Stardew valley is a stressfree experience.
Ps. I like the cat!
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I enjoyed more Forza Horizon 4 than The Crews, but I like all of those... I'd also mention some other driving games like American Truck Simulator and Snowrunner fitting that feeling, at least for me.
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I personally find Stardew Valley to be a VERY stressful experience that requires all my attention lmao. So much to manage and time is always running against you. It's up to your personality ig.
For me: Brotato, Islanders, Unpacking, Dorfromantik, VS which you already mentioned.
If I'm being honest my actual "chill" games are Grim Dawn and Hades (0 heat) where I blast through enemies with my overpowered characters. Much more relaxing than any cozy game lol.
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I'll add PowerWash Simulator, Superflight, Euro Truck Simulator 2 to this thread. The others mentioned are good options as well.
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Powerwash Simulator, for sure. Does wonders for someone like me that has trouble sitting still and focusing.
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Whenever I need to unwind, I fire up another round of Paint it back. Due to its workshop support, it's filled with endless content above the actual game's content. It's my most played game on Steam (*blush*).
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Rimworld but on the slowest time setting
Dyson sphere program is pretty chill since you aren't forced to go fast and you can make progress at your own speed
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I have quite a few :) Relaxing games are my specialty
Meadow
Everything
Garden Galaxy
Littlewood
Parkitect (Especially sandbox mode)
Parkasaurus
Spellcaster University
The Sims 4
Dinkum (The music in this game is really nice though)
SuchArt: Genius Artist Simulator There's also a free version
Book of Travels
While I haven't really played Minecraft before (I really want to though) that seems like a perfect game to relax with and zone out :)
I also agree with the Powerwash Simulator suggestion!
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can't go wrong with solitaire, mahjong, match-3 or nonograms. many other puzzle games too, like those placement puzzlers (islanders and the like, dorfromantik being the most well-known and also the most expensive. can buy 3-4 of the others for the same price and probably the same experience). stuff like thehunter could work too if you're just walking around in the forest, not trying to actually hunt.
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nonograms are my favorite thing in the puzzle world (or the real world), shame most of them are developed lazily. some of the good ones have color/theme options, so you can find or create something to suit your needs, for example (you can find my reviews on the store pages for all but one, plus screenshots of the settings and some examples in the community hub):
https://store.steampowered.com/app/875110/InfiniPicross_20/ (don't be fooled by the name, it has hundreds of regular levels and hundreds more as dlc, not just random pixel noise)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2053580/Nonozle/ (the only recommendable nonogram from 2022, customizable as fuck)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1217830/Khimera_Puzzle_Island/ (you can change the background color, might be enough, not sure about the grid, been a while)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/799110/Picrastination/ (some themes, more as unlocks)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/568320/Pictopix/ (one of my 2 rainy day nonograms, been meaning to play it for years but there's barely one good game every year, so I keep putting this off)
and actually there aren't too many more recommendable nonograms on steam, if you want to look them up, they are depixtion, cross pixels, picross touch (it's free), pepper's puzzles and voxelgram (it's 3d but great). the rest is lazy trash, sometimes in a deceivingly attractive packaging.
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Oh man, I really owe you.
I've put them all on my wishlist except the Khimera, where I can tell from the photos that the contrast is high for my eyes, and I'll be prioritizing them when I fatten my wallet. :)
Also I can't join Puzzle Lovers, because I'm already a member.
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no prob. though as a member you should've already known all about these, of course (well, some, as I can't plug them during sales if they never go on sale, even if they're easily worth full price). next thing you'll tell me is you've never heard of drod.
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Forgive me, but I tend to search outside of steam, specifically reddit and gg.deals.
The next thing I'd like to tell you is that I hadn't even heard of the Drod series. As long as they are recommended by someone experienced in puzzles, I just have to keep an eye on them. :)
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I gave up on gamedeals, they don't like calling out shitty developers, as if they get money from them or something (which I'm sure they don't). the whole point of the sub is to find out if something's a good deal or not but nevermind. most puzzlers are only on steam anyway, partly because it's like the app store now, anybody can and will dump their shit there, but of course there's a bunch of cool stuff too.
for the group I do daily recommendation posts during major sales and at least one during smaller ones (halloween, etc.), plus there's the weekly newsletter, so drod shouldn't be a blind spot to anyone anymore (provided you check your activity feed now and then), but at least there are always new people to convert to the best puzzle game series of all time.
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Oh nooo, we're getting way off topic.
Obviously I know what it's like with those who get paid to promote something, especially some streamers with impressive titles for games that are clearly not the best in their category in the last decade, let's say. Something similar happens on sites and forums too, which is why I've ended up manually searching gg.deals (avoiding their rating) and very specific threads on reddit.
Sorry about that, but unfortunately the binary rating in Steam doesn't help as much as I'd like and it's up to each curator at what personal rating and above to recommend a title, and personally, I haven't achieved a curator (also sorry), who is even close to 50-50 in suggestions and counter-suggestions.
With many games having over 80% ratings, there should be stricter reviews in my opinion. I've noticed this problem on other sites as well, like IMDb, where it's rare for a horror movie to be rated >8/10 or a series (or superhero movie) rated <7/10.
I will keep an eye on your page from now on. :)
Sorry if I have made mistakes, English is not my native language.
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well, puzzlers are often relaxing (until they aren't).
you shouldn't look at the binary rating (or any rating anywhere) but read the actual reviews. most of them are shit or not even reviews (similar to random forum/reddit comments), but unless it's an obscure puzzler (and many of them are), there should be at least a few, positive or negative, with enough info to help make up your mind, instead of blindly buying everything 'overwhelmingly positive' or ignoring everything under 9/10.
the thing about counter-suggestions is nobody likes to play shit games. with infinite time and money, I'd obviously play and review eeeeevery puzzle game for completeness' sake (and to warn people about certain devs, games, etc.), but it's not possible, so especially these days I'd rather not even buy or play something if I already know it's not gonna be not good enough. I have no problem posting a negative review or pointing out issues though, but there are people who only post reviews of games they would recommend.
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Not my type of game but I see it highly recommended on almost every youtube channel I follow for the exactly same reason you're looking for – very relaxing and satysfying while you can listen to the podcast:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1290000/PowerWash_Simulator/
I should mention that reviewers often say it is not their cup of tea either but they, weirdly, enjoyed it nonetheless.
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Also https://store.steampowered.com/app/1291340/Townscaper/
This one I actually play myself when I want to listen to the music and relax (alongside Mini Metro mentioned above).
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Viridi, a free game about growing and maintaining succulent plants in a pot. Simple, easy and relaxing.
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I love The Planet crafter exactly for that. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1284190/The_Planet_Crafter/
I don't know if that is your type of game but it's very relaxing and ideal to just mute and have your own music on. And if you are in doubt, there is a nice demo availlable https://store.steampowered.com/app/1830840/The_Planet_Crafter_Prologue/
And thanks for the giveaway!
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I usually do that with JRPGs like Grim Dawn/PoE/Diablo, just grinding a bunch of mobs for loot.
Then rogue-likes like Wizard of Legend/Brotato/Dead Cells,/Rogue Legacy, where you go into the flow and turn off your brain.
Recently found this Omega Strikers game, it's like soccer with magic spells, this is a competitive game but it's also casual and relaxing, you don't really tire yourself out and you don't regret a whole hour if you lose, like you do with MOBAs or competitive shooters :D
Also I play Teamfight Tactics for chilling, an auto-chess game.
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Civilization VI and its prequels are rather relacing to play.
PGA Tour 2k21
Fez is a pretty chill platformer, as it's more about puzzles and exploration.
Baldurs Gate, Icewind Dale, and Pathfinder Kingmaker, are all rpg's where you spend time reading and strategizing, rather than hack/slash.
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Hey Beautiful People!
I'd like to collect some ideas of ambient games. By that I understand games that are somehow casual, don't need much of an attention. The games that you can mute, turn on podcasts and chill.
From my experience I'd like to mention:
The Crew and The Crew 2 (both games have enormous maps to drive through), The Long Drive, maybe Vampire Survivors or just some sims like: Viscera Cleanup Simulator, Gas Station Simulator or House Flipper.
As you can see it's all about chilling. Do you have any more ideas?
Cheers!
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