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[MontlyCure]

I'll usually boot up RS2: Vietnam if I just need to get online and kick some ass. Nothing like disintegrating some people with an RPG.

I usually end up getting pissed at my team though so it just ends up defeating the purpose of relieving stress. Still my favorite MP game of the year though lol.

 

[AdmiralMikey]

I'll turn on any Mega Man game and play through the 8 robot masters. I've beaten them all so many times it's not really a challenge and the nostalgia pop from the welcoming visuals and familiar music me calms me down.

 

[Captain Pants]

FTL is my go to. I have the pause button mapped to the scroll wheel on my mouse, so I don't have to touch the keyboard at all. I sit there with a beer in one hand, mouse in the other, and I blow up shit while watching TV. It's the best way to forget about bad days at work.

 

[JP]

For me, anything by TellTale.

I always pick them up when they're really cheap and they seem perfect for a bit of mindless as they take no thought or concentration at all.

 

[Meia]

World of Warcraft to do some mindless grinding on alts.


If not that, I'll do a few Binding of Isaac runs, trying to fully complete a second playfile(eventually a third when the second is done).

 

[kurahador]

Harvest Moon/Story Of Seasons --- I would just do some stuff for a few in-game days and only proceed with the story progression when I play it for real.
FTL --- it can get addictive, I just wish the RNG is more fair though.

 

[legendaryskitch]

Yakuza is definitely one of the best for me. Nothing more relaxing than beating a dude with a bicycle

 

[Barrel Cannon]

Geometry Wars, REZ, any 2D Mario, Crysis 1/Warhead, CS DUST2 , UT, Halo 1 Silent Cartographer

They are all either pure gaming bliss or just relaxing in how familiar they are and easy for me at this point

 

[You Pay This Much]

I don't have one right now and it's stressing me out

That's what I was just thinking... I feel like I've had a gaming dry spell these last couple weeks. It's like I suddenly suck at everything, and I think it's because of my recent move. The change in scenery has to be messing with me.

In the past I've had stuff like Oblivion, Fallout 3, Grow Up, and I'm sure there been many others.

My recent start of Demon's Souls for the first time is turning around, and yesterday I did a small bit of farming and I must say it was damn nice.

 

[smoothj]

Everybody's golf. Pretty easy and fun mind number.

 

[Dr. Black Jack]

Raising Pokemon always does the trick. Currently have 840ish hours into Omega Ruby, maxed out the time counter back in the day on Ruby.

 

[hououinkyouma00]

Persona games specifically 4 Golden, Initial D Extreme Stage, and watching PUBG on twitch (playing that games makes me the most salty and tilted kotherfucker alive)

 

[TheCthultist]

Dark Souls.

Yeah really.

Well that was fast. Glad I'm not the only one.
DS1 specifically, though. Something about just dropping back into Lordran and spending a little time wandering whats not become a super familiar world and testing out builds ive otherwise avoided over the years is just extremely relaxing for some reason. I think it smostly the familiarity at this point.

 

[takriel]

Breath of the Wild has great potential in this regard.

 

[Cleve]

Diablo 3, it's just brainless churning enemies for paragon and ancients. Playing while listening to a podcast just takes my mind off it all.

 

[astroturfing]

Polybius.

it has kinda started to stress me out though, after i started going after the harder trophies..

 

[HashtagLapsed]

Etrian Odyssey games. They can be stressful and hard and require some thought, which is a welcome distraction and the soundtrack helps with the rest.

 

[Zepp Twofist]

Euro Truck Sim 2. Like taking a road trip, while also being able to watch some TV and drink.

 

[Geido]

Civilization usually does the trick. Just hang back and press enter a lot.

When you finally realize you haven't eaten/slept/done anything for 24 hours the stress comes back pretty fast though.

 

[sixteen-bit]

streets of rage 2 is like video game comfort food at this point

 

[uocooper]

Right now it's LittleBigPlanet 3. I have some go to favorite levels saved but I also love to find new community levels and give them a shot. I like the challenge that may of the levels offer and the process of figuring out how to get by difficult spot. I'm amazed by the creativity and skill that makes the levels so diverse and it's just a good chill time.

 

[Yohane]

Katamari

 

[ebullientprism]

Used to be L4D2 but I no longer have it installed.

Casual CSGO is it now. And sometimes Spelunky.

 

[Eylos]

Battlefront

Plus

System of a Down

Probably when i got Wolfenstein that's gonna be my game to relax

 

[Brick]

I've very recently jumped into Warfare, and that is now my go-to de-stress and relax game. So good.

 

[Tagyhag]

GORN

You can just FUCK people up in that game, and physically pound them until they're nothing but mush.

 

[Rockandrollclown]

Diablo 3. Always found the game very soothing.

 

[RAWRferal]

Usually it's...

Binding of Isaac
Rocket League
Civ
Any turn-based RPG

But right now it's unequivocally Destiny 2, the great gunplay makes it easy and fun to just kick back and relax.

 

[HellforLeather]

Arkham Knight. For some reason I find these games infinitely replayable. I always have fun just jumping in and beating the shit out of dudes and Arkham Knight is the closest thing to being at Batman simulator as you can get.

 

[Skronk]

streets of rage 2 is like video game comfort food at this point

except for R.Bear!

I've been trying to get into Elder Scrolls Online to be a de-stressing game but I'm still early and trying to figure stuff out so I can't relax just yet.

 

[Meowster]

Grand Theft Auto or Jedi Academy’s multiplayer.

 

[OnionPowder]

Tetris. I can knock out a few level 15 clears in under an hour and feel pretty good about it.

Super Mario World. I've been playing this game for about 15 years and I still have a blast every time i go back to it. Hooked up a CRT and a SNES next to my PC in my new house just so I can play whenever i want.

 

[KorrZ]

Europa Universalis 4, Civilization, Factorio.

Basically something where I can just chill and doesn't really involve any "action" per say.

 

[JWiLL]

Definitely Warframe.

Easy to hop on and just run around killing shit feeling overpowered as fuck.

Destiny 2 will be a solid choice here once the PC version drops.

 

[ApharmdX]

For me it's WoW, and now, again, Final Fantasy XI. Just grinding world quests, or merits/job points, is extremely relaxing after a long day. Other MMOs aren't as relaxing. Well, maybe Guild Wars 2. That game is chill, mostly, as well.

 

[PooBone]

Shadow of the Colossus. Just being in that world with that horse....

Hexic was great for a long time too.

And for anyone who missed this year's Rime, it's fucking fantabulous. I went into it thinking it would be an Ico clone and wound up enjoying it even more than the would-be inspiration.

 

[Yoshi]

Sonic 2 and Banjo-Kazooie, they have seemingly endless replayability and Sonic 2 comes with a unique experience every time I play it. So in terms of go-to games that I always can come back to if I feel bad they are a great choice.

 

[KRaZyAmmo]

I usually just cruise or race in any open world racing game i can get on be it nfs, the crew, or forza horizon 3

 

[Famassu]

Flower's last level. Just so beautiful and as a leftie hippie, I love the "purification of the city" theme of the level. Just so awesome cleaning up the city and seeing nature thrive & clean the polluted city. And the music in that level. Bliss.

 

[Greedings]

Diablo 3, Destiny (2 now) and Pokémon.

 

[Deleted member 325805]

Are you me? Also suffering with clinical depression and social anxiety and I've been on meds for just over 3 weeks now, they're slowly starting to help. I've found Divinity 2 quite good for battling my depression as I just get lost in that world for hours at a time.

 

[_Rob_]

Late 90's early 00's 3D platformers. I've played most of them so much that I know where everything is, running through Spyro 2 is a near hypnotic experience these days!

 

[LordOfLore]

Arkham Knight. For some reason I find these games infinitely replayable. I always have fun just jumping in and beating the shit out of dudes and Arkham Knight is the closest thing to being at Batman simulator as you can get.

Games with collectibles and and tons of mooks really help.

 

[BouncyFrag]

Chill driving in GTAV.

 

[Fularu]

It's been the same game since 1989

GB tetris endless mode. I still play it daily

 

[mdzapeer]

Dark Souls.

Yeah really.

Same Souls games really hit the spot (pun intended)

 

[ViolentP]

The Binding of Isaac.

 

[Aaron D.]

These are a few of my Zen garden titles. The pattern I notice is that I dig system-driven games that allow my to just get into a hypnotic gameplay loop.

 

[maxcriden]

Kirby anything is a great de-stress game. Whether it be Air Ride or one of the 2D games. I should get Robobot.

Yep, same for me.

P.S. You should definitely get Robobot, though it's more on the bang-splodey kind of de-stress than the relaxing stroll kind.

Also,

Captain Toad.

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is kind of insanely relaxing, especially with the stop-motion feel and slower-paced, longer levels. As with Capt. Toad, which is also relaxing but in its bite-size levels is a bit less lugubrious in pace than Kirby, there are definitely punctuated moments of excitement.

 

[DeathbyCheerios]

These are a few of my Zen garden titles. The pattern I notice is that I dig system-driven games that allow my to just get into a hypnotic gameplay loop.

Slime Rancher is my go to lately. Very peaceful.