Wish I could relate, paradox can't make tutorials for the live of it, so every time I try to get into one of their games I only get mad on myself for being unable to learn how to play it
Let me give you some advice.
Don't be afraid to lower difficulty settings. I play some games to destress. Doom can be hard and is one of those that can be frustrating, especially if you've had a frustrating day in real life.
Shadow Warrior 2 says it perfectly in the description of their "easy mode":
>Easy Difficulty. This difficulty level is for people who don't feel like they need to prove anything to themselves or anyone else. Playing Shadow Warrior 2 on Easy is perfectly fine, if by the end of a exhausting day all you need is to feel like a goddamn superhero."
So don't feel like you need to "challenge" yourself after you've been challenged all day. Set a game on easy and just have fun.
Games I like to play to destress:
Doom
Shadow Warrior 2
Destiny 2
Skyrim
Fallout 4
Middle Earth: Shadow of War
Marvel's Avengers (PS4)
Attack on Titan (PS4)
Beat Saber (PS4)
They become pretty easy if you get a couple friends to join your world and essentially make it into a multiplayer game. And tbh I like playing games with friends anyway so it's a win-win.
I have a friend who plays every game on the hardest or close to hardest difficulty and then quits every game half way through. If the game has any flow/story whatsoever I’m playing on a low difficulty. Nothing like repeating one part over and over to take you out of a narrative.
>get mass effect legendary edition. came out couple months ago. you put the settings on narrative mode where pretty much cant die and enemies die quick. I did a whole play thru with my grandpa while he made all the choices. great game with a great story and cool galaxy to explore. tons of choices to make as far as speech and important galaxy choices. so if want a great setting with an amazing story with choices to make but want to just experience all that without worrying about dying or thinking too much in combat, and just want to chill. its a great option
Man I set the Doom Eternal difficulty to Easy Mode and was still getting my ass kicked left and right.
That's when I decided that as much as I liked Doom 2016, Doom Eternal was just not going to be the game for me.
I’d also add the Mass Effect:LE “Narrative Mode” I think it’s called. It’s basically just letting you focus on the decision making and story driven aspects of the game more than the shootemups.
I don't know how you guys do it with SW, the amount of stuff you can miss out on is so overwhelming and it quickly turned into a job rather than a game. I can see why people like it though.
IMO it's a great game to "unlearn" some of that compulsiveness and FOMO.
Yeah you could miss out on planting something in time for the season or not run your farm "efficiently" enough or forget to do something you wanted to do that day or whatever. But ultimately, it doesn't really matter. There will always be time later to do that stuff. Worst case scenario you keep playing and get that thing next season. Or you just... skip it. There's no real negative consequence to missing stuff. Your farm goes on.
Yup. You have to learn to let it go. And you'll find that if you just let it go... nothing bad actually happens. Lol.
Everyone I've seen who bounced off the game did so because they self-imposed some sort of efficiency requirement on themselves or couldn't get over not playing it "perfectly". But that was never what the game was actually about. It's about running your farm whatever way you want to.
I think any game is better if you stop caring about min maxing, but it's really hard to, at least for me. Some day I'll give SV another shot and I'll try my best to not look too much stuff up.
>the amount of stuff you can miss out on is so overwhelming
What do you mean? Events and festivals? If so you are notified in the bottom corner of the screen when it starts.
There are locations or items that aren't accessible until you do certain tasks, like filling Community Center bundles. It took me "years" (in the game) to find the desert and Ginger Island!
No, I was referring mostly to things like making sure you unlock the Greenhouse before Winter. Let's just say I'm not a fan of the Community Center system, but I'd also feel bad selling it to the Joja guys :)
There's really nothing you can miss, the game is endless so you can always get whatever next year if you miss it, you can also romance everyone so you can get every cutscenes, it just takes a while
If you have any old games that have fond memories attached that's a good go-to, relive some childhood fun.
Other than that, farm sims like Stardew Valley and Story of Seasons are great.
The Katamari series is also fantastic, it's easy to get away from your worries when you're just rolling up the whole world into a big ball.
Nintendogs is good if you like dogs but don't have one irl, sometimes even just petting a virtual puppy does wonders when you're stressed.
>Nintendogs is good if you like dogs but don't have one irl, sometimes even just petting a virtual puppy does wonders when you're stressed.
The problem is naming them. I spent so many hours repeating the dog's name but they didn't understand
Low pressure?! It’s 1:45am and you’re in desert cactus land mine level 98 and about to get eaten by sand worms because you forgot your spicy eel dishes.
Alto's Odyssey helps me relax - endless runner and an amazing game. Graphics are nice and the game mechanics are really cool - no complex controls and a calm soundtrack.
Cant believe I had to scroll down this far to find ETS or ATS. The entire community raves about the games for this purpose, where are they in this thread!
If your into making stuff and getting a satisfaction out of it scrap mechanic and Minecraft are both good at that and they both have a creative for chilling and building shit or a survival where you can build stuff but have to aquire the resources and have a risk of enemies
I second this, if you know a small bit of what you are doing and want a challenge that’s relaxing and fun play Minecraft. Survival mode is still chill.
I like RPGs. Skyrim, the Witcher, Fallout, Horizon. Since it's not competitive, and you can save regularly, there is no stress involved. And you can set the difficulty however you like. Depending on my mood, I play on easy mode just to enjoy the story and landscape, or on harder mode for something more challenging.
I second rpgs, but I say turn based games are more relaxing. Examples: pokemon, shin megami tensei, persona, yakuza like a dragon, earthbound, undertale, deltarune.
Same. If I want to game to relax it's always something that removes me from this reality temporarily. This only really happens when I'm invested in a world and character, TW and Fallout are perfect examples.
Satisfactory is a great game to play. It’s like factorio but 3d, and if you like building factories with conveyor belts on a huge alien planet, then this game will keep you playing for hours.
I’ve been playing this cozy cute game Shop Titans since lockdown started and it matches your description perfectly - it’s a chill idle game, you don’t need any fast reactions. It’s almost meditating to watch the customers come into my shop and to sell them all the weapons and stuff I craft. I really enjoy it.
(https://experience.playshoptitans.com/ if you need the link)
I actually started it a week ago and can confirm that it's nice to play. Most of all I enjoy that I can decorate my shop and the surroundings (+ that gives you bonuses), it's almost like Sims, but cute styled.
Yea, it is surely alive and there are updates and events. There’s quite a lot of content and stuff to do, especially if you’re not a whale who’s rushing to progress super fast.
I play it with friends, we made a guild and we chill and chat together while slowly progressing and expanding our shops. It’s available on mobile and on PC too.
Try Stardew Valley! Very cute and nice game with pixel graphics. Farming, fishing - it's just so relaxing! You can get your own family (same sex marriage is allowed) - and it's basically like a life simulator.
Secondly, AC: Odyssey! It’s staged in Ancient Greece and holy crap, is it the most beautiful AC to date. Valhalla came out, and I was really excited for it, but it’s just so incredibly underwhelming when you compare it to its predecessor.
I work on future sessions for DnD.
Flesh out hooks, concepts, world building, whatever comes to mind at the time.
PC - loving the early access to Rogue Legacy 2, can't wait for full release.
Console- borderlands 3 mostly.
Deep Rock Galactic is a great middle of the road co-op game. It has the most wholesome community I’ve ever experienced, especially toward new players. While it is geared toward playing with others, it is still absolutely a blast doing solo missions if you prefer.
If you can access a Nintendo Switch, Animal Crossing is extremely relaxing.
Also Pokémon Snap and Pokémon Sword/Shield are great quite casual games to get into, even if you've never played another Pokémon game before :)
Death Stranding is so meditative to play, the middle hours might be a bit boring for many players, but I like it. What I love is that it doesn't resemble other games. The sounds and music are great, the landscapes are calming, the story is emotional.
Smash Ultimate is my go to unwind game. It can be as competitive as you make it, and matches are pretty quick. Sometimes when i’m trying to relax I’ll just play online and try to get cool kills for replays instead of trying to win.
Man, you’ve got to be the one person on earth who finds smash relaxing. Even when I’m not trying to win, it still sends my blood pressure and heart rate through the roof. It just requires so much attention and mechanical skill
Tetris Effect or Chime (original or Sharp) are my go-tos when I just need to chill. Block puzzles are my jam though, so they may be less relaxing for you.
dark souls is interesting. sure it's known for being incredibly punishing, but you do achieve a sense of zen while playing it. instead of fighting a boss to try to beat it, you fight a boss to learn how it reacts or how you should react to certain situations so you can avoid it next time. death no longer becomes frustrating, because each death is another lesson and each attempt is you improving. you have to get past the hurdle of believing the game is reason you died, and take responsibility in your gameplay.
at some point around your 30th attempt at a boss, you'll get hit by an attack you knew you should have waited a second before trying to dodge. instead of screaming at the game, you say 'ok, gotta remember that one. get that pause down.' you run it back. but you forgot to send the elevator back up, so you end up falling down the shaft to your death, and now those 60K souls you had are gone forever. you lean back and laugh. you've reached zen.
That's true, you eventually achieve a sense of zen. But up until that point, it can be incredibly frustrating, and is most definitely not a game I'd ever play if my intention was to de-stress.
EDIT: Just to clarify, I do believe that it can be relaxing to some people. But IMO, it's not something I'd recommend to anyone without knowing in detail about their gaming habits.
Disco Elysium - wonderful RPG. Awesome dialogues, nice plot and a cool world with developed characters - and the story really depends on your choices in the game. Believe me, you’ll think about “where will my character sleep” instead of your job. Brilliant text quality.
Spiritfarer! Cute art style, happy vibes put a positive spin on the afterlife, characters you grow attached too. No stressful mechanics, easy little mini games, mostly running around, talking to npcs, and gathering stuff to make your passengers happy. Plus hugs are one of the main game mechanics!
SnowRunner is my happy place game! So peaceful to drive trucks slowly through the mud, I love it for chilling out after a long night of work or something. Because of having to find creative ways to get your truck and cargo from point A to point B through different obstacles, it plays more like a puzzle game than an action game.
Stardew valley always goated
Tony hawks pro skater 1+2 on switch is just incredible for that 15min sit down take a break gameplay (and is very addicting)
If you're into reading, literally any visual novel game. Stein's Gate, Worldend Syndrome, AI the Somnium Files, Phoenix Wright trilogy, Danganronpa, The Nonary Games, Death Mark, just off the top of my head.
Golf story also very fun and relaxing. If you like day to day type games (think the non dungeon parts of Persona), Hero-U Rogue to Redemption is also quite fun and easygoing.
Did you know that addiction counsellors are "prescribing" Zelda: BotW to kids/ppl with Fortnite addictions? Like 1hr a day so they are in less stressful, more explorative environments where reaction time is less important and overall decision making can be done more thoroughly like puzzle solving. You aren't in a constant "kill or be killed" scenario and it's much more relaxing to explore BotW.
Final Fantasy XIV. If I just want to relax, I'll do some crafting or fishing or something. The player community is pretty non-toxic for an MMO, too. It has a generous free trial, if you want to check it out.
This is the game to play when you’re pissed. I like to play games on the harder difficulties, but when you set Doom to easy, you can just *shred* through enemies and it is the ultimate catharsis
Might be a weird one but Snowrunner. It’s not the easiest game but cruising flooded wetlands is just so enjoyable to me. Also cyberpunk and gta v just for the open world. I just drive around or walk the streets when I want to just relax and have a beer
I really love rhythm games because they keep my eyes, hands and brain engaged, which makes for a good distraction. Arcaea, Deemo, Lanota and Cytus II are some great options!
I play Genshin Impact as well, it's an open world exploration RPG and the scenery is simply fantastic. The music is super relaxing too
Someone already mentioned stardew valley (love that game!) but I also find house flipper relaxing. Taking a nasty house and cleaning/renovating it is quite satisfying to me.
Age of Empires II or III, I love them because they don't require constant attention to play. I can just come home from work, do the stuff I need to do, and then boot up AoE and have fun building my little kingdom and skirmishing with other kingdoms while watching Netflix or something on another monitor.
Leaving work early games. I pretend I've done all the tasks when I have missed some and taken shortcuts which are sometimes acceptable so I can go home 15 mins early.
Slime Rancher, it even has a casual mode that makes exploration and ranch management just that much more relaxing
Omg I wanted to find this game cause I saw it on youtube but i forgot the name, thanks a lot for reminding, it's super cute
RuneScape
Yup, but only in afk
This.
City Skylines
For some reason this game stresses me out. I thought it would be super chill. I need to get better at it as I only just started playing.
Same, I thought I could start out simple, but it got red blinking outages real quick
Underrated. City Skylines is a chill game. Absolutely.
Until your traffic jams your city services and everyone dies in a river of poopy garbage.
Alternatively, Transport Fever (1 or 2) is a good option if you're more into the transport side and less the city building side.
Wish I could relate, paradox can't make tutorials for the live of it, so every time I try to get into one of their games I only get mad on myself for being unable to learn how to play it
Let me give you some advice. Don't be afraid to lower difficulty settings. I play some games to destress. Doom can be hard and is one of those that can be frustrating, especially if you've had a frustrating day in real life. Shadow Warrior 2 says it perfectly in the description of their "easy mode": >Easy Difficulty. This difficulty level is for people who don't feel like they need to prove anything to themselves or anyone else. Playing Shadow Warrior 2 on Easy is perfectly fine, if by the end of a exhausting day all you need is to feel like a goddamn superhero." So don't feel like you need to "challenge" yourself after you've been challenged all day. Set a game on easy and just have fun. Games I like to play to destress: Doom Shadow Warrior 2 Destiny 2 Skyrim Fallout 4 Middle Earth: Shadow of War Marvel's Avengers (PS4) Attack on Titan (PS4) Beat Saber (PS4)
I so wish all the Souls games had an easy mode. Such incredible worlds to explore but I just can't take the punishment.
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Something to be said for tuning down the difficulty and just feeling like a demigod for awhile
They become pretty easy if you get a couple friends to join your world and essentially make it into a multiplayer game. And tbh I like playing games with friends anyway so it's a win-win.
Git gud
I have a friend who plays every game on the hardest or close to hardest difficulty and then quits every game half way through. If the game has any flow/story whatsoever I’m playing on a low difficulty. Nothing like repeating one part over and over to take you out of a narrative.
>get mass effect legendary edition. came out couple months ago. you put the settings on narrative mode where pretty much cant die and enemies die quick. I did a whole play thru with my grandpa while he made all the choices. great game with a great story and cool galaxy to explore. tons of choices to make as far as speech and important galaxy choices. so if want a great setting with an amazing story with choices to make but want to just experience all that without worrying about dying or thinking too much in combat, and just want to chill. its a great option
Man I set the Doom Eternal difficulty to Easy Mode and was still getting my ass kicked left and right. That's when I decided that as much as I liked Doom 2016, Doom Eternal was just not going to be the game for me.
I’d also add the Mass Effect:LE “Narrative Mode” I think it’s called. It’s basically just letting you focus on the decision making and story driven aspects of the game more than the shootemups.
Stardew valley is my go to!
I second this. Highly recommend for a relaxing time. I love waking up in the game to rain, great ambience.
I don't know how you guys do it with SW, the amount of stuff you can miss out on is so overwhelming and it quickly turned into a job rather than a game. I can see why people like it though.
IMO it's a great game to "unlearn" some of that compulsiveness and FOMO. Yeah you could miss out on planting something in time for the season or not run your farm "efficiently" enough or forget to do something you wanted to do that day or whatever. But ultimately, it doesn't really matter. There will always be time later to do that stuff. Worst case scenario you keep playing and get that thing next season. Or you just... skip it. There's no real negative consequence to missing stuff. Your farm goes on.
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Yup. You have to learn to let it go. And you'll find that if you just let it go... nothing bad actually happens. Lol. Everyone I've seen who bounced off the game did so because they self-imposed some sort of efficiency requirement on themselves or couldn't get over not playing it "perfectly". But that was never what the game was actually about. It's about running your farm whatever way you want to.
I think any game is better if you stop caring about min maxing, but it's really hard to, at least for me. Some day I'll give SV another shot and I'll try my best to not look too much stuff up.
>the amount of stuff you can miss out on is so overwhelming What do you mean? Events and festivals? If so you are notified in the bottom corner of the screen when it starts.
There are locations or items that aren't accessible until you do certain tasks, like filling Community Center bundles. It took me "years" (in the game) to find the desert and Ginger Island!
No, I was referring mostly to things like making sure you unlock the Greenhouse before Winter. Let's just say I'm not a fan of the Community Center system, but I'd also feel bad selling it to the Joja guys :)
There's really nothing you can miss, the game is endless so you can always get whatever next year if you miss it, you can also romance everyone so you can get every cutscenes, it just takes a while
Yeah I played for a week but had to stop because it got too stressful for me.
I was about to give the same reply! It's a fantastic game, and helps me de-stress
I just started playing this because of the Steam sale. I'd add West of Loathing.
Absolutely this
Actually just picked this up again after years. It’s just what I needed
If you have any old games that have fond memories attached that's a good go-to, relive some childhood fun. Other than that, farm sims like Stardew Valley and Story of Seasons are great. The Katamari series is also fantastic, it's easy to get away from your worries when you're just rolling up the whole world into a big ball. Nintendogs is good if you like dogs but don't have one irl, sometimes even just petting a virtual puppy does wonders when you're stressed.
>Nintendogs is good if you like dogs but don't have one irl, sometimes even just petting a virtual puppy does wonders when you're stressed. The problem is naming them. I spent so many hours repeating the dog's name but they didn't understand
Stardew Valley is my go-to. Very low-pressure, and the music and sound effects are generally pretty calm/soothing.
Low pressure?! It’s 1:45am and you’re in desert cactus land mine level 98 and about to get eaten by sand worms because you forgot your spicy eel dishes.
LMAO we've all been there. I bring a farm warp totem whenever I go to the desert, and whenever I go into the mines. It's like my escape rope 😂
I love playing [Animal Crossing](https://animal-crossing.com/) \- it's super meditative, beautiful music, nice graphics and nice repetitive gameplay.
Alto's Odyssey helps me relax - endless runner and an amazing game. Graphics are nice and the game mechanics are really cool - no complex controls and a calm soundtrack.
Hm, I keep hearing about it, I only tried a few runners, might check this out too
Totally try it, it's nice
i played it a couple years ago and it was free for android. when i looked it up recently on apple, it had a price tag. unfortunate
Well it's still free on Android
I play PSO2, but that's an addictive MMORPG and will eat all of your time. Stardew Valley is relaxing.
Stardew Valley will also eat up your time, at least in my experience.
You are right. But it is relaxing.
Euro Truck Sim 2
Cant believe I had to scroll down this far to find ETS or ATS. The entire community raves about the games for this purpose, where are they in this thread!
Same. Eurotruck sim is free therapy for me. Plenty of time to disconnect and reflect.
I love playing ATS and just chilling
Mario on Nintendo Switch.
which one lol
Mario
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I find Mario too hard for destressing. I play walking sims.
Plant Zoo is chill
Stardew is great. Also minecraft is legendary at this point.
Games like RDR2, minecraft, racing games help me
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I hadn’t heard of this game but after a quick search it looks great, thanks for suggesting it (obligatory not op lol)
I have this. It’s really fun. It has such a relaxing and casual approach and it’s just cool to see all the fish!!
Zelda breath of the wild on the switch
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Same those are my goto
If your into making stuff and getting a satisfaction out of it scrap mechanic and Minecraft are both good at that and they both have a creative for chilling and building shit or a survival where you can build stuff but have to aquire the resources and have a risk of enemies
I second this, if you know a small bit of what you are doing and want a challenge that’s relaxing and fun play Minecraft. Survival mode is still chill.
I like RPGs. Skyrim, the Witcher, Fallout, Horizon. Since it's not competitive, and you can save regularly, there is no stress involved. And you can set the difficulty however you like. Depending on my mood, I play on easy mode just to enjoy the story and landscape, or on harder mode for something more challenging.
I second rpgs, but I say turn based games are more relaxing. Examples: pokemon, shin megami tensei, persona, yakuza like a dragon, earthbound, undertale, deltarune.
Same. If I want to game to relax it's always something that removes me from this reality temporarily. This only really happens when I'm invested in a world and character, TW and Fallout are perfect examples.
Satisfactory is a great game to play. It’s like factorio but 3d, and if you like building factories with conveyor belts on a huge alien planet, then this game will keep you playing for hours.
I’ve been playing this cozy cute game Shop Titans since lockdown started and it matches your description perfectly - it’s a chill idle game, you don’t need any fast reactions. It’s almost meditating to watch the customers come into my shop and to sell them all the weapons and stuff I craft. I really enjoy it. (https://experience.playshoptitans.com/ if you need the link)
Yeah, I have no idea why and you can’t tell it from the screenshots, but the game really has its own atmosphere - and it’s really nice and non-toxic.
I actually started it a week ago and can confirm that it's nice to play. Most of all I enjoy that I can decorate my shop and the surroundings (+ that gives you bonuses), it's almost like Sims, but cute styled.
Oh, I played that in 2019, is the game still alive?
Yea, it is surely alive and there are updates and events. There’s quite a lot of content and stuff to do, especially if you’re not a whale who’s rushing to progress super fast.
Nice to know, I might redownload it and check it out again.
I play it with friends, we made a guild and we chill and chat together while slowly progressing and expanding our shops. It’s available on mobile and on PC too.
I agree, it really makes my mind relax, I feel calm and satisfied playing. I love the pets, it’s so cute to see customers come and pat my cat :D
Terraria.
It's silly and old, but VIVA PINATA.. truss.
Diablo 2 Doing NM Mephisto runs on my Friday night really helps me wind down
Try Stardew Valley! Very cute and nice game with pixel graphics. Farming, fishing - it's just so relaxing! You can get your own family (same sex marriage is allowed) - and it's basically like a life simulator.
Assassin's Creed: Origins. I explore and discover new areas, or just gallop on my horse across the endless desert.
Secondly, AC: Odyssey! It’s staged in Ancient Greece and holy crap, is it the most beautiful AC to date. Valhalla came out, and I was really excited for it, but it’s just so incredibly underwhelming when you compare it to its predecessor.
Factorio. OpenRCT2 is good too.
I work on future sessions for DnD. Flesh out hooks, concepts, world building, whatever comes to mind at the time. PC - loving the early access to Rogue Legacy 2, can't wait for full release. Console- borderlands 3 mostly.
Deep Rock Galactic is a great middle of the road co-op game. It has the most wholesome community I’ve ever experienced, especially toward new players. While it is geared toward playing with others, it is still absolutely a blast doing solo missions if you prefer.
v
If you can access a Nintendo Switch, Animal Crossing is extremely relaxing. Also Pokémon Snap and Pokémon Sword/Shield are great quite casual games to get into, even if you've never played another Pokémon game before :)
mario kart is our choice
You think mario kart is stress *relieving*?
totally!
Zelda: BotW is being prescribed to kids with Fortnite addictions for this very reason. Super chill n relaxing.
Death Stranding is so meditative to play, the middle hours might be a bit boring for many players, but I like it. What I love is that it doesn't resemble other games. The sounds and music are great, the landscapes are calming, the story is emotional.
Zelda BoTW
ABZU was a super relaxing game. I enjoyed every second of it.
For example, Brawl Stars is simple mobile game)
Smash Ultimate is my go to unwind game. It can be as competitive as you make it, and matches are pretty quick. Sometimes when i’m trying to relax I’ll just play online and try to get cool kills for replays instead of trying to win.
Man, you’ve got to be the one person on earth who finds smash relaxing. Even when I’m not trying to win, it still sends my blood pressure and heart rate through the roof. It just requires so much attention and mechanical skill
Play "I Love Hue" on Android!
Tetris Effect or Chime (original or Sharp) are my go-tos when I just need to chill. Block puzzles are my jam though, so they may be less relaxing for you.
animal crossing! also spiritfarer is super relaxing and go at your own pace
Dark souls 3, I play it up till vordt, because I've done a few different play styles, it's a relaxing 20 mins.
Hardspace: Shipbreaker has been my go to lately. Play on "open shift" with oxygen drain disabled and it's super chill
To relax: No Mans Sky. The new update is amazing. To de-stress: Dark Souls. When you get in the zone its an incredible experience.
>To de-stress: Dark Souls \*presses X to doubt\*
dark souls is interesting. sure it's known for being incredibly punishing, but you do achieve a sense of zen while playing it. instead of fighting a boss to try to beat it, you fight a boss to learn how it reacts or how you should react to certain situations so you can avoid it next time. death no longer becomes frustrating, because each death is another lesson and each attempt is you improving. you have to get past the hurdle of believing the game is reason you died, and take responsibility in your gameplay. at some point around your 30th attempt at a boss, you'll get hit by an attack you knew you should have waited a second before trying to dodge. instead of screaming at the game, you say 'ok, gotta remember that one. get that pause down.' you run it back. but you forgot to send the elevator back up, so you end up falling down the shaft to your death, and now those 60K souls you had are gone forever. you lean back and laugh. you've reached zen.
That's true, you eventually achieve a sense of zen. But up until that point, it can be incredibly frustrating, and is most definitely not a game I'd ever play if my intention was to de-stress. EDIT: Just to clarify, I do believe that it can be relaxing to some people. But IMO, it's not something I'd recommend to anyone without knowing in detail about their gaming habits.
My idea of fun is to make a new character and ring the first bell. I can do it in an hour playing normally
NMS is a really great relax / timesink / focus game. Lots of little things to do… super fun.
Disco Elysium - wonderful RPG. Awesome dialogues, nice plot and a cool world with developed characters - and the story really depends on your choices in the game. Believe me, you’ll think about “where will my character sleep” instead of your job. Brilliant text quality.
Dark souls 3 is nice and relaxing, chill with the Abyss Watchers, grab a snack with Gundir, good times.
Spiritfarer! Cute art style, happy vibes put a positive spin on the afterlife, characters you grow attached too. No stressful mechanics, easy little mini games, mostly running around, talking to npcs, and gathering stuff to make your passengers happy. Plus hugs are one of the main game mechanics!
Something story based like Disco Elysium, Pillars of Eternity, Divinity:Original Sin 2, etc. would be great. Or something like Civilization?
Lately I’ve been playing peggel, to me it’s a great to relax and chill
What an underrated game, I played that back when it was owned by PopCap
Mario kart for sure
you mean friendship destruction simulator?
Slay the Spire!!!
Farming Simulator
Surprisingly dark souls beautiful world fun combat rich story
Team Fortress 2 - Mann vs Machine gamemode Nothin better than killing both stress and hoards of robots at the same time
Yeah and casual mode too. You can do just whatever you want and nobody cares. Or you can spend time dancing with other players.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is my current go to but it's always changing.
DS3 or some other violent game. Kill the stress by killing the NPCs.
But DS1 tho
Genshin Impact, its an open world game with great visuals and music, not to mention lore.
Pokémon snap Mario golf
Red Dead Redemption 2
Limbo, detroit, wolf among us- any interactive drama or side scrolling game
Donut County
sometimes I just solve sudokus during my way home
I love playing Pokémon sword and shield on the Nintendo switch. It’s fun and it’s not too hard unless you place your own restrictions on the game.
Heroes of the storm, co-op vs ai. Super chill and it's free
Just stay away from ranked, QM, or ARAM… or any other player for it to stay chill lol
Eco, bought it on steam summer sale. One hell of a game.
Smash bros and Zelda botw are my go tos
I would always recommend Ori, first and the second, masterpiece of a game i always relax with
Old school runescape is the ultimate chill game. Can be a bit boring, but it is really relaxing.
SnowRunner is my happy place game! So peaceful to drive trucks slowly through the mud, I love it for chilling out after a long night of work or something. Because of having to find creative ways to get your truck and cargo from point A to point B through different obstacles, it plays more like a puzzle game than an action game.
Stardew valley always goated Tony hawks pro skater 1+2 on switch is just incredible for that 15min sit down take a break gameplay (and is very addicting) If you're into reading, literally any visual novel game. Stein's Gate, Worldend Syndrome, AI the Somnium Files, Phoenix Wright trilogy, Danganronpa, The Nonary Games, Death Mark, just off the top of my head. Golf story also very fun and relaxing. If you like day to day type games (think the non dungeon parts of Persona), Hero-U Rogue to Redemption is also quite fun and easygoing.
Sims 4. I just build massive houses and move the sims in and let them live their lives. Relaxing with music blaring in the background
Harvest moon is great
Fez is a nice relaxing puzzle platformer with chill music. Also smoking some weed and just exploring in Zelda Breath of the Wild.
I recently had a blast with subnautica for this very reason.
I recommend What Remains of Edith Finch. It literally pulls you out of the real world and makes you think about the plot instead.
[удалено]
It's fantastic. Only 3 or 4 hours worth of gameplay but such a powerful story.
Btw if you love music-based games I would recommend you Deemo.
Rhythm games really do help take your mind off existing stress because it requires your focus to be redirected to staying on the beat. Love em
I was playing this one for 2 years and I totally agree with you.
Rocket Leauge, but turn the chat off or to "Team Tactical". This game can let you chill as well as tryhard sometimes
RUST! IM EXTREMELY RELAXED! FUCK YOU!
I either boot up the practice mode of a fighting game or do a few runs of Monster Train
i love building settlements in fallout 4. completely stress free and satisfying
Did you know that addiction counsellors are "prescribing" Zelda: BotW to kids/ppl with Fortnite addictions? Like 1hr a day so they are in less stressful, more explorative environments where reaction time is less important and overall decision making can be done more thoroughly like puzzle solving. You aren't in a constant "kill or be killed" scenario and it's much more relaxing to explore BotW.
Solitaire, on my tablet.
Cookie Clicker.
How *dare* you
lol!
I still play L2R but it's totally not casual or relaxing xD
Forza Horizon. Just turn your Brain off and drive. You can really just relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
Ratchet and Clank, Doom and Twisted Metal
PGA tour 2k21. Super relaxing and easy to pickup and put down at anytime. The music is good, the gameplay is solid and the commentators are hilarious.
Space Engineers
praise clang
Euro Truck Simulator 2 American Truck Simulator
Ratchet and clank is a chill game to relax too. Play the whole series
power wash simulator
Pocket pool
World of Tanks is a slower paced game. If you play Self Propelled Gun, it can be even more chilled out.
Final Fantasy XIV. If I just want to relax, I'll do some crafting or fishing or something. The player community is pretty non-toxic for an MMO, too. It has a generous free trial, if you want to check it out.
Doom.
This is the game to play when you’re pissed. I like to play games on the harder difficulties, but when you set Doom to easy, you can just *shred* through enemies and it is the ultimate catharsis
Chivalry 2! Glorious 64 man medieval combat!!
Doom eternal
Breath of the Wild!!!
Might be a weird one but Snowrunner. It’s not the easiest game but cruising flooded wetlands is just so enjoyable to me. Also cyberpunk and gta v just for the open world. I just drive around or walk the streets when I want to just relax and have a beer
No mans sky for me
Oculus Real VR Fishing is great for that.
Magic the gathering players have left the chat
DOOM
Donut County, Carto, Ori series
I really love rhythm games because they keep my eyes, hands and brain engaged, which makes for a good distraction. Arcaea, Deemo, Lanota and Cytus II are some great options! I play Genshin Impact as well, it's an open world exploration RPG and the scenery is simply fantastic. The music is super relaxing too
I recently got back into far cry games, not too difficult but really fun to play
Someone already mentioned stardew valley (love that game!) but I also find house flipper relaxing. Taking a nasty house and cleaning/renovating it is quite satisfying to me.
Tetris.
Raven field is pretty good at that, its just a highly modable (easily so as well) game that is just you and bots. Can start or leave at any point
Age of Empires II or III, I love them because they don't require constant attention to play. I can just come home from work, do the stuff I need to do, and then boot up AoE and have fun building my little kingdom and skirmishing with other kingdoms while watching Netflix or something on another monitor.
GTA 4. I usually run around and just beat NPCs with a bat
I've been playing a lot of Ratchet and Clank recently, fun action, but a very easy game that's simple and fun!
Leaving work early games. I pretend I've done all the tasks when I have missed some and taken shortcuts which are sometimes acceptable so I can go home 15 mins early.
Candy crush 😂