Gaming

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.

!!! 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:

• the first tree
• !! lost ember
• spirit of the north

Cozy adventure/puzzle games:

• !! rime
• !! the last campfire
• pumpkin jack (super fun gameplay)

I always prefer to play with people. If I do:

• 7 days to die(as mentioned)
• valheim
• portal 2
• it takes two
• ibb & obb
• shift happens

Factorio. The factory must grow.

Definitely minecraft. It's a great game to relax

Either Stardew Valley (for the chill vibe and calming soundtrack) or Old School RuneScape (for the massive nostalgia bomb)

My chill and waste time games.

• Lego's Builders Journey
• Sims
• Untitled Duck Game
• Gnome Mahjongg
• Sonic 1
• Mario Bros 3 (NES)

Fallout: NV

OG Star Wars Battlefront I & II.
Easy to just put on, play a few rounds and clear my head.
Simple & fun to play.

Stardew valley. Its not the type.of game I usually play, but for some reason whenever I feel down, just the sinple game play and music is very soothing.

Subnautica.

When I'm not running for my life from creatures trying to kill me then ambiance is actually very chill. Something about being in a giant ocean. Not to mention the soundtrack is pretty chill. And the environments are cool as heck!

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.

Me and my wife just finished It Takes Two. What an incredible game and story!

Psychonauts. Amazing style, level design, gameplay, and top notch humor.

Minecraft and No Man’s Sky. Explore a little; build a little; shoot a few baddies; chill; repeat 😊

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Lego Batman, the first one. God, I love that game. I just feel so cozy when I play it.

Anything based on Kirby! The music, aesthetic, everything just makes me happy

Minecraft and Stardew Valley.

Not so much any one game, as a genre: action adventure games. Games like Tomb Raider, God of War, stuff like that. I love playing through a really immersive, well-told story.

Tony Hawk's Underground 2. Been playing it since I was 2. 21 now

Cozy Grove or Wingspan, both pretty chill games with nice music.

Outer Wilds. But I already know everything that happens. So I prefer watching a stream/VOD of someone playing it for the first time.

Trackmania 2020 is great!

Skyrim for sure. I have an embarrassing number of hours thanks to the modding community.

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.

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.

Harry Potter PC games. Particularly the first two - I played them a lot when I was younger so there's a nostalgia about them that I love. Fliiiipendo!

Cruising around in BeamNG.drive is fun

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.

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.

Minecraft, oblivion, fable, shadow of the colossus, dkc trilogy on SNES, virtually any Zelda game, final fantasy tactics