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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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.
Your description alone is getting this put on my Steam wishlist
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
Maybe everyone’s a completionist and would rather play the games in order rather than jump into the story halfway through ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
TotK is literally the only Zelda game I’ve ever completed and I understood the story perfectly fine.
Well yeah you can understand most stories without reading/hearing the first part and it’s not like Legend of Zelda is exactly Moby Dick.
Euro truck simulator. Just hit the road and drive.
Stardew Valley. It’s chill if you let it be. There aren’t really hard time limits and you can always farm things and complete challenges on your own time
FTL, Stardew valley, No mans sky, Minecraft, Old rpgs like Chrono Trigger
civ 5 - random everything & just do whatever.
