What’s a good, relaxing PS5 game to while away the time? My ex used The Sims, a lot of people use Animal Crossing. I only have a PC and a PS5, and sometimes it’s nice to cuddle up on the couch under a blanket in this cold weather.
So far one I’ve considered while browsing the recent sales is Cities:Skylines, but not sure how it plays with a controller. And I haven’t see Stardew Valley have a sale pop up yet, but that sounds relaxing as well. I have no other ideas lol.
These are my picks when I need a game to relax. Sadly a lot are not “while away the time” kinds of games, but they do make up a catalog that I revisit from time to time based on my mood.
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Flower (short but good)
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Spiritfarer (maybe avoid if you’ve lost a loved one recently)
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Tetris Effect (if you aren’t stressed out by intevitable failure)
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Donut County (mindless fun)
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Journey (does have a couple of mild chase scenes but is consequence-free and can be finished in one sitting)
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Slime Rancher (colorful and productive)
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The Witness (chill puzzle game)
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Firewatch (some dark parts but is very peaceful and meditative)
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13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (a basic RTS propped up by a very rich narrarive)
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Unravel (cute and beautiful platformer)
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Untitled Goose Game (if your idea of “relaxing” means being the living incarnation of Satan)
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Abzu (relaxing scuba game, maybe not relaxing if you’re thalassophobic)
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Civilization VI (just one more turn…)
Plus 1 for Abzu
I’ll take a look at these! The only one on there I’ve played is Untitled Goose Game. It was great for this but now the timed missions are too stressful, at least for now.
Great list. I would also add… Unpacking. Very cool game about unpacking boxes and finding a place to put things in a new home.
Viewfinder. Cool Puzzle game about taking photos that change the world
Toem. Explore a quirky world and take photos for people.
Chicory. Solve puzzles by painting. Does however have some mildly challenging action sequences
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Stardew is absolutely worth the full price. I haven’t played it in over two years and the soundtrack and memories from the game are still very much present in my life. If you’re a nostalgic person, it has a wonderful way of making you feel things.
I’m a big fan of factorio on peaceful when I need to relax. All I have to do is figure out how to get ore into a state usable by the base.
It exists on PS5?
Nah I saw op say PC so I suggested it. My bad
That’s a shame, as it is indeed a super nice game !
I would suggest Death Stranding. Great game with a beautiful soundtrack.
Stardew Valley is great, a different “building” game that I liked was Planet Coaster (free if you’re a PSN subscriber). I have been looking at Skylines too though, that looks pretty fun!
Stardew is only 15 bucks so I would say it’s worth the proce when you realize how much time you will sink into it.
Stray!
Great suggestion but already beat it! 😁
Riders Republic. Bike through the open world on endless roads. Jump off a cliff every now and then.
It’s a fairly quick game, but Superliminal is super chill and uplifting. Not many games say “hey, feel good about yourself”, but I feel this one does. It’s truly about perspective.
Outer Wilds, 100%. It might be missing the mark a little bit by the end, but it never demands anything more than your curiosity to discover. More than likely, it will make you want to explore every nook and cranny.
And definitely go in completely blind and enjoy the story.
Ninja edit: Outer Wilds is absolutely phenomenal, my comment about it missing the mark is purely based on you looking for a chill game. It is very chill all the way through, until you really start digging in and it wants you to explore everything.
Cozy Grove is quite chill, it’s more of a stop in each real world day and do some bits and pieces rather than a binge for hours deal like Sims or Stardew though
On sale right now on steam, and I see you mention Stardew Valley:
Paleo Pines.
It’s a dinosaur taming/farming game that plays very similarly to Animal Crossing/Stardew Valley, and a tiny bit of Ark: Survival Evolved. You have a ranch that you steadily clear out and open up with the help of your tamed dino friends, there are villagers that will have little quests for you to do, a simple and sweet narrative, and it’s all tied together by an extremely adorable aesthetic. There’s also a demo available that lets you play through the first 12 days, but that’s plenty of time (at my pace it would have taken me about 8-10 hours to get there) for you to sink your teeth into it and find out if you’ll like it or not. It’s super casual, and there’s no real penalty for failing anything.
If you like puzzle games, I’m enjoying Humanity right now
No Man’s Sky has always been my mild escape. Play a game on creative mode (or normal, if you don’t mind a little survival pressure), find a mild planet and just walk around to see stuff nobody irl, not even the developers themselves, have really seen before (exempting the assets used, of course).
Start from there and you can move onto making a base, exploring the stars, founding a settlement, buying and customizing your own freighter, trading goods between systems… whatever you just kind of feel like doing for the day.
I only have a PC
The Sims is on PC (and PS5; Sims 4 base game is even free). Animal Crossing can be emulated on PC (literally any of them, too).
Sorry, that sentence as probably confusing. I have a PC, but I also have a PS5. And I wanted PS5 suggestions so I can play while cozy on the couch. Also, my gf prefers me to be on the couch next to her rather than playing games on my desk, even when we’re doing separate things lol.