From video gaming to card games and stuff in between, if it's gaming you can probably discuss it here!
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Someone already mentionned Dorfromantik. I'm doubling this. I also have a recommandation. It's not exactly what you asked for. But maybe give Superflight a shot. It's been one of my go to "I'm listenning to something but needs something to keep busy" game for me for years now.
EDIT: *Oh no! Someone already mentionned this game as well! Oh well. Doubling that too. *
Satisfactory.
If you want to "beat" it, then it requires a bit of thinking and planning, but honestly it's such a fantastic go-at-your-own-pace kinda game. It's an open world factory building/sandbox building game. There are objectives and missions, but you have no time limit, and there is some freedom in choosing what you want to work on next.
It's also multiplayer, so you could invite a friend(s) to join and help you explore or find resources. I frequently will watch streams/youtube while playing.
Hades has been pretty fun
that has all kinds of engaging dialouge. The story and characters is a huge piece of the appeal.
Hades might be my favourite game of all time, but I'd say it's the opposite of a chill time
Cookie Clicker
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1454400/Cookie_Clicker/
But then, to be a crazy person, you can learn some python and automate the clicking so you get more cookies
Vampire Survivors for sure! It's a very chill arcade game and it's like 2-3€ when on sale.
A Short Hike has dialog and a shorter play time but you can just ignore that and soar around the island. It's got an isometric view with a pixel art style. I really enjoy it. I play it when I'm hung over.
LOL, I just posted this like ten minutes ago!
I think all the games you mentioned require a lot more thought than I'm looking to give- I need to be able to follow a podcast while playing, and I'm in my 50s, my brain is not as agile as it used to be anymore. I also suck at physics puzzles and card games.
If you're a fan of Stardew Valley and games like that, might I suggest Disney Dreamlight Valley? While there is a story (and there are extra character-specific quests you can do), you don't have to do them (or indeed anything). You're free to do what you like.
It's currently my go-to game when I want to play something but I'm just not sure what. Running around collecting materials to craft new items to decorate my Valley (or even just seeing what my residents are doing) brings me joy and whiles away the hours before I know what's happening!
Another suggestion would be Slime Rancher, which is another low stakes (potentially no stakes, you can turn off the one 'enemy' in the game that might disrupt your cosy experience - the Tarr slimes) game which has you running (and renovating) a slime ranch (funnily enough). The slimes are adorable, the music is very chill, and the world is so colourful I often enjoy just roaming around enjoying the scenery.
Tetris effect, katamari damacy - these two are the epitome of replayability and pick up/put down mechanics IMNSHO
I'm using farming simulator for this.
Diablo games are easy to play while listening/watching other things. Diablo 4 does have a story, but you don't need to watch it if you don't want to. And after it's beaten, the story will never bother you again. Diablo 2 Remaster is also great if you're feeling a bit more old school.
Not exactly an easy game, but Don't Starve has quite a lot of downtime that makes it great for listening to podcasts.
Warframe is good for this. Lots of ways to tune your level of engagement through build choices. Most content rarely requires your full attention and story is only progressed in specific story missions that you usually play only once.
Astroneer is pretty low stakes, I played it mostly while listening or watching other things
The X3 games, I think?
They may be ancient, and weird, and buggy, and huge time wasters, and frustrating, but hey I have like 500 hours of playtime on them
... oh, they also have a learning curve that C++ developers are afraid of but I would still call them "casual games" somehow
Planet Coaster has a pretty casual, fun gameplay. Just building theme parks and some light crowd management. It is very good for playing while listening to other podcasts/audiobooks.
Bloons TD 6. It puts out what you put into it. There’s definitely some skill required but you can largely avoid most of that stuff. Once you have a semi working strategy, you can kinda cruise into new levels for a while no problem. It’s my favorite game to playb while listening to stuff.
For a casual game I definitely agree with BTD6. Such a fun tower defense game.
You might like Super Auto Pets. Not my kind of game but it's casual and my friends loved it.
Far Lone Sails
Racing games, once you are good at them, fit this bill. I can win online races while watching YouTube videos in Forza Horizon.
But I'd say Farming Simulator is my favorite game to play while listening to podcasts or watching YouTube videos on the side. It's got enough going on to keep you engaged but you aren't doing any actions that are time critical or require deep focus.
Superflight
Unpacking, Everything, A Little to the Left, Gorogoa (if puzzles are chill for ya), and Spiritfarer are a few that come to mind.
Turmoil:
It's a 2d game where you drill for oil, then have some light logistics management to do to load it in to barrels on horse waggons and then sell it. It's a lot of fun.
This is my exact genre of choice. I’m only gonna list the games I play, because I can’t name them all.
Just about any sandbox survival game will fit the bill:
Then you have the simulators:
Pokémon, via emulation.
I'm playing Ultra Moon on the Steam Deck and it's wonderful and chill.