Civilization. There is nothing quite as cathartic as subjugating the world under my iron fist....

Minecraft. I go through phases of not playing it, but once or twice a year I'll start up a new world and just mindlessly build and mine while listening to a podcast or an audiobook, and will play every night for several weeks. I've started so many minecraft worlds over the years that I really don't need to think about what to do next

Portal 1 followed immediately by 2 after I’ve completed the first. I own them on every console and also PC and I just love the feeling I get when I play them.

I’ll never forget finding the Orange Box in a bargain bin at BestBuy and how much fun I had playing Portal. GLaDOS being cheeky then becoming full on sadistic and homicidal was something I’ve never experienced in a game before. I laughed a lot and remember my heart beating so fast in the final stages - the thrill I felt when I finally beat her and then starting all over in order to get all of the achievements. It was the most fun I’ve ever had in a game.

Needless to say how excited I was when 2 was announced and I was not disappointed. They’ll never get old for me.

A bit different from the question but

Outer Wilds.

I've spent a lot of time in it and have 100% it, so it's hard to find a reason get back in, but even just booting to the title screen just completely transports me.

Why? Outer Wilds was just an incredible experience, and the OST is astounding and the music completely soaked up the experience and can bring it all back just by listening.

Morrowind!

It’s such an amazing game and such a break from reality. There is tremendous depth there, if you go and look for it, but you can also just dungeon dive and smack monsters in the face with a sword if you want.

Check out OpenMW for a great, easy to use, source port of the game engine.

Hades is one that I’ll still fire up now and again if I’m not sure what to do. Currently losing my mind at the lack of Hades 2 news.

Factorio for me. There is always some old megafactory to pick up again or a new mod nightmare to try out.

Hollow Knight for sure. Just load up a couple of randomizers and explore hallownest for the millionth time

Binding of Isaac and Death Stranding. I just keep going back to these 2 even after I've 100% them.

It'll literally always be Minecraft. I think I'll revisit it every couple months till I'm dead.

I always play a game of Stellaris every few months. The combination of roleplay and grand strategy massages my brain just right to make the happy chemicals.

Red Dead Redemption 2, Chapter 2.

Galloping around, taking in the hazy morning with a cup of coffee at a makeshift camp, the ambient music and noises as you travel. It gives me such wanderlust.

Dynasty Warriors (and its many, many spinoffs). I know they're not objectively good, but man does it feel great to kill 1,000 enemies just by mashing Square and Triangle.

The older entries also had endearingly bad English voice acting.

Definitely Stardew Valley. It's not necessarily like I could play it endlessly forever but whenever all other alternatives seem boring or like they require more energy than I feel like spending, I always turn to Stardew exactly for comfort.

I go back to a few almost routinely.

• Mount and Blade: Warband (with and without mods)
• Rocket League
• Crash Bandicoot 2&3
• OpenTTD
• Pokemon (The mainline ones are all basically the same game lol)

For M&B and OpenTTD, being able to rely on my old knowledge of the game to succeed feels satisfying since they both have a steep learning curve.

For RL and Crash, muscle memory taking over the majority of play is relaxing.

For Pokemon I just have a crippling amount of nostalgia

Dark Souls. Makes my own life feel not quite as hard 🤘

Fallout 3. I know New Vegas has a better story and proper ADS. I know 4 is a markedly better handling experience. But 3 holds a special place in my heart

Subnautica and Flight Simulator. They just have a way of immersing me into another world and keeping my attention the whole time.

City builders seem to be my comfort food. I go back to Banished every now and then to get my fix. I'm currently playing Kingdom Two Crowns to fill it.

Open TTD.

Its free.

But its just so cozy and fun. Who doesnt enjoy seeing a train arrive to the new station for the first time?

I dont play it a whole lot at a time.. But i do enjoy it every time i get back to it.

Katamari.

I can pick it up, play 10 minutes, and put it down. I've played this game every few weeks for several years now because I just love rollin shit up.

For me, Mini Metro. I can just zone out on it. I get that with Tetris and similar games (rymdkapsul is another, Civilization to an extent but not in the same way) - there's that thing of, 'this will end at some point, but before it ends just focus on the now' which puts the mind at ease. But Mini Metro has a more relaxing theme and art style for me than Tetris.

Animal crossing. Enough said

Beat Saber. It's not my usual type of game/genre, but somehow I just keep coming back to it when i want to chill out.

Maybe also Dead Cells. And again, I actually usually hate rogue-like mechanics.

Stellaris, Rimworld, or Borderlands 2. Depends on how much I want to use my brain. If I just want to turn my brain off, Borderlands. If I want to really sink into a game, Rimworld. Somewhere in between, Stellaris.

On my steam Deck I play Stardew, Mario kart 8, slay the spire with mods. Because these game I can pick up without feeling I lost the Story.

On my phone all the kairosoft games. It's easy , fun and and there is usually a end goal.

On my laptop it's sid meyers SimGolf or the Sims 4. Just nostalgic.

Slay The Spire, I've accumulated over 2000 hours over 3 different platforms since it launched, I've 100%ed it and I've even played some of the mods (which I never ever do for any game) and I never get sick of it, whenever I have an hour and can't be bothered with doing something new I play a run.

Such an amazing game.

DOOM

So many mods

So many difficulties

Beyond that I'd say Half-Life because that's also a good classic.

Mirrors edge 1.

The level design was just really good. There were many different ways to tackle various obstacles in the environment and the time trials had many routes you could take.

Now that I'm relatively good at the game I can beat the story levels in around 4 hours ish?

I like to revisit it from time to time.

Monster Hunter. I must have spent over 1,800 hrs. on the two latest series. I can't exactly turn my brain off with this game but nothing makes me more comfortable than having a Lance or Charge Blade in my hands.

Original Quake, RimWorld, crusader kings, and it’s looking like Against the Storm

Sorry I know that’s 4 but fuck it, I can’t decide.

Skyrim for me. I always run across a new mod or modlist on YT or socials and it inspires me to venture in again and again.

Games that I had, wanted but never got, or just missed growing up. It's like a nostalgic topiary. I find hunting, testing, and playing very relaxing.

Turn based rpgs, the sort of thing with just enough challenge to be fun but not too quick or difficult. Like I love dark souls but when I just want to chill give me something like dragon quest. Sadly it seems to be dying out as a genre.

Stardew Valley or MechWarrior Online.

Doom (1993) for me. The newer custom maps and mods too, ofc, but more often than not I'll spin up episode 1 or 2 just to play through it.

Actually, if I'm really stressed, sometimes I'll "play" Doom maps in my head - just walking around, trying to remember as much detail as I can. I find it strangely soothing. Damn, I guess Doom is my happy place

Before I fell off blizzard Heroes of the Storm was amazing comfort food. Short matches compared to most Moba, and so many fun characters.

Toy Story PSX and Super Mario 64 (DS version in my case, or the improved ports).

Diablo 2. I return to it about twice a year and have a good time starting a fresh playthrough farming gear for a few different builds. Especially with the QOL that resurrected has brought.

Company of Heroes

When it came out in 2006, I played it with all the time with my brother against Bots only and planning out every move.

I recommended it to my friends a bit later and every few years we made a LAN party or an all nighter online session. Through the years all of us moved into different parts of the country, got older and building families.

But around this year's new years eve, we got into it again, play it every Friday since then. We spend more time together through the game and everybody is having fun, because every match turns out different since everybody got really good at it. Also, it has a surprising strategic depth once you're really in it and it runs on every shitty PC without any bigger issues.

I really love the game for enabling us this good time together.

Spyro the Dragon - the first game specifically, I find it more of an immersive treasure-hunting experience than the next two games, which are more obviously... I dunno, video game-y. I like all three but I always 100% the first game at least once a year.