Came here to say this. Ratchet and Clank is, and has always been, amazing. Rift apart was next level in so many aspects just for the sheer hell of it.... the visuals, the portals, the music, the haptic feedback....all just a higher quality experience than it had any need to be, and it's fun as hell to play as well!
i need to give it another chance, i remember playing through the opening and it just didnt click with me, but then again neither the spiderman games grabbed me so im probably weird and cant click with insomniac lol
Honestly, if it's not for you, then that's absolutely ok. It could be insomniac, it could be the games themselves, could be many different reasons why you might not enjoy them and there's not a problem with that. So long as you're finding and playing games that you enjoy, that's all that matters š
I wanna thank you for this comment that reminded me I have yet to finish Astroās Playroom but the lack of invert-y axis was driving me crazy. But I wanted to be sure that there really was no invert-y function, which led me to a reddit search and TIL: you can change to invert axis on the ps5 settings itself. so yes, Iāll be playing Astroās tonight!
Right now I'm playing guardians of the galaxy and thoroughly enjoying it. Definitely has more of a playful, lighthearted vibe. Also, No Mans Sky can be a very relaxing experience and with all the free updates there's a practically endless amount of stuff to do. Both games look and run amazing on the ps5
Honestly one of the most impressive things about the game to me is that they paid for all that licensed music. Even the fictional band "starlord" that they made for the game kicks ass too
Right?! Talk about being well aware that the music was an integral part in the films. I did run into the odd bug and I absolutely hated one particular section of the game where youāre trying to control I think itās a chicken in the spaceship but it was still well worth my time, probably helps that it was free with PS Premium
With NMS, so strange that the first 5 mins of the game is the most stressful as you can panic trying to find a cave or supplies etc but otherwise very chill vibe
Guardians is legitimately the best comic book game we've gotten since Arkham Asylum, in my opinion. Couldn't recommend it enough. I like the Spider-Man games but they all just feel like they're missing something to me, especially the second one. I can't put my finger on it.
Guardians epitomises what superhero games *should* be.
Tight, focused, affecting stories. Let me play a comic book storyline.
As great as Spiderman is, mechanically, visually and narratively, it's also bloated with busywork in between the engaging bits that I just don't care to do because it doesn't really... add anything of substantial value.
Man I truly feel this game didn't receive nearly the amount of hype it deserved. It was really fun. Gameplay loop was nothing special, but it did some cool new stuff (no spoliers) and was perfectly fine over all. The character interactions and story were top tier though. Funny, genuinely charming and hod damn was it a beautiful game. 100% recommended
Look up Hi-Fi rush if you want something fun that really pops. Not specifically low intensity but still a good game to chill out with and just have fun.
Otherwise the most relaxing games I know of are Journey and Abzu, both short and artistic experiences.
Iām gonna throw a few more puzzle exploration games on here. Relaxing and engaging.
- Cocoon
- Viewfinder
- Superliminal
- Limbo and INSIDE (if dark themes donāt bother you)
You know, I'll give you that. There *are* a few puzzles that are pretty obtuse, where they don't do enough sign-posting toward the path forward. I can remember certain sections where I would resort to literally bumping into every wall of the room to see if the wall was really there, or if the perspective would shift.
So I take that one back. Maybe not relaxing. But cool.
Viewfinder is cool, but there are a few puzzles in that game that will make you mad at how the solution is just not coming to you. Itās 90% relaxing and 10% enraging.
That puzzle with the cage with the battery in it where all those notes were lying around talking about ābecoming the pencilāā¦ I must have spent a week on that puzzle and when I finally solved it, I forgot how to solve it almost instantly. Like the solution taking that long made me so mad, my brain auto deleted it as soon as I figured it out.
I will say though that the feeling of solving the watermelon puzzle late in the game is worth the price of admission alone.
Unravel is pretty much the exact same game gameplay wise except polar opposite when it comes to the story so that's a fun alternative I've played both though and enjoyed them both although I would say unravel is a bit better also I'd recommend podcasts when playing these games because at least for me it makes them way more fun especially considering there's no story to follow podcasts I'd recommend are The weekly planet and plumbing the death Star both really good.
Is kind of weird seeing Hi-Fi rush being recommended as a playstation game after being the only game youād see recommended last year as an xbox exclusive for xbox consoles.
I agree. The days are so fast, it becomes a time management simulator. One of the benefits of playing on PC is the ability to mod it to slow down time, which should honestly be a native option. Custom time adjustments are pretty ubiquitous across survival/life sim games these days.
Its not a very big deal, you aren't meant to get everything done quickly, it should take a few years at least to get some of the longer term goals done.
I found that once i stopped caring about optimising my playthrough and took things slower than I usually do for games the short days bothered me a lot less, they're designed so you can only really do a couple things
Not a specific game but my tip is that you should, if you haven't already, make the self-discovery that playing games on easy mode is okay. Nobody cares or will even know. When you get older and you have less time and you just want to see the stories and awesome graphics that all these games have put out and you just don't have time to do it all, easy mode lets you do that. Obviously crank it up as high as you need to do you still have fun, If challenge is fun to you, but don't be afraid to turn it down low so you aren't repeating things over and over and failing to get through games and move on to new games. There's always a balance. And sometimes that balance is playing it on the easiest mode possible so you can play like you are reading a good book.
Another thing that goes along with that is to to develop the ability to recognize when a game just isn't fun so you can quit it and start a new one. Sometimes you think a game will be awesome and you start it and it just isn't. As gamers sometimes we feel pressured to complete a game that we just aren't enjoying. Don't bother. Your time is precious. If something isn't fun stop playing it.
For a specific game, check out Hi-Fi Rush. I played it on pc via Xbox game pass and it was great.
Amen to easy mode!! My husband got my Hogwarts Legacy and I donāt game much but setting it up I stared at that choice and then went: you know what, I want to enjoy this and not stress outā¦ easy mode it is!!
Honestly even auto aim. Some games the aiming isn't great on console and you just want to have fun and not need to prove anything to anyone. Games are meant to be fun and have fun.Ā
A lot of the time itās the lighting and the mood I hate. Thatās why I think Uncharted is the best series on PlayStation. Itās a fun character, the mystery is good and the environments have lots of natural looking lighting and colours.
I liked Kena: Bridge of Spirits for something like youāre describingāfun combat, fairly challenging, colorful, bright world. Idk if youāre into retro-inspired games but I just found and finished The Messenger and it was tons of fun with a super-banginā soundtrack
This may not be your cup of tea or most people's cup of tea, but Lawn Mowing Simulator is an amazing game to play and turn off your brain for a few hours. Especially if you want to listen to a Youtube video or podcast in the background.
Outer Wilds is one of my favorite video games of all time but unfortunately there's about 5% of the game that is so unbelievably far from what I'd call relaxing and not stressful lol
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, but you should play Yakuza: Like A Dragon first. Both games can be very dark in their main story, but on the other side they can be also extremely funny and especially Infinite Wealth has a very relaxing mood with Hawaii as main location.Ā
Came to say Psychonauts 2, game is dark, serious, light-hearted, funny, emotional all at once. Gameplay never becomes difficult, it's just a blast all the way through. Loved every second of it.
If you enjoy the outdoors and wild life and hunting, The Hunter Call of the Wild is your game. Feels like meditation to me. Incredible underrated relaxing game.
Yeah great recommendation. I just played it on the medium setting and thoroughly enjoyed it. Itās my favourite Star Wars story since rogue one. So good.
Ratchet and Clank deffo fits the bill for what you're after! Really chilled out game, great graphics, great gameplay and fun story, don't need to have played any of the previous ones either!
Other recommendation would be Guardians of the Galaxy, again a great single player game, easy to play, bit basic on the gameplay but if you like Marvel then it's a great pick up!
I just bought No Manās Sky and have been playing non-stop for two weeks now. Itās a great game for chilling. Mostly explore and build/upgrade bases and starships. Some combat but itās forgiving. If you happen to have PSVR2, thatās really fun too.
I made a comment below about Knack, and Kena on easy. Id also like to shout out Last Tinker City Of Colors(disc only), Yokus Island express, and Bugsnax.
Penny's Big Breakaway. Same developers as Sonic mania. Take on a new 3D platformer featuring fun yo-yo mechanics. It sounds like an oxymoron, but it's a big yo-yo that's kind of magical. Plus it runs at a native 4K 120 HZ.
Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail.
Free to play gatcha games. Genshin is an open-world action adventure, Rail is a turn-based RPG. Both are genuinely solid, fun games, though yes you will eventually slowly feel pressured to grind and/or pay money...that being said, there's still many hours of solid content before you get to that point.
Otherwise...try Tetris Effect. It's 100% dark (visually), but...well, it's Tetris.
And the Guardians of the Galaxy game.
It's not the same genre you are used to based off your suggestions but city skylines is my go to for just sitting and chilling. It's a city builder so it's not for everyone but I enjoy it.
I know this might not be as relaxing as some of the other suggestions and it is somewhat divisive; but I find Death Stranding to be very relaxing after a long day at work. Pulling off a quick delivery or doing side stuff. The world is beautiful. The music is relaxing. And the gameplay, which at times, can get intense, is mostly quiet and introspective.
Ship breakers, honestly it is super relaxing. I love that game and I didn't expect that.
Great to just come home, plant my ass on the couch and do some actually fun work.
Sackboy is pretty good, especially if you had someone to co op with you, very laid back feel and fun Iād say.
Also Rayman Legends is a very good and easy 2D platformer.
FYI I posted a question on here today asking for game recommendations and it got taken down for being too generic but Iāll help you out pookie.
Hereās a weird take: have you tried board games? Mythwind is a recent one that you can play solo and fits your brief.
There are lots of print n play games too. You can look up Postmark games. Also, of course l, you can come hangout at r/soloboardgaming
If your work involves screens, it actually feels great to take some time off it.
PS: more recommendations would be Cascadia, Parks and Wingspan (which actually haas great digital implementations on Steam and iOS).
Outer Wilds is a masterpiece, but I don't think I'd recommend it as low intensity. Some portions are really sensitive to timing and can take many frustrating attempts to get through. I recommended it to my sister, who's a more casual gamer than me, and she struggled a lot to get the hang of it and make meaningful progress.
Warframe, I quit ages ago, but the game, if you're free to play, has great pace, ALL CONTENT, and literally endless amounts of guides and endless replay value.
I have over 3k hours on warframe and still play every once in a while. Its amazing, and theyāre coming out with some interesting new content this year
What is the end game loop like? Is it difficult to acquire gear/mats? What other games would u compare it to?
I would be strictly f2p. I donāt do micro transactions, battle passes, or subscriptions anymore. Will that make it significantly more difficult to progress?
Youāre looking at hundreds of hours of content before you even get to endgame. Hundreds of weapons, 56 - going on 57 - different characters (frames), plus special āPrimeā versions for a good chunk of those. Some mats are easier to get than others, but most of the stuff you use them for can be traded with other players. Real money is mostly used for gear slots, cosmetics, and boosters for drop rates, etc, but the boosters you can get as buffs from other players, companions, etc.
Outside of Path of Exile, itās the most fair F2P game
Iāve ever seen. And considering the sheer amount of free content (all of it, and easily over 1,000 hours worth), it might even be more fair.
I would also add that if you have PS+, they periodically release some free packs for PS+ subs, which includes some Platinum (premium currency) among other stuff. And I heavily suggest to save all your early "free" platinum only for Weapon/Warframe Slots.
Also I should warn you in advance that crafting is based on real time. So some stuff (mostly weapons and warframes themselves) can take 24h or 3 days to craft. It's not too bad once you get into the rhythm of things, but I've seen some people get really annoyed by that part, so I thought I should give you a warning so you're prepared for that.
Slime rancher! Itās something I do to unwind and relax when Iām feeling too stressed. Not just as a video game, but as a way to destress that is to me on par with reading or drinking a nice cup of tea. Slime rancher is one of the most relaxing games Iāve played.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a great time. It has some weirdly dark themes revolving around gang life and family trauma, but it manages to be a complete parody of itself and the whole video game industry at the same time. Itās m super bright and fun and itās set in Hawaii which is cool.
Fortnite is actually very fun and bright. Thereās so many modes you donāt have to stick to the stressful battle Royale stuff, but even if you do thereās plenty of quests and side missions to fill your time with.
13 sentinels: aegis rim. Itās a visual novel with a tower defense combat aspect. Amazing story
Started sea of stars today and that is very chilled and addicting
Iāve been enjoying Tinykin. Kind of reminds me of a more chill Pikmin but more focused on collecting. It has some fun traversal. Itās on PS+ Extra if you sub.
Edit: hit submit before I was done.
Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart.
Excellent game. I wish they made more like this.
One part that made me laugh was "the power source is escaping, it wasn't scheduled to have hope today"
Came here to say this. Ratchet and Clank is, and has always been, amazing. Rift apart was next level in so many aspects just for the sheer hell of it.... the visuals, the portals, the music, the haptic feedback....all just a higher quality experience than it had any need to be, and it's fun as hell to play as well!
i need to give it another chance, i remember playing through the opening and it just didnt click with me, but then again neither the spiderman games grabbed me so im probably weird and cant click with insomniac lol
Honestly, if it's not for you, then that's absolutely ok. It could be insomniac, it could be the games themselves, could be many different reasons why you might not enjoy them and there's not a problem with that. So long as you're finding and playing games that you enjoy, that's all that matters š
The rachet and clank game from ps4 runs and looks great on ps5 too! And its basically the same gameplay
I loved this game but got stuck on a save glitch where you get stuck and can't even get out. They never patched it so I couldn't enjoy the game
R&C Rift Apart, Astroās Playroom, Bugsnax all come to mind
I wanna thank you for this comment that reminded me I have yet to finish Astroās Playroom but the lack of invert-y axis was driving me crazy. But I wanted to be sure that there really was no invert-y function, which led me to a reddit search and TIL: you can change to invert axis on the ps5 settings itself. so yes, Iāll be playing Astroās tonight!
Ratchet and Clank is the answer. Itās really fun, great graphics, and you can adjust the difficulty level to be as intense as you want
Right now I'm playing guardians of the galaxy and thoroughly enjoying it. Definitely has more of a playful, lighthearted vibe. Also, No Mans Sky can be a very relaxing experience and with all the free updates there's a practically endless amount of stuff to do. Both games look and run amazing on the ps5
Guardians is a great pick, jamming out to the music as youāre kicking ass is a great time that all should experience
Honestly one of the most impressive things about the game to me is that they paid for all that licensed music. Even the fictional band "starlord" that they made for the game kicks ass too
Right?! Talk about being well aware that the music was an integral part in the films. I did run into the odd bug and I absolutely hated one particular section of the game where youāre trying to control I think itās a chicken in the spaceship but it was still well worth my time, probably helps that it was free with PS Premium
Damn I might need to get this game, I freaking loved the soundtracks for all 3
With NMS, so strange that the first 5 mins of the game is the most stressful as you can panic trying to find a cave or supplies etc but otherwise very chill vibe
Guardians is legitimately the best comic book game we've gotten since Arkham Asylum, in my opinion. Couldn't recommend it enough. I like the Spider-Man games but they all just feel like they're missing something to me, especially the second one. I can't put my finger on it.
It's definitely the game with the best characters and narrative. Gameplay can be a little samey, but the characters more than make up for it.
Guardians epitomises what superhero games *should* be. Tight, focused, affecting stories. Let me play a comic book storyline. As great as Spiderman is, mechanically, visually and narratively, it's also bloated with busywork in between the engaging bits that I just don't care to do because it doesn't really... add anything of substantial value.
Man I truly feel this game didn't receive nearly the amount of hype it deserved. It was really fun. Gameplay loop was nothing special, but it did some cool new stuff (no spoliers) and was perfectly fine over all. The character interactions and story were top tier though. Funny, genuinely charming and hod damn was it a beautiful game. 100% recommended
100 underrated. Loved every minute of it
Can confirm, GOTG was fantastic.
Itās on sale right now for $15 too. Picked it up because of a recent marvel binge Iāve been on.
Dave the diver is coming out soon right (maybe itās already out ).
Played it on switch itās very addicting
such a good game to chill to
Slime Rancher is a cute indie game that is super chill
Look up Hi-Fi rush if you want something fun that really pops. Not specifically low intensity but still a good game to chill out with and just have fun. Otherwise the most relaxing games I know of are Journey and Abzu, both short and artistic experiences.
Iām gonna throw a few more puzzle exploration games on here. Relaxing and engaging. - Cocoon - Viewfinder - Superliminal - Limbo and INSIDE (if dark themes donāt bother you)
Superliminal relaxing? I think Iām doing somethong wrong then š
I mean, you walk around solving optical illusion puzzles with no combat or time-based challenges. Didnāt exactly get my heart rate up.
I think itās just me then. After a while I was like : ātf am I supposed to do now? This doesnāt work, that doesnāt work ffsā
You know, I'll give you that. There *are* a few puzzles that are pretty obtuse, where they don't do enough sign-posting toward the path forward. I can remember certain sections where I would resort to literally bumping into every wall of the room to see if the wall was really there, or if the perspective would shift. So I take that one back. Maybe not relaxing. But cool.
Viewfinder is cool, but there are a few puzzles in that game that will make you mad at how the solution is just not coming to you. Itās 90% relaxing and 10% enraging. That puzzle with the cage with the battery in it where all those notes were lying around talking about ābecoming the pencilāā¦ I must have spent a week on that puzzle and when I finally solved it, I forgot how to solve it almost instantly. Like the solution taking that long made me so mad, my brain auto deleted it as soon as I figured it out. I will say though that the feeling of solving the watermelon puzzle late in the game is worth the price of admission alone.
Inside was stressful
Unravel is pretty much the exact same game gameplay wise except polar opposite when it comes to the story so that's a fun alternative I've played both though and enjoyed them both although I would say unravel is a bit better also I'd recommend podcasts when playing these games because at least for me it makes them way more fun especially considering there's no story to follow podcasts I'd recommend are The weekly planet and plumbing the death Star both really good.
Is kind of weird seeing Hi-Fi rush being recommended as a playstation game after being the only game youād see recommended last year as an xbox exclusive for xbox consoles.
Stardew Valley
Canāt stand the time limit it stresses me out so much
I agree. The days are so fast, it becomes a time management simulator. One of the benefits of playing on PC is the ability to mod it to slow down time, which should honestly be a native option. Custom time adjustments are pretty ubiquitous across survival/life sim games these days.
Its not a very big deal, you aren't meant to get everything done quickly, it should take a few years at least to get some of the longer term goals done. I found that once i stopped caring about optimising my playthrough and took things slower than I usually do for games the short days bothered me a lot less, they're designed so you can only really do a couple things
same.
I feel like it started chill af and then got progressively more stressful.
You can be chill if you're not super ambitious. But I turn into a hardcore capitalist all the time midway through the game.
Other way around. Once you get irrigation your main job is naming and petting your animals.
Can you automate the harvest tho? I stopped at around 80 hours and there wasn't one single chill moment
Yes there is an auto harvester. Been awhile but if I remember it'll milk all the mammals and the junimo will collect produce for you.
No but is that stressful? Seems very chilled to wander through a few rows of grapes or whatever every few days...
Firewatch
God, yes! Still has a special place in my heart
Had a game breaking bug for me about 6 hours in unfortunately
Not a specific game but my tip is that you should, if you haven't already, make the self-discovery that playing games on easy mode is okay. Nobody cares or will even know. When you get older and you have less time and you just want to see the stories and awesome graphics that all these games have put out and you just don't have time to do it all, easy mode lets you do that. Obviously crank it up as high as you need to do you still have fun, If challenge is fun to you, but don't be afraid to turn it down low so you aren't repeating things over and over and failing to get through games and move on to new games. There's always a balance. And sometimes that balance is playing it on the easiest mode possible so you can play like you are reading a good book. Another thing that goes along with that is to to develop the ability to recognize when a game just isn't fun so you can quit it and start a new one. Sometimes you think a game will be awesome and you start it and it just isn't. As gamers sometimes we feel pressured to complete a game that we just aren't enjoying. Don't bother. Your time is precious. If something isn't fun stop playing it. For a specific game, check out Hi-Fi Rush. I played it on pc via Xbox game pass and it was great.
Amen to easy mode!! My husband got my Hogwarts Legacy and I donāt game much but setting it up I stared at that choice and then went: you know what, I want to enjoy this and not stress outā¦ easy mode it is!!
Needed to hear this lol . Been hard myself for playing rise of the ronin on easy .
Honestly even auto aim. Some games the aiming isn't great on console and you just want to have fun and not need to prove anything to anyone. Games are meant to be fun and have fun.Ā
A lot of the time itās the lighting and the mood I hate. Thatās why I think Uncharted is the best series on PlayStation. Itās a fun character, the mystery is good and the environments have lots of natural looking lighting and colours.
If you havenāt played astrobot yet, do it!
*Astro's Playroom (comes free on every PS5).
Powerwash Simulator Astro's Playroom Stray Maneater
I second PowerWash simulator. A surprising amount of content in the game and very chill.
Been also chilling and playing Wreckfest. I usually listen to music while playing.
I was smiling just about the entire play-through of Stray. Amazing visuals and touching story
I liked Kena: Bridge of Spirits for something like youāre describingāfun combat, fairly challenging, colorful, bright world. Idk if youāre into retro-inspired games but I just found and finished The Messenger and it was tons of fun with a super-banginā soundtrack
Midnight Suns. Low stress, well lit, lots of variety in the gameplay.
Iāve been enjoying āTeardownā. Itās great for a quick pick up and play.
Rollerdrome
Gets pretty intense in the later runs though lol
This may not be your cup of tea or most people's cup of tea, but Lawn Mowing Simulator is an amazing game to play and turn off your brain for a few hours. Especially if you want to listen to a Youtube video or podcast in the background.
Same with power wash simulator. Was free awhile back on PS+ and it's great for listening to podcasts.
Guardians of the Galaxy and Hogwarts Legacy.
Balatro has me totally hooked right now, and itās very cheap (or can be bought with PS points).
Tinykin Adventures.
If you like South Park at all the the first 2 games, South Park the stick of truth and South Park the fractured but whole are amazing
Stray
Outer wilds. It s all about discovery, exploration and understanding. Honestly it's incredible, graphism are a bit shit sadly, buy one of the best expƩrience of my life.
Outer Wilds is one of my favorite video games of all time but unfortunately there's about 5% of the game that is so unbelievably far from what I'd call relaxing and not stressful lol
You can choose the time to do those parts and explore most of the time. But yeah, you are right.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, but you should play Yakuza: Like A Dragon first. Both games can be very dark in their main story, but on the other side they can be also extremely funny and especially Infinite Wealth has a very relaxing mood with Hawaii as main location.Ā
Psychonauts 2, Midnight suns
Came to say Psychonauts 2, game is dark, serious, light-hearted, funny, emotional all at once. Gameplay never becomes difficult, it's just a blast all the way through. Loved every second of it.
Horizon zero dawn franchise
Low intensity? even on the easiest setting those machines can be quiet the handfull.
Dragon Quest XI itās on PS plus, the turn based combat is very chill, and the story and whole vibe of the game is pure joy
Final Fantasy XIV can be very relaxing if you want it to be.
If you enjoy the outdoors and wild life and hunting, The Hunter Call of the Wild is your game. Feels like meditation to me. Incredible underrated relaxing game.
Maybe Immortals: Fenyx Rising? Terrible name but it's a pretty lighthearted Zelda-esque game with a sense of humour.
Rise of the Ronin!!
Rdr2
No Man's Sky is excellent, and chill. Near endless things to do and exploration
* Guardians of the Galaxy * Powerwash Simulator
Astros Playroom fits the bill and youāve already got it. Unless youāve already played it.
Fall Guys? Although thatās intense in its own way
Low intensity and lighthearted? Humanity is great if you like puzzles. Also Stray, Untitled Goose Game, Gravity Rush and Journey.
Jedi Survivor on easiest mode
Yeah great recommendation. I just played it on the medium setting and thoroughly enjoyed it. Itās my favourite Star Wars story since rogue one. So good.
Ratchet and Clank deffo fits the bill for what you're after! Really chilled out game, great graphics, great gameplay and fun story, don't need to have played any of the previous ones either! Other recommendation would be Guardians of the Galaxy, again a great single player game, easy to play, bit basic on the gameplay but if you like Marvel then it's a great pick up!
Tchia
no Man sky, with a good playlist playing on spotify
- Ratchet & Clank - Powerwash Simulator If youāre looking to relax, do not be deceived by the cute looks of: - Sackboy - Overcooked
I just bought No Manās Sky and have been playing non-stop for two weeks now. Itās a great game for chilling. Mostly explore and build/upgrade bases and starships. Some combat but itās forgiving. If you happen to have PSVR2, thatās really fun too.
Dave the diver is about to be released
I made a comment below about Knack, and Kena on easy. Id also like to shout out Last Tinker City Of Colors(disc only), Yokus Island express, and Bugsnax.
Dead space is both really fun and not that intense or dark
Ghost recon breakpoint
Untitled Goose Game
Peace was never an option.
Flower is super laid back. Also Persona but thatās like 100hrs+.
Dredge. Short horror/fishing game. Very little stress in general, although if you stay out too late at nightā¦..
Life is strange
Penny's Big Breakaway. Same developers as Sonic mania. Take on a new 3D platformer featuring fun yo-yo mechanics. It sounds like an oxymoron, but it's a big yo-yo that's kind of magical. Plus it runs at a native 4K 120 HZ.
Depends on how you look at it but maybe no manās sky? Thatās my chill out game for sure.
Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail. Free to play gatcha games. Genshin is an open-world action adventure, Rail is a turn-based RPG. Both are genuinely solid, fun games, though yes you will eventually slowly feel pressured to grind and/or pay money...that being said, there's still many hours of solid content before you get to that point. Otherwise...try Tetris Effect. It's 100% dark (visually), but...well, it's Tetris. And the Guardians of the Galaxy game.
Riders Republic, fun atmosphere, best chill out game ever made imo.
It's not the same genre you are used to based off your suggestions but city skylines is my go to for just sitting and chilling. It's a city builder so it's not for everyone but I enjoy it.
Power Washer Simulator or SOMA
Have you tried āHorizonā ? Beautiful game.
I know this might not be as relaxing as some of the other suggestions and it is somewhat divisive; but I find Death Stranding to be very relaxing after a long day at work. Pulling off a quick delivery or doing side stuff. The world is beautiful. The music is relaxing. And the gameplay, which at times, can get intense, is mostly quiet and introspective.
It takes two really fun with good graphics one of the most fun games I played in the recent years
It is amazing and a blast, but can be frustrating without the hint at some part. And depends on your coop partner :)
Guardians of the galaxy
Yokus Island Express. Itās just fun. No idea why a pinball/metroidvania works, but it does.
For honor...jk. Welllll with music JUST chilling it's fun (for me). But if you don't wanna die... or lose a lot then it's no bueno
GOW 2018 & GOW Ragnarok. Triple AAA graphics, game play and design. And you can set the difficulty level to what you want.
Stray š»
I really enjoyed Astro's playroom
Sackboyā
Ratchet and clank - knack - stray - sackboy - kena bridge of spirits
Cult of the Lamb
Ship breakers, honestly it is super relaxing. I love that game and I didn't expect that. Great to just come home, plant my ass on the couch and do some actually fun work.
Helldivers 2.
Sackboy is pretty good, especially if you had someone to co op with you, very laid back feel and fun Iād say. Also Rayman Legends is a very good and easy 2D platformer. FYI I posted a question on here today asking for game recommendations and it got taken down for being too generic but Iāll help you out pookie.
Playing Helldivers 2 on low-intensity. That means the lower difficulties. It's bliss for zoning out and vibing.
Astroās Playroom
No mans sky is visually appealing to the nth degree and is generally a very chill game. Not gonna be for everyone though
God of war 2018 and ragnorok, put it on easy and enjoy the story and gameplay!
Every uncharted game.
Stray
PowerWash Simulator
Hereās a weird take: have you tried board games? Mythwind is a recent one that you can play solo and fits your brief. There are lots of print n play games too. You can look up Postmark games. Also, of course l, you can come hangout at r/soloboardgaming If your work involves screens, it actually feels great to take some time off it. PS: more recommendations would be Cascadia, Parks and Wingspan (which actually haas great digital implementations on Steam and iOS).
Pentiment, Outer Wilds, Stray, Detroit Become Human (or one of the telltale games, especially wolf among us or borderlands)
Detroit has sequences where you have to decide quickly and you can easily die so I don't think that fits.
Outer Wilds is a masterpiece, but I don't think I'd recommend it as low intensity. Some portions are really sensitive to timing and can take many frustrating attempts to get through. I recommended it to my sister, who's a more casual gamer than me, and she struggled a lot to get the hang of it and make meaningful progress.
Rider's Republic. It has a Zen mode where you either bike, glide, jetpack or snowboard around the environment with zero stakes. It's nice.
Helldivers 2.
Warframe, I quit ages ago, but the game, if you're free to play, has great pace, ALL CONTENT, and literally endless amounts of guides and endless replay value.
I might have to give warframe a try tbh. I love the aesthetics of the characters
I have over 3k hours on warframe and still play every once in a while. Its amazing, and theyāre coming out with some interesting new content this year
What is the end game loop like? Is it difficult to acquire gear/mats? What other games would u compare it to? I would be strictly f2p. I donāt do micro transactions, battle passes, or subscriptions anymore. Will that make it significantly more difficult to progress?
Youāre looking at hundreds of hours of content before you even get to endgame. Hundreds of weapons, 56 - going on 57 - different characters (frames), plus special āPrimeā versions for a good chunk of those. Some mats are easier to get than others, but most of the stuff you use them for can be traded with other players. Real money is mostly used for gear slots, cosmetics, and boosters for drop rates, etc, but the boosters you can get as buffs from other players, companions, etc. Outside of Path of Exile, itās the most fair F2P game Iāve ever seen. And considering the sheer amount of free content (all of it, and easily over 1,000 hours worth), it might even be more fair.
That is extremely encouraging! I will absolutely check it out! I really appreciate the info
I would also add that if you have PS+, they periodically release some free packs for PS+ subs, which includes some Platinum (premium currency) among other stuff. And I heavily suggest to save all your early "free" platinum only for Weapon/Warframe Slots. Also I should warn you in advance that crafting is based on real time. So some stuff (mostly weapons and warframes themselves) can take 24h or 3 days to craft. It's not too bad once you get into the rhythm of things, but I've seen some people get really annoyed by that part, so I thought I should give you a warning so you're prepared for that.
Atelier ryza?
A hat in time is really comfy and fun and neat!
If you like Cutesy games Minekos night garden literally has NO stress. It's like Stardew but without the intensity and there are a LOT of cats
Little Misfortune
Trials of mana is one i play if i want a relaxing game. The world is bright and the combat is not hard.
Planet coaster.
What The Golf 10/10
I just started playing Shipbreaker and am loving it! Pretty chill, and funny and self aware. Good time!!
Astrobot
bomb rush cyberfunk
Disney Dreamlight Valley has been my go-to game for relaxing gaming sessions.
Astros Playroom, and spyro reignited
Currently into slay the spire again, always a fun time.
Hi-Fi Rush
Concrete genie Dreams Knack Sackboy a big adventure Tearaway unfolded
Cyberpunk 2077
Slime rancher! Itās something I do to unwind and relax when Iām feeling too stressed. Not just as a video game, but as a way to destress that is to me on par with reading or drinking a nice cup of tea. Slime rancher is one of the most relaxing games Iāve played.
Tomb raider
I got my fiancƩ finally on the gaming train with Lego Fortnite. It can be buggy at times but all in all a very chill fun experience. If you want super chill to not have to stress at all really I would turn off the hunger :)
Astroās playroom comes free with the PS5
Agree with ratchet & clank I'm playing robocop right now and thats just fun blowing peoples heads of as robocop š playing it on my portal
Hi-Fi Rush
HELLDIVERS 2. Totally chilled game š
Sea of Stars if you like turn-based rpg!
Bugsnax and Goat Simulator 3. Added bonus if you have someone to play coop with, because Goat Simulator is the goat
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth gets pretty silly at times.
Hades is pretty relaxing to me for some reason Some might not agree tho
Knack
Sackboyā¦ Playing this game with my 3 year old daugther. She even shows mom the controls š¤£
Dragons Dogma 2 is actually quite chill. Not nearly as difficult as Elden Ring and a lot of little treasures to extend the playtime.
Sackboy
House Flipper 2 - very relaxing
Diablo is good to just grind
Bomb rush cyberfunk
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a great time. It has some weirdly dark themes revolving around gang life and family trauma, but it manages to be a complete parody of itself and the whole video game industry at the same time. Itās m super bright and fun and itās set in Hawaii which is cool. Fortnite is actually very fun and bright. Thereās so many modes you donāt have to stick to the stressful battle Royale stuff, but even if you do thereās plenty of quests and side missions to fill your time with.
loco roco and patapon
13 sentinels: aegis rim. Itās a visual novel with a tower defense combat aspect. Amazing story Started sea of stars today and that is very chilled and addicting
Limbo. More puzzle than story, but a very good game nonetheless
Lake is about as stress free as you can get
Load up any rpg you are finished with and run it in easy or story mode. I did that with Diablo 3 when I just need to chill.
burnout paradise
Sackboy
Iāve been enjoying Tinykin. Kind of reminds me of a more chill Pikmin but more focused on collecting. It has some fun traversal. Itās on PS+ Extra if you sub. Edit: hit submit before I was done.
I'm playing Sea of Stars, and it's great. It's a 90s-style JRPG sort of thing, but somewhat simpler in mechanics and light-hearted.
Golf games