The PC (Personal Computer) is a highly configurable and upgradable gaming platform that, among home systems, sports the widest variety of control methods, largest library of games, and cutting edge graphics and sound capabilities.
What are some games you guys would recommend in which you can basically turn your brain off and relax. Games where you don't really have to think and can just play.
Hearthstone is a pretty good option for this. You might make some occasional mistakes if you're not paying attention, but it's generally low stakes and easy to zone out with while playing.
I found Euro Truck Simulator 2 to be a great mental salve right after the election. Just hit the road, scan the internet radio streams for some good tunes, and admire the scenery.
Bejeweled 3 also has a Zen Mode that is mega-chill.
It's relaxing and also hypnotic. It has a very minimal interface. It's only $10. If you check out a video, you should know instantly if you're interested or not.
What are we talking about here exactly? Are we talking easy also? Or just not having to think?
I really enjoy Prison Architect as a relaxing game because you can pause it. One Finger Death Punch is a fantastic game where you kind of have to learn to not think. It's not easy though.
I think the best answer I can come up with is Game Dev Tycoon? You barely have to do anything there. Actually, I'm going to play that now.
Driving, from Forza to the EuroTruckSim2/The Crew (outside of the set races, The Crew is way more like ETS2 than it is NfS) end of the scale. I find I can zone out a lot, even when doing laps and aiming for the sharper end of the leaderboards while keeping it clean. Podcast on, brain off, just reacting.
Prison Architect is a pretty good builder game (with a few caveats), but anything that's a builder (Cities: Skylines is another recent great example) can work like this as long as you're just playing it for the slow curve rather than really caring about maximising your performance.
I also do some occasional card games where I'm not really chasing the wins but just reacting and seeing what falls out. Hearthstone, Gwent, Magic: the Gathering.
A lot of good answers here but what first came to my mind was my go to podcast games. Games like Diablo, Borderlands, Skyrim, Stardew or Starbound.
I also found Hitman to be oddly relaxing. Grinding out level mastery can become tedious after awhile but if you throw on a good podcast or video and vibe out to hitting some men, it can be a good low key time.
I've also been playing through the Mass Effect games again over excitement for Adromeda and that has been a decent "play this while I watch/listen to other stuff" kind of game. Every now and then there is a story beat that you have to pay attention to but I found having the subtitles on and reading my way through it works well enough.
It's relaxing and also hypnotic. It has a very minimal interface. It's only $10. If you check out a video, you should know instantly if you're interested or not.
The very moment that I saw the topic, this was the game that I was going to recommend. And, currently on sale at 40% off at the Humble Store.
I found Euro Truck Simulator 2 to be a great mental salve right after the election. Just hit the road, scan the internet radio streams for some good tunes, and admire the scenery.
Bejeweled 3 also has a Zen Mode that is mega-chill.
Absolutely. I can't believe how much Euro Truck 2 (and American Truck, though I've not played too much of that) relaxes me. Also goes great with the Bombcast/Beastcast.
Polybridge is a game that I can distract myself with and just relax... you could argue there's some thinking involved, but not the way I play it. The music is great, and the game moves at your pace. For me at least, its a perfect fit.
I'm also going to second Geometry Wars -- though sometimes that game can damage my calm, it does have a sort of zone out quality to it.
A lot of good answers here but what first came to my mind was my go to podcast games. Games like Diablo, Borderlands, Skyrim, Stardew or Starbound.
I also found Hitman to be oddly relaxing. Grinding out level mastery can become tedious after awhile but if you throw on a good podcast or video and vibe out to hitting some men, it can be a good low key time.
I've also been playing through the Mass Effect games again over excitement for Adromeda and that has been a decent "play this while I watch/listen to other stuff" kind of game. Every now and then there is a story beat that you have to pay attention to but I found having the subtitles on and reading my way through it works well enough.
I think you and I are the same person...
Also the older pokemon games are great to play while you have a tv show or GB videos on in front of you, that's great for just turning your brain off for a couple of hours.
It's active combat but you typically know your patterns and it's not too intensive on decision making. You don't have to think too hard about item choices and once you know what you're doing in the skill tree, you don't worry much about it. The vibe of the game and the world is pretty great. I'm on my first playthrough and loving it! Great alternative to Diablo 3 (haven't played D3 yet, though).
It's relaxing and also hypnotic. It has a very minimal interface. It's only $10. If you check out a video, you should know instantly if you're interested or not.
The very moment that I saw the topic, this was the game that I was going to recommend. And, currently on sale at 40% off at the Humble Store.
Thanks, I just got lost in this game for the past couple hours. Love it.
I always enjoyed Banished. It's a fun little city building game. There's no real active goals and it can be hard to expand past a certain point, but it's a very cozy looking game.
I had to make a list for myself last year after I was hit by a drunk driver and immobilized on the couch for many months. Chill games only, preferably ones I could play from the couch. Thing is, I didn't have a modern console at the time, just my PC. Set up a table at the end of the couch and hooked my rig up to a medium sized TV. Here are some of my reccomendations while I needed chill games to play while on painkillers for a few months:
Truck Simulator (American/Euro)
Dirt Rally (has a pucker factor but not much thinking required. Bonus: Can use a controller and I think its on sale now, GREAT racing game).
Diablo 3 (Sure you can micromanage the shit out of your build or do what I did: Follow a guide and turn your brain off and kill shit)
Stardew Valley
Rogue Legacy
Truck Sim was a fun one for having podcasts and video on a second monitor if you're into that. I had it working with a controller pretty well so I didn't have to have a keyboard in my lap. Dirt Rally was the best for just laying back and driving with the controller. Learning how to take corners and feather the throttle/brakes was really relaxing but engaging enough to keep me out of a depression slump.
You can't turn off your brain completely but I find visual novels very relaxing. Put it on auto forward and just lean back. You don't need to do anything except read.
Hook is a kinda tricky puzzle game on steam, but I find it relaxing either way. Very sedate aesthetic. I quite like Kairo which is one of those abstract walking sim games. Elite: Dangerous can be quite relaxing if you're just going around trading.
Lucky enough to be in the Gwent beta, been my go to unwind game for the last couple of nights, cup of tea, listen to a few podcast and scorch a few enemies.
Stardew Valley kinda stressed me out because it commits you to a time frame and schedule if you want to get the most out of it.
I was just going to pop in to say that. The timer takes all the relaxing out of it for me, especially if you're trying to make any progress in the combat dungeon.
Proteus was the first game that came to mind to me as well, which made me realize that there aren't enough of those kinds of games around. Games that are just all about walking around and observing the environment. No real objectives, just pure exploration.
Grow Home and Euro Truck Simulator that have already been mentioned are good choices as well.
There is also this mod for ARMA, or maybe ARMA2 that I can't remember the name of. But it's all about day to day work. Walking, taking the bus, going to work. Might sound boring, but also might be relaxing, I'm not really sure.
EDIT: I'll also add that there is a free open beta for Steep. Once you get a better hold of the G-Force and trick system it's kind of relaxing to just free ride the mountains and find good spots to practice on.
Is my search function broken or has no one said Civilization yet...
I'm not the only one who finds those games very relaxing, right? I feel like CIV is "PC RELAXATION" writ large. Maybe for some they think a bit harder... lol perhaps this says something about my skills in CIV. I definitely "just play" and don't stress much about it. Just that map makes me relax I guess.
@freedom4556: I felt the same way starting out but time is literally meaningless in that game (in that there are no deadlines and you can never miss something forever) and the energy becomes completely meaningless over time as your energy available increases, activities require less energy, and automation reduces the activities you have to perform yourself. Halfway through my second year now, (that's...dear god...63 hours...) I'm in a complete nothing-matters yolo state where my brewery prints money, I'm married, and I'm just waiting for fall to catch the last two fish that will complete my community center.
I wouldn't say it's a "turn off your brain" quite but I recommend Children of the Nile. It's slow paced (unless you use its speed up functions) city builder where you can slowly watch things develop. Anything along those lines, like an Evil Genius or the new Planet Coaster game, are good choices for me. You can speed them up but I never do. I let them slowly develop, sometimes just walking away or playing windowed and reading while the game is running or what have you. The genre usually has a varying degree of things suddenly having shit hit the fan that you need to fix though so keep that in mind.
Euro Truck Sim has already been said, personally I'll be picking up American Truck Sim as soon as it goes on sale for holiday. Fantastic for podcast listening or music or whatever.
The Elder Scrolls games are also good if you're doing non-story things or turn on subtitles.
One I've been playing a TON of is Transport Fever - saw Squirrel play it on twitch and now I play it all the time. Simplistic route building / tranport game that's also fairly easy (on easier difficulties) but very satisfying to see come together while you build up your map.
Civilization 5 and Sid Meier's Pirates! are both very relaxing for me because of the scale, the aesthetic (pleasant and colorful), the slow pace, and largely because of the ambient sound. Gulls chirping, animals huffing, the plink of metalwork, and a light breeze. Play either on an easier difficulty setting, and it's less like playing Jenga and more like stacking blocks.
Grow Home and Grow Up are also fantastic choices. No pressure, no enemies, no real threat. Just climbing.
I really go for mindless loot games like Diablo, open world Elder Scrolls games, and builder/crafting games. Basically anything where I can set my own pace with no pausing issues.
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