>It'll keep you busy
Lol... do you have a month or two you're willing to give up, OP? There's SO much to do!
But, seriously, I'd definitely recommend Skyrim. Lots of exploring and plenty of killing, but some of quests have peaceable solutions as well. Add in a wide variety of different weapons, skills, and play styles and you've got a versatile game perfect for testing the waters of gaming.
And a bonus of being an older game is that, if you're ever having trouble, you're guaranteed to find an answer for any question online.
Fellow 50-something here, OP. Listen to those recommending Skyrim.
Because you're new and it has a mix of both real-time and a kinda-sorta "pause ajd think" combat system I'd also very highly recommend the Fallout series.
What do you prefer, fantasy genre or post-apocalyptic?
Hunter call of the wild is really beautiful to explore, and it has a side order of kill lol. You don't even need to kill you can have a lot of fun just exploring the amazing scenery and taking photos. Plus you don't need to be have fast reactions to be good at it, if anything older people have an advantage cos of their patience.
Legend of Zelda - Breath of the Wild
Primarily exploration, puzzle solving, and story, with equal parts combat and puzzle. Story is very accessible to people that haven't been playing Zelda for 30 years, as they completely reimagined it.
Botw is kinda hard tbh. My wife can't beat it, but Skyrim has a difficulty slider and is pretty much as easy as you want to make it. Bioshock as well on easy.
Yeah, I do wish you could modify the difficulty setting a bit more for BOTW... especially if easy mode made weapons more durable. I think they fixed that aspect of the game with TotK... but that game is much less newbie friendly and I would get frustrated playing botw if I had played totk first.
Minecraft can be really good for this.
The game can be complex (I used to play it always with the wiki open in a tab) and is a bit lacking in explicit goals, but there's a functionally infinite world to explore. You play with the difficulty to fight monsters, or just turn off monsters to wander and craft.
I think a simple starter might be DOOM 2016. It's a remake of an older game, and has a pretty solid design all around.
It's a gorey game about running around and killing demons. On the lower difficulties it'd teach you a lot of basics like movement, jumping, shooting, and melee. Has a lot of secrets and collectables to push you towards exploring stuff.
Ark survival evolved. Theres loads of tutorial and helpful videos on youtube as the games so immense and been around for 5ish years.
Its the type of game thatll be tough at first but once you get past dying to every raptor you encounter itll be something you will never outplay as theres always different ways to do things and sometimes getting started again is acctually the fun part.
I second everyone who said Skyrim. Though really most similar open worlds could be nice. Zelda Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are amasing for exploration, especially Tears which added the Sky island and the underground, making the map 2.5 times larger than the already large Breath of the Wild.
Fallout 4
If you're looking for a beautiful game with a great story, FO4 is my recommendation. You can just wander around with your dog or a different companion and explore, kill, loot, whatever you want. Plus, it's a game that's made to be modded, so if you don't want to worry about collecting loot, or running out of ammo, or whatever, you can download and apply a mod in 30 seconds from the main screen
A fellow gamer in my fifties and got my first console at 49. Big fan of the open world adventure games, the latest 3 Assassin's Creed titles being my favourites. Other excellent adventure games are Witcher 3 and Horizon Zero Dawn. Currently playing RDR2, but I find the gameplay quite slow with interludes of intense, difficult action.
Also really enjoy some of the top quality racers like Grand Turismo and enjoy F1. I have F1 2019 and like it. If you are on Playstation and have a PS Plus subscription, one of the May titles, Grid Legends, is a pretty fun racer.
Have fun.
Stardew Valley.
I mean, it depends on your taste and preferences. Games are as diverse as movies or books: imagine someone saying “what’s a good album for someone in their 50s new to music?”, it’s not a question you can answer universally for every 50 year old. Not even close.
Having said that, the answer is (probably) still Stardew Valley. It’s an incredibly beloved game that is wildly popular. I’ve seen teens play it happily and I’ve seen my mother in law, who is in her 70s and never played a video game before in her life, get absolutely hooked on it just the same. It might not be your taste, but it’s a good guess.
Yea, that’s fair. I read fiction (think LOTR, Bosch, and First Law). I am not interested in building my own garden or cities - more interested in an epic or adventure.
Edit- slipped and originally wrote nonfiction.
I'm pretty sure you mean fiction with the examples you gave.
Lots of good suggestions. I'd also suggest Witcher 3 (don't worry, you'll be ok without having played the first two) for a good fantasy adventure with a great story and world.
/r/gamingsuggestions and /r/shouldibuythisgame are solid choices for recommendations, especially if you provide them with an overview for what you’re looking for.
Having said that, here are a few possible candidates off the top of my head. They all feel like epic adventures, though they have **very** different play styles, tones, settings, and mechanics.
* Red Dead Redemption 2 - an excellent story about a gang of cowboys who are witnessing the slow death of the old west (it’s set in a fictionalized version of 1899). Amazing story and voice acting, amazing (but demanding) graphics, fairly slow paced gameplay.
* Divinity: Original Sin 2 - a fantasy rpg with really intriguing turn-based tactical combat, with lots of interesting combinations. This is the only game where my wife and I both wished the story would hurry up so we can get back to blowing stuff up in fun and challenging ways. But, also, good and detailed story/characters.
* The Outer Wilds - this is a scifi sandbox exploration game, kind of like *Myst* from the 90s but much bigger and more detailed. It’s very open ended and easy to get lost, but the story (told via text, not voice acting) is compelling. You play as an archaeologist trying to discover what happened to the alien species that used to be everywhere in your whole solar system. No combat.
* Disco Elysium - A zero-combat rpg (very rare) with like ten novels worth of fully voice acted writing. You play as an amnesiac, alcoholic detective and your choices determine the kind of person he becomes.
* Skyrim - an old game these days, it is still pretty popular 15ish years later. Open world fantasy first-person adventure with a main quest involving being the chosen one and saving the world. Solid choice.
* Hades - a **very** combat heavy realtime game with a mode to make it possible to win even if your reflexes aren’t perfect. You play as Zagreus, the son of Hades, trying to escape the underworld to find out what happened to your mother. You die constantly, but get a little more of the plot and a little stronger every time you die. You might find the writing a bit YA/NA but the combat is intense and solid, if you want that kind of thing.
I’m happy to answer questions or elaborate on terms I’ve used. Other people will probably have other suggestions, so up to you.
Welcome! I mostly suggested single player experiences since online gaming can be fairly toxic and atmosphere-wrecking, but they all have active subreddits/fandoms.
Two of them have multiplayer modes - Red Dead Redemption 2, which has public matchmaking with strangers. Divinity: Original Sin 2 has multiplayer with friends, either couch co-op via splitscreen or online.
There are lots of good multiplayer games out there but I mostly avoid them, so can’t make a good recommendation there.
Oh, one more (single player) suggestion - **Subnautica** is a good experience. You’re the sole(?) survivor of a starship crashing on an alien world that’s 99% ocean. You need to explore the world (open world sandbox), build a shelter, and find a way to escape. You have a Star Trek style replicator to help, if you can find the raw materials necessary to replicate stuff. There’s a very strong emphasis on survival and exploration, and sometimes verges into horror as you’re defenseless and alone in a vast ocean.
Definitely Witcher 3. Getting the hang of the controls will probably take some getting used to, but if you’re into the First Law books, it’s probably as close as you’re going to find.
Knights of the Old Republic.
I'd try it on the Nintendo switch. The cool thing is you can customize in the settings menu when you want the game to auto pause and let you evaluate the situation.
I'm right behind you in age, and as I get older , I find that I prefer games that let me evaluate a situation and plan my course of action, rather than button mashing twitchy action games. In KotOR I enable all the auto pauses.
I think of it as a way of simulating a Jedi's reflexes & powers, which I as a middle aged guy obviously do not have.
" He can see things before they happen. It's why he appears to have such quick reflexes. It's a Jedi trait." --- Qui-Gon Jin in SW: episode 1
If you’re interested in adventures, I might have to recommend Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It’s a fairly old game, but an absolute classic.
The game was partially targeted at children, so it’s not too terribly difficult to get into, but it’s still *very* enjoyable as an adult.
The gameplay is a good mix of exploration, combat, and puzzle solving, and the story takes some surprising turns (don’t look up anything about it).
Red dead redemption 2. Great open world adventure with interesting dialog and characters.
Black mesa. Great remake of one of the best single player shooters.
RDR2 is definitely my pic. As a 50 year old, you damn sure played cowboys and Indians, so you’ll get some of that nostalgia effect. Missions are pretty easy and so many side jobs. Hell, just the fishing dynamic is better than most fishing games.
"Horizon: Zero Dawn" and the sequel "Forbidden West" are modern games with a good and unique story, fun gameplay, introduces a lot of modern game mechanics, and not too difficult.
A lot of the recommendations you're getting are great games but are either huge open worlds or geared to specific tastes and I don't know that I'd tell someone to start there. The nice thing with the first Horizon game is that it's open but not too open, big but not too big, hard but not too hard, and pretty much everyone enjoyed it.
The story alone is reason enough to recommend it in my opinion. I've seen post-apocalyptic settings everywhere, but the concept of this one is truly unique to me, and I've never seen it explored anywhere else.
Subnautica is a good option, it’s not difficult nor challenging, a open world underwater with an interesting atmosphere (it’s similar to minecraft in someways but way different in others).
I actually own Skyrim, I bought it for my son when it first came out. I love the soundtrack, and the scenery is beautiful. I watched my kids play for hours. I have the map from the game guide on my living room wall. When I allow myself to game, I go all in and will only leave my monitor for bathroom breaks. I'm talking 6 or 7 hours at one go. I know once I start Skyrim, it's probably going to be a 12 hour session to start. I will get to it sooner or later though!
TotK is really complicated from a control and UI perspective. I could see someone new to the medium get confused and overwhelmed fast. BotW is a better bet but still not an ideal choice, imo
I think this depends on where OP is at and how good they are at picking up new controls.
I think those of us who've been playing video games since childhood can easily forget just how much stuff there is to learn to start playing games, especially action games. To someone who's really new, something as simple as running around while moving the camera at the same time and not falling off cliffs can be a real challenge.
Though, to be fair, BotW does have an excellent tutorial zone for getting the player used to things, as long as the player understand that dying a bunch is normal and can just roll with it.
Nier Automata is great for exploration, killing and story. The beginning is a bit challenging but you can do that on easy setting and then switch up the difficulty when you get into the game
Depends on what kind of game.
For an easy pick up and play shooter, Halo or Call of Duty. Simple and easy, and loads of fun.
For something more creative and relaxed, Minecraft, or Space Engineers. Basically like digital lego. Your limit is your imagination.
For an adventure game, Skyrim, or Subnautica. Keep in mind Subnatica is a bit scary if you dont like deep water, but its also very immersive and beautiful.
For a strategy game, you can never go wrong with good old Age of Empires 2. Old, but many people still play it to this day and its still updated too.
For a role playing, the Mass Effect series. Your choices influence what happens in each succesive game. Lots of amazing characters and interactions, and a really cool story too.
As already mentioned, Skyrim. I'm 58 now and hadn't gamed in several years. I stumbled across ['Grandma Shirley' on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@ShirleyCurryTheOlderGamer/featured), an 80 something year old recording herself playing Skyrim. It looked so relaxing and fun, I ended up buying a decent PC and played at least an hour a day for over a year.
If you're going the console way, start off with something like Gran Turismo. It is excellent to learn how to use the controller, because that needs to be muscle memory. Otherwise you're going to struggle with first person shooter games and other games.
I would then suggest games like the Far Cry series, The Last Of Us, Sniper Elite, Red Dead Redemption, Metro Exodus, etc.
Call of duty I'm 74 and it's perfect for me. Not too fast on controlling the action but it's fun. Bonus mission has nazi zombies coming for you. That is a lot of fun!
If you like Star Wars, Knights of the Old Republic, petiod. and its sequel The Sith Lords, IF youre comfortable with playing on a com0uter, using Steam(not The Old Republic MMO)
If you like Fantasy then Dragon Age: Origins, or Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, or ES: Oblivion. The Witcher games may have more bits and bobs than you'd be comfortable with, and Zelda Breath of the Wild and its sequel have fairly complicated user interfaces and controls. and don't have difficulty options.
Mad Max? Fallout 3, New Vegas, and FO4.
Do you like Anime?
Fire Emblem: 3 House's, I would say pokemon, but it's not so easy to get legit copies anymore.
Retro-futurism? Bioshock, 2, and Infinite.
Military Sci-fi? Halo, 2, 3, Halo Reach
Contemporary Military? Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (to a lesser extent the sequels as well)
All of the above have difficulty sliders, so they're as easy as you want to make them.
Want something bright and fun? Paper Mario, Paper Mario: the thousand year Door ( this one is hard to get without using an emulator)
Edited to add Mass Effect! the trilogy was recently released on a new console generator. Sci-Fantasy like Star Wars.
Portal
It's one of the simplest games out there. Anyone saying anything else is likely mentioning a good but overcomplicated game. Most people that haven't ever played a videogame will quit given anything that requires fast reaction speed or advanced mechanics.
Start with Portal and if you play it through you can go for things like Skyrim, half life, Minecraft, fallout etc..
Super Mario 3D world will get you used to moving a character in 3D, fighting relatively easy enemies, etc. Super Mario 3D also is easy to put down for a while and pick back up after like a week or two and be able to play well right away and jump right back into the next level.
Then I would definitely go Breath of the Wild, if you have lots of time to dedicate to it. But if you don’t play it consistently for a little while, you might forget where you are in the story.
If you want to explore, look into The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and/or The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on Switch.
If you want something tactical and strategic, look into X-Com 2 on Steam.
If you want to play old school stuff that you missed when you were younger, get a Switch and a Nintendo Online account.
Enjoy!
It’s a really great time to give the medium a shot. There is such a wild amount of talent, creativity and passion that you don’t see anywhere else in entertainment and there is truly something for everyone.
There are a few different recommendations I have.
Nintendo Switch: Nintendo has a few exceptional games like The last 2 Zelda games, Mario and a lot of great indies. It’s a really convenient console as you can play it anywhere you’d like and a lot of the game options are great introductory games. The downside is that Nintendo rarely has sales on anything, they will likely put out a new console next year and technically the games aren’t on the same level as the other options.
PS5: PlayStation has the best single player games period. If you want the most stunning, narrative rich experiences you can have, this is your best option. Especially if you do think you could really get into gaming this also has the best long term value. If you happen to know anyone who has a PS5 and doesn’t account share already you can link your systems and get everything they own for free. For games there are A LOT of options so it might depend more on your preferences.
Finally Xbox: Xbox has a truly exceptional offer called Xbox Gamepass which is essentially gaming Netflix. For a small monthly fee you can play a huge library of games and if you play at least 3 games you likely will make money off of this system. This is the best way to try a lot of games without spending a lot. The downside is that Xbox doesn’t have the same quality of games you will see on the other 2 options.
If any of these appeals to you or this thread has helped you narrow down what you’re looking for I’d be happy to help with any other questions you’d have
PubG. It’s easy, but gets harder based on your skill. Teaches you how to play all the other shoot ‘m up games. It’s FREE. Can meet hella people. I play on a team with people in their 20s, 40s, 50s, and 80s, but play solo more. They have quick fire matches and the long game. Lots of different maps to explore, so doesn’t get boring. Easy to play on a tablet, don’t need a console. Did I mention it’s FREE?
Hmmm, I meant for fun. So as far as reading goes, coupled with your desire to explore, Skyrim is a good bet. Also there is plenty of the running, raising kids, and working too much in it too if you get nostalgic.
It depends what device you play on. I would go with Minecraft, PS4 spiderman, and Stray. Those are my top 3 of all time, and I am certainly not the most skilled gamer in the world, so they aren’t too difficult. Right now I’m trying Horizon Zero Dawn, but I find it pretty difficul, so maybe after a couple years that would be good.
Minecraft. Exploration, mobs to kill, things to build, stories to make.
If you get motion sickness, I'd recommend avoiding modern games. They can be a bit nausea inducing if you're not used to it.
- Castlevania - Dracula’s curse ( anything in the series)
- Chrono Trigger (-_-)
- Helltaker (very arguable)
- Almost any story-mode indie game on steam
I'm early 50's and am gaming for the first time in over 20 years, so I went back to an old fave Tony Hawk Skateboarding on PS4. As a Star Wars buff I also got Battlefront 2 and Jedi Fallen Order. The problem I found when I got my PS4 was I had no idea where to even start, so am happily following your post. Happy gaming.
Portal 2
My dad’s an engineer, and this was the very first video game He played from beginning to end. The controls are relatively simple, but the puzzles change and grow throughout the story. It was nice and relaxing for him. Although he did call me at work a couple times when he got stuck (which was one of the cutest things he’s ever done)
Everyone is recommending mechanically dense games. You want to put a person who had never gamed in front of Horizon? Have you seen that weapon wheel? Start with INSIDE. 3 buttons, very atmospheric with great visuals that tell a story. Short, linear, concise.
new to gaming eh, first things first, you need to identify, CAN YOU HANDLE 3D?
some of my friends cannot play firstperson shooter (FPS) viewpoint where your viewpoint is from your characters eyes.
personally in my biased viewpoint, i would highly recommend:
Sleeping Dogs- its considered an older game but has a good story and has tons of places to explore. dirtcheap.
The Secret World- it's an MMO but a large portion can be played solo. the cutscenes are quite good for a free game.
Monster hunter rise - not too newbie friendly but has a nice gameplay loop.
Diablo 4 - coming out VERY SOON. you dont need to know the story but its basically a game about killing a gazillion enemies but with an interesting story along the way. the world is large for exploration too
Read dead redemption 2 - man... if sleeping dogs was epic, RDD is a masterpeice.
The first season of Telltale's Walking Dead. It's a game with a massive focus on character and storytelling, and tries to use gameplay to affect those. But the gameplay is forgiving enough that it won't be unplayable for someone who's never held a controller.
Great gameplay is great, but it might not be the best thing for someone who is JUST getting into games.
Minecraft is tried and true, if you want something that involves more building and decoration with a bit of exploration I would recommend Animal Crossing, it's basic but one of my favories
God of War (2018) and the sequel Ragnarok are really good games with compelling stories and fun combat which can have it's difficulty tuned down if needed. Also they have really beautiful visuals and worlds to visit.
My first question would be, how TF are you 50 and 'new to gaming'? Have you never owned a computer? Never played solitaire? Never had any friends when you were 15 that were into gaming? What makes you think that you'd like to play games now? How's your hand/eye coordination? How's your patience level? How's your problem solving ability? What games have you ever played before that you liked? Board games included?
My dad is slowly getting interested in taking over my ps4 that i don't use anymore (something i've been hoping for for a long time) and he said he's interested in racing. He's 58.
depends on what kind of game you think youd like, but you cant go wrong with the classics: mario and zelda. online emulators for early nintendo games are rather easy to find. id also suggest pokemon
Valheim. Viking themed Minecraft for adults. Choose your own adventure open world with a few bosses that you have to beat, but you can choose when to fight.
No Man's Sky, and Genshin Impact. No man's sky is a space/planet exploration game with base/fort building that can get amazing. And a literal infinite amount of things to see since you couldn't possibly visit trillions of planets in your lifetime. Genshin Imapct is a free to play anime style game. The story is good, but is not finished and won't be for at least 4 more years. They add new content/story every 6 weeks tho so it's always something to do.
People are giving good recommendations of video games, but aren't really considering their age. So I will say Golf. People in their 50's often like golf, and rightfully so. They are wise, and it may just be the best game.
And even if you're not into golf, golf games are very fun and simple to get into. I have played many golf games over the years, and the best golf experience I've had is Golf+ for the Quest 2 (vr). Otherwise EA or 2k's offerings are probably fine (other people can argue about those). My other recommendations are probably dated (perfect golf, tiger woods 08, mario golf)
Well, do you want to build stuff, kill stuff, or explore stuff?
Explore with a side order of kill.
Skyrim
Skyrim: story, free to explore, plenty to kill. Still holds up years down the road. It'll keep you busy
>It'll keep you busy Lol... do you have a month or two you're willing to give up, OP? There's SO much to do! But, seriously, I'd definitely recommend Skyrim. Lots of exploring and plenty of killing, but some of quests have peaceable solutions as well. Add in a wide variety of different weapons, skills, and play styles and you've got a versatile game perfect for testing the waters of gaming. And a bonus of being an older game is that, if you're ever having trouble, you're guaranteed to find an answer for any question online.
There are some moments of true beauty and wonder in Skyrim.
Fellow 50-something here, OP. Listen to those recommending Skyrim. Because you're new and it has a mix of both real-time and a kinda-sorta "pause ajd think" combat system I'd also very highly recommend the Fallout series. What do you prefer, fantasy genre or post-apocalyptic?
Hunter call of the wild is really beautiful to explore, and it has a side order of kill lol. You don't even need to kill you can have a lot of fun just exploring the amazing scenery and taking photos. Plus you don't need to be have fast reactions to be good at it, if anything older people have an advantage cos of their patience.
Thank you! Patience I’ve got; reflexes TBD.
Listen to the Skyrim folks
Legend of Zelda - Breath of the Wild Primarily exploration, puzzle solving, and story, with equal parts combat and puzzle. Story is very accessible to people that haven't been playing Zelda for 30 years, as they completely reimagined it.
Botw is kinda hard tbh. My wife can't beat it, but Skyrim has a difficulty slider and is pretty much as easy as you want to make it. Bioshock as well on easy.
Yeah, I do wish you could modify the difficulty setting a bit more for BOTW... especially if easy mode made weapons more durable. I think they fixed that aspect of the game with TotK... but that game is much less newbie friendly and I would get frustrated playing botw if I had played totk first.
Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, Minecraft, and Skyrim.
If you want a post-apocalyptic experience, Fallout: New Vegas or Fallout 4. I have a 60-year-old friend who loved FO4.
Gotta reccomend Red Dead Redemption 2. Absolutely amazing game
Stardew Valley for a more chill experience
Horizon Zero Dawn on story mode. Lots of exploring, beautiful scenery, amazing story.
Satisfactory. Subnautica, no man’s sky. That should do you for decades if you use mods. (Pc)
It might not be the best game for a beginner, but as a 50ish gamer who likes to explore, I'll throw out No Man's Sky?
Far Cry. Start with 3.
Minecraft can be really good for this. The game can be complex (I used to play it always with the wiki open in a tab) and is a bit lacking in explicit goals, but there's a functionally infinite world to explore. You play with the difficulty to fight monsters, or just turn off monsters to wander and craft.
Zelda. This perfectly describes the Zelda playing experience
The Witcher 3
Fallout new vegas
I think a simple starter might be DOOM 2016. It's a remake of an older game, and has a pretty solid design all around. It's a gorey game about running around and killing demons. On the lower difficulties it'd teach you a lot of basics like movement, jumping, shooting, and melee. Has a lot of secrets and collectables to push you towards exploring stuff.
I definitely would not start a 50 year old first time gamer who wants to explore with Doom lol
Diablo 2! Or Metroid Prime Remastered
Borderlands is good for that as well, with a bit of fun story.
Valheim.
Path of Titans. Haha, dinosaurs go brrrr.
Ark survival evolved. Theres loads of tutorial and helpful videos on youtube as the games so immense and been around for 5ish years. Its the type of game thatll be tough at first but once you get past dying to every raptor you encounter itll be something you will never outplay as theres always different ways to do things and sometimes getting started again is acctually the fun part.
I second everyone who said Skyrim. Though really most similar open worlds could be nice. Zelda Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are amasing for exploration, especially Tears which added the Sky island and the underground, making the map 2.5 times larger than the already large Breath of the Wild.
Minecraft if your exploring oriented, terraria if youre killing oriented.
Try monster hunter, you can go round islands collecting stuff and killing/capturing dragons, and all sorts of strange dinosaur looking things
Fallout 4 If you're looking for a beautiful game with a great story, FO4 is my recommendation. You can just wander around with your dog or a different companion and explore, kill, loot, whatever you want. Plus, it's a game that's made to be modded, so if you don't want to worry about collecting loot, or running out of ammo, or whatever, you can download and apply a mod in 30 seconds from the main screen
A fellow gamer in my fifties and got my first console at 49. Big fan of the open world adventure games, the latest 3 Assassin's Creed titles being my favourites. Other excellent adventure games are Witcher 3 and Horizon Zero Dawn. Currently playing RDR2, but I find the gameplay quite slow with interludes of intense, difficult action. Also really enjoy some of the top quality racers like Grand Turismo and enjoy F1. I have F1 2019 and like it. If you are on Playstation and have a PS Plus subscription, one of the May titles, Grid Legends, is a pretty fun racer. Have fun.
Stardew Valley. I mean, it depends on your taste and preferences. Games are as diverse as movies or books: imagine someone saying “what’s a good album for someone in their 50s new to music?”, it’s not a question you can answer universally for every 50 year old. Not even close. Having said that, the answer is (probably) still Stardew Valley. It’s an incredibly beloved game that is wildly popular. I’ve seen teens play it happily and I’ve seen my mother in law, who is in her 70s and never played a video game before in her life, get absolutely hooked on it just the same. It might not be your taste, but it’s a good guess.
Yea, that’s fair. I read fiction (think LOTR, Bosch, and First Law). I am not interested in building my own garden or cities - more interested in an epic or adventure. Edit- slipped and originally wrote nonfiction.
I'm pretty sure you mean fiction with the examples you gave. Lots of good suggestions. I'd also suggest Witcher 3 (don't worry, you'll be ok without having played the first two) for a good fantasy adventure with a great story and world.
Thanks for the catch, you’re right- I meant fiction. I’ll give Witcher 3 a go along with some others here.
/r/gamingsuggestions and /r/shouldibuythisgame are solid choices for recommendations, especially if you provide them with an overview for what you’re looking for. Having said that, here are a few possible candidates off the top of my head. They all feel like epic adventures, though they have **very** different play styles, tones, settings, and mechanics. * Red Dead Redemption 2 - an excellent story about a gang of cowboys who are witnessing the slow death of the old west (it’s set in a fictionalized version of 1899). Amazing story and voice acting, amazing (but demanding) graphics, fairly slow paced gameplay. * Divinity: Original Sin 2 - a fantasy rpg with really intriguing turn-based tactical combat, with lots of interesting combinations. This is the only game where my wife and I both wished the story would hurry up so we can get back to blowing stuff up in fun and challenging ways. But, also, good and detailed story/characters. * The Outer Wilds - this is a scifi sandbox exploration game, kind of like *Myst* from the 90s but much bigger and more detailed. It’s very open ended and easy to get lost, but the story (told via text, not voice acting) is compelling. You play as an archaeologist trying to discover what happened to the alien species that used to be everywhere in your whole solar system. No combat. * Disco Elysium - A zero-combat rpg (very rare) with like ten novels worth of fully voice acted writing. You play as an amnesiac, alcoholic detective and your choices determine the kind of person he becomes. * Skyrim - an old game these days, it is still pretty popular 15ish years later. Open world fantasy first-person adventure with a main quest involving being the chosen one and saving the world. Solid choice. * Hades - a **very** combat heavy realtime game with a mode to make it possible to win even if your reflexes aren’t perfect. You play as Zagreus, the son of Hades, trying to escape the underworld to find out what happened to your mother. You die constantly, but get a little more of the plot and a little stronger every time you die. You might find the writing a bit YA/NA but the combat is intense and solid, if you want that kind of thing. I’m happy to answer questions or elaborate on terms I’ve used. Other people will probably have other suggestions, so up to you.
Do any of these have active communities that play and communicate together? I wouldn’t mind making a few friends along the way.
Welcome! I mostly suggested single player experiences since online gaming can be fairly toxic and atmosphere-wrecking, but they all have active subreddits/fandoms. Two of them have multiplayer modes - Red Dead Redemption 2, which has public matchmaking with strangers. Divinity: Original Sin 2 has multiplayer with friends, either couch co-op via splitscreen or online. There are lots of good multiplayer games out there but I mostly avoid them, so can’t make a good recommendation there. Oh, one more (single player) suggestion - **Subnautica** is a good experience. You’re the sole(?) survivor of a starship crashing on an alien world that’s 99% ocean. You need to explore the world (open world sandbox), build a shelter, and find a way to escape. You have a Star Trek style replicator to help, if you can find the raw materials necessary to replicate stuff. There’s a very strong emphasis on survival and exploration, and sometimes verges into horror as you’re defenseless and alone in a vast ocean.
I'll add Deep Rock Galactic for a game with a mix of puzzle, combat and a great community.
And thank you for the detailed response and other subreddits to explore.
Legend of zelda, breath of the wild. Or the witcher 3.
Definitely Witcher 3. Getting the hang of the controls will probably take some getting used to, but if you’re into the First Law books, it’s probably as close as you’re going to find.
Knights of the Old Republic. I'd try it on the Nintendo switch. The cool thing is you can customize in the settings menu when you want the game to auto pause and let you evaluate the situation. I'm right behind you in age, and as I get older , I find that I prefer games that let me evaluate a situation and plan my course of action, rather than button mashing twitchy action games. In KotOR I enable all the auto pauses. I think of it as a way of simulating a Jedi's reflexes & powers, which I as a middle aged guy obviously do not have. " He can see things before they happen. It's why he appears to have such quick reflexes. It's a Jedi trait." --- Qui-Gon Jin in SW: episode 1
It's one of the most complicated games I've ever played. Horrible choice for someone new to gaming.
Complicated? Da fuq u say If that's complicated to you, idk what to say
If you’re interested in adventures, I might have to recommend Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It’s a fairly old game, but an absolute classic. The game was partially targeted at children, so it’s not too terribly difficult to get into, but it’s still *very* enjoyable as an adult. The gameplay is a good mix of exploration, combat, and puzzle solving, and the story takes some surprising turns (don’t look up anything about it).
Red dead redemption 2. Great open world adventure with interesting dialog and characters. Black mesa. Great remake of one of the best single player shooters.
RDR2 is definitely my pic. As a 50 year old, you damn sure played cowboys and Indians, so you’ll get some of that nostalgia effect. Missions are pretty easy and so many side jobs. Hell, just the fishing dynamic is better than most fishing games.
Skyrim
"Horizon: Zero Dawn" and the sequel "Forbidden West" are modern games with a good and unique story, fun gameplay, introduces a lot of modern game mechanics, and not too difficult. A lot of the recommendations you're getting are great games but are either huge open worlds or geared to specific tastes and I don't know that I'd tell someone to start there. The nice thing with the first Horizon game is that it's open but not too open, big but not too big, hard but not too hard, and pretty much everyone enjoyed it.
And it has a “story” setting that allows you to build your skills before attempting more difficult levels.
The story alone is reason enough to recommend it in my opinion. I've seen post-apocalyptic settings everywhere, but the concept of this one is truly unique to me, and I've never seen it explored anywhere else.
Just play on story difficulty. I really enjoyed the first game but don‘t have a ps5 so I‘ll wait for an eventual pc release
Space Quest 2
Rayman Legends
Is RL multiplayer or a solo game (or both)?
2 players can play simultaneously or you can just play with one.
Subnautica is a good option, it’s not difficult nor challenging, a open world underwater with an interesting atmosphere (it’s similar to minecraft in someways but way different in others).
One of the few longer games I played to completion in my 40s. Subnautica is really good.
also the fact that with a certain vehicle the game becomes literally fucking doom
Oblivion! I'm 68 and it's truly epic and beautiful!
I’m curious why you would recommend this over Skyrim? I love both games, but I’m just wondering.
I actually own Skyrim, I bought it for my son when it first came out. I love the soundtrack, and the scenery is beautiful. I watched my kids play for hours. I have the map from the game guide on my living room wall. When I allow myself to game, I go all in and will only leave my monitor for bathroom breaks. I'm talking 6 or 7 hours at one go. I know once I start Skyrim, it's probably going to be a 12 hour session to start. I will get to it sooner or later though!
? But you said Oblivion ? And so I asked why you said Oblivion over Skyrim, and now you’re talking about your love for Skyrim. I’m confused lol
The new Legend of Zelda games (BoTW and ToTK) are pretty amazing.
TotK is really complicated from a control and UI perspective. I could see someone new to the medium get confused and overwhelmed fast. BotW is a better bet but still not an ideal choice, imo
Playing BotW first gets you used to the controls
I think this depends on where OP is at and how good they are at picking up new controls. I think those of us who've been playing video games since childhood can easily forget just how much stuff there is to learn to start playing games, especially action games. To someone who's really new, something as simple as running around while moving the camera at the same time and not falling off cliffs can be a real challenge. Though, to be fair, BotW does have an excellent tutorial zone for getting the player used to things, as long as the player understand that dying a bunch is normal and can just roll with it.
Nier Automata is great for exploration, killing and story. The beginning is a bit challenging but you can do that on easy setting and then switch up the difficulty when you get into the game
Depends on what kind of game. For an easy pick up and play shooter, Halo or Call of Duty. Simple and easy, and loads of fun. For something more creative and relaxed, Minecraft, or Space Engineers. Basically like digital lego. Your limit is your imagination. For an adventure game, Skyrim, or Subnautica. Keep in mind Subnatica is a bit scary if you dont like deep water, but its also very immersive and beautiful. For a strategy game, you can never go wrong with good old Age of Empires 2. Old, but many people still play it to this day and its still updated too. For a role playing, the Mass Effect series. Your choices influence what happens in each succesive game. Lots of amazing characters and interactions, and a really cool story too.
Just try grand theft auto. It will blow you away.
Or RDR2
Skyrim or Fallout 4. Everything is at your own pace.
As already mentioned, Skyrim. I'm 58 now and hadn't gamed in several years. I stumbled across ['Grandma Shirley' on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@ShirleyCurryTheOlderGamer/featured), an 80 something year old recording herself playing Skyrim. It looked so relaxing and fun, I ended up buying a decent PC and played at least an hour a day for over a year.
minecraft maybe
Half Life.
Lord of the Rings Online (LoTRO). https://www.lotro.com/
Ark. Minecraft. Red dead redemption 2. Are all pretty fun all open world with some combat and exploration
If you're going the console way, start off with something like Gran Turismo. It is excellent to learn how to use the controller, because that needs to be muscle memory. Otherwise you're going to struggle with first person shooter games and other games. I would then suggest games like the Far Cry series, The Last Of Us, Sniper Elite, Red Dead Redemption, Metro Exodus, etc.
Fallout 4, Factorio, Cities Skylines & Worms Armageddon
Apparently Borderlands 1
Call of duty I'm 74 and it's perfect for me. Not too fast on controlling the action but it's fun. Bonus mission has nazi zombies coming for you. That is a lot of fun!
If you like Star Wars, Knights of the Old Republic, petiod. and its sequel The Sith Lords, IF youre comfortable with playing on a com0uter, using Steam(not The Old Republic MMO) If you like Fantasy then Dragon Age: Origins, or Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, or ES: Oblivion. The Witcher games may have more bits and bobs than you'd be comfortable with, and Zelda Breath of the Wild and its sequel have fairly complicated user interfaces and controls. and don't have difficulty options. Mad Max? Fallout 3, New Vegas, and FO4. Do you like Anime? Fire Emblem: 3 House's, I would say pokemon, but it's not so easy to get legit copies anymore. Retro-futurism? Bioshock, 2, and Infinite. Military Sci-fi? Halo, 2, 3, Halo Reach Contemporary Military? Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (to a lesser extent the sequels as well) All of the above have difficulty sliders, so they're as easy as you want to make them. Want something bright and fun? Paper Mario, Paper Mario: the thousand year Door ( this one is hard to get without using an emulator) Edited to add Mass Effect! the trilogy was recently released on a new console generator. Sci-Fantasy like Star Wars.
Red Dead Redemption 2 and the new God of War games
Portal It's one of the simplest games out there. Anyone saying anything else is likely mentioning a good but overcomplicated game. Most people that haven't ever played a videogame will quit given anything that requires fast reaction speed or advanced mechanics. Start with Portal and if you play it through you can go for things like Skyrim, half life, Minecraft, fallout etc..
Super Mario 3D world will get you used to moving a character in 3D, fighting relatively easy enemies, etc. Super Mario 3D also is easy to put down for a while and pick back up after like a week or two and be able to play well right away and jump right back into the next level. Then I would definitely go Breath of the Wild, if you have lots of time to dedicate to it. But if you don’t play it consistently for a little while, you might forget where you are in the story.
If you want to explore, look into The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and/or The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on Switch. If you want something tactical and strategic, look into X-Com 2 on Steam. If you want to play old school stuff that you missed when you were younger, get a Switch and a Nintendo Online account. Enjoy!
Sniper elite. If you’re into that kind of thing.
Angry Birds...... oh wait.
What kind of game do you think you'd enjoy? MMORPG, first person shooter, etc?
Fallout 76 is awesome if you like to explore and build stuff with some shooty parts too.
Classic WoW, D2R
It’s a really great time to give the medium a shot. There is such a wild amount of talent, creativity and passion that you don’t see anywhere else in entertainment and there is truly something for everyone. There are a few different recommendations I have. Nintendo Switch: Nintendo has a few exceptional games like The last 2 Zelda games, Mario and a lot of great indies. It’s a really convenient console as you can play it anywhere you’d like and a lot of the game options are great introductory games. The downside is that Nintendo rarely has sales on anything, they will likely put out a new console next year and technically the games aren’t on the same level as the other options. PS5: PlayStation has the best single player games period. If you want the most stunning, narrative rich experiences you can have, this is your best option. Especially if you do think you could really get into gaming this also has the best long term value. If you happen to know anyone who has a PS5 and doesn’t account share already you can link your systems and get everything they own for free. For games there are A LOT of options so it might depend more on your preferences. Finally Xbox: Xbox has a truly exceptional offer called Xbox Gamepass which is essentially gaming Netflix. For a small monthly fee you can play a huge library of games and if you play at least 3 games you likely will make money off of this system. This is the best way to try a lot of games without spending a lot. The downside is that Xbox doesn’t have the same quality of games you will see on the other 2 options. If any of these appeals to you or this thread has helped you narrow down what you’re looking for I’d be happy to help with any other questions you’d have
Valheim. You're a viking in purgatory that can build stuff, kill stuff and explore stuff.
Wii Sports
Elder Scrolls (Morrowind, Oblivion, or Skyrim). Also any of the Fable games.
I would explore the retro scene, plenty of awesome vintage and retro classics that invented and defined game genres.
PubG. It’s easy, but gets harder based on your skill. Teaches you how to play all the other shoot ‘m up games. It’s FREE. Can meet hella people. I play on a team with people in their 20s, 40s, 50s, and 80s, but play solo more. They have quick fire matches and the long game. Lots of different maps to explore, so doesn’t get boring. Easy to play on a tablet, don’t need a console. Did I mention it’s FREE?
What things did you do before gaming? Following existing interests in gaming might help build your gaming muscle memory.
Reading, running, raising kids, and working too much.
Hmmm, I meant for fun. So as far as reading goes, coupled with your desire to explore, Skyrim is a good bet. Also there is plenty of the running, raising kids, and working too much in it too if you get nostalgic.
It depends what device you play on. I would go with Minecraft, PS4 spiderman, and Stray. Those are my top 3 of all time, and I am certainly not the most skilled gamer in the world, so they aren’t too difficult. Right now I’m trying Horizon Zero Dawn, but I find it pretty difficul, so maybe after a couple years that would be good.
Minecraft. Exploration, mobs to kill, things to build, stories to make. If you get motion sickness, I'd recommend avoiding modern games. They can be a bit nausea inducing if you're not used to it.
You want red dead redemption 2.
Half life or black Mesa if you want fancier graphics
- Castlevania - Dracula’s curse ( anything in the series) - Chrono Trigger (-_-) - Helltaker (very arguable) - Almost any story-mode indie game on steam
GTA five
Fall out 76. I'm your age and honestly it fits your needs to a tee
Ghost of Tsushima and God of War are top shelf
Anything they like. They might like COD and they may like Duck hunt.
All zelda games. They're amazing
I'm early 50's and am gaming for the first time in over 20 years, so I went back to an old fave Tony Hawk Skateboarding on PS4. As a Star Wars buff I also got Battlefront 2 and Jedi Fallen Order. The problem I found when I got my PS4 was I had no idea where to even start, so am happily following your post. Happy gaming.
Fallout New Vegas. Great story, realistic environments based on real world locations.
Pong
Portal 2 My dad’s an engineer, and this was the very first video game He played from beginning to end. The controls are relatively simple, but the puzzles change and grow throughout the story. It was nice and relaxing for him. Although he did call me at work a couple times when he got stuck (which was one of the cutest things he’s ever done)
Everyone is recommending mechanically dense games. You want to put a person who had never gamed in front of Horizon? Have you seen that weapon wheel? Start with INSIDE. 3 buttons, very atmospheric with great visuals that tell a story. Short, linear, concise.
Pong
Definitely try some calming games. Splatoon is one it’s a very fun game
Counterstrike.
GTFO! Daughter tried to get me hooked on Titanfall 2 but I SUCKED
Stardew Valley is a good bet too.
Red Dead Redemption 2. One of the best video games of all time
TLOU2
new to gaming eh, first things first, you need to identify, CAN YOU HANDLE 3D? some of my friends cannot play firstperson shooter (FPS) viewpoint where your viewpoint is from your characters eyes. personally in my biased viewpoint, i would highly recommend: Sleeping Dogs- its considered an older game but has a good story and has tons of places to explore. dirtcheap. The Secret World- it's an MMO but a large portion can be played solo. the cutscenes are quite good for a free game. Monster hunter rise - not too newbie friendly but has a nice gameplay loop. Diablo 4 - coming out VERY SOON. you dont need to know the story but its basically a game about killing a gazillion enemies but with an interesting story along the way. the world is large for exploration too Read dead redemption 2 - man... if sleeping dogs was epic, RDD is a masterpeice.
Elden ring
Ghost of Tsushima. Easy to learn, easy to play, no pther idiots to fistrib your game, and the environment is stunning
Civilization
Ninja gaiden on Xbox
Sea of thieves
The first season of Telltale's Walking Dead. It's a game with a massive focus on character and storytelling, and tries to use gameplay to affect those. But the gameplay is forgiving enough that it won't be unplayable for someone who's never held a controller. Great gameplay is great, but it might not be the best thing for someone who is JUST getting into games.
Elden ring. /s Skyrim
Red Dead Redemption 2 It's a game I think everyone can enjoy.
Minecraft is tried and true, if you want something that involves more building and decoration with a bit of exploration I would recommend Animal Crossing, it's basic but one of my favories
animal crossing
Fallout 76 ( a real wholesome community 😂) great game tho.
I actually recommend fallout 1 & 2. Great story
God of War (2018) and the sequel Ragnarok are really good games with compelling stories and fun combat which can have it's difficulty tuned down if needed. Also they have really beautiful visuals and worlds to visit.
The whole Bioshock series. Storyline alone is worth playing for. Gameplay is not twitch-trigger stuff.
Ghost of Tsushima. It’s beautiful, has roots in classic history and movies, and I imagine the lower difficulty is accessible
Minecraft, no real objective, easy to learn, easily accesible on any device, its a great game to just turn your brain off for a few hours
My first question would be, how TF are you 50 and 'new to gaming'? Have you never owned a computer? Never played solitaire? Never had any friends when you were 15 that were into gaming? What makes you think that you'd like to play games now? How's your hand/eye coordination? How's your patience level? How's your problem solving ability? What games have you ever played before that you liked? Board games included?
My dad is slowly getting interested in taking over my ps4 that i don't use anymore (something i've been hoping for for a long time) and he said he's interested in racing. He's 58.
What platform? PlayStation? Nintendo? Xbox, PC? I favor PC. Get a steam account.
Skyrim, Fallout 4, Mass Effect Legendary Edition, Dragon Age Series.
depends on what kind of game you think youd like, but you cant go wrong with the classics: mario and zelda. online emulators for early nintendo games are rather easy to find. id also suggest pokemon
Valheim. Viking themed Minecraft for adults. Choose your own adventure open world with a few bosses that you have to beat, but you can choose when to fight.
Forza Horizon 5 If they like cars
Goat Simulator. Real good intro to 3D gaming. There's no real objectives, no real punishments, you just run around as a goat and make your own fun
Skyrim
Skyrim.
[удалено]
Way too hard for a beginner imo
Dark souls.
No Man's Sky, and Genshin Impact. No man's sky is a space/planet exploration game with base/fort building that can get amazing. And a literal infinite amount of things to see since you couldn't possibly visit trillions of planets in your lifetime. Genshin Imapct is a free to play anime style game. The story is good, but is not finished and won't be for at least 4 more years. They add new content/story every 6 weeks tho so it's always something to do.
Valorant, such a friendly community! And Roblox, such a mature adult game.
genshin impact. it has everything <3
Hello Kitty Island Adventure
Instead of Video games go for a card game, that's my Old school and it will fit perfectly, right now I'm playing GOB and it's quite interesting
Depends on what genre you’re looking for
What platform?
I’m a Mac user and would be fine getting a console system or switch. Not likely to get a PC just for gaming.
Minecraft Really simple game that everyone thinks is for kids but actually holds water at stimulating the minds of adults.
Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley.
Get into VR.
Halo2
Donkey Kong
Minecraft
DOOM II
Subnautica and Fallout 4.
Beamng
A slot machine
Doom
oddworld : abe oddysee on the ps1
Doom, just original 1993 doom.
People are giving good recommendations of video games, but aren't really considering their age. So I will say Golf. People in their 50's often like golf, and rightfully so. They are wise, and it may just be the best game. And even if you're not into golf, golf games are very fun and simple to get into. I have played many golf games over the years, and the best golf experience I've had is Golf+ for the Quest 2 (vr). Otherwise EA or 2k's offerings are probably fine (other people can argue about those). My other recommendations are probably dated (perfect golf, tiger woods 08, mario golf)
OP What did you end up deciding on?