Nowadays I find a lot of games feel like too much work and/or anxiety when I just want to relax for like, 30 minutes to an hour after a long day. On the other hand, the games specifically designed to help you unwind just feel boring imo.
In the past I’ve felt like Outer Wilds scratched this itch, cause the whole experience was engaging but generally relaxed. There was a mystery that kept me hooked and the exploration and movement was fun in and of itself. I also felt like Subnautica filled this role since it was very much at my own pace, with anxiety producing portions which could for the most part be avoided or minimized, and also there was a clear objective to fulfill, get off the planet.
So what games do you play when you just wanna relax?
When I’m on the go, I like to just chill with games like Fire Emblem Heroes on my phone (the parts that don’t require you to potentially pair up and play against sweats with no life who can make a lvl.1 3 star character nuke your lvl.40+10 5 star unit). Or if I’m not on a bus and am just in a car, I might just pull out my switch if I have it on me and do some raids in Pokemon Violet (offline since I don’t have the online pass).
If I’m at home on my desktop, I like to chill from time to time building rollercoasters (Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 Platinum) of either doom (mostly those) or ones could feasibly be made in the real world without healthy people dying while riding it. That, or do some casual peglin runs.