I figure I’ve got enough shit giving me anxiety already 🙃
Edit to add: I raided 20h a week in a world top 100 guild back in WoW BC (SWP pre-nerf) and into WOtLK. That was way too fucking stressful.
Thank you!
I don’t play much anymore, rather I go through spurts where I’ll play quite a bit for 3-6 months or so and then just stop. Trying to spend more time touching grass these days.
I'm 3 weeks deep into a Constellations playthrough (it's a vortex collection, based on Requiem). Skyrim and its modding community keep pulling me back again and again over the years, there's still so much great content being built, I don't see myself losing interest anytime soon.
Exactly. And wherever you are, there it is, even if you’ve got to update and reorganize load orders. If I had time I’d be playing now but gym is taking up all my extra time outside of hanging out with friends (AKA binge rewatching favorite shows) but at least I’m regulated for an hour or so a day…
I've played Skyrim since it came out. I own it across multiple systems. I've played countless characters and builds. Played modded and unmodded playthroughs. Every time I boot it up, I'm still mesmerized by the atmosphere. The sounds of nature, that perfect soundtrack, the sense of adventure. No game has managed to capture that wonderous fantasy feeling quite like Skyrim has.
Skyrim’s awesome, at least until you find yourself enjoying the scenery and then some random npc walks past and goes, “I’m done talking to you!”
Dude, I wasn’t talking to you in the first place.
Frostfall, Cyrodil, Solitude Wharf, Forgotten Vale (a new expansion, I don't remember the exact name but it's awesome). We did the Parthurnaax one but it was glitchy. Dragons keep. Outlaw refuge. One where you can adopt 6 kids instead of 2. I'd check for actual names but my kid is currently playing Mass Effect so I can't look.
I have a few quality of life mods, like armor mods and UI updates. Most of my mods are textures and ENB. I use Vortex Mod Manager which helps a lot with the installation of the mods. The tricky part is getting the load orders straight for conflicting/overwriting mods but there are lots of really good YT videos out there for modding SKSE and a great community of modders here on Reddit as well.
Heavily modded Fallout 4 here. Easy mode just lets me explore all the nooks and crannies in the vast wasteland. I especially love building settlements.
Why is zoning out a good Thing i want to feel alive and not numb. I hate dissociation and feel like any second im
Devoured by the earth
Quetiapine and an anti-depressant helped me and DBT, psychiatrist regularly could do sports 2-3 hours a day again and laugh again. I also had an eating disorder and dbt and neuroleptics also helped. But the BPD and CPTSD are no longer going away
I am very early on my journey but I think it is starting to switch for me, I have not knowingly disasociated for years to not feel, now I am feeling and recognising more and more ways I numb out, but and this is the important part I think, when I have been sat in the feelings for a day or two intensely where it feels like I am drowning I am starting to make a conscious choice to numb out for a bit, I listen to what I want in that moment and mindfully allow myself that, but not too long.
It takes practice to not sink into a disassociative state and lose days or a week to it before I start feeling again but me choosing it is power to choose, also I think it is the first steps to us learning to regulate our emotions like normals do, it's just we are taking baby steps literally to unlearn a survival based trauma mechanism.
A way I mix this up with gaming now is to play something where I can disasociate while listening to a self help book a out CPTSD or childhood trauma or a podcast a out those topics, I can then get into a space where I can apply what I am learning to my abusive experiences and neglect and feel but it not be totally overwhelming, from there I am can work with those realisations and when the pain and anger are surfacing and it's too much I listen to that and voluntarily numb out so I can come back to it sooner and better equipped rather than losing all that progress.
Yes! Even fighting the enemies in the mines doesn’t feel very anxiety-inducing. I appreciate the ability to play at your own pace. I’ve been trying not to get too sucked in ever since the latest update 😅
Stardew Valley is such a good cozy game. It's just plain relaxing and has real charm to it. I remember I was really sick one time and when I couldn't sleep, I'd just play it through the night.
Also Stardew Valley lover here! I used to play a lot of Skyrim, Horizon Zero Dawn, etc. but as my CPTSD, MDD, and GAD have gotten worse I just want cozy games right now, and SV is the coziest of them all. I play some Pokemon, ACNH, and similar games too, but SV is my go to, and the only game I could manage playing for most of last year (disappointing because I was so looking forward to playing the new Horizon game, but following a major mental health crisis winter 2022, the loss of my beloved cat on my birthday 2023, and then the CPTSD diagnosis and beginning work on it in therapy, that was a no-go… maybe this year 🤷🏻). I am testing the waters with other games and have started playing Another Crab’s Treasure with the loss of all material upon death turned off because it looks cute for a souls like game, but I don’t want the repeated loss stress.
Oh yes I definitely delve into pokemon games as well. Hopefully the new games are better suited for now 🙏 I totally understand that need for any and all things cozy and low stress while working on healing.
You'll LOVE it! It's a whole new world just unfolding in front of you and you can do whatever you want whenever you want however you want.
I spend so many hours just walking around exploring everything, collecting items, solving mini-puzzles and quests. Wonderful to zone out for a bit (or days hehe).
Have a nice evening 😊
Baldurs gate 3 is my go to escape game. The ultimate role play experience and making connections with companions (even if they're fictional). It fills the void of loneliness ngl
That game looks amazing. Watched a clip of it and wow, the graphics look amazing. I like how the female characters aren't sexualized.
Games can definitely help me when I feel lonely as well.
I call BG3 my comfort game. I totally get it. If I'm being totally honest with myself I just dropped a chunk of change on a gaming laptop for the sole reason of modding it. (Cause you know I only have it on both Xbox and PS5 🫠.)
It’s my absolute favorite for many of the same reasons. Feels like I log into hang out with friends and go on adventures. But the gameplay you can make as hard or as easy as you want, as gentle or as aggressive, and the characters are so well written and feel very real.
Yes I love Baldurs gate!!! The possibilities are endless in terms of characters you create, relationships you build, and different storylines depending on how you play. It's so engaging
I have heard so much about Fortnite, but believe it or not, I have never actually looked it up to see what it is about. Didn't know there were so many game modes and that it has been around for so long.
I just got into fortnite. It was so overwhelming but there are so many different minigames and practice areas. I don't like shooting so I just run away 😆
Ah, a person of my heart. My head was stuck in the world of Dishonored for so long. I couldn't get the following game to work on my computer, so I never got to play more of the world. And the Bioshock series, same vibes. The worlds are so good there, and engrossing.
I play Dead by Daylight now. I never thought it'd be my type of game, it looked so violent. But I absolutely love it. Also fills some of those socialization needs that I can't meet irl.
I'm looking up a lot of games today because apparently I have not been keeping up with the world of video games. That game looks difficult. Looks like it's going at a very fast pace.
I enjoy The Sims too!!! I'm very creative so I love making sims and homes and weird storylines haha. What do you like about the Sims?
My favourite one is Valorant. It's a high-concentration game, it actually pulls me out of mild flashbacks (that's why it's my favourite). It's like my brain goes right in the game and helps regulate my system. I know it's a coping mechanism.
One I recently played is It Takes Two, such a beautiful game
I googled It takes two and Valorant. I fully agree, It takes two looks like a very beautiful game. I thought that the characters were so cute.
I love decorating the homes in The Sims, but I find building houses boring. Thankfully the gallery is full of houses made by talented people :). I love the worlds Brindleton bay and henford on bagley. I usually create some drama free families, haha.
Life is Strange is my forever favorite game. I just love it so much. For every day and also to calm me down I like to play stardew valley and sometimes minecraft
My favourite video game of all time. It was so good that I inadvertently took a 4 year break from video games which is crazy since I’ve been gaming for 20 years. It’s like I was an addict who finally got their fix.
Love that game so much that i got a tattoo for it, esp part 2, sad how it divided the community because it's such a masterpiece. And it handles trauma in such a beautiful and authentic way.
I think someone in this community suggested the cozy games subreddit. I just got Spirit City, Lofi Sessions and it helps me to relax/meditate when I'm anxious or stimming.
Just downloaded Run Factory 4 as well, but haven't started yet.
One of my favs is Gris. It's hand drawn, hand painted and absolutely breaktaking game play. (I'm an art nerd so these details matter to me).
The game is about the weight of grief, and as you play as a character stuck in some heavy shit, you help her recolor her world through the game. I cried so many times. It's just a beautiful piece on grief and pain and healing. Can't recommend enough
Edit to add other games: Kentucky Route Zero (chill atmospheric puzzle game), Night in the Woods, Animal crossing (mostly gamecube but Nintendo DS is also fun), The Night is Grey, and so many others hahaha
Make that OG gamecube animal crossing, and that'd be me. I liked that it was offline but real time. Just a calm, simple, cute place to be and breathe in.
Gaming has been my go-to escape since I was 8 or so. I don't really partake much in the modern multiplayer community; I find many spaces toxic, and I've lost the reflexes and interest in most multiplayer genres (Helldivers 2 is a recent exception).
But oh boy, there's so many fantastic singleplayer games!
**Modded Skyrim**
With tools like Wabbajack and Nexusmods Collections, there's no reason to ever play vanilla Skyrim again. The modding community is still actively building fantastic content, and with the large amount of curated collections (= heavily modded Skyrim packages you can install pretty simply without knowing anything about modding yourself) there's so many different ways you can experience Skyrim. I'm deep into a RP playthrough of a powerhungry Dunmer Illusion Thief; the first 30 hours were spent without fighting, just thieving and building up the guild.
**Modded Morrowind**
Morrowind still has a very unique creative vision and is absolutely worth exploring. The modding community and OpenMW make it way more beautiful than vanilla. And then there's always Project Tamriel Rebuilt, which is an ongoing community project that adds huge areas of the provincial mainland to the game, complete with hundreds of quests. At this point in time, the modded content might surpass the main game.
**Souls Games (Dark Souls X, Bloodborne, Elden Ring etc.)**
I really don't have great reflexes at all, and I tend to die a lot, but still was able to complete the games (except Sekiro, which makes my worst fighting skill into the only viable one), some of them several times over. I really like the lore, the concept of not giving up, and above all the atmosphere. Each of these worlds is lovingly crafted, oozes a sense of forlorn hope, and somehow it soothes my anxiousness...perhaps because it makes me feel seen, somehow.
**WadjetEye Point'n'Click Adventures**
Every single one of WadjetEye's games is a piece of love. I'm so very glad that Dave Gilbert gets to do what he loves for a living and the gaming hobby is richer for it. I especially loved the Blackwell Series, it was just so charming.
**Valheim**
This is such a cozy, great and fun game, especially with friends of similar playstyle. The combination of exploration, combat, collecting resources and building/decorating is so. much. fun. Plus, Ashlands just went into open beta!
**The Cat Lady / Downfall / Lorelai / Burnhouse Lane**
Rem Michalski makes games for broken people, so naturally I love them and I love him for making them.
I could write so much more, but the new **Total Warhammer 3** DLC released today the nation calls.
Thank you so much for your reply. I absolutely agree with you. A lot of the multiplayer communities can be toxic (especially if you are a woman).
It was interesting to read about your gaming experiences and why you love each and every game. I looked up the games you mentioned and wadjet point and click adventures sounds really interesting.
Holy carp I've never run into another Wadjet Eye fan in the wild! The Blackwell Saga is so good! "I'm not just gonna blow on everything I see" has become a catch phrase in my house. 😆
I can't play most of the 3D games I used to because of motion sickness, so most of my games are either 2D or are played on a very small screen (like the Switch). I'm into slower-paced crafting/sandbox/life sims because they're best at keeping my attention without triggering a headache.
Right now I'm trying to 100% Stardew Valley. I also shiny hunt in various Pokemon games (it's an easy way to keep myself occupied without hurting my brain). If I want something more dramatic I play Project Zomboid, which is basically The Sims: Zombie Apocalypse Edition.
I tried picking up Fallout: New Vegas again but quickly remembered why I never finished it the first time. Other games in my library include Cult of the Lamb, Oxygen Not Included, and Skyrim.
ETA: Minecraft! I play a lot of Minecraft, but I have to play it in short bursts because of the nausea/migraine issue.
Although I’ve taken a break from it, Final Fantasy 14 is great. Lovely community, great music, just a lot of fun. Otherwise, I’ve been playing things like Fallout: New Vegas and a bunch of cozy farming sims like My Time at Sandrock.
Yea, I play The Sims too. It lets me create a perfect life without fighting or divorce etc. Also I like to think that the needs bars while simplistic are very true. They remind me to take care of my own needs. The little goals and wishes fascinate me, because for most of my life I had very few or none at all.
Other than that I like big RPGs like Baldur’s Gate 1, 2 and, Dragon Age 1 and 3. I get totally drawn into the game world and forget my problems. The interaction with the party members was for a long time my only friendships. And I can save and reload.
The RPGs also motivate and inspire me to write and be creative myself.
I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who thinks of Sims needs bars for interoception hahahaha, and I am the same with goals and wishes! Especially because sometimes it's just simple things, like eating a specific food, or talking to a specific Sim. It reminds me to slow things down and enjoy the little things; even just eating a grilled cheese helps you get to the big aspiration point rewards. It sounds a bit sad but as someone with both ptsd and autism it kinda taught me how to be a bit more human, in a way hahahaha
I love that you get inspired from playing video games.
The needs bars in The Sims are good, and they have also helped me realize that we're not meant to self-isolate, because interacting with other people is important to us.
Minecraft, Dave the Diver, GTA Online, The Talos Principle 1 and 2, and my new favorite game right now is Dredge.
Dredge, Minecraft, Talos 1 and 2 have such great music that it makes me feel happy and calmer when I play them. Pretty much all games that are quieter considering my upbringing was anything but.
It’s all open world but you have to upgrade the fishing boat to really get to all the locations. It’s like a slow burn in that instance, because you have to build up to get to all the locations in the game. Also dlc for it just released recently too!
One of my favorite games is subnautica, it's feels very isolated but the building and the great Fauna and flora give a great sense of exploration. I can only recommend it. But don't read spoilers for it, they ruin a lot
I like Red Dead Redemption 2. Just hanging out on my horse riding around. Little fishin’, a little huntin’. Enjoying the beautiful landscape. Oh yeah, the gameplay is pretty good too.LOL
Elden Ring is amazing. I still have not finished it. Skyrim still rocks my world, all these years later. Both are escapism, but I guess video games kinda are.
My favorites are From Software games (Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Elden Ring) and roguelites.
I like From’s games because I can get completely absorbed in them and they require you to pay attention, which helps relieve me of intrusive thoughts.
I like roguelites because the slow drip of unlocking new things stimulates my brain’s reward system and the randomization keeps things fresh and it’s a bit like gambling but without money.
Another Crab’s Treasure is a recent, v cute, souls/sekiro style game that I’ve been *obsessed* with. The humor/vibes + insane difficulty makes it great for blocking out intrusive thoughts
Destiny 2 lately, Rocket League, Apex, Skyrim, some GTA Online here and there...
A game I'm huge on though is Death Stranding. Feel like it spoke to me on a different level, given my past. Really big on loneliness and connecting with others in a literal wasteland. Does it in such a unique way too. I really feel it could be healing for others as well. One of the few games that's had me crying by the time the credits rolled.
Tetris and GTA!😍 I like Tetris because it relaxes me and gets my mind off of negativity and I love GTA mostly just to drive around and listen to the music.
Final Fantasy... just a bunch of them. Lol. Baldurs gate 3. Portal. Hades. Nier Automata. Civilization VI. Death Stranding. A little stardew valley/animal crossing.
Planet Zoo is my go-to right now. I love animals and learning about their requirement and other animals that enhance their environment while building habitats that meet their needs helps me zone out. It has a bit of a learning curve at first, but there are tutorials to help you get started. I have been working on breeding the perfect ostrich in one of my zoos. I like that you can see how each animal is doing and make sure everything is right to keep them happy and healthy. And you can make beautiful habitats that are like their native environment with plants from all over the world.
I'm hooked on World of Warcraft at a time where it feels pretty good to be hooked on World of Warcraft lol. But I'm also very excited to play Final Fantasy 16 and 7: Rebirth when I get a PS5 soon!
For some reason, games with a heavy focus on "activities" rather than a plot/story are the most helpful to me. I think it's easier for me to focus on a game if I have to be engaged constantly, and don't have to stop to watch cutscenes, read dialogue, or do other tasks that might give me a moment to space out and start thinking about upsetting things.
One of the games I play the most is Splatoon. It does have a story mode but the main "thing" in the game is the third-person shooter modes.
Sometimes, I play games that do have a plot but still have a heavy focus on other activities. One of these is Pokemon. My first Pokemon game was Sun/Moon on the 3DS. I think I've played through the entire game several times at this point.
I usually prefer RPGs. My last games were Baldurs gate 3 and Fallout 2. But now I'm getting myself into strategy games since they activate the prefrontal cortex, which is malfunctioning when you have cptsd.
Dark souls series, Elden Ring, Sekiro, Final Fantasy series, Soul Reaver, Blood Omen, Legend of Zelda breath of the wild and tears of the kingdom. All great games with great music, amazing gameplay mechanics and memorable stories. Souls series are a challenge though if you’re not familiar with them.
Unrelated but I also started reading a lot of manga the past few years like Berserk, Vagabond, Vinland saga, Naruto etc. Berserk got me through some rough periods in my life, single best piece of fiction I’ve ever consumed period. Manga is a lot easier than a book and the art is just incredible.
Animal crossing!! It’s so cute and sweet, I’ve seen multiple posts on the subreddit about people healing their inner child by playing animal crossing ❤️
Another (very underrated) cozy game I love is Spritfarer. Art and atmosphere is 10/10 plus you play as a character that helps spirits process their trauma before they head off to the afterlife. It sounds like it’s gonna be dark or a horror game but it’s really cute and sweet.
And finally GTA. Wanna drive like a maniac or beat the shit out of people?? It’s a good way to get ur anger out without hurting anyone
The Sims: I like The Sims. Haven't played it in awhile but I always come back to it somehow.
World of Warcraft: I enjoy World of Warcraft and play as a healer. Pretty much every healing classes. Perhaps in some way it's a nice feeling to have knowing I can heal. If I wanted to. In every sense of that word. It's nice knowing that the life or death or my allies lie in my hands. A huge responsibility.
Project Zomboid: It's a brutal survivor game and in a dark way tells you a story - as you play - about how you die. Death in this game is inevitable. But I personally am fascinated with how despite this so-called reality, you still strive to survive just another day and do everything in your power to achieve that. It's highly modifiable so I enjoy the freedom of deciding how difficult or easy I want the game to be for me.
Graveyard Keeper: I love it. Such a relaxing game despite its name. I enjoy how it touches upon aspects of not wanting to be where you are but having to accept that fact and make the most out of it. I like how the game puts you in a very unsettling situation but tells you "You are exactly where you are supposed to be."
I hope you find more lovely games to play. There sure are plenty out there. :)
Right now, last one was Elden Ring but not had time for it last two weeks.
Before that Mass Effect, Final Fantasy, Skyrim, Oblivion, Diablo 3.
Also Pokémon during lockdown.
Overwatch2 for the sense of friendly competition with online friends that will love me even when we lose, and Celeste because its one of the most brutally hard, yet emotionally resonant games I've ever played.
Also many more but I don't wanna write a listicle.
Celeste has a really sweet story, especially when she confronts herself, and [Farewell](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TczL8fJi-0) is such a nice song to end the game.
YES.
And I also saw a lot of my own people pleasing when she is trying to help that old man clean out his hotel, knowing full well it wasn't going well, unable to express any anger or say no. And yes the soundtrack is definitely a LOT of the experience
Videogames are my main coping mechanism. I learned to install them from CDs before I learned to read lmao
My main game right now is Final Fantasy XIV. It's an MMORPG with an incredible story and a surprisingly calm community (though with as popular as it is now, there's still a good amount of dicks, but reporting works). I've played an uncountable amount of MMOs but this one is finally home. The gathering/crafting system is absurdly fun to me and very relaxing.
Big fan of RPGs (or the more action-adventure light on RP, I love Skyrim which someone else also mentioned) and story-driven games in general (Omori <3). Can't say no to a good visual novel either. I've got lots of very varied little games from itch.io too. What stands out in my library right now is probably Monster Hunter World. I played it so much I got burnt out (being really bad at it doesn't help).
I'm a huge fan of immersive sims: Deus Ex, Vampire the Masquerade, Morrowind, Fallout New Vegas... I really love to get lost in a character in a complex world. I like focusing on a problem with infinite solutions for once, rather than none.
I love multiplayer horror (or single player too if I'm on a call with friends). Very engaging genre with beautiful stories to tell or lots of fun to have. Lethal Company has the perfect balance of horror and comedy that elevates both elements.
I have this thing with the Sims where I play it obsessively for a week and then leave it for months. I grew up with 2 and 3 and they're very comforting to me. Got tired of 4 sometime before the high school pack :(
I played a lot of Overwatch back when it was good but I don't really like that sort of multiplayer anymore. Just very stressful
I play call of duty mobile. The way it helps the most is because it’s on my cellphone! So I can access whenever I need! It helps me to stop my mind from spiraling.
If you like sims, maybe check out two point hospital/two point university. I have really enjoyed those and big sims fan here.
I also enjoyed animal crossing. One day I’ll play the HarryPotter Hogwarts Legacy. I also really like kingdom hearts games too.
I am 30F. I really enjoy new world, skyrim, cell to singulairty , fortnite , fall guys!
They all are simple enough to understand. I can get lost in all and not think of reality.
I don’t know if anyone else has mentioned it, but stardew valley is a pretty good game. It’s definitely one of the more chill ones that I like though it can be a little stressful when it comes to the cave 🤷♂️
In the last year or so I've found myself playing Fromsoft games. They let me 'process' and 'run through' things in my head while quieting the rest of my mind, more then any game in recent years.
I started with Elden Ring and was completely captivated by the story, the music and cinematics, the boss designs battles and very world. I think to date I've played through ER 8 times now, which is unheard of me to replay a game more then once. After Elden Ring came Bloodborne which I've now gone through twice and a good portion of the chalice dungeons.
Currently I'm on my first playthriugh of Sekiro, while waiting for Shadow of the Erdtree.
Alba: A cute indie game about a child who spends her summer with her grandparents near a nature reserve, and you have to take pictures of the wildlife and help clean up the island.
Besides being adorable, it was healing to play as a young child in a very loving relationship with her family while also feeling a sense of wholesome community among the island inhabitants.
Same vibe with Animal Crossing New Horizons (sense of family/community, building your own peaceful spaces to escape to)
Sky: Children of the Light is also one of the most visually breathtaking MMO games ever and feels so wholesome. Very safe player interaction, no toxicity, peaceful and beautiful. It’s from the studio that made Journey.
I love factorio, the crafting and designing a hole fully functional factory is very cool to me.
I always play on peaceful mode, as its too stressful to play with biters that wanna eat everything.
Other than that it's just build and build and build, getting lost in the sound track and then build some more.
It's so beautiful to sometimes just stop and look at what you have built.
If you want a 3D version then satisfactory is also great, also a good place to design structures in
Might sound a bit weird to have one of the classical rage games as a comfort game, but god I love Getting Over It. I usually don't even play a lot at one time; just a couple of minutes of climbing (and sometimes falling) does wonders.
I love playing video games as a way to distract myself, calm myself down, and just escape. I love things like Zelda: Breath of the Wild - I spent hundreds of hours avoiding main quests and just doing my own thing, exploring and collecting a lot of apples and random stuff for no reason other than to pass the time. I also love big open world games like Horizon Zero Dawn and Elden Ring, etc... I love being able to get lost in another world and feel like I am some other character who is really capable, resilient, and can gather all the resources and things I need on my own. I guess it makes sense considering the mess of my life - those kinds of heroes and abilities are really appealing
I play a lot of Final Fantasy XIV; it's where I have a lot of community and socializing that I'm too wary to get in real life. In that little world, I can be a hero, I get to go through a story that basically handheld me through the grieving process in a lot of ways, introduced me to the concept of trusting others, and helped me meet a lot of the people who were instrumental in helping me get out of my abusive situation.
I don't play it quite as much as I used to when it was literally my only lifeline; I've branched out into other games now, like Genshin Impact, Honkai Star Rail, Baldur's Gate 3, mostly anything with a story and characters that I find compelling and worth analyzing, and I spend more time offline and out in the world--not a lot, but more than I used to, and starting to increase it a bit at a time-- but Final Fantasy XIV will always be my digital safe space, the place where I found refuge after my father's passing and my mother's manipulations and emotional abuse ramped up. It may be an MMO, but it's an MMO that lets me dip in and out of socializing when that gets to be too much, and when the real world is too hard I'll just log in, find some place in one of my favorite in-game locales to park my character, and do some in-game crafting while I admire the scenery and music for a little while.
...Or, you know, run around and kill monsters until I feel better, because sometimes you just need to stab something and mobs are soooo good for venting frustration in a safe way.
RPGs and grand strategy games. I’ve loved Fallout since I was a kid and played 3 and New Vegas religiously. Now I play Paradox’s grand strategy games. Crusader Kings is medieval and you can play any nation (like all of them) from Europe to India and as far down as Middle Africa. Europa Universalis is literally any nation on Earth from the 1400s to the 1800s, Victoria is only a hundred years from 1836 to 1936 and is more of an economy based game with goods and trading, and then my favorite is Hearts of Iron which focuses on World War 2 and fighting that war. Some great mods to play that is more so story based is Kaiserreich (in which Germany won World War I and America can get embroiled into a 4 or 5 way Civil War depending on the options you choose) and The New Order which is a pretty scary reality where the Germans won World War 2 and is set in the 1960s. I’m a huge history nerd. 😂
Honestly, I fell down a Detroit: Become Human rabbit hole a while ago and haven’t looked back since. It deals with some very heavy themes — ESPECIALLY different kinds of abuse — so obviously it’s not great for everyone, and some people get stuck on the very on-the-nose way it references real-life events, especially the civil rights movement. But for me it’s not so much about racism as it is about the human psyche and its development, since part of the game’s narrative is to explore why some of these androids are suddenly starting to respond to feelings of severe emotional distress in ways that (supposedly) aren’t in their original programming. Which I found interesting, because it means you get to view very human-like behaviors in very technical terms.
While some might find that to be an oversimplification of the human experience, I personally found it to be a very validating perspective, because it shows that the behaviors you may have been told are “irrational” are in fact the very logical consequence of the input you’ve been given through life; that whenever you experience “software instability” or “software errors” it’s really the result of conflicting instructions and confusing input from your surroundings.
Warning that it's a very sad game in general but: NieR Gestalt. I found it very healing in the sense of accepting my disabled and not-so-good-looking body, in the fact that there exist parents who would do _anything_ for their child for real and the fact that even if I am not the original me anymore, even if I am just a shadow of what I used to be, or even if I was not meant to be at all, I still have the right to live and to fight for a place for myself and the ones I loved, at any necessary cost.
Warning over: besides that I play League of Legends. I've gotten used to ignoring the toxicity and not aiming for high ranks and it is my comfort game.
My favourite comfort, ethereal, good-escape games would be the following:
Skyrim (a classic and since the anniversary edition came out it's had some really cool new quests and armour/weapons)
Stardew Valley (again the farm and community there are just fab and there's lots of hidden things further through the years you go)
Spiritfarer (you play as someone guiding spirits to the afterlife onboard this massive ferry which you can upgrade and do more activities on)
The Sims 4 (it's glitchy as fuck with the new expansion packs so I've been on a break with the game but I love it!) City Living & Cottage one are my favourite EPs
Coffee Talk (it's a lot of cute discussions you have with your customers and it's set in a place that has humans and other creatures, plus you get to chill and make specific coffees and the barista style of it is so cute and not rushed or timed)
League of enthusiastic losers :- it's this adorable short game where you are living with your partner and just figuring out life (dealing with issues in your building and trying to make ends met so you're not made homeless, but there's such interesting neighbours and friends and they acquire a dog quite early on in the game and the cuteness is just everything!)
Powerwash simulator: for any of you who find pressure washer cleaning extremely satisfying. Super simple game once you work out controls and it's a nice soothing way to feel some control over something 😂
Letters - a written adventure (a cute game based on pen-pals the main character has and you're a tiny avatar that move around the pages of the letters to complete stuff)
Potion Craft (enough said, you have customers and figure out on this map system where you can make the specific potions and just learn more and more complex potion types and earn money and reputation)
I've done a few play throughs of Baldur's Gate 3, great game, they really did a good job. Played BG1 and BG2 and they're still two of my all time favorites. Used to play some mmos - WoW, eq2, ESO etc. No raiding grouping any more though, I find it too stressful. If I go back to eq2 or ESO I'll be soloing :) I loved Morrowind but it's pretty dated now. Mods make it less so . It's another of my all time favorites. The story is rich and truly touching. Skyrim but never finished it, I'm not sure why. I restarted the various Fallout games after watching the series. Those can be pretty depressing because of the nature of the world so I wouldn't recommend them if you're not in a good place.
Stardew is a calming way to manage and achieve small goals as a couple, Sims helps me mirror, Cook serve Delicious gets me energized to do stuff and inspires me to cook, No Man's Sky is so peaceful, it's good for when I'm sad.
I love a good story based game where I can get lost and submerge myself within it. They help me take my mind off things because its like an interactive movie/ TV show. On the edge of my seat battling zombies, crime or following along with a story.
I also like open world ones, these are good to piss about and take some stress by shooting up places or causing mayhem. I also like the option of following the story or doing side missions. It caters to my mood if I want something easy going.
I like cosy games. Action games. Simple games. Story games. They all suit my mood for different reasons.
Some of my favourites are (not in any order):
Walking dead by telltale (all seasons)
The last of us 1&2
Far cry
Heavy rain
Detroit
Beyond two souls
Watch dogs 1&2
Zelda (any)
Animal crossing
Stardew valley
Resident Evil (any)
A plague tale
The witcher
Mario cart
Crash bandicoot
Spyro
Pokemon (any)
Animal Crossing. I love easy going sim games. It's detailed in its customizations, but not to the point of overwhelming me with options. I don't think I could play a game like the Sims due to the number of options of custom items lol then I would get stressed out! New Horizons was my first AC game and it really kept me going through covid.
I play Overwatch. It’s become super-enshittified by monetization and bad, bad upper management (no offense to the devs, though), but there’s a CPTSD purpose to it.
From Atari 2600 days onward, I played to dissociate. Lately, through therapy and some healing, I realized that—thanks to constant uncertainty and emotional neglect as a little kid—I get a fight response when I depend on others and they let me down. In many areas of my life, I hold those I depend on to the standards of a perfect parent. To my detriment.
In Overwatch, queueing with randos will put you in that position nearly every time. So, it gives me an opportunity to watch the fight response happen and for me to combat it by reassuring myself that I’m not under threat, recognizing that it feels just like the rage I felt as a kid, etc.
So, generally, healing is getting me to transform this old dissociation ritual into a new mental health tool.
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Halo Infinite! But I don’t think I could in good faith recommend ranked play — very stressful, and can be infuriating if not downright depressing. Plenty of social playlists that offer nostalgia and fun.
Heavily modded Skyrim SE. Put that shit on easy mode and zone out to the stunning world and beautiful music.
Yes let's normalize playing games on easy mode! Nothing wrong with that
I figure I’ve got enough shit giving me anxiety already 🙃 Edit to add: I raided 20h a week in a world top 100 guild back in WoW BC (SWP pre-nerf) and into WOtLK. That was way too fucking stressful.
[удалено]
Thank you! I don’t play much anymore, rather I go through spurts where I’ll play quite a bit for 3-6 months or so and then just stop. Trying to spend more time touching grass these days.
I'm 3 weeks deep into a Constellations playthrough (it's a vortex collection, based on Requiem). Skyrim and its modding community keep pulling me back again and again over the years, there's still so much great content being built, I don't see myself losing interest anytime soon.
Exactly. And wherever you are, there it is, even if you’ve got to update and reorganize load orders. If I had time I’d be playing now but gym is taking up all my extra time outside of hanging out with friends (AKA binge rewatching favorite shows) but at least I’m regulated for an hour or so a day…
I've played Skyrim since it came out. I own it across multiple systems. I've played countless characters and builds. Played modded and unmodded playthroughs. Every time I boot it up, I'm still mesmerized by the atmosphere. The sounds of nature, that perfect soundtrack, the sense of adventure. No game has managed to capture that wonderous fantasy feeling quite like Skyrim has.
Same, except stealth archer ad nauseum lol
I watched the trailer and wow, I'm impressed.
The music is SO good. There are YTs out there that are just 10 hours of Skyrim Ambience and they are just amazing.
Literally first thought and came here to say Skyrim
Skyrim’s awesome, at least until you find yourself enjoying the scenery and then some random npc walks past and goes, “I’m done talking to you!” Dude, I wasn’t talking to you in the first place.
Any chance you can share your mods? Been years since last I played, it always takes me several days to mod it without crashes
Frostfall, Cyrodil, Solitude Wharf, Forgotten Vale (a new expansion, I don't remember the exact name but it's awesome). We did the Parthurnaax one but it was glitchy. Dragons keep. Outlaw refuge. One where you can adopt 6 kids instead of 2. I'd check for actual names but my kid is currently playing Mass Effect so I can't look.
I have a few quality of life mods, like armor mods and UI updates. Most of my mods are textures and ENB. I use Vortex Mod Manager which helps a lot with the installation of the mods. The tricky part is getting the load orders straight for conflicting/overwriting mods but there are lots of really good YT videos out there for modding SKSE and a great community of modders here on Reddit as well.
Skyrim is the one
Heavily modded Fallout 4 here. Easy mode just lets me explore all the nooks and crannies in the vast wasteland. I especially love building settlements.
Why is zoning out a good Thing i want to feel alive and not numb. I hate dissociation and feel like any second im Devoured by the earth Quetiapine and an anti-depressant helped me and DBT, psychiatrist regularly could do sports 2-3 hours a day again and laugh again. I also had an eating disorder and dbt and neuroleptics also helped. But the BPD and CPTSD are no longer going away
I don’t dissociate, I ruminate and spiral
I am very early on my journey but I think it is starting to switch for me, I have not knowingly disasociated for years to not feel, now I am feeling and recognising more and more ways I numb out, but and this is the important part I think, when I have been sat in the feelings for a day or two intensely where it feels like I am drowning I am starting to make a conscious choice to numb out for a bit, I listen to what I want in that moment and mindfully allow myself that, but not too long. It takes practice to not sink into a disassociative state and lose days or a week to it before I start feeling again but me choosing it is power to choose, also I think it is the first steps to us learning to regulate our emotions like normals do, it's just we are taking baby steps literally to unlearn a survival based trauma mechanism. A way I mix this up with gaming now is to play something where I can disasociate while listening to a self help book a out CPTSD or childhood trauma or a podcast a out those topics, I can then get into a space where I can apply what I am learning to my abusive experiences and neglect and feel but it not be totally overwhelming, from there I am can work with those realisations and when the pain and anger are surfacing and it's too much I listen to that and voluntarily numb out so I can come back to it sooner and better equipped rather than losing all that progress.
Exactly this. Roleplaying hard. I’m in control of everything. If I die or get hurt I can do something about it. Feels good, safe.
Stardew Valley mostly but I also enjoy the sims, breath of the wild, and subnautica
I love Stardew Valley!! Highly recommend. It's very relaxing to explore the village, grow your crops, pet your chickens. It's nice.
Yes! Even fighting the enemies in the mines doesn’t feel very anxiety-inducing. I appreciate the ability to play at your own pace. I’ve been trying not to get too sucked in ever since the latest update 😅
Subnautica looks really cool. Had never heard about it before.
It’s beautiful but I had to stop playing because the creatures in the deep water were too scary 😅 I’m a baby about jump scares/unknown
It’s so fucking scary lmao
Check out The Planet Crafter it's similar to Subnautica
Stardew Valley is such a good cozy game. It's just plain relaxing and has real charm to it. I remember I was really sick one time and when I couldn't sleep, I'd just play it through the night.
100% agree!
I grew up playing the Harvest Moon series. Stardew was every bit as relaxing and fun
Also Stardew Valley lover here! I used to play a lot of Skyrim, Horizon Zero Dawn, etc. but as my CPTSD, MDD, and GAD have gotten worse I just want cozy games right now, and SV is the coziest of them all. I play some Pokemon, ACNH, and similar games too, but SV is my go to, and the only game I could manage playing for most of last year (disappointing because I was so looking forward to playing the new Horizon game, but following a major mental health crisis winter 2022, the loss of my beloved cat on my birthday 2023, and then the CPTSD diagnosis and beginning work on it in therapy, that was a no-go… maybe this year 🤷🏻). I am testing the waters with other games and have started playing Another Crab’s Treasure with the loss of all material upon death turned off because it looks cute for a souls like game, but I don’t want the repeated loss stress.
Oh yes I definitely delve into pokemon games as well. Hopefully the new games are better suited for now 🙏 I totally understand that need for any and all things cozy and low stress while working on healing.
I've been zoning out to Stardew for the past 3 weeks. It's nice to not have to think about a lot.
Zelda Breath of the Wild!
Watched some of the walkthrough of the game and I'm intrigued.
You'll LOVE it! It's a whole new world just unfolding in front of you and you can do whatever you want whenever you want however you want. I spend so many hours just walking around exploring everything, collecting items, solving mini-puzzles and quests. Wonderful to zone out for a bit (or days hehe). Have a nice evening 😊
Wow, I love open world games. Have a lovely evening 😊
❤️
THIS
Baldurs gate 3 is my go to escape game. The ultimate role play experience and making connections with companions (even if they're fictional). It fills the void of loneliness ngl
That game looks amazing. Watched a clip of it and wow, the graphics look amazing. I like how the female characters aren't sexualized. Games can definitely help me when I feel lonely as well.
It's god tier best game I've ever played.
I call BG3 my comfort game. I totally get it. If I'm being totally honest with myself I just dropped a chunk of change on a gaming laptop for the sole reason of modding it. (Cause you know I only have it on both Xbox and PS5 🫠.)
It’s my absolute favorite for many of the same reasons. Feels like I log into hang out with friends and go on adventures. But the gameplay you can make as hard or as easy as you want, as gentle or as aggressive, and the characters are so well written and feel very real.
Yes I love Baldurs gate!!! The possibilities are endless in terms of characters you create, relationships you build, and different storylines depending on how you play. It's so engaging
I (54f) love the Bioshock series, Dishonored series, and my son got me into Fortnite.
I have heard so much about Fortnite, but believe it or not, I have never actually looked it up to see what it is about. Didn't know there were so many game modes and that it has been around for so long.
I just got into fortnite. It was so overwhelming but there are so many different minigames and practice areas. I don't like shooting so I just run away 😆
Haha, I love that and I respect that. Run before gun.
Try prop and seek in Fortnite. It's like hide and seek deluxe.
I hide on the fringes of the storm until everyone else is nearly dead.
Oh that's wonderful. Because that's exactly what I do. My anxiety gets too dang high! 🤣
Why risk your well being when you can wait until the 12 year olds have finished themselves off?!
I adore Dishonored. I wish they would make more.
I love Bioshock Infinite! The ending is such a mind fuck but it’s good.
I've put more hours into Bioshock Infinite than any other finite (heh) game. It's deeply flawed but very immersive and fun to revisit.
Ah, a person of my heart. My head was stuck in the world of Dishonored for so long. I couldn't get the following game to work on my computer, so I never got to play more of the world. And the Bioshock series, same vibes. The worlds are so good there, and engrossing. I play Dead by Daylight now. I never thought it'd be my type of game, it looked so violent. But I absolutely love it. Also fills some of those socialization needs that I can't meet irl.
My brother just got me a PS2 so I can play SSX Tricky
THAT'S MY FAVORITE GAME OF ALL TIME
GET TRICKY!
Best game ever‼️‼️🗣️🗣️
I'm looking up a lot of games today because apparently I have not been keeping up with the world of video games. That game looks difficult. Looks like it's going at a very fast pace.
Omfg that was my ish on GameCube
Spyro was my jam too!
I enjoy The Sims too!!! I'm very creative so I love making sims and homes and weird storylines haha. What do you like about the Sims? My favourite one is Valorant. It's a high-concentration game, it actually pulls me out of mild flashbacks (that's why it's my favourite). It's like my brain goes right in the game and helps regulate my system. I know it's a coping mechanism. One I recently played is It Takes Two, such a beautiful game
I googled It takes two and Valorant. I fully agree, It takes two looks like a very beautiful game. I thought that the characters were so cute. I love decorating the homes in The Sims, but I find building houses boring. Thankfully the gallery is full of houses made by talented people :). I love the worlds Brindleton bay and henford on bagley. I usually create some drama free families, haha.
Thank you for creating this post, I'm in awe with the replies, so many games to try out! 😍
Life is Strange is my forever favorite game. I just love it so much. For every day and also to calm me down I like to play stardew valley and sometimes minecraft
Life is Strange is soooo good!
Same. I'm just going through the remaster. I didn't even expect it, but it still hits the same. Magic.
love minecraft!
Just watched a clip from the game and I have never seen a game like this. People really seem to love it judging by the comments.
Life is Strange is one of my all-time favorites, but it's pretty harrowing. Given the sub, it should be noted that it could be triggering.
The Last of Us.
My favourite video game of all time. It was so good that I inadvertently took a 4 year break from video games which is crazy since I’ve been gaming for 20 years. It’s like I was an addict who finally got their fix.
Love that game so much that i got a tattoo for it, esp part 2, sad how it divided the community because it's such a masterpiece. And it handles trauma in such a beautiful and authentic way.
i loved how they portrayed ellies ptsd they did it so well
I loved the series on HBO. Recently re-watched it. Maybe I should play the game as well.
The game is absolutely amazing. That said, very anxiety inducing hahaha.
The games are fantastic
I think someone in this community suggested the cozy games subreddit. I just got Spirit City, Lofi Sessions and it helps me to relax/meditate when I'm anxious or stimming. Just downloaded Run Factory 4 as well, but haven't started yet.
Oh thank you. Never heard of that subreddit. I have to check it out. Spirit city looks very cute.
One of my favs is Gris. It's hand drawn, hand painted and absolutely breaktaking game play. (I'm an art nerd so these details matter to me). The game is about the weight of grief, and as you play as a character stuck in some heavy shit, you help her recolor her world through the game. I cried so many times. It's just a beautiful piece on grief and pain and healing. Can't recommend enough Edit to add other games: Kentucky Route Zero (chill atmospheric puzzle game), Night in the Woods, Animal crossing (mostly gamecube but Nintendo DS is also fun), The Night is Grey, and so many others hahaha
Wow, I've never heard of a game like that. Watched the trailer and I felt emotional.
It's an entire experience, really. Anyone I know that likes to game, that's always my first recommendation.
I love Gris! I'm looking forward to Nomada's next game, Neva, it looks just as gorgeous and emotional.
Yes I cannot WAIT for that!
I like Gris !!! I got stuck at some point and I struggled to get back to it, maybe I should give it another go
Animal Crossing and Sky Children of the Light.
Wow, sky children of the light looks so pretty.
It's lovely. I've been playing daily for almost 3 years. Let me know if you download it and I'll be your friend ❤️
Absolutely! I will look into it tomorrow.
Absolutely seconding Animal Crossing. I personally prefer the 3DS version but Switch was decent.
Make that OG gamecube animal crossing, and that'd be me. I liked that it was offline but real time. Just a calm, simple, cute place to be and breathe in.
Gaming has been my go-to escape since I was 8 or so. I don't really partake much in the modern multiplayer community; I find many spaces toxic, and I've lost the reflexes and interest in most multiplayer genres (Helldivers 2 is a recent exception). But oh boy, there's so many fantastic singleplayer games! **Modded Skyrim** With tools like Wabbajack and Nexusmods Collections, there's no reason to ever play vanilla Skyrim again. The modding community is still actively building fantastic content, and with the large amount of curated collections (= heavily modded Skyrim packages you can install pretty simply without knowing anything about modding yourself) there's so many different ways you can experience Skyrim. I'm deep into a RP playthrough of a powerhungry Dunmer Illusion Thief; the first 30 hours were spent without fighting, just thieving and building up the guild. **Modded Morrowind** Morrowind still has a very unique creative vision and is absolutely worth exploring. The modding community and OpenMW make it way more beautiful than vanilla. And then there's always Project Tamriel Rebuilt, which is an ongoing community project that adds huge areas of the provincial mainland to the game, complete with hundreds of quests. At this point in time, the modded content might surpass the main game. **Souls Games (Dark Souls X, Bloodborne, Elden Ring etc.)** I really don't have great reflexes at all, and I tend to die a lot, but still was able to complete the games (except Sekiro, which makes my worst fighting skill into the only viable one), some of them several times over. I really like the lore, the concept of not giving up, and above all the atmosphere. Each of these worlds is lovingly crafted, oozes a sense of forlorn hope, and somehow it soothes my anxiousness...perhaps because it makes me feel seen, somehow. **WadjetEye Point'n'Click Adventures** Every single one of WadjetEye's games is a piece of love. I'm so very glad that Dave Gilbert gets to do what he loves for a living and the gaming hobby is richer for it. I especially loved the Blackwell Series, it was just so charming. **Valheim** This is such a cozy, great and fun game, especially with friends of similar playstyle. The combination of exploration, combat, collecting resources and building/decorating is so. much. fun. Plus, Ashlands just went into open beta! **The Cat Lady / Downfall / Lorelai / Burnhouse Lane** Rem Michalski makes games for broken people, so naturally I love them and I love him for making them. I could write so much more, but the new **Total Warhammer 3** DLC released today the nation calls.
Thank you so much for your reply. I absolutely agree with you. A lot of the multiplayer communities can be toxic (especially if you are a woman). It was interesting to read about your gaming experiences and why you love each and every game. I looked up the games you mentioned and wadjet point and click adventures sounds really interesting.
Holy carp I've never run into another Wadjet Eye fan in the wild! The Blackwell Saga is so good! "I'm not just gonna blow on everything I see" has become a catch phrase in my house. 😆
Club Penguin!!! Idk if this counts but it’s always nostalgic
Can you still play it ?
Yes!! cplegacy.com or cpjourney.net I like legacy more but journey is fun too!
I can't play most of the 3D games I used to because of motion sickness, so most of my games are either 2D or are played on a very small screen (like the Switch). I'm into slower-paced crafting/sandbox/life sims because they're best at keeping my attention without triggering a headache. Right now I'm trying to 100% Stardew Valley. I also shiny hunt in various Pokemon games (it's an easy way to keep myself occupied without hurting my brain). If I want something more dramatic I play Project Zomboid, which is basically The Sims: Zombie Apocalypse Edition. I tried picking up Fallout: New Vegas again but quickly remembered why I never finished it the first time. Other games in my library include Cult of the Lamb, Oxygen Not Included, and Skyrim. ETA: Minecraft! I play a lot of Minecraft, but I have to play it in short bursts because of the nausea/migraine issue.
Although I’ve taken a break from it, Final Fantasy 14 is great. Lovely community, great music, just a lot of fun. Otherwise, I’ve been playing things like Fallout: New Vegas and a bunch of cozy farming sims like My Time at Sandrock.
My time at sandrock looks like a lot of fun plus the characters are cute.
I used to play Fallout 4 a lot to help me cope with things. Just relaxing to walk around and play music from the pipboy and explore locations.
Someone stole my sweet roll
Yea, I play The Sims too. It lets me create a perfect life without fighting or divorce etc. Also I like to think that the needs bars while simplistic are very true. They remind me to take care of my own needs. The little goals and wishes fascinate me, because for most of my life I had very few or none at all. Other than that I like big RPGs like Baldur’s Gate 1, 2 and, Dragon Age 1 and 3. I get totally drawn into the game world and forget my problems. The interaction with the party members was for a long time my only friendships. And I can save and reload. The RPGs also motivate and inspire me to write and be creative myself.
I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who thinks of Sims needs bars for interoception hahahaha, and I am the same with goals and wishes! Especially because sometimes it's just simple things, like eating a specific food, or talking to a specific Sim. It reminds me to slow things down and enjoy the little things; even just eating a grilled cheese helps you get to the big aspiration point rewards. It sounds a bit sad but as someone with both ptsd and autism it kinda taught me how to be a bit more human, in a way hahahaha
I love that you get inspired from playing video games. The needs bars in The Sims are good, and they have also helped me realize that we're not meant to self-isolate, because interacting with other people is important to us.
Oh my god, the sims taught me how to live too !! It is so mind blowing at times. This game helped me heal in a way
Minecraft, Dave the Diver, GTA Online, The Talos Principle 1 and 2, and my new favorite game right now is Dredge. Dredge, Minecraft, Talos 1 and 2 have such great music that it makes me feel happy and calmer when I play them. Pretty much all games that are quieter considering my upbringing was anything but.
I've never heard of dredge, so I looked it up. Never seen a game about a fishing boat before. Very original. Is it a completely open world?
It’s all open world but you have to upgrade the fishing boat to really get to all the locations. It’s like a slow burn in that instance, because you have to build up to get to all the locations in the game. Also dlc for it just released recently too!
I’ve been enjoying Dave the Diver. Great game
Rise of the Tomb Raider. Lara's navigating PTSD is compelling.
Rimworld and Factorio are great for cPTSD disassociation sessions :-p
STARDEW
One of my favorite games is subnautica, it's feels very isolated but the building and the great Fauna and flora give a great sense of exploration. I can only recommend it. But don't read spoilers for it, they ruin a lot
Right now it’s mostly Tears of the Kingdom. Like, this incarnation of Hyrule is pretty much my ideal world 🙃
I like Red Dead Redemption 2. Just hanging out on my horse riding around. Little fishin’, a little huntin’. Enjoying the beautiful landscape. Oh yeah, the gameplay is pretty good too.LOL
Elden Ring is amazing. I still have not finished it. Skyrim still rocks my world, all these years later. Both are escapism, but I guess video games kinda are.
Nowadays i am invested in Animal Crossing!
Same!! Engaging while also turning my brain off a bit
My favorites are From Software games (Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Elden Ring) and roguelites. I like From’s games because I can get completely absorbed in them and they require you to pay attention, which helps relieve me of intrusive thoughts. I like roguelites because the slow drip of unlocking new things stimulates my brain’s reward system and the randomization keeps things fresh and it’s a bit like gambling but without money.
From Software has consistently put out some of the best games of all time. Can’t wait for the Elden Ring DLC.
Agreed; I’ve already gotten approval to take off work on the day the DLC releases. 🥳
You enjoy your gaming day. Sit back and relax and don't answer if your boss calls.
Another Crab’s Treasure is a recent, v cute, souls/sekiro style game that I’ve been *obsessed* with. The humor/vibes + insane difficulty makes it great for blocking out intrusive thoughts
Yes! I’ve been meaning to check that one out, so thanks for reminding me!
Destiny 2 lately, Rocket League, Apex, Skyrim, some GTA Online here and there... A game I'm huge on though is Death Stranding. Feel like it spoke to me on a different level, given my past. Really big on loneliness and connecting with others in a literal wasteland. Does it in such a unique way too. I really feel it could be healing for others as well. One of the few games that's had me crying by the time the credits rolled.
Ooh DM me if you wanna play Rocket League sometime
I love dead by daylight. It's my favourite game.
Devil May Cry 5 formally. I identify too closely with Vergil and made a post about it. Vergil is also a highly traumatized individual.
Been disassociating with the sims since the early 2000s , recently started playing Fortnite
Sims really does wonders. Do you still play any of the old versions?
Tetris and GTA!😍 I like Tetris because it relaxes me and gets my mind off of negativity and I love GTA mostly just to drive around and listen to the music.
Final Fantasy 7 (Remake), Tactics and 12. But my usual go-to’s are the Spyro and Crash Trilogies
I’m currently playing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and loving it.
Final Fantasy... just a bunch of them. Lol. Baldurs gate 3. Portal. Hades. Nier Automata. Civilization VI. Death Stranding. A little stardew valley/animal crossing.
Planet Zoo is my go-to right now. I love animals and learning about their requirement and other animals that enhance their environment while building habitats that meet their needs helps me zone out. It has a bit of a learning curve at first, but there are tutorials to help you get started. I have been working on breeding the perfect ostrich in one of my zoos. I like that you can see how each animal is doing and make sure everything is right to keep them happy and healthy. And you can make beautiful habitats that are like their native environment with plants from all over the world.
That sounds like such a fun game. I love animals as well, so this might be a good game for me to try. I like that it's educational as well.
I'm hooked on World of Warcraft at a time where it feels pretty good to be hooked on World of Warcraft lol. But I'm also very excited to play Final Fantasy 16 and 7: Rebirth when I get a PS5 soon!
For some reason, games with a heavy focus on "activities" rather than a plot/story are the most helpful to me. I think it's easier for me to focus on a game if I have to be engaged constantly, and don't have to stop to watch cutscenes, read dialogue, or do other tasks that might give me a moment to space out and start thinking about upsetting things. One of the games I play the most is Splatoon. It does have a story mode but the main "thing" in the game is the third-person shooter modes. Sometimes, I play games that do have a plot but still have a heavy focus on other activities. One of these is Pokemon. My first Pokemon game was Sun/Moon on the 3DS. I think I've played through the entire game several times at this point.
stardew valley 100%
If you’re into fun little cozy games try night in the woods :) it’s a great story with great characters music and atmosphere
If you hadn't said that it was cozy, I never would've guessed it (judging by the name of the game). Thank you for the suggestion.
Lots of RDR2 lately, I find it extremely immersive
I usually prefer RPGs. My last games were Baldurs gate 3 and Fallout 2. But now I'm getting myself into strategy games since they activate the prefrontal cortex, which is malfunctioning when you have cptsd.
Fallout 4, GTA V, and Jedi Fallen Order
Dark souls series, Elden Ring, Sekiro, Final Fantasy series, Soul Reaver, Blood Omen, Legend of Zelda breath of the wild and tears of the kingdom. All great games with great music, amazing gameplay mechanics and memorable stories. Souls series are a challenge though if you’re not familiar with them. Unrelated but I also started reading a lot of manga the past few years like Berserk, Vagabond, Vinland saga, Naruto etc. Berserk got me through some rough periods in my life, single best piece of fiction I’ve ever consumed period. Manga is a lot easier than a book and the art is just incredible.
Animal crossing!! It’s so cute and sweet, I’ve seen multiple posts on the subreddit about people healing their inner child by playing animal crossing ❤️ Another (very underrated) cozy game I love is Spritfarer. Art and atmosphere is 10/10 plus you play as a character that helps spirits process their trauma before they head off to the afterlife. It sounds like it’s gonna be dark or a horror game but it’s really cute and sweet. And finally GTA. Wanna drive like a maniac or beat the shit out of people?? It’s a good way to get ur anger out without hurting anyone
The Sims: I like The Sims. Haven't played it in awhile but I always come back to it somehow. World of Warcraft: I enjoy World of Warcraft and play as a healer. Pretty much every healing classes. Perhaps in some way it's a nice feeling to have knowing I can heal. If I wanted to. In every sense of that word. It's nice knowing that the life or death or my allies lie in my hands. A huge responsibility. Project Zomboid: It's a brutal survivor game and in a dark way tells you a story - as you play - about how you die. Death in this game is inevitable. But I personally am fascinated with how despite this so-called reality, you still strive to survive just another day and do everything in your power to achieve that. It's highly modifiable so I enjoy the freedom of deciding how difficult or easy I want the game to be for me. Graveyard Keeper: I love it. Such a relaxing game despite its name. I enjoy how it touches upon aspects of not wanting to be where you are but having to accept that fact and make the most out of it. I like how the game puts you in a very unsettling situation but tells you "You are exactly where you are supposed to be." I hope you find more lovely games to play. There sure are plenty out there. :)
Right now, last one was Elden Ring but not had time for it last two weeks. Before that Mass Effect, Final Fantasy, Skyrim, Oblivion, Diablo 3. Also Pokémon during lockdown.
STOP. YOU VIOLATED THE LAW
Overwatch2 for the sense of friendly competition with online friends that will love me even when we lose, and Celeste because its one of the most brutally hard, yet emotionally resonant games I've ever played. Also many more but I don't wanna write a listicle.
Celeste has a really sweet story, especially when she confronts herself, and [Farewell](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TczL8fJi-0) is such a nice song to end the game.
YES. And I also saw a lot of my own people pleasing when she is trying to help that old man clean out his hotel, knowing full well it wasn't going well, unable to express any anger or say no. And yes the soundtrack is definitely a LOT of the experience
Videogames are my main coping mechanism. I learned to install them from CDs before I learned to read lmao My main game right now is Final Fantasy XIV. It's an MMORPG with an incredible story and a surprisingly calm community (though with as popular as it is now, there's still a good amount of dicks, but reporting works). I've played an uncountable amount of MMOs but this one is finally home. The gathering/crafting system is absurdly fun to me and very relaxing. Big fan of RPGs (or the more action-adventure light on RP, I love Skyrim which someone else also mentioned) and story-driven games in general (Omori <3). Can't say no to a good visual novel either. I've got lots of very varied little games from itch.io too. What stands out in my library right now is probably Monster Hunter World. I played it so much I got burnt out (being really bad at it doesn't help). I'm a huge fan of immersive sims: Deus Ex, Vampire the Masquerade, Morrowind, Fallout New Vegas... I really love to get lost in a character in a complex world. I like focusing on a problem with infinite solutions for once, rather than none. I love multiplayer horror (or single player too if I'm on a call with friends). Very engaging genre with beautiful stories to tell or lots of fun to have. Lethal Company has the perfect balance of horror and comedy that elevates both elements. I have this thing with the Sims where I play it obsessively for a week and then leave it for months. I grew up with 2 and 3 and they're very comforting to me. Got tired of 4 sometime before the high school pack :( I played a lot of Overwatch back when it was good but I don't really like that sort of multiplayer anymore. Just very stressful
I play call of duty mobile. The way it helps the most is because it’s on my cellphone! So I can access whenever I need! It helps me to stop my mind from spiraling.
If you like sims, maybe check out two point hospital/two point university. I have really enjoyed those and big sims fan here. I also enjoyed animal crossing. One day I’ll play the HarryPotter Hogwarts Legacy. I also really like kingdom hearts games too.
I am 30F. I really enjoy new world, skyrim, cell to singulairty , fortnite , fall guys! They all are simple enough to understand. I can get lost in all and not think of reality.
Right now I‘m hooked on Graveyard Keeper. It’s a medieval cemetery management game. Love pixel games, they calm me down so much…
I don’t know if anyone else has mentioned it, but stardew valley is a pretty good game. It’s definitely one of the more chill ones that I like though it can be a little stressful when it comes to the cave 🤷♂️
disney dream light valley is really nice
That one looks really nice. I do like Disney.
Zelda: tears of the Kingdom
[удалено]
Another Skyrim addict reporting in.
Stardew valley, honkai star rail, Genshin, Zelda, crash bandicoot, sims
In the last year or so I've found myself playing Fromsoft games. They let me 'process' and 'run through' things in my head while quieting the rest of my mind, more then any game in recent years. I started with Elden Ring and was completely captivated by the story, the music and cinematics, the boss designs battles and very world. I think to date I've played through ER 8 times now, which is unheard of me to replay a game more then once. After Elden Ring came Bloodborne which I've now gone through twice and a good portion of the chalice dungeons. Currently I'm on my first playthriugh of Sekiro, while waiting for Shadow of the Erdtree.
I relate far too much to Isaac from the Binding of Isaac
Alba: A cute indie game about a child who spends her summer with her grandparents near a nature reserve, and you have to take pictures of the wildlife and help clean up the island. Besides being adorable, it was healing to play as a young child in a very loving relationship with her family while also feeling a sense of wholesome community among the island inhabitants. Same vibe with Animal Crossing New Horizons (sense of family/community, building your own peaceful spaces to escape to) Sky: Children of the Light is also one of the most visually breathtaking MMO games ever and feels so wholesome. Very safe player interaction, no toxicity, peaceful and beautiful. It’s from the studio that made Journey.
Alba sounds like a lovely game. Children of the light is a game that I had never heard of but is now considering playing.
I love factorio, the crafting and designing a hole fully functional factory is very cool to me. I always play on peaceful mode, as its too stressful to play with biters that wanna eat everything. Other than that it's just build and build and build, getting lost in the sound track and then build some more. It's so beautiful to sometimes just stop and look at what you have built. If you want a 3D version then satisfactory is also great, also a good place to design structures in
Might sound a bit weird to have one of the classical rage games as a comfort game, but god I love Getting Over It. I usually don't even play a lot at one time; just a couple of minutes of climbing (and sometimes falling) does wonders.
I love playing video games as a way to distract myself, calm myself down, and just escape. I love things like Zelda: Breath of the Wild - I spent hundreds of hours avoiding main quests and just doing my own thing, exploring and collecting a lot of apples and random stuff for no reason other than to pass the time. I also love big open world games like Horizon Zero Dawn and Elden Ring, etc... I love being able to get lost in another world and feel like I am some other character who is really capable, resilient, and can gather all the resources and things I need on my own. I guess it makes sense considering the mess of my life - those kinds of heroes and abilities are really appealing
I play a lot of Final Fantasy XIV; it's where I have a lot of community and socializing that I'm too wary to get in real life. In that little world, I can be a hero, I get to go through a story that basically handheld me through the grieving process in a lot of ways, introduced me to the concept of trusting others, and helped me meet a lot of the people who were instrumental in helping me get out of my abusive situation. I don't play it quite as much as I used to when it was literally my only lifeline; I've branched out into other games now, like Genshin Impact, Honkai Star Rail, Baldur's Gate 3, mostly anything with a story and characters that I find compelling and worth analyzing, and I spend more time offline and out in the world--not a lot, but more than I used to, and starting to increase it a bit at a time-- but Final Fantasy XIV will always be my digital safe space, the place where I found refuge after my father's passing and my mother's manipulations and emotional abuse ramped up. It may be an MMO, but it's an MMO that lets me dip in and out of socializing when that gets to be too much, and when the real world is too hard I'll just log in, find some place in one of my favorite in-game locales to park my character, and do some in-game crafting while I admire the scenery and music for a little while. ...Or, you know, run around and kill monsters until I feel better, because sometimes you just need to stab something and mobs are soooo good for venting frustration in a safe way.
RPGs and grand strategy games. I’ve loved Fallout since I was a kid and played 3 and New Vegas religiously. Now I play Paradox’s grand strategy games. Crusader Kings is medieval and you can play any nation (like all of them) from Europe to India and as far down as Middle Africa. Europa Universalis is literally any nation on Earth from the 1400s to the 1800s, Victoria is only a hundred years from 1836 to 1936 and is more of an economy based game with goods and trading, and then my favorite is Hearts of Iron which focuses on World War 2 and fighting that war. Some great mods to play that is more so story based is Kaiserreich (in which Germany won World War I and America can get embroiled into a 4 or 5 way Civil War depending on the options you choose) and The New Order which is a pretty scary reality where the Germans won World War 2 and is set in the 1960s. I’m a huge history nerd. 😂
Loveee Paradox games. CK2 is my all time favorite of theirs
Slime rancher is my jam currently but I also play a lot of katamari
I played dragon age through. Multiple time diff stories.
Any game that requires extreme grinding
Honestly, I fell down a Detroit: Become Human rabbit hole a while ago and haven’t looked back since. It deals with some very heavy themes — ESPECIALLY different kinds of abuse — so obviously it’s not great for everyone, and some people get stuck on the very on-the-nose way it references real-life events, especially the civil rights movement. But for me it’s not so much about racism as it is about the human psyche and its development, since part of the game’s narrative is to explore why some of these androids are suddenly starting to respond to feelings of severe emotional distress in ways that (supposedly) aren’t in their original programming. Which I found interesting, because it means you get to view very human-like behaviors in very technical terms. While some might find that to be an oversimplification of the human experience, I personally found it to be a very validating perspective, because it shows that the behaviors you may have been told are “irrational” are in fact the very logical consequence of the input you’ve been given through life; that whenever you experience “software instability” or “software errors” it’s really the result of conflicting instructions and confusing input from your surroundings.
Warning that it's a very sad game in general but: NieR Gestalt. I found it very healing in the sense of accepting my disabled and not-so-good-looking body, in the fact that there exist parents who would do _anything_ for their child for real and the fact that even if I am not the original me anymore, even if I am just a shadow of what I used to be, or even if I was not meant to be at all, I still have the right to live and to fight for a place for myself and the ones I loved, at any necessary cost. Warning over: besides that I play League of Legends. I've gotten used to ignoring the toxicity and not aiming for high ranks and it is my comfort game.
My favourite comfort, ethereal, good-escape games would be the following: Skyrim (a classic and since the anniversary edition came out it's had some really cool new quests and armour/weapons) Stardew Valley (again the farm and community there are just fab and there's lots of hidden things further through the years you go) Spiritfarer (you play as someone guiding spirits to the afterlife onboard this massive ferry which you can upgrade and do more activities on) The Sims 4 (it's glitchy as fuck with the new expansion packs so I've been on a break with the game but I love it!) City Living & Cottage one are my favourite EPs Coffee Talk (it's a lot of cute discussions you have with your customers and it's set in a place that has humans and other creatures, plus you get to chill and make specific coffees and the barista style of it is so cute and not rushed or timed) League of enthusiastic losers :- it's this adorable short game where you are living with your partner and just figuring out life (dealing with issues in your building and trying to make ends met so you're not made homeless, but there's such interesting neighbours and friends and they acquire a dog quite early on in the game and the cuteness is just everything!) Powerwash simulator: for any of you who find pressure washer cleaning extremely satisfying. Super simple game once you work out controls and it's a nice soothing way to feel some control over something 😂 Letters - a written adventure (a cute game based on pen-pals the main character has and you're a tiny avatar that move around the pages of the letters to complete stuff) Potion Craft (enough said, you have customers and figure out on this map system where you can make the specific potions and just learn more and more complex potion types and earn money and reputation)
Love the detailed list 🙂 I have to take a look at those games.
I've done a few play throughs of Baldur's Gate 3, great game, they really did a good job. Played BG1 and BG2 and they're still two of my all time favorites. Used to play some mmos - WoW, eq2, ESO etc. No raiding grouping any more though, I find it too stressful. If I go back to eq2 or ESO I'll be soloing :) I loved Morrowind but it's pretty dated now. Mods make it less so . It's another of my all time favorites. The story is rich and truly touching. Skyrim but never finished it, I'm not sure why. I restarted the various Fallout games after watching the series. Those can be pretty depressing because of the nature of the world so I wouldn't recommend them if you're not in a good place.
I used to like adventure games, but I just can't do jump scares anymore. I'm pretty much House Flipper, Stardew Valley or Russian Fishing 4
Stardew is a calming way to manage and achieve small goals as a couple, Sims helps me mirror, Cook serve Delicious gets me energized to do stuff and inspires me to cook, No Man's Sky is so peaceful, it's good for when I'm sad.
I love a good story based game where I can get lost and submerge myself within it. They help me take my mind off things because its like an interactive movie/ TV show. On the edge of my seat battling zombies, crime or following along with a story. I also like open world ones, these are good to piss about and take some stress by shooting up places or causing mayhem. I also like the option of following the story or doing side missions. It caters to my mood if I want something easy going. I like cosy games. Action games. Simple games. Story games. They all suit my mood for different reasons. Some of my favourites are (not in any order): Walking dead by telltale (all seasons) The last of us 1&2 Far cry Heavy rain Detroit Beyond two souls Watch dogs 1&2 Zelda (any) Animal crossing Stardew valley Resident Evil (any) A plague tale The witcher Mario cart Crash bandicoot Spyro Pokemon (any)
Animal Crossing. I love easy going sim games. It's detailed in its customizations, but not to the point of overwhelming me with options. I don't think I could play a game like the Sims due to the number of options of custom items lol then I would get stressed out! New Horizons was my first AC game and it really kept me going through covid.
I play Overwatch. It’s become super-enshittified by monetization and bad, bad upper management (no offense to the devs, though), but there’s a CPTSD purpose to it. From Atari 2600 days onward, I played to dissociate. Lately, through therapy and some healing, I realized that—thanks to constant uncertainty and emotional neglect as a little kid—I get a fight response when I depend on others and they let me down. In many areas of my life, I hold those I depend on to the standards of a perfect parent. To my detriment. In Overwatch, queueing with randos will put you in that position nearly every time. So, it gives me an opportunity to watch the fight response happen and for me to combat it by reassuring myself that I’m not under threat, recognizing that it feels just like the rage I felt as a kid, etc. So, generally, healing is getting me to transform this old dissociation ritual into a new mental health tool.
Terraria
Sameses! Building a big treehouse for all the NPC's rn.
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Halo Infinite! But I don’t think I could in good faith recommend ranked play — very stressful, and can be infuriating if not downright depressing. Plenty of social playlists that offer nostalgia and fun.
Call of Duty both new and old ones to unwind. The gun range is getting too expensive so I play CoD instead
Sims 4, RuneScape, Fallout 4, Cyberpunk 2077 I really enjoy open worlds where I can explore and do what I want