It really depends, I don't play competitive games so whenever I have time to play is already relaxing, but here are the ones I really liked to play just to pass the time.
JRPGs: normally they have very repetitive mechanics so you can play with your brain turned off (Persona, Dragon Quest, Atelier)
RPGs: I have a lot of fun roleplaying as powerful characters in games like Fallout New Vegas or Cyberpunk. But sometimes you have to make important decisions so it's good to pay attention to the story.
Simulators and building games: Euro Truck Simulator 2 and harvest moon/rune factory are really cool simulators but I also like playing building games especially Kairosoft ones on my phone and RimWorld on desktop.
I see a lot of people playing Animal Crossing to chill but it's just too slow for me, maybe it'll work for you.
I usually play Minecraft, which relaxes me. I can just hop onto a world in creative mode and build things I like. I also recommend doing some simple chores on a survival world, like farming and gathering resources
太鼓の達人 (Taiko no Tatsujin) ! I really have to turn my brain off to do my best- rely on instinct. Which means... no thoughts!! Plus, a lot of the songs are really upbeat.
Pokémon, specifically the GameBoy and DS era. I try to catch full-odds shiny Pokémon and it's incredibly monotonous but I also derive a lot of enjoyment from it. I recently got Pokérus (a very rare stat-boosting condition) on one of my Pokémon for the very first time and it was a pleasant surprise.
JRPGs: normally they have very repetitive mechanics so you can play with your brain turned off (Persona, Dragon Quest, Atelier)
I recently picked up Persona 3 and I love how monotonous the game is, lol. I saw a lot of people complaining about Tartarus being too repetitive and I sunk about 3 hours straight into looking for one sword... Just to finish a quest that'll probably earn me 300 yen...
I am considering replaying the game and using the Japanese vocals to help with my studies. I actually picked up a few general terms such as "thank you," "how can I help you?" etc. by playing Japanese games with the audio on.
When I want to wind down I play the first Plants vs Zombies game. It's just tricky enough to get me to focus and in general the music and the game itself are very nostalgic for me. Definitely one of my favorite video game soundtracks ever
stardew valley is my favorite. i have a save in japanese for when i want to practice, but i usually play in english so my brain can have a rest. sometimes i play geoguesser, but that's more in line with my personal special interest, so it may not be to your taste.
A Summer with the Shiba Inu on Xbox is A M A Z I N G ! (And very relaxing
)Its 10 bucks and people say it's overpriced but it's not! The music is sooooo good and the story is also sooooo good! You can make choices everyonceinawhile to alter the story! Every achievement is worth abt 15-90 gold/gamerscore and they are rlly easy to get!
I recently got Pokérus (a very rare stat-boosting condition) on one of my Pokémon for the very first time and it was a pleasant surprise.
