Summary
There are plenty ofdramatic war-waging and world-ending strategy gamesout there, but sometimes only a cozy, relaxing or thoughtful game will do. While some, likeCities: SkylinesandDorfromantikareclassic city builderswith satisfying visuals and a depth of creative options, games likeCity Bus ManagerandProject Zooallow players to immerse themselves in vastly different careers, with plot lines that add to the depth of the gameplay.
This list discusses some of the best strategy games that allow players to work toward goals gradually or gently, with great stories and detailed visuals that immerse the viewer without the stress of perma-death or intense combat scenarios.
Dorfromantikis an extremely relaxing city-builder, where tiles fit together like jigsaw pieces and no move is wrong. Players work to build a beautiful, charming city, with all kinds of features like rivers, forests, houses, and train tracks. As the city develops, everything gains complexity with adorable details that enhance the experience.
A super peaceful game,Dorfromantikhas no time-limits or hard-and-fast rules. It allows for creativity to overflow and for players to imagine the stories unfolding in the environment they create, piece by piece.
This construction management game is spent researching, building, and accumulating resources.The world ofFactoriois endless, and players can use their creativity to engineer the best possible factory systems, with some minimal conflict just for good measure. There’s a practicality to this game that is totally immersive, with players working across all aspects of the factory to ensure its smooth running.
Many players say this is one of the most relaxing strategy/management games out there — and immersive enough to forget the outside world for hours on end.
Islandersis adelightfully minimalist strategy gamewith seriously cozy vibes. The player’s aim is to strategically place items around procedurally generated islands for optimal scoring.
There’s no way to failIslanders. Players are drawn in by the beautiful tropical visuals and the relaxing music, and they stay for the satisfying and complex village designs that grow and expand with a sense of purpose.
7City Bus Manager
A Relaxing Management Simulator
City Bus Managerreally puts the player in the driver’s seat, with responsibility for every aspect of the bus depot — from buying and maintaining buses to designing lines and taking care of staff. There are some really fun decision-making moments in this game, with potentially chaotic consequences that can keep players on their toes, but nothing is too stressful or intense.
This game uses real map data, allowing for development of a fully-functioning depot anywhere in the world, so gameplay can be as personal or distant as suits the player.
This addictive open-world game allows players to build conveyor-belts to their heart’s content. With a little bit of combat and some small exploration aspects, players can relax and embraceSatisfactory’s building components without too much pressure.
The game has beautiful, brilliant visuals that are in places both nature-oriented and futuristic. As agreat strategy game with co-op mode, players can also join up with friends to design and build excellent factories and choose whether to focus on strategy or action.
Certainly one of the most famous strategic city builders out there,Cities: Skylineshas a lot of depth by way of maps and various infrastructure designs, with each city turning out utterly unique.
This game is challenging enough to keep players interested, with lots of great features, but it does lack a sophisticated story, unlike some of the games on this list.
There’s no such thing as abject failure inCities: Skylines, but players mustwork to ensure that their residents are happy, that amenities are functional, and that they’re earning enough money to keep developing the city. Players can adjust speed in order to keep to a pace they’re comfortable with.
Anno 1800is for anyone looking for a chill management game where players actually have to put in the work. In this immersive historical simulator, the industrial age is in full swing, with production and trade the aims of the day. Not only are thevisuals absolutely stunning, with realistic waterand ever-so-detailed quaint European houses, the game is very addictive, with many players getting stuck for hours developing their cities.
Players are able to adjust the difficulty of this game to suit their own comfort levels, allowing for more focus to be placed on building and developing a secure economy than on rapidly expanding the world.
Timberbornis a city management game with a hilarious twist. The city is a beaver colony. Players must manage the water flow, while also building structures and gathering resources. There are some minimal survival elements, but the gameplay is predominantly relaxing, encouraging thoughtful design in its delightfully aesthetic world.
Not only is this a super chill game, but it also has a fun backstory (the beavers live in a post-apocalyptic world where humans have died out), and there are developmental milestones in building a beaver city that keep players engaged the whole way through.
Players are challenged to keep both animals and visitors happy as they design their own zoo. There’s no limit to the detail and creativity that players can put intoPlanet Zoo, whether designing habitats orbuilding relationships with magnificent animals. With different modes to choose from, there’s a huge variety of different goals players can aim toward, from open sandbox play to franchise building with online animal trading. In particular, ‘career mode’ combines engaging gameplay with a fun story.
The challenges in this game are fun, not overwhelming or stressful, and players can work at their own pace to accomplish their goals.
Stardew Valleyis the ultimate low-stakes strategy game. Working to develop the farm left to them by their now-departed grandfather, players can craft, forage, mine, cook, and socialize with the other villagers in this beautiful pixel-art world, all while helping the community through fun collection challenges.
The tasks in this game are manageable, engaging, and sometimes addictive, with very little pressure or few consequences for taking it slow.
