Spiritfarer, it’s the most chill game I’ve ever played.

Oh, yeah and Dredge, one of my favourite games.

If you like english humor, check out “Thank goodness your here”. Alternatively “Tiny terry’s turbo trip” or “Untitled goose game”.

I should preface this by saying I don’t actually have a steam deck yet, so I haven’t tested these on there. So I’m only commenting on the games themselves. These are listed as deck “verified” in the steam store, though.

One I haven’t seen mentioned yet is Yoku’s Island Express. Breezy summer vibes, not much difficulty. It’s kind of a pinball metroidvania.

Tinykin is another game with a very cozy/low stakes feel. It’s an exploration/collectathon platformer with cute environments made up of household objects.

Littlewood is a life sim sort of game, kind of like Stardew Valley, but it’s extremely chill. There’s no time limit or anything like that.

And others have mentioned these, but Toem, Alba, and Donut County are all very good and gentle games too.

Oh, and Tchia. That one has some dark moments at times, mostly in cutscenes, but when you’re actually playing it’s mostly gentle and island-y.

Maybe also Wuppo? It’s a strange one. The story and humor and animation are pretty great in that one, but there are some boss fights that can get a little frustrating. It’s mostly a fairly chill platformer, but then it’s got kind of bullet-hell-adjacent bosses. I still really like the game, but it’s not quite as purely relaxing as some of the others here.

Pikuniku is kind of in the same position as Wuppo, but I liked it a bit less. The humor feels a little more forced or stilted, and the frustrating bits are because the controls are kinda floaty. My niece really liked it when she was 8, though, so it had that going for it.

Hope this helps! I’ve been looking for this kind of game a lot the past few years

I recommend Cobalt Core. Super cute characters and story, and very satisfying even after completing the main quest. It and Balatro are currently my standing “twenty minutes on a lunch break” games.

The Last Campfire is like being read a bedtime story - its delightful

• Cult of the Lamb
• Vampire Survivors
• Halls of Torment

My list of endorphin-boosting games:

Dorfromantik
Unpacking
A Little To The Left
Tiny Glade - though this one barely qualifies as a game

If you want something a little more gamified: Balatro is amazing and addictive.

Monster Hunter series.

helltaker

Awaria is the second game by the same dev. I won’t lie, it is kinda high energy. Enemies chase you in real time around the tile board rather than it being a turn-based puzzle game. But I still find it fun and it has a lot of the same story vibes. Also there is an easy mode if you want a truly chill experience.

Because you mentioned Islanders, maybe Dorfromantik?

I expected to open this thread and see 30 recommendations for stardew valley but I don’t see any. So stardew valley.

spec ops the line (just kidding)

I’m imagining someone cozying up with a blanket, a lap kitty, some tea, and the horrors of mankind.

Journey to the Savage Planet is grossly underated: fun, simple game, just challenging enough and extremely well polished.

Sayonara Wild Hearts. I love that game and often load it up when I’m feeling out of sorts.

Some great games being listed already! Here are some nobody mentioned yet: Hoa, Abzu, Toem and Donut County.

Take it easy and pace yourself with the depressing stuff. We’re all in this together.