Gaming

It has been a while, but there was a time when, if I was feeling really anxious and almost panicky, a quick playthrough of Enter the Gungeon would chill me right out.

Chrono Trigger. Always feels like being home with old friends. A joy every time I playthrough

Unraveled (Unraveled 2 is great for 2 players, too), and Hue. Then there's always Slayaway Camp. All good on Steam Deck as well.

But those are for the times when I'm not addicted to RL.

Project Zomboid for me. It's kind of strange since the game can be super stressful at times, but once you get past the initial stage of the game and have a good base setup, you can spend a lot of time just surviving. Farming, reading books you've found, cooking things, it can be a very relaxing and meditative experience.

Outside of that, I guess a more typical response would be just about any JRPG, particularly the Final Fantasy series. Some of my most comforting memories are just me getting back from work, sitting back in my chair and slowly playing through Final Fantasy X or XII.

Valheim is very chill and fun. Good playing solo, and good playing with friends casually.

For me that would be Stellaris - after so many hours, playing it just feels natural and it is a very relaxing exercise!

Gravity Rush 2 for me. I have save I've kept for years now to fly around and explore the city. I already have done everything, but it's still so fun and relaxing to find new landmarks or walk through the different districts. Feels like the kind of game world I'd love to live in (assuming a gravity girl didn't pull me into her orbit and launch me into space)

Harvest Moon 64. Impossible to have negative feelings while playing it.

Advance Wars 1+2 Reboot on the Switch?

For me my comfort games are either Satisfactory or Forgotten Hope 2 (WW2 mod for Battlefield 2 which is still maintained)

I‘m on PlayStation and enjoyed games like Knack, Diablo 3, Spider-Man and Ratchet & Clank in those cases, because they keep me busy at all times. All of them are loud and tiring though. Other games like Assassins Creed, Ghost of Tsushima and Red Dead Redemption 2 are calmer, but they give my mind time to wander and think about stuff. Sometimes this suits me better, sometimes that.

Destiny. Been my favorite game since launch day in 2014.

Edit: made Destiny for any other Destiny fans to join!

baldurs gate: dark alliance

they recently remade it for pc. no online i think, but couch coop is included. Lots if fond memories playing that in early 00s

3.5k hours in EU4 and counting. Removing Kebap never gets old.

Ori and the Blind Forest

Haven't put any time into it for a little while, but TF2 (the one with the hats) has always been my go-to.

I've got my fair share of games, kinda depends on the mood though. What I'm feeling, too. Sad, anger. Ect.

But to name a few, Doom 2 /Duke Nukem 3d, any of the driver games (except driv3r), Wwf No Mercy/WCW no revenge or any of the aki wrestling games or the mods for no mercy, The Long Dark, streets of rage 2.

TES Oblivion and Sonic Adventure 2. SA2 was a childhood favorite I got very good at, and the extra mission, game modes, and pet sim aspects makes it fairly re-playable without having to start a new game file. Oblivion is just whacky and fun, and if you know how to exploit mechanics you can get up to some pretty crazy stuff in a matter a minutes after starting the game. While grinding skills could be seen as... Well a grind, it's a grind I personally enjoy. Both games let me dive straight into what I'm feeling like doing, and reward mastery (even if one of them is cheese mastery).

Farm Simulator. I have no idea why, either. But when friends are raging about cheaters/bots/whatever I can tell them that I've never yelled at Farm Simulator

Sims 4 is my comfort game for sure

It's a browser game, not a video game per se, but Flight Rising. I play it when I need to do something with my hands or distract myself.

Depends sometimes if I just want to play a shooty game, it's usually a Doom .wad I haven't played yet. Destiny 2 is my addiction but sometimes there isn't such a thing as a chill game of destiny. Cyberpunk 2077, despite it's launching flaws can be a fun game to turn your brain off to. If I'm feeling nostalgic, I'll put on Super Mario sunshine, or Crazy Taxi, Chu Chu Rocket, Super Metroid/Fusion/Zero Mission. And those games always give me a big smile across my face.

For me, it's Dragon Quest XI S. That game has been like a best friend since the day I got it. I never thought I would love a turn-based RPG more than Dragon Quest VIII, but 11 did it.

I want there to be a good and chilling sports game. Used to love playing FIFA then PES soccer, before all the micro transaction bullshit hit the fan. I’m curious about Super Mega Baseball 4.