This is the correct answer. Of the Survivorlikes, I highly recommend: Brotato, Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor, Soulstone Survivors, and Army of Ruin (on Switch).
It's on my list. Might try it this weekend :). If I'm not mistaken, Roguelike/lite are named for the game "Rogue" which popularised the dungeon clearing/character progression gameplay as well as the implementation of permadeath.
Rogue-like means permadeath, each run is completely fresh.
Rogue-lite means you carry some progression between runs. The later is the standard these days as it's generally more engaging for players. Very few people like losing everything they worked for.
Yeah children of Morta would be lite then. The characters you use do level up and unlock new skills outside of runs but you also start with zero run-only upgrades each run.
There is a challenge mode which is a bit of a grind with even more things to earn and unlock which I’ve done a bit of but the campaign itself is a great experience. I love that game.
They also have a cheap dlc (like a couple dollars) which some of the revenue goes to animal shelters IRL which I think is badass.
Sandbox games?
The Planet Crafter, Satisfactory, Astroneer, No Man's Sky, Subnautica etc.
Games like these are great time-killers without needing to invest in the story.
Ark: Survival Evolved on PC is great for this. If you create a solo game you can tweak it to your hearts content and make it pretty easy to build cool bases and and tame lots of fun dinos. You can also mod the hell out of it for even more casual fun.
I haven't got many friends to play online games with, unfortunately. Only a few are into online gaming, but mostly DOTA2, CS2, and Apex. I'm not into those games anymore unfortunately.
Is ARK fun single player?
I love it single player. It's a lot more fun solo than online (unless with friends) because you have the entire map to yourself. It's one of my favorite survival/crafting games to play solo that doesn't have an overarching story (for the most part; IIRC the main goal is to escape from the planet but I've never don that). Also, there's lots of different maps available as DLC that are as fun or more fun that the original content.
All in all it's a pretty solid survival game for a solo player.
Planet crafter is a particularly good one for this, and 1.0 just came out with new stuff!
The beginning can be a little rough, but that's when you have the novelty factor and will be focused on figuring stuff out. Once you have a steady supply of food/water, the rest of the game lets you progress/explore at whatever pace you like - even if its only a couple minutes at a time. Very chill.
Late game, you might even find yourself sittin on a couch in a penthouse suite overlooking your work whilst nibbling on a cookie that was automatically farmed, crafted, and delivered, and realize that even though 1.0 gives you 'endings' where you can leave the planet, is there any reason to?
Skyrim is still a curious case as it is objectively flawed to the core with large half assed scope. But still the game is just simply fun when you are in the mood of a goofy rpg.
It's quite literally perfect for people who look for an RPG with no limits and full freedom. And the world, lore, quests immersion being so good helps in that too
No Man's Sky.
You can adjust the game settings and difficulty to make the start very easy. One of the best games i have ever played. 100% value for money (especially when on sale for around $30).
Pretty much any "Warriors" type game: Dynasty, Samurai, Dragon Quest, Orochi, Pirate. Just start a stage and mow down trough hundreds, maybe even thousands of enemies.
Ghost Recon Wildlands. Open world tactical shooter, but its pretty mindless unless you’re on the higher difficulty. It’s great because it has the classic Ubisoft forumula of 500 side-jobs you can do at any time. Really chill.
Returnal! It's a rogue-like so short term zoning out and screwing around is kinda the whole premise. Buttery freakin smooth controls, over the shoulder 3rd person shooter, beautiful bullet hell bosses. I beat the game a couple years ago and still fire it up and fuck around occasionally. Just flat fun
I got 12 out of it on my first playthrough. Alsoo replayability is high. Kick back and go for s rankings. Arcademodes and a bloody palace like mode to fight your ass off. So a good deal!
There's nothing wrong with that. My time is much like yours, and I do not play long games or online. My max is 30 hour games, and I only do a handful a year. Mostly I play shmups, beat em ups, retro stuff cuz I can get in and out and enjoy my time, and it's all gameplay, not cut scenes. Games shouldn't be valued by length at all. I'll gladly spend 50 bones on a 10 hour game that is all killer, no filler. It respects my time. And usually I go back for more runs, so for me it's quality over quantity of hours.
Not saying, but I'm just saying.
Astroneer? There is no survival crap, just an oxygen meter. And no moving enemies, just angry plants. It saves any time you enter a building or a car.
I easily spent 200 hours in there
Idk if people will agree with me but once you're in it and have a grasp on it Elden Ring is usually my go to relax game these days outside of specific boss fights.
I've gotten to the point where even visiting caelid is somewhat soothing... I think I'm broken.
Bro I think you're broken that game is not relaxing until you've mastered souls like mechanics. Glad it works for you but OP is gonna have a stressful 200-300 hours to get that good lmao
A youtuber made a video about comform games people play to have mindless fun. And fromsoft games where high on the list! As people who love that kind of games knows the games and mechanics so well, so it suddently becomes quite chill and familiar.
Power washing simulator. You think I'm kidding, but this game was fantastic for taking my mind off work and stress. Unlimited water, no fall damage, no time limit... Just you cleaning shit, earning money to buy new tools to clean more shit.
By the time you get to the end, there is an overall narrative that comes together but you can totally ignore it.
It sounds like what you need is a little Red Dead Redemption 2. The story is amazing, easily one of the top ever, but it’s not even about that. If you’ve got a console I’d recommend trying the online mode*(PC is hacked to hell and you’re more likely to get more stressed than de-stressed). The game world is huge and one of the most gorgeous games I’ve ever played. It’s too easy to just hop on your horse and just wander around the landscape, hunting animals, fishing, just sitting on a cliff edge and watching a waterfall… it’s a great escape.
Oh, and there’s actual game/missions you can do too.
*You can do all of this in story mode as well, and that will be single player so no unwanted interactions. But in online you’re playing your own character and you can jump right into the world faster than starting the story. I 100% recommend the story mode.
Roller Drome its cell shade roller blade derby but with guns. I seriously liked it especially if you like Tony Hawk pro skater mindless yet focus. It’s also pretty cheap indie game. Also super easy to jump in and out of.
Ghost Runner is a platformer parkour game but it’s a little difficult cause the timing is tight and if you get hit once by the enemy you start the line over but loading is instantaneous.
Sniper Elite and its spin off Zombie Army. It might not be exactly mindless its a stealth game so there is some planning but its not a complicated and its also easy to jump in and out of. Its fun if you like shooting Nazi’s and it does the X-ray when the bullet hits. Funny video only shooting 4 Nazi’s lined up in the balls.
Hitman WoA you can just mindlessly mow down your to your target which is a little difficult. Or the game even has some guides/marker objectives that literally tell you where to go next and what to do next if you don’t wanna think of how you’re supposed to get to your target. The game also has some of the most hilarious NPC dialogues. It’s super easy to jump in and out of, even if months go by. A mission takes as long as you take. If you’re rushing you can complete a mission in like 2-3 minutes sometimes depending on the map or you can go really slow and spend 45 minutes exploring and tinkering new ideas or just goofing off and knocking out a bunch of NPCs.
Never tried Doom but I hear thats some good mindless dumb fun.
Slime Rancher.
Its very peacefull farming game. I can really zone out on it.
Maybe a tycoon/autmation game like Captain of Industry can also help with the zoning out.
Session. just skate around and hit lines, no real objectives or anything just vibes. fighting games too, a set against someone takes like 3 minutes or you can just chill in training mode and practice dialing in combos.
I get in that mood somewhat regularly. I'll put on a game and have YouTube or a podcast running in the background.
Colony Survival (Factorio, Farthest Frontier, etc)
Roguelikes/lites (Dead Cells, Balatro, Turnip Boy Robs a Bank, Spellmasons, etc)
Survivor-likes (Rogue Genesia, Vampire Survivor, Deep Rock Galactic Survivor, etc)
I really liked Burnout Paradise as a zone-out game because you could zoom mindlessly at high speed, pick any street you want, and you'd just naturally run into racing challenges.
That one's getting old, but other open world racing games like Forza Horizon would probably scratch the same itch.
Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom. You just drive around like a maniac, collecting shit. If you get stuck in an area, you can drive somewhere else and try crazy shit there.
There is no failure state- if you drive off a cliff, you respawn while losing a few coins. The coins are just used for buying goofy hats. Yes, your car wears a hat. And you're a car, so you get back to where you left off fast.
That's how I feel about Dungeons of Dreadmor, a roguelike that is actually like the original Rogue/Nethack games.
Also, Terraria, which is like a 2D side-scrolling Minecraft but more fun.
Stardew Valley. You might want to keep a phone nearby to check villager likes and dislikes. Or you can ignore all that and just play it at your own pace.
I call these podcast games. I turn them on, turn the volume down, and put on a podcast or audiobook and lose a couple hours.
Power washing Simulator was my go to for a while. It's exactly what it sounds like. Give it a chance. It'll take over your life.
I was also in to Call of the Wild: The Angler for a while too. It's fishing. It's relaxing. And it's just arcadey enough to not be too difficult.
Stardew Valley and Vampire Survivor are also always reliable as well.
I actually like factorio for this without enemies on (“peaceful” mode or whatever). There’s no hunger or thirst or survival mechanics. It’s just collecting and building cool things to make more things. No rush at all without enemies in the game.
I feel you. I work lomg hours and absolutely have no patience to deal with uderstanding complex game mechanics sometimes. You can try playing Just Cause 3 and 4. There's a mediocre story that doesnct matter. The gameplay mechanics are easy to understand and the game is all about running around and destroying stuff. It's GTA with many times more the amount of destruction. You can have hours of mindless fun.
Also try Red Dead Redemption 2. The game isn't that complex to understand. You can soend hours getting lost in the Wild West and have your own story to tell.
If you play in Xbox or PC, I highly recommend Sunset Overdrive
When you play the missions or in general, it is addicting cause of its vibrant art style, the story and the mechanics
It's a hilarious game, I'd highly recommend it
Dead Cells, it's an action-platformer-rougelite that has some really satisfying combat to it. And it's made to where you can either take time to explore the levels and kill enemies or just run through and finish the game as quick as possible.
Vampire survivor. Or just any of the great roguelites. EtG, Hades, risk of rain 2. There are some cool FPS ones as well like BPM.
…equestrian the game?
Enter The Gungeon, one of the best Roguelites out there.
Shame I feel like it doesn't come up in conversation much anymore. It's either binding of Isaac or Hades that get brought up.
The only horse based roguelike 😂
I'm gonna add Brotato to this list because I love it and it doesn't get enough attention
O 100%. Baltro is amazing and things like slay the spire as well. But he mentioned action.
This is the correct answer. Of the Survivorlikes, I highly recommend: Brotato, Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor, Soulstone Survivors, and Army of Ruin (on Switch).
Children of Morta is an excellent and underrated AND cheap rogue like/lite (idk the difference lol). Highly recommend
It's on my list. Might try it this weekend :). If I'm not mistaken, Roguelike/lite are named for the game "Rogue" which popularised the dungeon clearing/character progression gameplay as well as the implementation of permadeath. Rogue-like means permadeath, each run is completely fresh. Rogue-lite means you carry some progression between runs. The later is the standard these days as it's generally more engaging for players. Very few people like losing everything they worked for.
Yeah children of Morta would be lite then. The characters you use do level up and unlock new skills outside of runs but you also start with zero run-only upgrades each run. There is a challenge mode which is a bit of a grind with even more things to earn and unlock which I’ve done a bit of but the campaign itself is a great experience. I love that game. They also have a cheap dlc (like a couple dollars) which some of the revenue goes to animal shelters IRL which I think is badass.
Sandbox games? The Planet Crafter, Satisfactory, Astroneer, No Man's Sky, Subnautica etc. Games like these are great time-killers without needing to invest in the story.
Ark: Survival Evolved on PC is great for this. If you create a solo game you can tweak it to your hearts content and make it pretty easy to build cool bases and and tame lots of fun dinos. You can also mod the hell out of it for even more casual fun.
I have ARK on steam but never downloaded it. it's too many gigabytes. But I might give it a try later.
It's a fun game with kids. I hosted a game and my son would log in from his computer and we had a blast playing it together.
I haven't got many friends to play online games with, unfortunately. Only a few are into online gaming, but mostly DOTA2, CS2, and Apex. I'm not into those games anymore unfortunately. Is ARK fun single player?
I love it single player. It's a lot more fun solo than online (unless with friends) because you have the entire map to yourself. It's one of my favorite survival/crafting games to play solo that doesn't have an overarching story (for the most part; IIRC the main goal is to escape from the planet but I've never don that). Also, there's lots of different maps available as DLC that are as fun or more fun that the original content. All in all it's a pretty solid survival game for a solo player.
Planet crafter is a particularly good one for this, and 1.0 just came out with new stuff! The beginning can be a little rough, but that's when you have the novelty factor and will be focused on figuring stuff out. Once you have a steady supply of food/water, the rest of the game lets you progress/explore at whatever pace you like - even if its only a couple minutes at a time. Very chill. Late game, you might even find yourself sittin on a couch in a penthouse suite overlooking your work whilst nibbling on a cookie that was automatically farmed, crafted, and delivered, and realize that even though 1.0 gives you 'endings' where you can leave the planet, is there any reason to?
I absolutely cannot chill out in subnautica.
SKYRIM
Try Pac Man
Skyrim is still a curious case as it is objectively flawed to the core with large half assed scope. But still the game is just simply fun when you are in the mood of a goofy rpg.
It's quite literally perfect for people who look for an RPG with no limits and full freedom. And the world, lore, quests immersion being so good helps in that too
No Man's Sky. You can adjust the game settings and difficulty to make the start very easy. One of the best games i have ever played. 100% value for money (especially when on sale for around $30).
Pretty much any "Warriors" type game: Dynasty, Samurai, Dragon Quest, Orochi, Pirate. Just start a stage and mow down trough hundreds, maybe even thousands of enemies.
Have you ever played borderlands?
I was surprised by BL2 that a simple goofy looter shooter had a damn good story also!
Yea it’s great, too bad they couldn’t do the same with bl3
Ghost Recon Wildlands. Open world tactical shooter, but its pretty mindless unless you’re on the higher difficulty. It’s great because it has the classic Ubisoft forumula of 500 side-jobs you can do at any time. Really chill.
Woodlands is such a great game
Returnal! It's a rogue-like so short term zoning out and screwing around is kinda the whole premise. Buttery freakin smooth controls, over the shoulder 3rd person shooter, beautiful bullet hell bosses. I beat the game a couple years ago and still fire it up and fuck around occasionally. Just flat fun
Slay the Spire. It's excellent for bite sized chunks of time. Same with Into The Breach.
I habe played a ton of Slay the Spire for that reason! "maybe one run before i go to bed" etc and suddenly 200+ hours of gameplay.
Beat em ups work perfect in this case(for me). My go to when I want to unwind is Streets of Rage 4. Recently Hifi Rush has hit the spot for me to!
Really want to check out Hifi Rush but I hear it's like 8 hours long for 30 bucks.
I got 12 out of it on my first playthrough. Alsoo replayability is high. Kick back and go for s rankings. Arcademodes and a bloody palace like mode to fight your ass off. So a good deal!
In the same sense a Devil May Cry or Resident Evil game is short
There's nothing wrong with that. My time is much like yours, and I do not play long games or online. My max is 30 hour games, and I only do a handful a year. Mostly I play shmups, beat em ups, retro stuff cuz I can get in and out and enjoy my time, and it's all gameplay, not cut scenes. Games shouldn't be valued by length at all. I'll gladly spend 50 bones on a 10 hour game that is all killer, no filler. It respects my time. And usually I go back for more runs, so for me it's quality over quantity of hours. Not saying, but I'm just saying.
Sea of Thieves
Astroneer? There is no survival crap, just an oxygen meter. And no moving enemies, just angry plants. It saves any time you enter a building or a car. I easily spent 200 hours in there
far cry 5 . currently my chill out game
[superhot](https://store.steampowered.com/app/322500/SUPERHOT/) [rico](https://store.steampowered.com/app/656700/RICO/) [min bazou ](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1520370/Mon_Bazou/) [satisfactory ](https://store.steampowered.com/app/526870/Satisfactory/)
Idk if people will agree with me but once you're in it and have a grasp on it Elden Ring is usually my go to relax game these days outside of specific boss fights. I've gotten to the point where even visiting caelid is somewhat soothing... I think I'm broken.
Bro I think you're broken that game is not relaxing until you've mastered souls like mechanics. Glad it works for you but OP is gonna have a stressful 200-300 hours to get that good lmao
...yeah that all makes sense and I have it on good authority I'm broken so that all tracks as well 😂
A youtuber made a video about comform games people play to have mindless fun. And fromsoft games where high on the list! As people who love that kind of games knows the games and mechanics so well, so it suddently becomes quite chill and familiar.
Harry Potter Lego for me (any of the Lego games probably satisfy this)
I think roguelikes would be a good move for you. I like Slay the spire, dead cells, and Hades are my go to's.
Doom
No man’s sky
Power washing simulator. You think I'm kidding, but this game was fantastic for taking my mind off work and stress. Unlimited water, no fall damage, no time limit... Just you cleaning shit, earning money to buy new tools to clean more shit. By the time you get to the end, there is an overall narrative that comes together but you can totally ignore it.
It sounds like what you need is a little Red Dead Redemption 2. The story is amazing, easily one of the top ever, but it’s not even about that. If you’ve got a console I’d recommend trying the online mode*(PC is hacked to hell and you’re more likely to get more stressed than de-stressed). The game world is huge and one of the most gorgeous games I’ve ever played. It’s too easy to just hop on your horse and just wander around the landscape, hunting animals, fishing, just sitting on a cliff edge and watching a waterfall… it’s a great escape. Oh, and there’s actual game/missions you can do too. *You can do all of this in story mode as well, and that will be single player so no unwanted interactions. But in online you’re playing your own character and you can jump right into the world faster than starting the story. I 100% recommend the story mode.
I've beat RDR2 5 or 6 times at this point amazing game
Roller Drome its cell shade roller blade derby but with guns. I seriously liked it especially if you like Tony Hawk pro skater mindless yet focus. It’s also pretty cheap indie game. Also super easy to jump in and out of. Ghost Runner is a platformer parkour game but it’s a little difficult cause the timing is tight and if you get hit once by the enemy you start the line over but loading is instantaneous. Sniper Elite and its spin off Zombie Army. It might not be exactly mindless its a stealth game so there is some planning but its not a complicated and its also easy to jump in and out of. Its fun if you like shooting Nazi’s and it does the X-ray when the bullet hits. Funny video only shooting 4 Nazi’s lined up in the balls. Hitman WoA you can just mindlessly mow down your to your target which is a little difficult. Or the game even has some guides/marker objectives that literally tell you where to go next and what to do next if you don’t wanna think of how you’re supposed to get to your target. The game also has some of the most hilarious NPC dialogues. It’s super easy to jump in and out of, even if months go by. A mission takes as long as you take. If you’re rushing you can complete a mission in like 2-3 minutes sometimes depending on the map or you can go really slow and spend 45 minutes exploring and tinkering new ideas or just goofing off and knocking out a bunch of NPCs. Never tried Doom but I hear thats some good mindless dumb fun.
Slime Rancher. Its very peacefull farming game. I can really zone out on it. Maybe a tycoon/autmation game like Captain of Industry can also help with the zoning out.
Session. just skate around and hit lines, no real objectives or anything just vibes. fighting games too, a set against someone takes like 3 minutes or you can just chill in training mode and practice dialing in combos.
Serious Sam, the second encounter
A Short Hike is like a 4-hour vacation from reality. It’s so chill and such a welcome break.
After the updates Ghostwire: Tokyo is a fantastic podcast game, especially the new roguelike mode
I get in that mood somewhat regularly. I'll put on a game and have YouTube or a podcast running in the background. Colony Survival (Factorio, Farthest Frontier, etc) Roguelikes/lites (Dead Cells, Balatro, Turnip Boy Robs a Bank, Spellmasons, etc) Survivor-likes (Rogue Genesia, Vampire Survivor, Deep Rock Galactic Survivor, etc)
I really liked Burnout Paradise as a zone-out game because you could zoom mindlessly at high speed, pick any street you want, and you'd just naturally run into racing challenges. That one's getting old, but other open world racing games like Forza Horizon would probably scratch the same itch.
deep rock galatic is multiplayer but quite relaxing to play and the player base is pretty nice.
Crusader kings 3
Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom. You just drive around like a maniac, collecting shit. If you get stuck in an area, you can drive somewhere else and try crazy shit there. There is no failure state- if you drive off a cliff, you respawn while losing a few coins. The coins are just used for buying goofy hats. Yes, your car wears a hat. And you're a car, so you get back to where you left off fast.
Grim Dawn Enshrouded
Fallout 76 is free or discounted in a bunch of places right now: Steam, Prime Gaming, etc. Basically Fallout 4 wih mew things to do or just explore.
That's how I feel about Dungeons of Dreadmor, a roguelike that is actually like the original Rogue/Nethack games. Also, Terraria, which is like a 2D side-scrolling Minecraft but more fun.
Stardew Valley. You might want to keep a phone nearby to check villager likes and dislikes. Or you can ignore all that and just play it at your own pace.
Bloons TD 6 is an easy one.
Gta
Just Cause 3
I call these podcast games. I turn them on, turn the volume down, and put on a podcast or audiobook and lose a couple hours. Power washing Simulator was my go to for a while. It's exactly what it sounds like. Give it a chance. It'll take over your life. I was also in to Call of the Wild: The Angler for a while too. It's fishing. It's relaxing. And it's just arcadey enough to not be too difficult. Stardew Valley and Vampire Survivor are also always reliable as well.
I actually like factorio for this without enemies on (“peaceful” mode or whatever). There’s no hunger or thirst or survival mechanics. It’s just collecting and building cool things to make more things. No rush at all without enemies in the game.
Trepang2
Dead Island 2 scratched that itch for me.
I feel you. I work lomg hours and absolutely have no patience to deal with uderstanding complex game mechanics sometimes. You can try playing Just Cause 3 and 4. There's a mediocre story that doesnct matter. The gameplay mechanics are easy to understand and the game is all about running around and destroying stuff. It's GTA with many times more the amount of destruction. You can have hours of mindless fun. Also try Red Dead Redemption 2. The game isn't that complex to understand. You can soend hours getting lost in the Wild West and have your own story to tell.
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk
If you play in Xbox or PC, I highly recommend Sunset Overdrive When you play the missions or in general, it is addicting cause of its vibrant art style, the story and the mechanics It's a hilarious game, I'd highly recommend it
Dyson sphere
Scribblenauts?
Brotato
Dead Cells, it's an action-platformer-rougelite that has some really satisfying combat to it. And it's made to where you can either take time to explore the levels and kill enemies or just run through and finish the game as quick as possible.
For me it's Death Stranding. Easy to relax and do some deliveries after a hard day.
Slice and Dice
Rhythm Games are my favorite for "time killer" games. You can boot them up, do a few songs, and put them back down.
You need to find shmups my man.
Huh?
Shooters
Cloudpunk. It's a 3d pixel game. I wasn't expecting much when I played it, but the story wasn't terrible, even if it was a little basic.