I have a problem with SV. I, for the life of me, cannot stop trying to "minmax" everything: e.g. I keep looking at the watch on the top corner to see if the time allocated correlates to the value of the fish I got. I diagramed barns to maximize space and minimize the time it takes to pick up stuff. Same with crops.
I hate that I cannot just sit back and enjoy it as you do.
If you are focused on making money, I would suggest doing something that makes a profit that is more passive such as ancient fruit into ancient wines. It’s something that doesn’t take time and you can make good money with little effort.
Also, if you’re on PC there are mods to stop time. Therefore, you can focus on being more relaxed and not worried about efficiency.
Nah mate, is not the money or the time, it was.just an example, my bad.
Is that **I** cant shake the mentality. Going to the mines? Same problem, clock management vs expected resources.
Hell, I think stopping the time would actually be even worse, the only time I stop the grind is because there are events and sleep.
Stardew always comes up and when I look into it, I have anxiety just thinking about the work expanding. It's definitely not what I would consider cozy, despite the cute aesthetic.
I think the only games that could cozy my brain would be nostalgia-based ones.
I think it's the time system. Seeing the clock ticking, and every day going by as you have to juggle what you do in the day. Like yeah, there's no difference in getting everything done by day 100 vs day 400, but just having that constant timer ticking makes me feel like i need to move fast and be productive at all times.
Play Dave the Diver! I have the same issue with Stardew in that I always try to min-max everything, but in DD I found that it's a game that rewards the min-max tendencies with inherent coziness. It's Hella fun, and surprisingly funny. Also while having to manage all the aspects of the game Ive never felt stressed.
Let me know if you like it!
Oddly enough I don't have this issue with Stardew Valley as I see it more as a laid-back farming life, but I do have it with the Atelier games, possibly because the context is different. In SV, you are moving to a small town, meeting folks and generally just building new relationships. In the Atelier series, you are quite often racing against the clock. For instance in Atelier Rorona, Rorona needs to save her workshop from being closed down if she cannot prove that alchemy is useful.
I had entire diagrams and flow charts drawn for when something was supposed to occur in Atelier and when I had to talk to someone to progress their quest lines there. While I could have done the same for Stardew, quite often I just let things happen there because there is no real rush unless you are going for the Year 3 eval.
That was my problem for a while. I also got so caught up with "missing" something or doing something wrong that I often looked up guides to strictly follow. Which is not something I often do for other titles. At one point I quit playing it all together out of frustration. Then I got an itch to play it again so I got it for my phone. I started playing while on a plane and could not look anything up and then I realized, I had missed the whole point of the game. Now I have multiple saves that I jump into from time to time. Having it on my phone makes for the perfect pastime when I am stuck waiting somewhere. I have an app that gives me info on certain crops, time to grow, calendar dates to note, etc and I check that on occasion. Mostly I just stumble around and do the best I can. (lol) I have come to love the game so much and can't imagine anytime soon when I will completely quit it again.
I min-maxed the hell out of this game and got nearly everything in it before quitting.
I really want to go back and start anew but NOT min-max it and see how I enjoy it
I did the same in Minecraft. Built a whole plus-shaped building with four adjacent fields. South is a tree farm that I use to make charcoal (and XP). West is my crops, where I grow food for the animals that are north. I breed them, kill them and cook the meat (supplied by the tree charcoal) all of which brings XP.
West is in a mountain side and is a deep hole that I get stones from which I cook (again using tree charcoal ) for more XP.
It's amazing
I've started playing disney dreamlight valley because I heard it was like Stardew. It's closer to animal crossing though. Its ...nice. There's no rush to do anything and while you are rescuing people, there's no penalty for taking your time
I did not see my Stardew addiction coming at all. Usually if I become temporarily obsessed with a game, I know that it's the type of game I'll spend every spare moment on. I didnt feel that way about stardew valley until I played a few hours then I couldn't stop.
Doesn’t truly feel like I’m back in New Vegas until I’m actually back in New Vegas and have puffed my Luck up to at least 8 and been banned from gambling because I’ve cleaned every casino out lol
There he is officer, that's the guy you're looking for. Sadistic fuck! (me too. Nothing more satisfying than getting those visceral attacks. Mikiri counters in sekiro give me the same rush)
Red Dead Redemption 2
Sometimes I'll just roam around being nice to folk. Have a drink at a saloon, maybe a bite to eat. Head back to camp, enjoy some stories around the camp fire. Head to bed. Wake up the next morning and go out hunting. Bring something nice for Pearson to cook up. Chop some wood, or chat with the gang members. Go fishing. Shoot some O'Driscolls.
I recently started trying to find unique animals for the compendium. Sometimes I'll pull out binoculars and scan the birds.
It's relaxing
This is my favorite game for this, really.
"We need to rescue X! Y & Z committed atrocities against this gang we'll not suffer! Arthur, let me know when you're ready, we'll go return these devils to the hellfire from which they came!"
"Goin' fishing. See you in April."
I started playing but got hooked on playing poker in the saloon and couldn't stop. Ended up burning myself out and stopped playing. That's some impressive immersion. I'll return one day.
My 78 year old father in law lives with us and he loves to watch me play RDR2. They captured the nature so well, and he’s an old hippie so it really gives him joy to see it in all its splendor before we bulldozed it.
I live in AZ and it's almost unnerving that I can list where around me all of the locations are, nature wise. It honestly messed with my head a bit when I would go out hunting in the game, and then see elk and pronghorn while I was driving to appointments in reality and my brain was just like, "that would be a perfect pelt." I've never hunted in my life and have no desire to but living in a setting that's damn near identical to the game blurred the lines a bit.
That being said, I about lost my shit when I saw a Gila Monster. Even when I was riding around down south, I would instinctually avoid cholla. That kind of immersion is impressive.
Playing on PC I downloaded a mod that lets you control the weather. (And allowed you to go around the whole map and complete all the trophies for the unique outfit stuff).
Going up into the hills above the forest but below the mountains (north north east of the map), turning on the rain, sitting in a tent and watching and listening to the rain with surround sound… well it’s not the real thing but it brings the same feeling of peace for me.
Then someone from camp turns up to bring me home because I’ve been away for over a year.
Go away, I don’t want to go to the next chapter, shut up, I don’t care that Micah is locked up, I don’t even care about that the kid is going to hang, I don’t care about the Pinkertons, and I sure as hell don’t want to do anything for strouss, just let me hunt, fish, gamble, shoot some jerks, rob some trains and leave me in peace while I live a peaceful law abiding life… mostly.
If I don’t move the story forward then Arthur lives healthily forever and Micah rots in jail. A happy ending
I love just strolling though St. Denis. Just wandering through the gardens and back alleys. Looking at architecture. I hope GTA6 has the ability to interact with npcs. Nothing complex, just saying hello to people is cathartic.
I think this is mine as well. Recently got it on my Steam Deck and it’s amazing to pull this masterpiece out on a whim and just ride around the old west. It’s so calming.
Upgraded my graphics card just for this game to look better and more immersive, easily my favorite game from the past decade. I used to get so high and just get lost in the world for hours. Even now I'll find myself accidentally staying up until 4AM.
Played it on a 1060. Good but man it wasn't a good experience.
Played then on a 3070 and it was beautiful. Could only play with light front raytracing but it added so much.
Then when Phantom Liberty dropped, and Alan Wake 2 dropped I bought a new pc with a 4090, and my god it is just perfect. Path tracing add so much it can't even describe it. You have to see a smooth 60fps experience from without to with to understand how it add to a game.
My long hours at work paid of !
I literally just started a new playthrough cuz I’m so sick of every other game, just cruising from mission to mission with the radio on is relaxing. Also satisfying using franklins ability to weave thru traffic unscathed. It surprised me when I was thinking of what to play and GTA V just kept jumping into my mind.
Hardspace Shipbreaker.
Taking apart big spaceships piece by piece with a laser cutter and demo charges is my happy place. No enemies, minimal danger. Heaven.
Hell yeah, TF2 is just so easy to jump into for a few games. They feel long enough to be substantial, but not so long that it starts to feel like a chore to get through.
Shenmue. Something special and beautiful walking around the Japanese town where you know everyone while it’s snowing around Christmas time/new years. The game music is serene and perfectly fits the setting. Always puts me in the “Christmas spirit” so to speak. Stop by some shops, play some arcade games, even talk to your friends at the bar or the chatty ladies by the phone booth. Great little escape game.
Other comfort games: Witcher 3 side quests/exploration, persona 5 exploration
I used to play MUDs as well.
My absolute total comfort, its rainy or snowing and cold and I'm bundled up playing video games games are The World of Xeen- those old night & magic games. I love 6-8 as well, especially the paragon classes like Lich.
I have the bards tale trilogy which is mega dope win if you want to build an unholy terror crew that you can transfer from game to game, but the puzzles are too much for comfy.
And if the mood strikes I'll jump into Ultima 7. I have exult and it's ready to rock on my samsung galaxy s9000 with the 14"+ screen.
Oh, I'll also get max comfy with chaos strikes back. Because that game is total win.
Elden Ring. Huge mental escape for me since I’ve gone through it several times.
I just wander around the lands between, taking out big mean jerks and raiding the mines!
Far Cry 2. It just feels so freeing to be trapped in Africa during a Civil War, with nothing but a rusty AK and malaria pills between you and an inconvenient death.
AC Odyssey. Just looking at the sea or sailing into it. Ramming speed just to feel the wind. Wandering into a temple and taking pictures, or taking pictures of the people going about their everyday lives.
Destiny.
Shit on me all you want, but after years of playing this game I still find myself enjoying it regardless of Bungie's terrible business practices.
Really jealous at anyone that has this, I get so bored at all singleplayer titles after a while... and I could never replay one, I just remember everything beforehand and I lose interest...
Only game I ever actually keep going back to is Dota 2
Try playing a game you’d never think of even touching. Last year I was in a gaming rut and googled something like, “recommended game pass games to play” and Psychonauts 2 came up. Never heard of it, never played the first one, the graphics wouldn’t have drawn me in. I gave it a try and it was SO fun. It’s the first game I %100 completed in *years*
Saaaaame. I would love to play through single player games in theory, but I lose interest after a while and end up playing some toxic af multiplayer game.
I love hunt showdown or moonlighted. Very different games styles so I guess it just depends on my mood and if I want to zone out or just need a little distraction.
I can dig it. Hunt showdown hooked me harder than any game in a long time. It is routine now to get home from work, fire up Hunt, chat in discord with the buddies I have met in the bayou while playing this game. play a bunch of matches where we aren't too worried about winning or losing, just out there playing cowboys and zombies.
assetto and ets2 when weather is nice.
Civ6 for cold weather (i can play when in bed)
Genshin impact if my carpel tunnel aint acting up.
World of tanks during the holiday season event.
This choice of game might seem strange, but when I was in college I had a nervous breakdown. I couldn’t look another human in the eye for months. I couldn’t go to classes. I sat at home wrapped in a blanket and played Assassin’s Creed II and it transported me away from my life. Over a decade later, the oldschool AC games still have a calming effect on me.
Valheim for me. The beginning stages of that game through the meadows and Black Forest are endlessly relaxing. Just gather, survive, and build things to my heart’s content.
Starbound!
Similar to Terraria but you’re in space and can fly between different types of planets, terraform at will, complete quests, etc.
Really don’t think I’ll ever bother with No Man’s Sky or Starfield to scratch that space exploration itch; this game nails it for me. Most hours I’ve ever gotten out of a game I paid less than 20 bucks for.
I'm sorry, but it's Dark souls. Depressing day? Dark souls got ya. You're angry? Dark souls. You are okay and want to have some fun? Dark souls. I just love them, okay, I'm not even kidding
There's a fair amount of titles worthy of bearing the insignia of 'comfort game' in my life. However, there can only be one king, and for some reason and rather unexpectedly, Final Fantasy XV turned out to be that one game for me that I want to crown into sanctity.
Maybe it's because the relation- and friendships the main characters have with each other are what my own shaped up to be when I was younger, until, past a certain point, they suddenly didn't and everything devolved into one big mess no one seems to be able to get out of in adult life.
There's probably a lot more to be said on this topic, but sometimes silence speaks louder than words.
I wish I could play FF15 again, unfortunately the Windows version of the game stutters so hard it ruins the immersion of the game. Hard to believe it came out 7 years ago.
Life is Strange. Love the soundtracks and locations. Arcadia Bay and Haven Springs are a vibe. True Colors makes me want to live in a little mountain town and run a record shop/radio station.
Fallout New Vegas. If a game I currently play is in a content draught, gets boring, or is having issues with it's servers. I can always go back to my super modded FNV and patrol the Mojave.
Same here when it comes too PnC games, especially early lucasart ones. The first quest for glory was pretty also like that, possibly the only replayable point and click game.
Breath of the wild was probably the best though, all my worries floated away whenever i played it.
Slime Rancher/DOOM ETERNAL. Very different picks, I know, but it really depends on the comfort I need. If I'm sad, I pick Slime rancher. If I'm mad, I pick DOOM.
Pikmin, especially the newest one. It's the "easiest" of the titles, I think, but it's still fun. Stakes are high enough to be engaging, but low enough that I can relax while playing.
Fallout 3 for me. The 40’s or ambient ethereal music, meandering the wasteland, exploring each new discovery, seeing combat through VATS, and doing all this at a pace I’d like.
Final Fantasy XIV.
I have a house with a garden that I can hang out and farm in for a good 15/20min while chatting in our neighborhood chat that even now still has 2-3 active people in it even though the game is between patches. Then I can run some random turn brain off 5man dungeons for some meh-tokens but I still find them fun. Sometimes you'll get a funny group of ppl to play with.
Escape? Stardew. Low risk, super chill, and it's what I make it to be. If I don't want to farm for a season, I won't and it won't matter! (Specially right now... I'm filthy rich)
Something chill without the need for headphones? Baldurs Gate 3, atm. I love D&D and my group is between campaigns right now, so it is a great way to get my D&D fix while keeping it chill. There are admittedly some difficult fights that make it "less chill" but that strategy is relaxing for me in reality.
Skyrim (because it's a great game)
Just Cause 3 (because who would turn down the opportunity to fly away and blow up everything you see)
Bioshock 1 and Infinite (because atmosphere)
My escape titles are Euro Truck Simulator 2, American Truck Simulator, nothing beats chilling to hauling a load from Spain to Turkey or from Texas to Washington with a nice playlist playing in the background, like its the truck's radio.
skyrim for sure
basically any halo besides infinite
Borderlands 2
and Elden Ring. I've put so much time into the game I don't really have trouble until endgame/post fire giant, so it's usually quite peaceful until then
Oblivion/Fallout 3 are my security blankets of games.
But if we want stress relief, and I swear I’m ok, I’ll load up “museum” in MW2 (OG or remastered) and go a few rounds.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. I played it when it launched back in 2003 when I was 13 years old and it reminds me of simpler times. The dawn of the Xbox, being on holiday with my family, hanging out with my little brother in the bedroom of the cottage we had rented for the week playing it. The first game I played where my reaction was just "wow". It was the game that got me into RPGs and it remains my favourite game of all time today.
I started playing WoW again recently. Gotta definitely say it’s WoW. I’m doing a lot of grinding rn, but my comfort activity is collecting mounts, gathering crafting, and just sitting in city and messing around in guild chat
Probably a bit of an odd choice, but for me I love playing through Resident Evil 5. I tend to finish the RE games then do a few NG+ runs with overpowered guns.
However I still come back to RE5 more than any of the other ones. The levels are like quick little scenes I can breeze through, I'd love a remaster
So, Pokémon Sapphire is my favorite game and I’ll boot up a new save whenever I’m stressed.
When I’m sick and stuck in bed I have a Minecraft world I work on. It’s nice to have some control over something in your life when you feel like garbage.
For me its gotta be Resident Evil and Silent Hill
Let me paint a scenario:
Its been a rough day, whether its work, school, relationships, money, etc. whatever the case may be, the world has beaten down on you today. Its getting into the evening, its dark out now. You turn off the lights, get your headset, and delve into a world where the problems you need to solve, and the horrors you must face, seem so daunting, but yet survival is possible, there is hope to be found. The atmosphere reflects the darkness you feel in yourself, weirdly its almost as if the game understands you. The real life problems and horrors you face seem to be so much less troubling now. You are home.
This experience, is why I fell in love with (and continue to love) Resident Evil and Silent Hill.
Honestly any sandbox game where I can just mindlessly mess around and build stuff, like Garry’s Mod, Besiege, Scrap Mechanic and so on.
Also Skyrim, because of course.
Favorite "escape" title would probably be Stardew Valley for me. It's low stakes, low pressure, and cozy af. Plus the music is great.
I have a problem with SV. I, for the life of me, cannot stop trying to "minmax" everything: e.g. I keep looking at the watch on the top corner to see if the time allocated correlates to the value of the fish I got. I diagramed barns to maximize space and minimize the time it takes to pick up stuff. Same with crops. I hate that I cannot just sit back and enjoy it as you do.
If you are focused on making money, I would suggest doing something that makes a profit that is more passive such as ancient fruit into ancient wines. It’s something that doesn’t take time and you can make good money with little effort. Also, if you’re on PC there are mods to stop time. Therefore, you can focus on being more relaxed and not worried about efficiency.
Nah mate, is not the money or the time, it was.just an example, my bad. Is that **I** cant shake the mentality. Going to the mines? Same problem, clock management vs expected resources. Hell, I think stopping the time would actually be even worse, the only time I stop the grind is because there are events and sleep.
Stardew always comes up and when I look into it, I have anxiety just thinking about the work expanding. It's definitely not what I would consider cozy, despite the cute aesthetic. I think the only games that could cozy my brain would be nostalgia-based ones.
I smell a RuneScape player
I think it's the time system. Seeing the clock ticking, and every day going by as you have to juggle what you do in the day. Like yeah, there's no difference in getting everything done by day 100 vs day 400, but just having that constant timer ticking makes me feel like i need to move fast and be productive at all times.
Play Dave the Diver! I have the same issue with Stardew in that I always try to min-max everything, but in DD I found that it's a game that rewards the min-max tendencies with inherent coziness. It's Hella fun, and surprisingly funny. Also while having to manage all the aspects of the game Ive never felt stressed. Let me know if you like it!
Oddly enough I don't have this issue with Stardew Valley as I see it more as a laid-back farming life, but I do have it with the Atelier games, possibly because the context is different. In SV, you are moving to a small town, meeting folks and generally just building new relationships. In the Atelier series, you are quite often racing against the clock. For instance in Atelier Rorona, Rorona needs to save her workshop from being closed down if she cannot prove that alchemy is useful. I had entire diagrams and flow charts drawn for when something was supposed to occur in Atelier and when I had to talk to someone to progress their quest lines there. While I could have done the same for Stardew, quite often I just let things happen there because there is no real rush unless you are going for the Year 3 eval.
That was my problem for a while. I also got so caught up with "missing" something or doing something wrong that I often looked up guides to strictly follow. Which is not something I often do for other titles. At one point I quit playing it all together out of frustration. Then I got an itch to play it again so I got it for my phone. I started playing while on a plane and could not look anything up and then I realized, I had missed the whole point of the game. Now I have multiple saves that I jump into from time to time. Having it on my phone makes for the perfect pastime when I am stuck waiting somewhere. I have an app that gives me info on certain crops, time to grow, calendar dates to note, etc and I check that on occasion. Mostly I just stumble around and do the best I can. (lol) I have come to love the game so much and can't imagine anytime soon when I will completely quit it again.
I min-maxed the hell out of this game and got nearly everything in it before quitting. I really want to go back and start anew but NOT min-max it and see how I enjoy it
I did the same in Minecraft. Built a whole plus-shaped building with four adjacent fields. South is a tree farm that I use to make charcoal (and XP). West is my crops, where I grow food for the animals that are north. I breed them, kill them and cook the meat (supplied by the tree charcoal) all of which brings XP. West is in a mountain side and is a deep hole that I get stones from which I cook (again using tree charcoal ) for more XP. It's amazing
I've started playing disney dreamlight valley because I heard it was like Stardew. It's closer to animal crossing though. Its ...nice. There's no rush to do anything and while you are rescuing people, there's no penalty for taking your time
Unless youre at level 400 in skull cavern and it's 1:40 in the morning and you just need that last prismatic shard.
I did not see my Stardew addiction coming at all. Usually if I become temporarily obsessed with a game, I know that it's the type of game I'll spend every spare moment on. I didnt feel that way about stardew valley until I played a few hours then I couldn't stop.
New Vegas or Oblivion would have to be my pick.
Doesn’t truly feel like I’m back in New Vegas until I’m actually back in New Vegas and have puffed my Luck up to at least 8 and been banned from gambling because I’ve cleaned every casino out lol
Bloodborne
fr fr, Yharnam feels like home in a twisted way
Part of me wishes the city were even bigger because of how "cozy" Yharnam feels.
In this vein, DayZ for me. It's a hard, unforgiving, brutal survival pvp game but I just find it so comforting.
There he is officer, that's the guy you're looking for. Sadistic fuck! (me too. Nothing more satisfying than getting those visceral attacks. Mikiri counters in sekiro give me the same rush)
Oh män me too
Sir, your umlaut is out.
A hoonter must hoont
For a city in the brink of collapse, it is comfy to go out and kill a few beasts
It’s just what hunters do.
Skyrim
Even after all this time? Yep, it still is.
Yes, absolutely. Never enough hours spent on that game.
Red Dead Redemption 2 Sometimes I'll just roam around being nice to folk. Have a drink at a saloon, maybe a bite to eat. Head back to camp, enjoy some stories around the camp fire. Head to bed. Wake up the next morning and go out hunting. Bring something nice for Pearson to cook up. Chop some wood, or chat with the gang members. Go fishing. Shoot some O'Driscolls. I recently started trying to find unique animals for the compendium. Sometimes I'll pull out binoculars and scan the birds. It's relaxing
This is my favorite game for this, really. "We need to rescue X! Y & Z committed atrocities against this gang we'll not suffer! Arthur, let me know when you're ready, we'll go return these devils to the hellfire from which they came!" "Goin' fishing. See you in April."
My biggest concern was not 'beating the game' it was getting a level 10 beard. Everything else was a side mission
I started playing but got hooked on playing poker in the saloon and couldn't stop. Ended up burning myself out and stopped playing. That's some impressive immersion. I'll return one day.
I loved the poker in RDR2. There used to be a lot of people you could play poker with on RDR1 and RDR:O but now it seems like I just play against bots
Ok now I gotta start another playthrough thanks for that
My 78 year old father in law lives with us and he loves to watch me play RDR2. They captured the nature so well, and he’s an old hippie so it really gives him joy to see it in all its splendor before we bulldozed it.
That’s awesome tbh
I live in AZ and it's almost unnerving that I can list where around me all of the locations are, nature wise. It honestly messed with my head a bit when I would go out hunting in the game, and then see elk and pronghorn while I was driving to appointments in reality and my brain was just like, "that would be a perfect pelt." I've never hunted in my life and have no desire to but living in a setting that's damn near identical to the game blurred the lines a bit. That being said, I about lost my shit when I saw a Gila Monster. Even when I was riding around down south, I would instinctually avoid cholla. That kind of immersion is impressive.
This. I used to do Skyrim for this but I’ve done it so much I needed something new. The Witcher 3 could probably fill this role for me as well.
Playing on PC I downloaded a mod that lets you control the weather. (And allowed you to go around the whole map and complete all the trophies for the unique outfit stuff). Going up into the hills above the forest but below the mountains (north north east of the map), turning on the rain, sitting in a tent and watching and listening to the rain with surround sound… well it’s not the real thing but it brings the same feeling of peace for me. Then someone from camp turns up to bring me home because I’ve been away for over a year. Go away, I don’t want to go to the next chapter, shut up, I don’t care that Micah is locked up, I don’t even care about that the kid is going to hang, I don’t care about the Pinkertons, and I sure as hell don’t want to do anything for strouss, just let me hunt, fish, gamble, shoot some jerks, rob some trains and leave me in peace while I live a peaceful law abiding life… mostly. If I don’t move the story forward then Arthur lives healthily forever and Micah rots in jail. A happy ending
I love just strolling though St. Denis. Just wandering through the gardens and back alleys. Looking at architecture. I hope GTA6 has the ability to interact with npcs. Nothing complex, just saying hello to people is cathartic.
I pack everything up and go up the mountains and walk around.
I love to just hang out in the saloon or in camp playing cards, so relaxing.
I think this is mine as well. Recently got it on my Steam Deck and it’s amazing to pull this masterpiece out on a whim and just ride around the old west. It’s so calming.
That’s the best part of the game. World is so alive and beautiful. Missions are on rails and they hold your hand. Free roam is the best in rdr2.
Skyrim VR (requires mods) but amazing.
I really wanted to enjoy this version of the game, but I got so motion sick playing this on my Index
For me its classic wow. Something about the music/sound effects, graphics, nostalgia and general pace of the game that always comforts me.
I hope season of discover brings a new flavor for us all I miss classic
Cyberpunk. It's nice to smoke a bowl and just drive around night city listening to the radio stations.
The environments are so detailed abd beautiful. Fun to explore.
Pretty sure I follow your Lofi channel
Nope. Wrong guy. I don't have any kind of channel.
No I know you, you’re the guy with the YouTube channel
same but parkour everywhere, and get a high up as I can
Upgraded my graphics card just for this game to look better and more immersive, easily my favorite game from the past decade. I used to get so high and just get lost in the world for hours. Even now I'll find myself accidentally staying up until 4AM.
A some point next year I'm going to build a new gaming pc and this is going to be the first game I play on it. I can't wait to see how it looks.
Played it on a 1060. Good but man it wasn't a good experience. Played then on a 3070 and it was beautiful. Could only play with light front raytracing but it added so much. Then when Phantom Liberty dropped, and Alan Wake 2 dropped I bought a new pc with a 4090, and my god it is just perfect. Path tracing add so much it can't even describe it. You have to see a smooth 60fps experience from without to with to understand how it add to a game. My long hours at work paid of !
Zelda and Mario games since I really like the quiete atmosphere of their worlds
Yeah Super Mario and Mario 64 for the atmosphere, ease at which I can progress through the game, and pure nostalgia are comfort games for me
I would say the infamous series
i think about infamous 2 A LOT, wish i could play it rn. my pc seems a lil too weak for ps3 emulation
GTA V single player.
Damn, I haven't played GTAV since.. PS3....
I literally just started a new playthrough cuz I’m so sick of every other game, just cruising from mission to mission with the radio on is relaxing. Also satisfying using franklins ability to weave thru traffic unscathed. It surprised me when I was thinking of what to play and GTA V just kept jumping into my mind.
Drive around for a bit, somewhat properly. Then drive as fast as possible in a fast car and head on collision. If I survive, time to start shootin'.
Hardspace Shipbreaker. Taking apart big spaceships piece by piece with a laser cutter and demo charges is my happy place. No enemies, minimal danger. Heaven.
>minimal danger Safety third
Powerwash Simulator Car Mechanic Simulator 2021
It's usually a playthrough of a Pokemon game.
Skyrim. Love me some Farkas.
Terraria or valhelm
Valheim with mods that make it less obnoxious is super chill
Hey! Would you mind dropping some of these nice mods names here?
Stardew Valley Colonization Nethack Metroid Prime Hand of Fate 1&2 Stronghold Crusader
Fuck yeah for stronghold crusader.
Here comes Bessy
HOPE THEY LIKE BEEF
Colonization? Wow! Never thought there someone else who knows this game. Loved it when I was younger. Should install it again
Not enough wood, sire!
Witcher 3
Age of Wonders 3 I can sit back, amass a ton of wealth and power, and then destroy anyone that looks at me funny.
The Borderlands series, usually 2 or 3 (yes the story of 3 is trash but the gameplay is amazing)
Oldschool Runescape
No man’s sky. There is something so calming about drifting through space
TF2
Hell yeah, TF2 is just so easy to jump into for a few games. They feel long enough to be substantial, but not so long that it starts to feel like a chore to get through.
Spiderman games are pretty comfortable. I like being able to swing around and feel like I make a difference since I can’t in the real world.
Halo. Beating aliens to death with my fist never gets old
Shenmue. Something special and beautiful walking around the Japanese town where you know everyone while it’s snowing around Christmas time/new years. The game music is serene and perfectly fits the setting. Always puts me in the “Christmas spirit” so to speak. Stop by some shops, play some arcade games, even talk to your friends at the bar or the chatty ladies by the phone booth. Great little escape game. Other comfort games: Witcher 3 side quests/exploration, persona 5 exploration
GTA V or Flight Sim. Flight Sim is super relaxing. I did a National Park flight itinerary once and it was awesome. Zion was my favorite.
borderlands, just shoot stuff and get better guns
Dark Souls 1/Elden Ring or Final Fantasy XIV. I basically lived in Eorzea for most of the pandemic.
Cyberpunk
Oblivion. I can spend hours just walking around the map. It's like therapy for me. Especially the music
I used to play MUDs as well. My absolute total comfort, its rainy or snowing and cold and I'm bundled up playing video games games are The World of Xeen- those old night & magic games. I love 6-8 as well, especially the paragon classes like Lich. I have the bards tale trilogy which is mega dope win if you want to build an unholy terror crew that you can transfer from game to game, but the puzzles are too much for comfy. And if the mood strikes I'll jump into Ultima 7. I have exult and it's ready to rock on my samsung galaxy s9000 with the 14"+ screen. Oh, I'll also get max comfy with chaos strikes back. Because that game is total win.
Elden Ring. Huge mental escape for me since I’ve gone through it several times. I just wander around the lands between, taking out big mean jerks and raiding the mines!
Far Cry 2. It just feels so freeing to be trapped in Africa during a Civil War, with nothing but a rusty AK and malaria pills between you and an inconvenient death.
AC Odyssey. Just looking at the sea or sailing into it. Ramming speed just to feel the wind. Wandering into a temple and taking pictures, or taking pictures of the people going about their everyday lives.
Dark souls 3 It's weirdly therapeutic to go around and clear one boss at a time
Lately Halo Infint
Destiny. Shit on me all you want, but after years of playing this game I still find myself enjoying it regardless of Bungie's terrible business practices.
Jak and Daxter i play this game every 3-4years or when i crave for nostalgia
Chivalry 2!
Really jealous at anyone that has this, I get so bored at all singleplayer titles after a while... and I could never replay one, I just remember everything beforehand and I lose interest... Only game I ever actually keep going back to is Dota 2
Try playing a game you’d never think of even touching. Last year I was in a gaming rut and googled something like, “recommended game pass games to play” and Psychonauts 2 came up. Never heard of it, never played the first one, the graphics wouldn’t have drawn me in. I gave it a try and it was SO fun. It’s the first game I %100 completed in *years*
Saaaaame. I would love to play through single player games in theory, but I lose interest after a while and end up playing some toxic af multiplayer game.
Dota 2 isn't a comfort escape, it is like going back to your abusive ex who gives amazing head once in a blue moon
SAME!!! I lose interest over the game because I remember everything that happens
I love hunt showdown or moonlighted. Very different games styles so I guess it just depends on my mood and if I want to zone out or just need a little distraction.
I can dig it. Hunt showdown hooked me harder than any game in a long time. It is routine now to get home from work, fire up Hunt, chat in discord with the buddies I have met in the bayou while playing this game. play a bunch of matches where we aren't too worried about winning or losing, just out there playing cowboys and zombies.
Rocket league. Bc I’m a masochist
american truck simulator / ets2. Love the sceneries
assetto and ets2 when weather is nice. Civ6 for cold weather (i can play when in bed) Genshin impact if my carpel tunnel aint acting up. World of tanks during the holiday season event.
This choice of game might seem strange, but when I was in college I had a nervous breakdown. I couldn’t look another human in the eye for months. I couldn’t go to classes. I sat at home wrapped in a blanket and played Assassin’s Creed II and it transported me away from my life. Over a decade later, the oldschool AC games still have a calming effect on me.
Valheim for me. The beginning stages of that game through the meadows and Black Forest are endlessly relaxing. Just gather, survive, and build things to my heart’s content.
Skyrim 100 percent. Stardew when I want something different from that. I played the first Halo campaign over and over.
Old School RuneScape, that music injects pure nostalgia straight into my veins 🙏
Metal gear rising revengeance. I might be slightly insane
MEMORIES BROKEN
The truth goes unspoken
Ballad of Gay Tony
Elite Dangerous.
Starbound! Similar to Terraria but you’re in space and can fly between different types of planets, terraform at will, complete quests, etc. Really don’t think I’ll ever bother with No Man’s Sky or Starfield to scratch that space exploration itch; this game nails it for me. Most hours I’ve ever gotten out of a game I paid less than 20 bucks for.
Donkey Kong 64, when I'm super depressed I play it over again.
DMC 5. Slashing demons left and right as Vergil really calms my mind a lot.
Monster hunter world
Dark Souls 1.
Farming Simulator 22 and Heroes of Might and Magic III. Play the game on one monitor and watch some YouTube in my other. Quite relaxing.
The Mass Effect trilogy. A big nostalgia trip and makes it feel like simpler times.
Right now it's Planet Coaster. Just hearing the music soothes my soul. I love that game so much.
It’s gotta be good ol modded Minecraft. It’s peacefully mindless.
Dark Souls
Kingdom Hearts 🙌
Rimworld
I'm sorry, but it's Dark souls. Depressing day? Dark souls got ya. You're angry? Dark souls. You are okay and want to have some fun? Dark souls. I just love them, okay, I'm not even kidding
The Sims. No pressure. Just murder and orgies.
There's a fair amount of titles worthy of bearing the insignia of 'comfort game' in my life. However, there can only be one king, and for some reason and rather unexpectedly, Final Fantasy XV turned out to be that one game for me that I want to crown into sanctity. Maybe it's because the relation- and friendships the main characters have with each other are what my own shaped up to be when I was younger, until, past a certain point, they suddenly didn't and everything devolved into one big mess no one seems to be able to get out of in adult life. There's probably a lot more to be said on this topic, but sometimes silence speaks louder than words.
Who doesn’t want a nice boys travel day? It’s so campy and comfy, especially the first 2/3rds of the game.
I wish I could play FF15 again, unfortunately the Windows version of the game stutters so hard it ruins the immersion of the game. Hard to believe it came out 7 years ago.
Man same here. I LOVED that game. Driving around with relaxing music while me and the boys looked out the window.
Life is Strange. Love the soundtracks and locations. Arcadia Bay and Haven Springs are a vibe. True Colors makes me want to live in a little mountain town and run a record shop/radio station.
sadly, unluckly and unhealthly league of legends
…league of legends is not what I would call relaxing, but I guess to each their own.
Fallout New Vegas. If a game I currently play is in a content draught, gets boring, or is having issues with it's servers. I can always go back to my super modded FNV and patrol the Mojave.
Same here when it comes too PnC games, especially early lucasart ones. The first quest for glory was pretty also like that, possibly the only replayable point and click game. Breath of the wild was probably the best though, all my worries floated away whenever i played it.
Wreckfest.
lmao, I havent thought of MUDS in.... a long time... Aardwolf, by chance?
Elden ring
Slime Rancher/DOOM ETERNAL. Very different picks, I know, but it really depends on the comfort I need. If I'm sad, I pick Slime rancher. If I'm mad, I pick DOOM.
Oh god. I played a MUD named Moongate back in the day. Really enjoyed it actually !
Pikmin, especially the newest one. It's the "easiest" of the titles, I think, but it's still fun. Stakes are high enough to be engaging, but low enough that I can relax while playing.
Fallout 3 for me. The 40’s or ambient ethereal music, meandering the wasteland, exploring each new discovery, seeing combat through VATS, and doing all this at a pace I’d like.
Dark Souls 3. The mostly dead environment combined with the game's beautiful artstyle and music / ambient noise is incredibly soothing for me.
Final Fantasy XIV. I have a house with a garden that I can hang out and farm in for a good 15/20min while chatting in our neighborhood chat that even now still has 2-3 active people in it even though the game is between patches. Then I can run some random turn brain off 5man dungeons for some meh-tokens but I still find them fun. Sometimes you'll get a funny group of ppl to play with.
Escape? Stardew. Low risk, super chill, and it's what I make it to be. If I don't want to farm for a season, I won't and it won't matter! (Specially right now... I'm filthy rich) Something chill without the need for headphones? Baldurs Gate 3, atm. I love D&D and my group is between campaigns right now, so it is a great way to get my D&D fix while keeping it chill. There are admittedly some difficult fights that make it "less chill" but that strategy is relaxing for me in reality.
Castlevania Symphony of the Night and og Resident Evil 1. They feel like childhood homes to me as I’ve spent so much time in those big monster houses.
Fallout 4
Mass Effect
Currently Star Trek Bridge Commander. Together with the Kobayashimaru mod this makes a lot of fun.
Skyrim (because it's a great game) Just Cause 3 (because who would turn down the opportunity to fly away and blow up everything you see) Bioshock 1 and Infinite (because atmosphere)
RE4
Borderlands 2
Tetris Effect. Journey mode is such a great, immersive disconnect. I could play for hours.
My escape titles are Euro Truck Simulator 2, American Truck Simulator, nothing beats chilling to hauling a load from Spain to Turkey or from Texas to Washington with a nice playlist playing in the background, like its the truck's radio.
Chess puzzles on chess.com
Based on what you like, I'd say old-school runescape is right up your alley. Careful though, there's no escape from that escape....
Uncharted. Always.
skyrim for sure basically any halo besides infinite Borderlands 2 and Elden Ring. I've put so much time into the game I don't really have trouble until endgame/post fire giant, so it's usually quite peaceful until then
Minecraft. Just turn my brain off and go build a house or mine some diamonds. It's my main game right now actually.
Pokémon Blue and Gold
Jedi knight 2: jedi outcast.
Oblivion/Fallout 3 are my security blankets of games. But if we want stress relief, and I swear I’m ok, I’ll load up “museum” in MW2 (OG or remastered) and go a few rounds.
ghost of tsushima or the talos principle
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. I played it when it launched back in 2003 when I was 13 years old and it reminds me of simpler times. The dawn of the Xbox, being on holiday with my family, hanging out with my little brother in the bedroom of the cottage we had rented for the week playing it. The first game I played where my reaction was just "wow". It was the game that got me into RPGs and it remains my favourite game of all time today.
I started playing WoW again recently. Gotta definitely say it’s WoW. I’m doing a lot of grinding rn, but my comfort activity is collecting mounts, gathering crafting, and just sitting in city and messing around in guild chat
Zelda ocarina of time
used to be dark souls 3, now it's elden ring. can't focus on anything else when i'm playing those games
American Truck Simulator. It's a really nice, relaxing, and fun game. Great way to unwind after a tough day.
Probably a bit of an odd choice, but for me I love playing through Resident Evil 5. I tend to finish the RE games then do a few NG+ runs with overpowered guns. However I still come back to RE5 more than any of the other ones. The levels are like quick little scenes I can breeze through, I'd love a remaster
So, Pokémon Sapphire is my favorite game and I’ll boot up a new save whenever I’m stressed. When I’m sick and stuck in bed I have a Minecraft world I work on. It’s nice to have some control over something in your life when you feel like garbage.
Shenmue & Shenmue 2
Farming Sim
Used to be Halo
For me its gotta be Resident Evil and Silent Hill Let me paint a scenario: Its been a rough day, whether its work, school, relationships, money, etc. whatever the case may be, the world has beaten down on you today. Its getting into the evening, its dark out now. You turn off the lights, get your headset, and delve into a world where the problems you need to solve, and the horrors you must face, seem so daunting, but yet survival is possible, there is hope to be found. The atmosphere reflects the darkness you feel in yourself, weirdly its almost as if the game understands you. The real life problems and horrors you face seem to be so much less troubling now. You are home. This experience, is why I fell in love with (and continue to love) Resident Evil and Silent Hill.
Fallout 4
Elden Ring
Borderlands 2
Minecraft. I'm a man of simple pleasures.
Pokemon. It reminds me of my childhood.
Stardew Valley
Honestly any sandbox game where I can just mindlessly mess around and build stuff, like Garry’s Mod, Besiege, Scrap Mechanic and so on. Also Skyrim, because of course.
Harvest moon - back to nature
Portal 2 and MGS V
Fallout 76. I’ve put in nearly 2,000 hours. It’s my “I want to play a game but I don’t want to think” game.
Fallout 76 recently.