After starting work, I feel so tired every day, so I just want to play some casual games. Recently, I’m playing survivor-like games like Vampire Survivors and Darkchaser. They’re simple and fun, but after a while, they get a bit boring. So, I’m looking for other casual game recommendations, preferably single-player games that can be paused at any time, like Plants vs Zombies. Thanks！
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I like TLOZ:BotW a lot. But I need to say that it is my favorite game so it could not be that relaxing for others. Forager is also a great casual game. I cab also genuinely recommend these:
- Shapez.io
- World Box
- Spaceflight Simulator
- Good Pizza Great Pizza
- Surviving Mars
- Before We leave (At one point it becomes very buggy and the save is basically useless)
I will always recommend Into The Breach to everyone. Perfect mechanics, easy to jump in and out of, satisfying aesthetics, balanced difficulty
Yeah. The Breach is fantastic. Ready to pick up and set down. Utterly fantastic tactical gameplay. Cool tech, interesting progression options.
All that said, it’s not my go-to cozy game, because it’s atmosphere is too well done.
They only thing about “The Breach” is that it’s so dang well done that I can’t take a turn not seriously. It regularly makes me make movie heroism level of decisions. Do I make the safe play, or try to save everyone? Am I willing to sacrifice my pilot for this win?
The vibe is fantastic, but decidedly not cozy.
Loved FTL, hated ITB.
I’m in the same boat. FTL is where it’s at (for me).
I think Burnout Paradise can be good for this, you can just start the game, drive around, have fun and leave whenever you want.
If you’re okay with demolition derby stuff, FlatOut 2, Ultimate Carnage, and also Wreckfest is decent arcade racer. FlatOut minigames also fun for couch play with 2-4 people.
Wrecking competitor is fun and you can set the difficulty as you wish.
Any City Building game
bloons td 6 and super auto pets (on mobile and PC)
also mindustry
Depending on what you mean by casual, Terraria fits the bill. I love sitting down with a journey mode character and taking the game at my own pace. For the first playthrough I would probably point people to softcore normal mode as it’s the “proper” way to play, but once you’ve grinded out goals once then journey is a really nice way to take control of the game’s difficulty on the fly.
Peggle
peglin as well.
Pegging as well… Wait, what?
First thing’s first: you’re allowed to play on easy mode if you want. Took me too long to realize this.
Emulators let you save anywhere, so if you wanna play Crono Trigger or Donkey Kong Country, go for it!
Holocure is a free bullet heaven with lots of characters to unlock. Recommend boosting your coins first.
Terra Nil (it’s like an anti Sim City) is only as stressful as you make it. Clean the planet and max out the flora and fauna, or just vibe. It even has an appreciation option once you’ve cleansed the area, zooming in to certain sections and letting you see the animals.
Stardew Valley is the embodiment of chill
This really depends on the type of person you are. I find with the time pressure each in-game day that every time I launch it I get caught up in a mess of wiki pages and spreadsheets figuring out the ideal crops to plant and when, what gifts people like and when to gift them, etcetera etcetera. It became stressful and I stopped playing it after finishing most of the main objectives.
You can play it, at your rythm,
Performance isnt mandatory,You can learn the game before going “meta”, discovering things by yourself, etc.
Do not compare yourself to others or directly going on a wiki, to start paying it…Perfection is fun with time. Its a solo game, why you should run it for real ?
As long as you have enough monitors for all the spreadsheets and wiki pages you need to consult!
As long as you realize you don’t have to eat and the time constraints aren’t as tough as it first seems.
Seconded
Lots of options already shared it so I am just gonna say that I find easier to play older games that I have already played/beaten.
Personal examples:
Super Mario 64 and Toy Story 2.
The huge benefit of older games is that they are just quick and play, no updates no DLCs just fire it up and play, if emulated you even got save states and all those thingys.
This is a dangerous thing to me though, as it discourages me to try out new games, yeah, but after a tiring day I find myself more comfortable getting into these kinds of games than other options.
Funny that you mentioned Vampire Survivors as I was planning to get it for Android haha.
How has noone mentioned Powerwash Simulator yet. There is no pressure (pun not intended), you just walk around dirty scenes and start cleaning them. The amount of satisfaction this produces is incredible. This is mostly because the dirt is actually fairly accurate and washing does not feel like brushing dirt of where the only options is 100% dirt or 0% dirt. All of the intermediates and the complex geometry of the objects makes cleaning a really chilling experience.
im not trying to be provocative
but have you ever considered actually cleaning things
you can get paid to do this
irl power washwers are fun
Same could be said for any game. The value mostly of a game is the controlled progression with little impact. If I go start power washing the driveway and then stop at a moments notice to go take a shower and head to work I’m gonna leave a giant mess laying around and a half done driveway.
so, uh… it really couldnt be said of any game at all… the idea that the game makes it better than real power washing because you can stop at any time with out leaving a half finished driveway is cracking me up dude i love it
Same could be said for any game.
No. No, it really couldn’t.
Instead of playing games, go outside, touch grass, undergo the series of organ implantations that are required to become a Space Marine. The only thing holding you back is yourself.
Yeah I can see that, but currently that’s not a viable line in my career to take
ah well then laddie you just tell me when youre ready to man the old washer
theres always work down the shipyard for ye
I will also add both of the House Flipper games!
Dave the Diver. I had put down gaming because of tiredness and this game was such an unexpected joy of exploration and cute story for me. Easy to pick up and do a quick dive, decent progression based on a mix of skill and leveling up your character, and the writing was excellent. First game I 100% in forever and it was while playing it 30 minutes at a time.
Sounds chill.
It’s the perfect combo of cozy but not zero challenge - this would be my pick in op’s shoes
Yeah. I would probably start with Dave the Diver, in their case.
It’s so good. Decently chill. Great vibe throughout. The Boss fights each have a simple gimmick to win, and they don’t try to be clever about it. (Nothing pisses me off like “we changed the pattern of interaction five to turn a narrow victory win into a loss”. Game designers need to cut that out.) Thankfully Dave the Diver has the classic two patterns per battle, and aims for predictable fun. And the Boss fights are rare, anyway.
Stardew valley just the most super comfy game I’ve ever played.
I tried liking this game but its just not my taste.
Time Management: The Game
Probably the most valuable IRL skill you can learn in a game. Or you can just chill and fish for a whole year, no one’s gonna judge you.
Puzzles games could be really great here. The Case of the Golden Idol
