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 will always recommend Into The Breach to everyone. Perfect mechanics, easy to jump in and out of, satisfying aesthetics, balanced difficulty
Any City Building game
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.
bloons td 6 and super auto pets (on mobile and PC)
also mindustry
Peggle
peglin as well.
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.
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.
Puzzles games could be really great here. The Case of the Golden Idol
Depending on what you mean by casual, I consider Dead Cells a casual game, because whenever I’m bored I pick it up and play for a while, but it’s one of the hardest games I’ve played, however because it’s rogue like it doesn’t matter if you die a lot. Another similar example would be Factorio with enemies turned off, just go there, fix something, add something new and quit the game near the next thing you want to do so you remember it next time.
If you’re looking for a more traditional definition of casual games I tend to play those in the phone, I really like mini metro and super hexagon (although again, this one might not fit your definition of casual)
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.
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
Voices of the Void has been my go to time waster for a couple years now. Dev is a little weird, but the game is amazingly well done and gets somewhat regular updates that expand the story and add new content. You are essentially a scientist sent to work at a SETI-like site in Switzerland. Your job is to maintain the site and search for signals in space, analyze them, and then ship them out to your colleagues, for which you get paid to buy supplies and other things. As you play, random events occur, some funny, some scary. There’s tons of items to buy and decorate your base with. Lots of locations to discover. Sooooooo many secrets to find. I’m constantly impressed by all the work they’ve done with a very small team.
My only complaint is having to reset my save when an update comes out. It’s generally worth it, as there’s usually new events that you’ll miss otherwise, but having to redecorate the base and lose collectables you’ve spent hours on is a bummer… That and I hate the new drive storage rack. I wish they’d bring back then old one as an additional storage item.
Also, the whole damn game is free.
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.
It’s the perfect combo of cozy but not zero challenge - this would be my pick in op’s shoes
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.
I’m going to give a possibly controversial opinion. But my favorite casual game to play is Rogue Legacy.
If you accept that you know you’ll die a lot, it’s a lot less stressful. Outside of that, it’s extremely player friendly. It’s not too complicated. There’s progression. You have runs that end and give you a place to stop. You can turn it off anytime without needing to worry too much about losing progress. It has platforming.
This is how I learned to like shadowbane and elden ring. Death is just a mechanic.
