It’s been a long day, and you need a casual game you can play with your brain off. You don’t want to play something new, or you’ll have to actively listen to the plot to fully enjoy the experience. Other times, you just want to pull up a show on the side and catch up on that while you play something at the same time. That’s a gamer’s multitasking ability at work.
There are plenty of good games out there where you don’t need to pay too much attention. They also fall into different genres, from shooter games, simulators, and even horror games. So, which games do it best?
Out of all the competitive first-person shooters that exist,Call of Duty tends to be the least intensive in terms of brain power. You can simply run around the map and kill enemies for a few hours while watching something on a different monitor.
There’s not much strategy that goes into this other than getting the right stats on your weapon. Most of the time, you’re simply relying on your reflexes. With game modes such as free for all, team deathmatch, and other casual games like prop hunt, Call of Duty Black Ops 6 is good for killing time.
Minecraft is simple to learn and even simpler to play. Just punch trees, dig holes, and explore caverns. It’s a gameplay loop that never gets old and is even more fun with friends.Minecraft also has calming musicto help you turn your brain off and relax.
While there is an end goal of defeating the Ender Dragon, it isn’t necessary to enjoy the game. You can simply explore the overworld and discover buried treasure, abandoned manors, and biomes that make you want to build a summer home there.
The modding community for Left 4 Dead 2 makes it one of the most content-filled games of all time. This game also has no leveling up mechanic, gachas, or unlockables that force you to think about your loadouts.
Just get from the start of the level to the safe room, and you’re good to go. With plenty of maps to choose from in the base game and even more through mods, you can customize your gameplay as much as you like, yet continue to play casually.
Despite being a puzzle game that might require you to use your head a little, it has an effect if you play it long enough. The visuals mixed with the life-changing soundtrack are perfect for taking you out of your chair and immersing you in the sounds of the planet.
As the Tetris pieces get faster, you only get more entranced in the gameplay. Eventually, you’re not even thinking about where the pieces are going. It simply becomes a reflex as you get absorbed into the game itself.
Plot-focused games tend to force you to pay attention to what’s happening. However, Death Stranding gets a pass due to its gameplay. All you’re doing is delivering packages from one end of the map to another.
This isa literal walking simulator, yet it can be quite calming to play when you aren’t avoiding the BT. This makes it easy to get lost in your own thoughts or even turn your thoughts off entirely until the next cutscene starts playing.
Shutting your brain off is sometimes not enough. You want to turn it off while knowing that you are dominating your enemies. Vampire Survivors has plenty of abilities that automatically trigger and demolish any enemy that comes close to you.
This rogue-lite may throw hundreds of enemies at you, but the more upgrades you get, the more often you’ll be able to simply stand still and let your character do all the work. So shut off your brain and watch the carnage ensue.
Fishing is simple. Just choose your bait, toss the line, and see what you reel in. Webfishing can be played with friends, so you’re able to chat, mingle, and play little games. You can also just sit there in silence and enjoy each other’s presence.
Webfishing doesn’t require you to think. Yet sitting there and collecting new specimens can allow you to see everything that lies beneath the waters. From oceans to ponds, every body of water has its creatures to find. So bring out the tunes and enjoy.
Despite being a platformer, Donkey Kong Country is built in a way where you can speed through the game if you don’t hesitate. Jumping on enemies will cause you to launch yourself forward and land on others. Meanwhile, obstacles such as bees have a path that is best avoided on the run.
After a while, Donkey Kong Country becomes a familiar game where the ambiance of each level and the movement allow you to lose yourself in the environment. From aquatic reefs to the jungle canopies, just turn your brain off and explore one ofthe greatest games from the SNES era.
As far as battle royale games go, Fortnite offers the simplest experience. With a third-person view and hundreds of skins to choose from, you can get victory royales with your brain turned off. If you’re not into the battle royale formula, there are other games you can play.
Creative Mode offers many different experiences that range from simulators to horror games. You can even play casual games of team deathmatch using various weapons from across the game’s history. It’s simple, it’s fun, and it doesn’t need to be too complex if you don’t want it to be.
If you’re looking for an entire genre that mostly lets you play with your brain off, then racing games will do the trick. Most of these games just focus on keeping your eyes on the road and performing some kind of disruption to send your opponents to the back of the line.
Mario Kart 8 is perfect for this since it is not only aesthetically pleasing, but has many maps and characters from across the Mario Kart series. It’s also a great game to play couch multiplayer on for the casual hangout, where no one wants to think too hard about strategies.
