight princess, its environment and visuals were depressive to me). Particularly, botw is peak to get lost in.
I simply cannot get over simcity 2000. forever in my heart
Depends on my mood, Stardew Valley is high on my list if I need a calm game to relax. Hotline Miami 1 & 2 if I need to get all my anger out, and Racing Sims like Assetto Corsa and iRacing for if I want to clear my mind driving cool cars around.
My two most frequented games would be Stardew valley or Animal crossing. Specifically the GameCube version (emulation if you don't have one) or New Horizons (been surprisingly refreshing)
Nothing against the other versions I just haven't tried them.
Tony Hawk's Underground 2. Been playing it since I was 2. 21 now
Recent ones I come back to a lot are Sable and A Short Hike, both have great atmosphere and are nice to just amble around. Sable had a fishing update recently which I haven't tried yet, so that'll be nice when I need something chill.
Elder Scrolls games, especially Oblivion. But for all of them counts that after thousands of hours I still find new things, walking around the world is just great, the music amazing, the quality issues and bugs feel more silly in a fun way than breaking, and the lore feels like it is never ending.
Otherwise there is also The Sims. Similar weird lore, funky cartoony animation, and otherwise just a do whatever you feel like.
Mine was Diablo 2 for the longest time. I could get my summon necromancer out and play fairly mindlessly. He'd have so many minions that nothing ever really hit me. He wasn't super overpowered, so he didn't kill fast, but it was a nice, lazy walkthrough kind of build. He did better in big open areas rather than corridors, so I'd play him in those even if that meant a lower chance of finding good gear.
For me it's Final Fantasy VIII, the first game I bought with my own money. Gaming was hard back then, I had no allowance or any sort of income. I bought games with money I got from Christmas and birthday. My friends all loved final fantasy VII and bragged about it but I just could not afford it when it launched. I bought Final Fantasy VIII on launch after reading glowing reviews on a local gaming magazine and I loved the game. I know the junction mechanic is flawed, I know the draw system is bad, I know the story isn't the best. I still loved it and played it to 100% a ton of times. Bought it in pretty much all platforms I own (including twice on Steam, even tho it was a ripoff). The game really makes me realize how far I've come in life and how fortunate I am on how everything turned out.
A great deal of SNES games do this for me. Super Mario RPG, Mega Man X, Donkey Kong Country 1 and 2, Chrono Trigger, even the Mario All-Star games to a point. It's all likely because it's such a great system and developers really hit their stride with what they could do with 16-bit gaming on that console.
I like to throw on a Dynasty Warriors game and just mindlessly start cutting down swathes of enemies.
We are starving for reasons to comment haha.
Slay the Spire and the digital version of Ascension, solo play. I guess I like deckbulders. Ascension especially is so comforting for me, chill gameplay, no time pressure and I can put it down anytime and resume later on. Or not and just start a new one instead.
Or Isaac if I am in the mood for some action. plop plop plop plop.
Plop Plop Plop Plop made me immediately hear it in my head :)
It'll be an odd one compared to everyone else, but DiRT 3 with some good music playing in the background is awesome.
The physics are awesome, a bit arcady but reasonably realistic and manageable even on keyboard and the replay mode is amazing, makes even the shittiest driver look pro with its camera work.
And the rallycross modes and the montecarlo track are amazing.
Depends, sometimes its a quiet peaceful game like Minecraft, as others have said. Sometimes its Civ, keeps my brain thinking the whole time usually. Sometimes its Postal 2 or a Saints Row or GTA. Depends ont he mood, do i want calm, do i want my brain to be forced to think, or do i just want to do awful things for a little bit to virtual people.
A Short Hike might be my favorite peacefull one. Or death stranding on a lower difficulty.
Mass Effect, Dragon Age:Origins, Fallout 4 and Skyrim are a must when I need to play something for a few days without being worried about not having enough time to finish the game, or missing something when playing while watching the kids.
I've played thousands of hours on them.
Animal Crossing New Horizons. Extremely chill, no pressure to do anything in particular, just a very “go at your own pace” type of game.
For me it's the original Wild Arms on PS1. The translation makes the game a bit of a slog to play through. But, the soundtrack alone puts me into a happy place.
A sad story, made lighter by the friends found along the way.
I used to zone out and blow shit up to music in Just Cause 2. Now I do the same thing in Deep Rock Galactic.
Depends sometimes if I just want to play a shooty game, it's usually a Doom .wad I haven't played yet. Destiny 2 is my addiction but sometimes there isn't such a thing as a chill game of destiny. Cyberpunk 2077, despite it's launching flaws can be a fun game to turn your brain off to. If I'm feeling nostalgic, I'll put on Super Mario sunshine, or Crazy Taxi, Chu Chu Rocket, Super Metroid/Fusion/Zero Mission. And those games always give me a big smile across my face.
Mirrors edge is a series I always go back to. Really easy to fire up catalyst or the original and just focus on running really fast while I have an audiobook or some music on in the background. There is so many speedrunning techniques for each game that there is an endless depth to explore.
Cities Skylines tends to be the game I return to when I just need to chill for a bit. I'll come up with some silly idea for a city, fire up a map I haven't built on yet, and see what I can make work. There's no endgame, no goals aside from what I feel like doing, just a sandbox and some toys to play with.
Skyrim, fire emblem(anything 3DS and up, I haven't played the older games) and Warframe ❤️ these games always make me happy and comfort me if needed
Minecraft and No Man’s Sky. Explore a little; build a little; shoot a few baddies; chill; repeat 😊
A Plumber of All Seasons Super Mario World romhack is super fun and beautiful game. One guy spent years to make it, it is a work of love.
One that I can think of is Journey. Another one that is pretty nice to play is Rime. There's a mobile game called sky or something as well that's pretty pretty to play as well.
Used to be Test Drive: Unlimited, then the second one. After that, I moved to The Crew 1 and later 2. A big open world and car/motorcycle to ride around is unmatched when it come to just kicking back and relaxing in a game.
For me, for some strange reason, any resource management/city building game really soothes me. There is something about making thing ‘balanced’ and ‘streamlined’ that really puts my mind at ease and can distract me from just about anything.
For me it's Stardew Valley, Hollow Knight and Rollercoaster 1. Just building up my farm and getting to know every NPC in stardew is fun and I haven't played a game that let me feel progress and level ups as much as this game. Hollow knight is just so chill, the music is awesome and even though the setting seems depressing it spark so much hope for me with every new NPC. And Rollercoaster is just the dream of a child building an amusement park.
Half life 2 + Episodes One and Two, Portal, Civ 5. All fantastic games, completely unmonetized (except for the upfront price of course) and each with impeccable storylines (receipt Civ of course).
I just hope Valve make another game like HL2 or Portal sometime in the future. I'll buy it without second thought.
Castlevania Symphony of the Night is my go to. It has a pretty good pacing, with enough new things being thrown at you. Also since it's Igavania, there's a joy of finding new weapons / equipments, that's kinda lacking in pure metroidvania.
As you grow older, your eyesight worsens, and sore joints are becoming a common occurrence. So, I prefer it to newer waves of souls-like metroidvanias that require too much dexterity or precision platforming.
Streets of Rogue.. I don't know what it is about that game, but I always find myself picking back up and getting lost in all the different ways you can play. I can't wait for the sequel, definitely, the game I am anticipating the most.
Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, and puzzle games like Myst, Riven, or The Witness. I love these escape-type games.
I get the headspace thing. It's been really hard for me to devote my mental energy and time to playing games recently. I've picked up the new Zelda game and have barely touched it.
Nostalgia helps, but I guess any Mario or even a Street Fighter would work on my end. Easy to pick, nothing to remember really. I bought an arcade cab recently with Batocera, and that’s the perfect solution to have a good moment (especially with my kids).
For me, it's Dragon Quest XI S. That game has been like a best friend since the day I got it. I never thought I would love a turn-based RPG more than Dragon Quest VIII, but 11 did it.
3.5k hours in EU4 and counting. Removing Kebap never gets old.
I always find myself coming back to Monster Hunter every time I wanna chill and relax.
I'm playing The Big Con at the moment and it's loads of fun! I love the quirky graphics and witty humor.
My classic go-to is The Witcher 3 - honestly I beat this game like 4 times at least. The story (apart from the main quest which is a bit lacking to me) is absolutely amazing. The music, setup and dialogues really help you to sink in the world.
Oh! And GTA San Andreas - always a blast!
Every few months, I will do a randomizer run of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. I've played it so much that it's like taking a relaxing walk through a familiar neighborhood. It also has a great soundtrack.
I have several comfort games to put my mind at ease sometimes.
At least once a year it is Skyrim with mods to improve the scenery.
But I love playing the Atelier series too. Crafting and optimizing stuff in these games is great.
And then there are puzzle games like Baba is You where I often just close the game and think about solving the problems for a long time. Helps to keep your mind occupied.
Fallout 76. Nice community, and I really enjoy the open world game and the dark humor that's Fallout.
Microsoft Flight Simulator. Flying Cessna around my town.
I found gaming exacerbated my feelings of loneliness after many years of gaming daily. I also found the FOMO nature of a lot of games I was playing really took the enjoyment out of gaming.
Took a break in April (To watch lots of Star Trek) and only recently have had a few urges.
Hunt: Showdown may get picked up again and there are a couple of games coming that could be fun but we shall see.
Ace Combat 2 for me. It always makes me happy to pick it up again.
World of Warships. It is the game I play for years with friends. In times that is hard for us to meet face to face we jump on the game for some battles, during which we share our news and chat. It's almost like a coffee or a beer.
For me it’s definitely Pokémon. When I was a kid I used to spend so much time just going through a million sapphire playthroughs. Even now if I’m having a bad day I’ll boot it up and play it a little.
Also special shoutout to factorio and stardew valley. It’s so easy to just lose all sense of time with those games lol
For me it's the binding of isaac, I'm not sure that it woukd work for everyone, but the game is just so large that it never gets old. 1500hrs, 100% the game and I still find myself diving into it after a stressful day.
I always find myself firing up a few round of Battlefield 4 or, for longer stretches, doing a new playthrough of Fallout 4 (with mods of course).
It's very short, but if you need a small (big) dosage of weirdness - try The Good Time Garden. It's an experience that I like to go back to from time to time, always gets some chuckles out of me!
I‘m on PlayStation and enjoyed games like Knack, Diablo 3, Spider-Man and Ratchet & Clank in those cases, because they keep me busy at all times. All of them are loud and tiring though. Other games like Assassins Creed, Ghost of Tsushima and Red Dead Redemption 2 are calmer, but they give my mind time to wander and think about stuff. Sometimes this suits me better, sometimes that.
MS Flight Simulator (Xbox Gamepass) - I often fire it up, pick a place in the world I've never been but would like to go and fly around. I never take off or land, just get low to the ground and buzz.
Easily Path of Exile. There's something so relaxing about blowing up the entire screen with one flick of my wrist, and it really gets my endorphins flowing to minmax my stats using third party tools like Path of Building and testing out items on the trade site / changes to my skill tree to see how they'd affect my build.
To some people it sounds like work, but for me it hits that sweet spot of minmaxing and complexity that no other game really can.
Edit: I should also mention that lately I've been mostly playing on Steam Deck which has been a revelation for me. Endgame "alch and go" mapping is so perfect for the pick up and play style, only enhanced by having access to it from the couch/toilet.
For me it's Ridge Racer Type 4 for the PS1. I think what comforts me is that soundtrack (listen to it everyone), but also it's the nostalgia kicking in for me
A Short Hike had that effect on me, the re-playability isn't really there though, but for a one-off burst of peace and quite it will do.
Picking some goofy off-role champ in a /muteall draft game of League can also work, but the experience is highly rng based.
Edit: I forgot Trackmania both the latest polished release with its whimsical environments and the historical custom madness that was/is Trackmania: nation. I genuinely hate grinding (be it mmorpgs or soullike) but once I start a track in those I'm hooked for a couple of hours mesmerized by the smooth effect of my growing skills.
I agree on both a Short Hike and your experience with Trackmania grinding. We seem to have very similar tastes :)
Thanks for the validation totally-not-my-alt-account stranger!
I don't play this often enough lately but Jigsaw Puzzle Dreams is a super simple & cosy game. It's jigsaw puzzles, yes, but you also get to decorate the apartment where you're doing the puzzles. It is just a very chill, no-pressure time and often I will just mess around doing the decor side of it so I have a few different apartment vibes to choose from for when I finally decide to do a puzzle. When I get super sad & unmotivated I will do a really small easy puzzle on the bedroom desk and it helps me to get the feeling that I have completed a thing, which is sometimes enough to help get me moving on non-game things.
Deus Ex, Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines, and Cyberpunk 2077. Like you said, they are games I like to get lost in, just walk/drive around in, soak in the ambience. I like to pretend I'm there; it's a great escape, like you said, comforting.
Lately, mine has been Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour on the GameCube.
Black Ops Zombies games.... at least until I found out every game has very well known hacks that allow for remote code execution of your PC. Yikes! Not touching those games anymore sadly
As silly as it may be, city builders or transport managers. I find it very relaxing and easy to just lose a day a in. I usually play with sandbox modes because I just like to design. It's kind of like digital model building I guess
You play as a little Sprite with two fairy companions. You're left to explore 1000 rooms of a sprawling underground labyrinth, discovering all sorts of secrets that humanity left behind.
I mostly play World of Tanks Blitz haha to kill time. It's my go-to. I can always go there for mindless fun and zone out. Everyone else is probably doing the same considering how teams are these days haha
MH Rise (Lance for tank mode) - fighting Melvor - idling Disney Dreamlight Valley - collecting Hardspace Shipbreaker - dismantling
Microsoft Flightsim for me. Pick a beautiful place, anywhere on Earth, and just explore. Even better if you do it in a glider: the only sound being the wind around you as you take in the view is incomparable.
I play Minecraft almost exclusively in creative, just building or terraforming. There's something really contemplative about it, and man is it pretty sometimes. I just turn on a podcast or something and make something beautiful.
For me it's Tribes 2. I can spend hours bouncing around with bots on some old favorite maps, and there's something weirdly serene about being able to just leave the map on a grav cycle and keep going because the terrain repeats.
I have had a rough week, so I bought poly bridge 3. In 2 days I have over 6 hours, which for me is a lot!
There is something about this chill guitar music in the background that just keeps me going, trying to build the most efficient bridge.
For me that would be Stellaris - after so many hours, playing it just feels natural and it is a very relaxing exercise!
Farm Simulator. I have no idea why, either. But when friends are raging about cheaters/bots/whatever I can tell them that I've never yelled at Farm Simulator
Warframe is a nice one, at least once you're past the initial learning curve. I'm at the point where I can just zone out and play casually, no need to farm much of anything. There's so much content, so many weapons and frames to unlock, that once you're in the endgame you can really just jump around and passively collect stuff. Plus making your character look cool is something I enjoy doing in games, I can just spend an hour messing with loadouts like that.
Old arcade are always fun too. And Kirby's Pinball Land on my GBC. There's definitely a charm to a lot of them, lots of unique choices being made before things got a little more standardized within each genre.
Gravity Rush 2 for me. I have save I've kept for years now to fly around and explore the city. I already have done everything, but it's still so fun and relaxing to find new landmarks or walk through the different districts. Feels like the kind of game world I'd love to live in (assuming a gravity girl didn't pull me into her orbit and launch me into space)
The Way of the Hunter and theHunter: Call of the Wild. Starting a podcast and then slowly walk through beautiful nature and taking in the ambience. Or free roam in Firewatch. Next best to actually going outside 🙃.
Then Sailwind (sailing around delivering cargo with navigation as challenge). Also, Call of the Wild: The Angler and Fishing: North Atlantic.
Lake is also a beautiful game — delivering packages and enjoying the story.
I think you get the theme 🙃.
The good old Flight Simulators (MSFS 2020, X-Plane, DCS World) — problem here is to first get use to the many keys again after a longer break.
baldurs gate: dark alliance
they recently remade it for pc. no online i think, but couch coop is included. Lots if fond memories playing that in early 00s
Valheim and Stardew Valley. Both make me forget time exists.
Project Zomboid for me. It's kind of strange since the game can be super stressful at times, but once you get past the initial stage of the game and have a good base setup, you can spend a lot of time just surviving. Farming, reading books you've found, cooking things, it can be a very relaxing and meditative experience.
Outside of that, I guess a more typical response would be just about any JRPG, particularly the Final Fantasy series. Some of my most comforting memories are just me getting back from work, sitting back in my chair and slowly playing through Final Fantasy X or XII.
I have a no man's sky save file that's pretty much in God mode and I just fly from planet to planet taking pictures. It's lovely.
Vintage Story.
Its basically what minecraft survival mode could have been if they went in a slower paced and realism inspired direction.
Its very relaxing to hammer out some tools, make some clay pottery, liaten to your windmill grind away at some grain, etc.
Is it better to emulate then? I only remember that there was hype for it but then got delayed and then finally came out, but I never kept up with the reception to the game.
For Me, Minecraft and Diablo
Minecraft - creative mode is like so therapeutic, you just create and create and create, then also the adventure mode is so fun because you can just roam and roam and be surprised at what you find. there is no goal really aside from staying alive, so there is no stress whatsoever (if you disregard the endgame goal).
Diablo, - like Minecraft adventure mode. If you skip the campaign, there is literally no goal, you can just roam and roam and smash enemies, and you can even lower the difficulty so you can smash those enemies HARD!, It's just so satisfying, and then you get surprise loot as a side benefit.
Fatale Exploring Salome.
It is such a beautiful meditative experience. I used to play it every couple months but haven't in awhile. Guess I know what I am playing next.
Honestly, everthing Tale of Tales makes is a comfort game for me.
Tiny and Big Grandpa's Leftovers is the most delightful game I have ever played. Soundtrack is awesome.
Lately it's been Session: Skate Sim, with "hardcore" difficulty settings. I'm pretty terrible, but finally landing something reasonably dope is so satisfying, and just skating around the city is quite relaxing.
Otherwise my go-to is whatever GTA game I've got installed, and just driving around, listening to music, and watching the goofy stuff NPCs do.
I also do love me a good open-world survival craftathon, with a nice, exceedingly outrageous recipe family tree. Hunting down whatever resources I need to craft whatever thing I need in order to be able to craft whatever cool new thing, so that I can unlock more crafting recipes to start the cycle all over again, it's all so cathartic and easy to get lost in.
Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage. Sometimes the other two in the trilogy but this is the one I've especially loved since childhood. One of the only games I've 100%ed and I've done so twice.
Lately, Battle Brothers. It's god damn brutal but I love min maxing my bros and carefully playing essentially battle-chess with them before dying horribly and restarting my save.
I've got my fair share of games, kinda depends on the mood though. What I'm feeling, too. Sad, anger. Ect.
But to name a few, Doom 2 /Duke Nukem 3d, any of the driver games (except driv3r), Wwf No Mercy/WCW no revenge or any of the aki wrestling games or the mods for no mercy, The Long Dark, streets of rage 2.
Animal Crossing was surprisingly relaxing for that kind of task oriented approach and the conversations with islanders are chill and entertaining.
I'm probably the only one left still obsessed with Nidgogg 1.
Waves/Waves 2! Fantastic twin stick shooters, now free as well. Both have great chip tune soundtracks.
thanks for using Leebra!
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Minecraft. It's just a nice game to get lost in.
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