Relaxing games like Satisfactory, Snowrunner, and Deep Rock Galactic?

[denji]

I've kind of gotten into a groove with these three games recently.

For starters, they don't really have failed states. You can't lose. You can die in DRG, sure, but it's not a significant time investment and that's all you can lose really.

Not PvP. I'm only 25 but I'm completely over PvP gaming. It's too stressful, people are rude, and I just don't have the energy to be "competitive."

Enhanced by cooperative play: All 3 above are a joy in their own right, but coop can only improve. You're not necessarily hindered by someone who doesn't know what to do.

Not looking for:

Factorio - Yeah I know someone's gonna say it. I'd rather just play Satisfactory, as I prefer the emphasis on aesthetics over pure efficiency.

Trucking Simulators: I love Snowrunner not just because I'm operating heavy machinery, but it's more involved than Euro / American trucking sims, at least in my opinion. If I'm wrong, feel free to correct me, I have never actually played them.

RTS / Strategies: I have never been good at them, and have never had the patience for each one's individual learning curve.

"Mundane" Simulators: Power Washing Sim, House Flipper, PC Building Sim, Cooking Sim, these are things I could actually just do IRL quite easily if I wanted.

[Batcathat]

The most relaxing game I know is Stardew Valley and it should fulfill the criteria you mention (I haven't actually tried the co-op version, but other people seem to like it). I suppose it might qualify as a farming simulator, but "starting a farm" is presumably not something you could easily do IRL.

[Vinyadan]

The first Stronghold's free building maps probably belong here. Between the music, the animations, and the fact that there are no enemies and the popularity mechanics are easy to learn, it's very relaxing. The second Stronghold also has such a mode, and it adds a lot of new structures and a couple more factors (like waste collection).

Patron is similar, except you can lose (and you probably will, on higher difficulties). What's special about it is that the really slow speed doesn't come as a hindrance on enjoyment.

[Eldan]

Have you tried Hardspace: Shipbreaker? There's a million ways you can die, but you are cloned back incredibly quickly and it's more to keep your attention on what you're doing than anything else. It's basically you disassembling a lego kit and sorting it into three bins, but you're floating in space with some relaxing light country music and looking at the blue marble in the distance.

It's a non-mundane mundane simulator.

[Sean Mirrsen]

I'm not sure if it's the right idea of 'relaxing', but any game where you're just building things and doing things with them would work fairly well. Like Stormworks, Space Engineers, or Scrap Mechanic. Maybe even TerraTech.

[Destro_Yersul]

Have you tried Hardspace: Shipbreaker? There's a million ways you can die, but you are cloned back incredibly quickly and it's more to keep your attention on what you're doing than anything else. It's basically you disassembling a lego kit and sorting it into three bins, but you're floating in space with some relaxing light country music and looking at the blue marble in the distance.

It's a non-mundane mundane simulator.

In this line of thinking, there's also Viscera Cleanup Detail.

I'll also second Stardew Valley, and maybe Space Engineers, though SE doesn't have a ton to actually do in it.

And while I don't think there's multiplayer, Slime Rancher and Dyson Sphere Program are both great.

[Cygnia]

Tossing out Kittens & Yarn as a relaxing game.

[NeoVid]

If you want an oddball game-ish thingie to play around with and pass time, AI Dungeon is free on Steam now. Since it's basically freeform roleplaying without needing other people, you can't actually have a failure state. Even if the game says you died, you could just follow up with something like "Put in another quarter and continue."

[MCerberus]

If you have access to a switch, or actually pretty much any Nintendo console going back to the gamecube, the Animal Crossing series is the 'prescription strength' relaxation game. Any other player would just get their own house on your town and you do... whatever.

[Morgaln]

What's your opinion on simulation games? Things like Planet Zoo, Railroad Tycoon or Cities: Skylines? They usually don't have a fail state (depending on game mode) and can be played on your own pace. No Multiplayer, though.

I also recommend Logistical for a casual experience if you can deal with the somewhat klunky controls. Logistical:ABC Islands is free to play on Steam, so you can try out the series without any commitment.

[ZhonLord]

Galactic Civilizations III. Top down campaign map, turn based, your goal is to be the best civilization in the galaxy whether that be through peaceful or forceful means.

The enemy AI tends to cheat and they can be rough to go against, so to make it relaxing you instead turn off enemy AI, just you and a friendly buddy or bot exploring the stars and building the starfaring civilization of your choice.

[Thrawn4]

I suggest Dawn of Man. Very easy difficulty, stone age setting, and I just enjoy watching my people constructing a building or gathering stuff in spectator mode. It is quite relaxing even though technally speaking it belongs to the strategy genre.

[animorte]

I started this thread talking about Exploration Games a few months ago. I was basically seeking that relaxing play style and made a list of games that was put together from responses.

Spoiler: A list of games

Show

Abzu
Adr1ft*
A Short Hike
Astroneer*
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Eidolon
Journey
Knytt
Last Guardian
Mirror’s Edge*
No Man’s Sky
Outer Wilds
Portal*
Sable
Shadow of the Colossus
Soul Axiom
Subnautica
Superliminal*
Turing Test*
Within a Deep Forest

*Similar minimalist design, except puzzles or time constraints can alter the experience.

Feel free to throw it in the OP here and make the additions listed here as well. It’s a great place to start looking into what I may want to play next.

I’ve also recently started playing Death Stranding and had an interesting thought. Most games have a really good exploration/relaxation feel to them if you turn the difficulty all the way down. I mean, I left it on normal, but bringing it down is certainly something I may do in the future across most games. I appreciate a challenge, but lately I’m seeking a fulfilling experience without the frustration prerequisite. Life does that enough by itself.

[caden_varn]

Planet crafter might work. You are terraforming a barren planet. Gather resources & build structures. As the Terroformation index increases you get access to upgraded buildings that need mroe advanced resources etc.
No enemies, you just need to watch your O2, water & food gauges & stop any of them bottoming out. If one does you will die, but you respawn at the nearest shelter - at the higest difficulty that only costs you whatever was in your backback at the time. At the lowest, you just drop it where you died so it only costs you a bit of time

[Delicious Taffy]

It might be a little odd, but every several months I find myself re-installing Skyrim, slapping like a billion mods on it (invincibility mandatory), and seeing what sort of shenanigans I can subject it to until I get bored of crashing the game. Summoning an effectively infinite army of skeletons and pissing off essential NPCs is my current jam when I can't play any of my online games. The only "fail state" is that I have to turn the game back on.

Another great one is Slime Rancher. It's just you, a vacuum gun, and all the adorable slimes you can ranch, with tons of little optional goals you can build toward if you really feel like it.

[Anarchic Fox]

My vote goes to A Short Hike. It doesn't last long, but you'll feel better about the world after you finish it.

[animorte]

My vote goes to A Short Hike. It doesn't last long, but you'll feel better about the world after you finish it.

That's exactly what I'm looking for. Journey is the most notable of those I have experienced.

[Aviator Game]

My vote goes to A Short Hike. It doesn't last long, but you'll feel better about the world after you finish it.

I love this game. I've completed basically everything there is to do and still come back sometimes just to hike and glide around the island and enjoy the ambiance.

[Anarchic Fox]

Hooray! It really is something special.

[DeMouse]

VA-11 Hall-A is a great relaxing game if you like the cyberpunk noir type aesthetic.

[Bohandas]

It's a non-mundane mundane simulator.

On those same lines, there's also Potion Craft Alchemist Simulator

[veti]

Three words: Untitled Goose Game. Just because.

[Wookieetank]

There's shapez.io, which is essentially a chill Factorio. No mobs, no combat, just shapes and colors and endless combinations thereof. There are goals you can work towards, or you can just see what wild creations you can come up with.

Islanders, a chill city builder that's more puzzle than simulation.

Dorfromantic, a tile placing game where you're essentially making a map as you place your tiles.

Vampire Survivors, advertised as a roguelite, but its really a fancy dodgeball simulator/reverse bullet hell. It's free for mobile if you want to check it out, and cheap on steam. Great for some mindless time wasting with delightfully crunchy pixels.