this post was submitted on 19 Nov 2023
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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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[–] Ravi@feddit.de 4 points 2 years ago

The Hunter: Call of the Wild. I have nothing to do with hunting. I'd never thought a hunting simulation could be my type of game, but putting headphones on and running through the woods is so relaxing.

[–] Witchfire@lemmy.world 4 points 2 years ago

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 ;___;

[–] Wallaby@lemmy.world 4 points 2 years ago

Age of Empires 2 custom games. Can't beat a classic, and you can save whenever you're done

[–] felixthecat@lemmy.whynotdrs.org 4 points 2 years ago

Slay the spire

[–] TheGiantKorean@lemmy.world 4 points 2 years ago (4 children)

Shattered Pixel Dungeon. Which is weird because it's actually quite frustrating, but super rewarding if you win.

[–] gac11@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup has a similar feel to it. It's a lot more involved if you want way more variables to play with. There's and Android port from PC that takes some getting used to, but is pretty fun to play over and over.

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[–] DashboTreeFrog@discuss.online 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I played this a bit on mobile and really enjoyed it, not sure why I stopped in retrospect, I was never able to beat it even once. Another one where dying isn't a big deal cause replaying is part of the fun. Been thinking of checking it out on PC but just never got around to it

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[–] LinkOpensChest_wav@lemmy.one 4 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Skyrim was my chill game for years, but now I'd say Elder Scrolls Online. Everyone I know who plays ESO is super non-competitive and chill. It's just got a great vibe.

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[–] PoppyJalopy@lemmy.world 4 points 2 years ago

Recently got back into my childhood favorite, Simcity 2000.

It's just a classic for me. Amazing city builder with a chill soundtrack. Super rewarding planning out your city and watching it develop across the map. And it's super stress free if you just play with disasters off

I think I understand what you mean lol.

Lately for me it's been: Mass Effect legendary edition, Mount & Blade 2, Crusader Kings 3, Dishonored 1 and 2, and Hitman 3.

[–] x2XS2L0U@feddit.de 4 points 2 years ago (1 children)
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[–] PraiseTheSoup@lemm.ee 3 points 2 years ago (3 children)

Why are there so many suggestions of Zelda BotW over TotK imo this thread? I've only played the latter but my understanding is it's pretty much the same game with more to do. And since Nintendo games rarely go on sale you are probably looking at a very similar price tag.

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[–] sag@lemm.ee 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

I don't play Tetris usually but when I get bored or just wanna relax then I play Tetris[Highest Score: 500k in 8 Hours]

[–] ImpossibilityBox@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

I play Hades, but I cheat.

It's super fun to see what kind of ridiculous combinations of powers and weapons you can create when you aren't worried about money or resources in any way shape or form.

I had a Hermes Build for Max speed that did bonus damage based on speed bonuses, Ares for Blade rift when dodging, and some Athena for some invulnerability.

Sprinting around the levels like the flash and absolutely nuking everybody with blade rifts is just too much fun.

[–] Evotech@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

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

[–] rip_art_bell@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

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@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

World of Warcraft Retail.

[–] Outsider9042@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

DOTA2 turbo mode, done in 20-30 minutes, and the try bards that take the mode serious are hilarious

[–] ICastFist@programming.dev 3 points 2 years ago

Skyrim or Fallout 4 when I want to chill as an adventurous muderer

Earth Defense Force when I want to blow shit up

Dinkum is a really good Stardew Valley/Animal Crossing mix. If you like either, you'll likely end up like me, playing "just a bit" and realizing over 4 hours flew by.

[–] Apeman42@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

Weirdly, Yakuza. Not even to thrash thugs, just to have a virtual night out with some karaoke, pool, darts... sexy bug-lady wrestling... I love most of the mini games in the series.

[–] TheOneAndOnly@lemm.ee 3 points 2 years ago

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.

[–] philpo@feddit.de 3 points 2 years ago (4 children)

Timberborn is always nice,

so is Minecraft.

Subnautica is also very relaxing after you know your way around it.

But Red Dead Redemption 2 is the most "chill" game for me. You can simply go out to hunt, enjoy the nature, etc.

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[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 3 points 2 years ago

Dwarf Fortress.

Theme Hospital.

The Sims.

Games that I can mostly play hands off.

[–] Bishma@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (2 children)

Oxygen Not Included. - !oxygennotincluded@lemmy.world

Just started a new colony yesterday because an update was released with new tools and content. The colony I was playing up until that point was almost 3000 cycles old.

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[–] TheLonelyWonderer@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Harvest Moon /Story of Season games.

Stardew Valley.

Diner Dash series of games.

[–] wildcardology@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

Elder Scrolls Online for me.

[–] kugel7c@feddit.de 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Apart from trackmania which was already named it's certainly slay the spire. I often do both TTD and the daily in sts. If I didn't always end up trying to go for sub 35min points it'd actually be relaxing probably.

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