Games you use to relax - games to relax after a stressful day/situation

[oldTireWater]

Darkest Dungeon. When I've been out of it long enough to not give a shit what happens to my adventurers.

 

[Red Hood]

The obvious ones. Animal Crossing, anything by PopCap, etc.

I hear Tetris Effect is a particularly good version for this. Is that game worth it? Seems overpriced.

TBH I just fire up my old Game Boy copy on my GBA. Only version I've ever really played.

 

[Overcast]

Zombie Survival in Garry's Mod. Hiding behind haphazardly placed prop-cades blasting zombies while listening to my teammates argue or talk about inane shit is oddly relaxing for me. Same with slamming against said cades as a zombie.

 

[Prophetic Spirit]

Generally any open-world PC game.
There's a lot but.... Fallout 3 onwards, Yakuza 0, Kiwami & Kiwami 2, Elder Scrolls, GTA, Final Fantasy 12, Minecraft; the list goes on.

 

[Guts Gets Some]

Believe it or not, but Bayonetta 1.

I like to keep trying the final Angel endurance round. And even though I can barely get 25% in, no matter how hard I practice, and how worked up I get, it's always a fun way to kill some time or unwind.
Different kind of relaxing.

 

[AgriDrThunder]

Minecraft. I play it single player, always have. It's relaxing as fuck. Got me through some tough times.

 

[The Real SVP]

This thread helped me recognize a pattern. There are two types of "relaxing" games: Dissociative and fulfilling ones.
Dissociative games make you forget. The time, where you are, your worries, your self, how you are feeling, what you have been thinking about, everything. Once you are "in the zone" only the game matters. Just one more turn. Fulfilling games just make you happy. They manage to fill an emotional need to just the right point. You are still you, your life could still be better, and you are looking forward to dinner in an hour, but you and the game are going to make that hour count. Maybe you'll find the time for another turn after dinner.
Of course, now the question is: Does how I would sort a game into theese categories say more about the game, or about me when I played it to relax?

 

[Marco Fucko]

New Vegas. I have so much time in the game I can basically just plow through a run on autopilot.

 

[Boris Blank's glass eye]

Dark Souls and Jagged Alliance 2. Both are relaxing when I manage to hit the comfortable zone between too much pain and too easy enemies.
I also used to do long runs of Risk of Rain 1 (3-6 hours), but I no longer have that kind of time. That was fun while I had to struggle for survival before getting enough items.

 

[mr.moon1488]

Kenshi is pretty relaxing. I think any really grindy games are.

 

[Bread Fetishist]

Any Kirby game. I’ve only played Return to Dream Land in full, but from what I can gather, the series is generally really fun to just pick up and play without getting too frustrated.

Also Broforce, because blowing everyone and everything around you to smithereens is a great way of letting off steam.

 

[tehpope]

Sonic 1 & 2 via the Sonic Classic Heroes hack.

 

[Naamaleipuri]

I unironically love photographing Super Sonico

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcr_r0K2dow&feature=youtu.be&t=72

Great stress relief, she's too cute.

 

[Starving Autist]

I play sims and make up little stories for each character in my head. pls no bully.

 

[CWCissey]

Cities Skylines.

There's just something so pleasing about watching the world play out in front of me as I lob meteors at the shitty part of town.

 

[Peasant]

I play sims and make up little stories for each character in my head. pls no bully.

I enjoy doing this with party-based RPGs like M&M. It's fun to make up little personalities for the portraits and imagine them interacting while you play.

 

[Chicken Lo Mein]

Saints Row 2 or HOI4. It depends.

 

[A Friendly Hoovy]

Team Fortress 2. Goofing off in CTF is oddly relaxing, especially if you find that chill server of people who are willing to run with jokes.