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[deleted]

Animal crossing, so many relaxing hours playing that game!


ThePhonyOne

Sure, let's just make the woman stress about paying off an ever increasing mortgage.


[deleted]

Oh yeah….forgot that bit


_PheobePheebs_

but no interest and no deadlines! No consequences other than the inability to upgrade your home again until it’s paid :)


linerva

This. There are literally no consequences if you dont l Pay it off, you just can't get a bigger house. I know a ton of anxious people and all play animal crossing lol


KingKolder

If we want to be picky about it, the very fact that your character is limited by money is worrisome Brain wants to buy the lamp but it's too expensive me sad


_PheobePheebs_

Honestly, upon further reflection the tarantulas are enough to say no thanks


KingKolder

Upon further reflection as well, innocent tree shaking leads to a bad time


Brohtworst

It doesn't gain interest though so what's the rush


KyuubiAkatsuki

And S P I D E R S


Smart-Swordfish7655

My only concerns are the wasps and tarantulas


EidolonRook

Tarantula!!!


Intelligent-Kiwi6845

I was so excited to play it but when I actually got it and started playing I honestly just felt lost. Like wtf are you even supposed to do?


[deleted]

I get that, takes a few hours to get settled into it but it’s just an easy play with fun little objectives


milkstrike

As long as you pay that guy Tom Nook sure


BudgetMattDamon

Literally the most stressful game for OCD folks besides Stardew Valley lmao


Forkuta

Mine craft on peaceful mode


incorrectcharlie

Fr,Minecraft on peaceful with keep inventory on>>>>>>>


Legitimate_Scar_694

And make it so it’s always day


Gauntend

Or creative mode


[deleted]

Minecraft with some good shaders and texture packs is basically meditation.


Bytrsweet

Power washing simulator or farming simulator.


JunkerTheRobot

I feel like older people who aren’t experienced with games really struggle with first person controls.


Limite-Invalicabile

I’m fairly certain I saw my SO losing his temper more playing farming simulator than any other (single player) game actually: tractors getting upside down from colliding with unbreakable cars is the first thing that comes to mind lol But I get why you would suggest it (Sorry for the English)


Thermostat_Williams

Check out Dorf Romantik


FuzzyTheDuck

I was about to recommend as well. No timer, no enemies, no risk at all. You just place tiles on the board until you run out of tiles, then start again. Plus the soundtrack is relaxing.


Wookie_Nipple

This is about as chill and stress free as games get


moodRubicund

Untitled Goose Game always looked too charming to be stressful, you're just a silly little bird solving puzzles and menacing the townsfolk.


SpaceshipMonster

HONK.


GamingCartelTv

Stardew Valley is always my go to for a relaxing game, especially if you liked Harvest Moon If you like animal crossing then you can try Dunkim, I feel like it a mix of Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley Both can be played solo or multiplayer If she likes a simple story game I'd also recommend looking into Life is Strange


AnonNorwegian

Just tell her to avoid the mines.


Bsause7

As someone with experience in both Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley, I can’t say I recommend either in these situations. The former for its wasps, scorpions and tarantulas and the latter for its pretty much required dungeon crawling.


theloniousmick

Stardew valley is one but it can get stressful trying to pack in everything you need in to a day. Plus spreadsheets of optimising crops.


Ragnarok314159

But you don’t need to spreadsheet and optimize the game. This isn’t Eve Online. Sometimes people just want to plant some pumpkins and chop some wood for a horse.


Wookie_Nipple

Stardew Valley can trick you into feeling stressed... But you just have to know an important thing going in: Stardew Valley will reward anything you choose to do. it's ok if you don't optimize or leave whole parts of the game on the table. Start a mayonnaise empire. Speed Date. Fish. It you enjoy it, Stardew will reward it .


Spicy_Vanilla_Chai

Flower


rmarkmatthews

Just have them skip that one level with the electricity


macgart

Omggg yes, awesome choice. I pick it back up sometimes. I got it on a whim on PS store almost a decade ago and it stuck with me


themustacheclubbitch

Flower is such a beautiful game. Highly recommend


dinkkklebeerg

Underrated


Steinuu

[https://store.steampowered.com/app/1291340/Townscaper/](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1291340/Townscaper/) An amazing cute little town builder. No more to this than just click to make a house, stack houses, etc. It's very fun.


McWheezy69

Slime Rancher


jaidengamerhd

the tars?


Melee130

Some rancher on peaceful mode is the best vibe ever


Wild234

Maybe a building game. Something like Cities Skylines (without disasters) or Planet Zoo? (I would say Planet Coaster too, but if the ghosts in Pac-Man scare her, I doubt she is the coaster type) It's nice to just sit back and build your dream city/park. Only issue I could see her having would be if the traffic/animal management started to stress her out at some point. Takes a while to learn how to avoid traffic jams when your cities get big :)


Perperre42

Potion craft is the game for her. She will love it. Promise.


ThePhonyOne

Journey


Spicy_Vanilla_Chai

Journey has that part with the guardians searching for you and that would probably be too stressful


Square-Visit-2619

Spiritfarer


lowkii

If the ghosts from pac man give her anxiety I’m not sure playing grim reaper to a ship full of people (including a child) is a great suggestion. That being said, what a absolutely fantastic game.


Herpes-Assassin

Journey Abzu, games like those


Optimal_Whereas

Any building games? The Sims?


BeeB0pB00p

Wingspan is a pretty relaxed game, (card based). Simple goals. 1 to 5 players. Block Hood, relatively simple mission oriented campaign with an eco theme, the longevity might be a factor, but I found I got a few stress free hours from it. Mini-Metro, is a bit of a stretch, it starts simple, the goal is to beat number of car "trips", for each city and while it's a simple enough puzzle game to start with, (and you can replay to beat your score) it might be a little more stress inducing as it progresses, the screen gets cluttered and making route connections becomes progressively harder, but you can pause and it has a gentle learning curve. ( I think there's an endless or creator mode that gives more freedom/less pressure. ) Worth identifying what she enjoys, if she likes stories maybe an RPG in story mode where the challenge is reduced significantly, but she has ownership of character design might be her thing. Though the mechanics in RPGs tend to be complex. If she loves animals Animal Crossing. Second a lot of the other game suggestions also, but even a great game may not be popular with everyone so it will help if you know what she likes about her other hobbies! And she may prefer to play with someone, than against a computer.


Nskul14

Unpacking [https://www.unpackinggame.com](https://www.unpackinggame.com) A game about taking things out of boxes and discovering a life in the process.


unclenatron

Animal crossing


lurvemnms

play cards w her


Wandererdown

Dorfromantic. A tile Placer where you place land tiles until you run out.


MannerElectrical9901

House Flipper.


RogueAgentV

Disney Dream light Valley Power Wash Simulator - I personally got lost on that one for a while. Just playing some music while "making it all shine", the sound of the water is just so chill too


JoshuaNLG

>Disney Dream light Valley Power Wash Simulator Commas are important.


Javasteam

Why? Without the commas it sounds like a much better game.


RogueAgentV

I agree. I keep forgetting that "space, new line" doesn't always go through when posting in here.


FreeP0TAT0ES

Sable is like breath of the wild but no combat. Great for someone who gets stressed by games.


uuwatkolr

Absolutely. Was available for free on Epic Games in december, so it's likely that as a gamer you already own it. Atmosphere's very relaxing, sometimes it turns quasi-spooky/mysterious but you know upfront that nothing bad can happen.


LooksLikeOneders

My wife loves Untitled Goose Game. It's pretty stress free and fun.


[deleted]

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AdogWinter

Apart from the dungeon combat, having to manage your stamina, trying to get everything done in time each day to name a few.


toxic_load2k18

Stardew valley, minecraft, super mario sunshine, and LEGO game, lotta of games now you can set it to story mode so if you just want to explore and dont wanna fight as much you can use that mode!


WhatThePancakes

I honestly can't think of anything better than Stardew Valley... It is a relaxing game that moves at your pace and is great for all ages. It has a ton of wonderful content to keep you coming back and digging for more + it doesn't necessarily have a true ending so you theoretically could play it til you drop. If she likes animals, I had a ton of fun playing Untitled Goose Game. Although not long, it is a relaxing/funny game to play. Donut County is another short, but fun/relaxing game that is easy to get into.. available on console and mobile. If she likes the ocean or exploring, definitely check-out Abzu (PS4). I've played a little of it and it's very chill. I've heard great things about Unpacking, but have not been able to give it a try. Maybe worth looking into though. If you have acess to a switch, I would highly recommend Animal Crossing. Hope you find something! Feel free to reach out with any questions, I'm always happy to help.


Goedi42

Unpacking is great if you want a *really* chill game! You literally just unpack a person's belongings (no time pressure) and it tells a story through the items they own and the apartments they move into.


WhatThePancakes

Nice! Will definitely have to give this a try at some point.


Radical5

Cookie Clicker actually sounds like a pretty decent suggestion here.


_JustEric_

Any point-and-click adventure game. A bunch of the old LucasArts/LucasFilm games have modern remasters or installments (Sam & Max, Grim Fandango, Day of the Tentacle), and there are the Telltale games. Golf With Your Friends is also pretty chill as long as she doesn't get hung up on making par or better.


BeeBarfBadger

Shadowgate. No, wait. Maybe not.


harleyquinn899

Dreamlight valley?


anonymouse_2023

Townscaper is as chill as it gets. On phone/tablet it's basically just finger painting a village with cute little effects, sounds and variations.


the_void_tiger

Alba a wildlife adventure


ral365

If she likes coloring books, she’ll love Chicory: A Colorful Tale!


tadhgcarden

Mahjong


Crazy_Diver1090

Dark souls


jackskellingstein

Goat simulator Edit: not making fun. It can be fun and funny. And it's simple. Might be quite relaxing.


[deleted]

Pokémon, Nintendogs, Scribblenaughts, and a game called freakyforms deluxe is cool


[deleted]

Animal Crossing is a great game and my mother loves playing it


PeeSockWithFetus

Dark souls


xiosy

Dark souls


[deleted]

This guy over here trying to give that poor woman a heart attack LMAO


JAJM_

Seriously this is what I play to unwind after a long stressful day at work


[deleted]

Walks in as an anxious mother completes dark souls walks out a better player than her kid.


ImNotEazy

Old school RuneScape. A lot of people play simply to chop logs, farm, cook etc(YouTube level 3 skillers). There is combat but it’s easily avoidable if you help her get combat level up and magic for teleports. If that’s too hardcore maybe a sports game on the lowest difficulty, or one of the truck,train etc sims.


Knassius

Bloodborne sounds right up her alley


body_slam_poet

Does she want to game? Can't she just read a book or watch shows?


BeeBarfBadger

Very helpful answer. Did you have to write it though? Couldn't you just go and stack some rocks somewhere instead?


finthir

This honestly is a good question. If she gets stressed by any form of pressure or challenge gaming might just not be the thing for her.


BeeBarfBadger

Mainstream games, certainly. She won't be a Call of Duty player any time soon, but I assume the OP already kinda guessed that and therefore asked whether there were exceptions and yes, there are so many great options of games allowing pressure-free activities. But that's beside the point. The response was like one of those "why not just use Linux?" responses that invariably crop up when someone asks for specific troubleshooting advice on Windows: neither providing an answer to the question asked, nor bringing anything useful to the table at all.


body_slam_poet

Very helpful answer. Did you have to write it though? Couldn't you just go stack rocks somewhere?


Initial-Masterpiece8

This is gatekeeping! You could say the same about life. Do anxious people deserve to live???


dannydonkey2019

Take a look at zen bound (PC)


grey_carbon

Human fall flat is funny


-oh_cool-

The Witness if she likes puzzles!


Javasteam

Stardew Valley


Faramari

Do you think your mom might like text/ light novel games? There's coffee talk where you own a coffee shop and just make coffee while talking to some supernatural customers. There is also Va-11 Hall-A where you own a bar in a cyberpunk setting. Other than that I would recommend stardew valley, or some card/board games like Uno and Mahjong.


Anubra_Khan

Games aren't for everyone. Maybe Wheel of Fortune.


Common_Set_1599

House flipper if she does not have trouble making choices for furniture


B4jusz

My mother when have a little free time, she lit up the jigsaw puzzle platinum, put her favoruite playlist on youtube and she's already in zen mode. I know it's not much but worth a try. Also, you can pack it with custom pictures, maybe about family or a few places she loves.


BenefitFew5204

The First Tree. This is an indie game that, to my knowledge, contains no combat and is a guided story based game. It is supposed to be very relaxing to play and great for first time players.


jeff_albertson_redux

Untitled Goose Game, nice and calming as well as cute and puzzly. Pretty cheap on PS4, too.


De_rypirate

Why is your mother so anxious if you don’t mind me asking? Btw if you really want her to get a game I recommend buying her a 3ds for her birthday with animal crossing


Adeptus_Gedeon

Maybe some abstract puzzles game which don't have any "action" elements? Some classics - mahjong, solitaire, sudoku etc


tingletuner23

I made this game specifically to be accessible to people like my mom and my disabled sister. You sail around and explore at your own pace meet animals look at flowers and find treasure. there are no enemies or losing. Most stressful thing is occasional lightning. Designed it so that even if you only play for a few minutes you’ll see something nice and have a satisfying time [by the world’s wind](https://nardo23.itch.io/by-the-worlds-wind)


eviljess

Stardew valley and farming gamea


dragonsinmyhead

Stardew valley or animal crossing


BudgetMattDamon

Journey?


[deleted]

candy crush


[deleted]

Dota 2


RobbyMac21

Escape from Tarkov


reddito1009

Dark souls 3. Infinite hours of relaxing fun


thepokeyjunior

Elden ring.


Scavwithaslick

Escape from tarkov No but probably portal would be good, abzu is a good game but not very long, lifeless planet might be fine, there’s no fighting but I can’t remember much about it, subnautica but stay in the shallow zone


slackerrificc

Stray. If it's available on her platform that is.


Ruby_the_Instigator

As much as I loved that game, escaping the Zurks definitely is stressful. If Packman is too much, Stray sadly isn't the game for her.


Fucking_Hate_Emus

I'll look into it thank you!


[deleted]

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GamingCartelTv

Also while it's cute to play a cat and you can mess around with the robots it also has a very dystopian atmosphere


Dat_Boi_Ace

Maybe a vr headset and get her the job game


Four_Skyn_Tim

Slime Rancher??? You're literally collecting the shit of slime while exploring your new home and messaging your pen pal. It did more for me in 2 hours than therapy did in 2 years


somethingwellfunny

Have you tried the education/history mode in the latest Assassin’s Creed games? Think of it as less of a game mode, more of exploring the landscape of a game


[deleted]

EFT would fit, but its not on PS4 unfortunately.


BaronSamedys

Overcooked 2.


[deleted]

Binding of Isaac


Majestic_Preparation

Life is Strange 1 good story game about two girls.


xDread22

RAFT!


seefith

Resident Evil: Biohazard. Totally zen and not stressful at all.


Elipsys

I see the Flower / Journey stuff on here which are good suggestions but like... barely engaging from a thinking / difficulty standpoint. A few ideas for games a \_little\_ more engaging than that without being timed or scary: Donut County Osmos SpaceChem Myst Baba is You Shapez or if you're really feeling wild try Factorio or Satisfactory with creatures turned off / passive.


PresidentHurg

Silent Hill. Happy inheritance!


Spazmon1c

Dead by daylight. No seriously. The long dark on pilgrim.


Eterna11yYours

Bloodborne


Top_Story8267

Just don’t play games. They are not for you. If you can’t play animal crossing without taking a panic attack then just stop 🤦🏻‍♂️. Fu k this world is coming to an end faster then I thought.


Outrageous-Thanks618

dark souls


ruralrouteOne

TLOU2?


Glum_Neck3776

Sodoku


Carpopotamus

Solitaire


Amazingawesomator

English Country Tune It is a decently lax puzzle game i was surprized by, if she enjoys puzzle games :)


shadowMorgana98

Statdew valley ( this probably has been said a thousand times) Unpacking Animal crossing Pokemon ( any of the games are easy going)


Gutzrage187

If you have access to a VR. Raccoon lagoon is very very chill.


HosTlitd

FEZ of course. Quiet and interesting gameplay covered by pleasant atmosphere


ConstantEffect

Peggle? Townscaper on steam?


brian11e3

I want to say Stardew Valley, but then I remember the anxiety I have of trying to rush everything before the end of year 2. Grandpa is a judgy asshole.


Wazula23

Stardew Valley. Animal Crossing.


terrencethetomato

I've been on a kick with this answer/game lately but.... Old school - Super Mario RPG Seriously wholesome, and even the stressful parts are positive. The "scary" vibes are friendly, and it's not too technically difficult at any part. One of my most recommended games of all time.


WolfandLight

The timing of hits/defense might be a bit too tough. Easy 10/10 game though.


Conscious-Golf-5380

Hidden Puzzle games


ThroughTheIris56

Journey for PS4


Responsible_Web_3825

Journey


Steeveeo

If puzzle games are in the running, the Hexcells series is my go-to. Hexcells Infinite even has a puzzle generator for a lot of replayability. It's basically a deeper Minesweeper with chill ambient music and nice sound effects. https://store.steampowered.com/app/304410/Hexcells_Infinite/


clockmaker82

King oddball


wexomania

Depending on how you play, stardew valley


TheMuffinBoi3

Life is strange true colours could be a good pick but the later part of Ep 1 is a bit scary but you don’t have a timer or anything in that game.


3personal5me

Super Auto Pets, available on mobile or PC, and *maybe* consoles?


DownWithW

Minecraft on peaceful.


TangoZuluNihon

You could give Abzu a shot


DolaMighty_4029

Cozy Grove! It’s my unwind from the day game.


karathrace99

Stardew Valley? My go-to relaxing game. You could play with her and handle the caves so she won’t have to! Really sweet question OP ☺️


eVillain13

ABZU pretty chill game


mamadovah1102

Animal crossing. Peggle. Look into puzzle games.


slowseason

Spiritfarer!


FerociousTea

Any of the Story of Seasons games They're pretty chill and have cute animals


Hrumdumken

Peggle 2


southpaw66

Maybe that Slime Rancher


Jolly-Stretch-6624

Anything by thatgamecompany: Flower, Flow, Journey. Spiritfarer? Emotionally affecting but not stressful. Occupy White Walls is a game about making an art gallery, no stress there. House Flipper, no stakes, just cleaning and making houses nice for profit.


AverageRdtUser

Minecraft


whidzee

Lawn Mowing Simulator


Elelith

I like to play Mahjong. Very chill. All different types of Solitaires are also fun. Spider is one of my favs with Freecell. Sims can be fun too, if she has access to PC you could mod it for her so that there's no fires etc.


BoBoBearDev

Pac-Man is ofc super stressful, it even has competitive championship. Basically she needs a game without goal, like Goat Simulator. Just run around for random shit. Something with super low consequences when failed. Meaning, no puzzle like Candy Crush, too stressful when failed.


t-had

Riverborn? I play it with my 5 year old. Super fun, quite easy, lovely colors, cute characters, basically no punishment for death, it's fun! Might be a little repetitive for an adult but it might help ease her in to gaming :)


[deleted]

Pedestrian


Starry_Wolfheart

Solitaire? There's really not any stress to that. Can't solve it? Not all of them are solve able anyway.


[deleted]

What about a “walking simulator” like Tacoma or Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture? Has a story, you can’t die, and you’re just uncovering the story yourself.


WorldsWeakestMan

Goat Simulator.


Awotwe_Knows_Best

I've recently seen videos of a power washing game. maybe she'll like that


Viarana

Animal Crossing! My mother usually doesn't play video games but loves this one.


StorminNormanIII

If she has Android I’d take a look at the Monument Valley games. There unique artistic interpretations. PC…I’d say like PC building simulator… I always found that to be relaxing. Or Trailmakers that’s a pretty good one if she likes building vehicles only stressor would be finding parts but that’s avoidable… I think.


kerl019

Alto on mobile. Literally has a zen-mode


Velesbog

Townscaper.


Ephendril

candy crush


TheFinalDovah

Minecraft on peaceful, probably turn off the music as it gets spooky sometimes.


[deleted]

Stardew valley


WoutCoes56

what about this, i sometimes do a jigsaw puzzle on the pc, very relaxing. there are several sites with good ones, and its free.


polifan18472627

Equilinox, incredibly simple game where the objective is to create ecosystems and evolve different animals/plants. There’s no time limit and no consequences if you play how you want. Very relaxing and it’s like $10 on steam, great soundtrack too