The 7 Best Casual Games to Play Anytime, Anywhere

In today's fast-paced world, finding time to unwind can be a challenge. That's where casual games come in, offering an easy and accessible way to relax and have fun. With so many games for casual gamers out there, which ones are worth playing?

I'm going to recommend 7 of the best casual games for you, so move your finger and scroll down!

Part 1:Definition and characteristics of casual games

Definition:

Casual games are video games designed to be easily accessible and enjoyable for a wide range of players. They typically have simple rules, intuitive controls and gameplay that does not require a large time commitment. Unlike hardcore games, which often require considerable skill and dedication, casual games are designed to be picked up and played in short bursts, making them ideal for players looking for quick entertainment.

Characteristics:

• Simplicity: Casual games tend to have simple mechanics and easy-to-understand objectives, making them accessible to players of all ages and skill levels.
• Short Play Sessions: These games are designed to be enjoyed in short sessions, often lasting just a few minutes, allowing players to play during short breaks or while multitasking.
• Intuitive Controls: Casual game controls are generally simple and easy to learn, often relying on basic touch, swipe or click inputs.
• Minimal Commitment: Casual games do not require significant time or effort to progress. Players can start and stop easily without worrying about losing progress or missing out on complex storylines.
• Wide Audience Appeal: These games are designed to appeal to a wide audience, including children, adults and even non-gamers. They often contain family-friendly content.

Part 2:Best Casual Game Recommendations

1. Stardew Valley

Game overview

Stardew Valley is one of the best casual PC games, an indie farming simulation developed by Eric ConcernedApe Barone. Released in 2016, the game quickly garnered acclaim for its charming graphics, deep gameplay mechanics, and the freedom it offers players to create their ideal farm life.

Features

• 1. Crafting and building:
  • Crafting system: Players can craft a wide range of items, from basic tools and machinery to furniture and decorations. This allows for a high level of customisation and efficiency on the farm.
  • Farm Buildings: Players will be able to construct and upgrade buildings such as barns, coops and sheds, which will expand farming capabilities and provide storage space.
• 2. Social Interaction:
  • Villagers: The game features a cast of NPCs with whom players can interact, build friendships and even marry. Each villager has a unique personality, schedule and set of preferences.
  • Festivals: Throughout the year, the game will host various festivals and events for players to participate in, building a sense of community and offering unique rewards.
• 3. Seasons and Weather:
  • 8. Seasonal changes: The game world changes with the seasons, affecting what crops can be grown, what fish can be caught, and what events take place. Each season (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter) lasts 28 in-game days.
  • 9. Weather effects: Different weather conditions, such as rain and snow, affect daily activities and crop growth.
• 4. Customisation:
  • Character customisation: Players can customise their character's appearance at the start of the game and make changes to the interior and exterior of their farmhouse.
  • Farm Layout: Players have the freedom to design their farm layout, choosing where to place crops, buildings and decorations.

2. Slime Rancher

Game overview

Slime Rancher is a first-person adventure game developed and published by Monomi Park, which is also one of the games for casual gamers. Released in 2017, the game takes players on a whimsical journey to the Far, Far Range, where they assume the role of Beatrix LeBeau, a plucky rancher. The goal is to explore the vibrant open world, capture various slimes, and build a successful slime ranch.

Features

• 1. Exploration:
  • Open World: The Far, Far Range is a vast, colourful world filled with diverse environments such as arid deserts, lush forests and mysterious caves. Each area is home to different types of slime and resources.
  • Discovery: Players can find treasure chests, hidden areas and lore snippets that reveal more about the world and its history.
• 2. Slime Ranching:
  • Capture slimes: Players use a tool called a Vacpack to suck up and capture different types of slime. Each type of slime has unique behaviours, diets and favourite foods.
  • Corral Management: Slimes are kept in corrals, and players must manage these enclosures to prevent slimes from escaping and to optimise resource gathering.
• 3. Farming:
  • Growing crops: Players can plant and grow different crops to feed the slimes. Each type of slime has specific dietary preferences that can affect their productivity and happiness.
  • Raising animals: In addition to growing crops, players can raise chickens and other animals to provide food for carnivorous slimes.
• 4. Ranch Expansion:
  • Ranch upgrades: Players can expand their ranch with new plots, each of which can be customised to include corrals, gardens, barns, silos and other facilities.
  • Gadgets: Using the Slime Science Lab, players can create gadgets that automate tasks, collect resources and enhance exploration.
• 5. Graphics and sound:
  • Graphics: Slime Rancher features a vibrant and whimsical art style, with colourful environments and charming character designs.
  • Soundtrack: The game features a light-hearted and soothing soundtrack that complements the playful atmosphere.

3. PowerwashSimulator

Game overview

PowerWash Simulator is one of the best casual computer games, a unique simulation game developed by FuturLab and published by Square Enix Collective. Set to be released in 2021, the game offers a relaxing and strangely satisfying experience where players take on the role of a professional power washer. The main objective is to clean various dirty surfaces, vehicles, buildings and objects using high-pressure water jets.

Features

• 1. Customisation:
  • Equipment customisation: Players can customise their power washers with different skins and colour schemes, adding a personal touch to their tools.
  • Environmental Interaction: Some levels feature interactive elements such as moving objects or uncovering hidden areas, adding variety and fun to cleaning tasks.
  • Multiplayer mode: Players can join friends in online multiplayer mode to tackle cleaning jobs together, encouraging teamwork and making the experience more social and enjoyable.
• 2. Realistic Physics and Graphics:
  • Detailed environments: The game features highly detailed and realistic environments, each with unique textures and surfaces that respond accurately to the cleaning process.
  • Water Effects: Realistic water physics simulate the behaviour of high-pressure water jets, including splashing, run-off and surface wetting.
• 3. Relaxing gameplay:
  • Zen-like experience: The game is designed to be calming and meditative, providing a sense of satisfaction from transforming dirty surfaces into pristine conditions.
  • No Time Pressure: Most game modes have no time limits, allowing players to clean at their own pace and enjoy the process.

4. Dredge

Game overview

Any other cool casual games? Sure, Dredge is an indie fishing and adventure game developed by Black Salt Games. Set in a mysterious and eerie world, the game combines elements of fishing simulation with exploration and supernatural horror. Players take on the role of a fisherman navigating dangerous waters, uncovering hidden secrets, and encountering strange creatures. Dredge is known for its atmospheric storytelling and unique blend of genres.

Features

• 1. Story and Quests:
  • Narrative-driven: Dredge offers a rich, narrative-driven experience with an overarching story that unfolds as players explore and interact with the world. Players will encounter various NPCs who provide quests, information, and lore about the mysterious world.
  • Side Quests: In addition to the main storyline, players can undertake side quests that offer rewards, unlock new areas, and provide deeper insight into the game's lore.
• 2. Supernatural Elements:
  • Eerie atmosphere: The game is imbued with a sense of mystery and supernatural dread. Players will encounter strange phenomena, haunting locations, and unsettling creatures that hint at a darker underlying narrative.
  • Hidden Secrets: Numerous hidden secrets and collectibles are scattered throughout the world, encouraging players to thoroughly explore and piece together the game's mysteries.
• 3. Visuals and Sound:
  • Art Style: Dredge features a distinctive art style that combines detailed environments with a slightly cartoonish, yet dark and moody aesthetic. The visuals contribute significantly to the game's eerie and immersive atmosphere.
  • Sound Design: The game's sound design includes ambient environmental sounds, haunting music, and the subtle sounds of the sea, all of which add to the immersive and mysterious experience.
• 4. Replayability:
  • Multiple Endings: The game offers multiple endings based on the player's choices and discoveries, encouraging replayability to uncover all possible outcomes.
  • Completionist Challenges: Players can strive to complete every side quest, collect every species of fish, and uncover every secret, adding depth and longevity to the game.

5. Chroma Squad

Game overview

Chroma Squad is one of the fun casual games and also a tactical role-playing game developed by Behold Studios. Released in 2015, the game pays homage to the Power Rangers franchise and allows players to manage and control a team of stunt performers who decide to start their own tokusatsu TV show. With its pixel art style and humor, Chroma Squad offers a unique blend of strategy, simulation, and nostalgia.

Features

• 1. Squad Management:
  • Recruitment: Players build a team of stunt performers, each with their own skills, abilities and personality traits. As the game progresses, players can hire new actors, upgrade existing ones, and customize their appearance.
  • Team Dynamics: Managing the relationships and morale of squad members is essential, as it affects their performance in combat and their interactions outside of combat.
• 2. Studio Management:
  • TV Studio Upgrades: Players manage their own TV studio, upgrading equipment, hiring staff, and investing in marketing to improve the quality and popularity of their show.
  • Episode Production: Between battles, players plan and produce episodes of their TV show, choosing themes, writing scripts, designing costumes, and selecting special effects to entertain their audience.
• 3. Customization:
  • Costume and prop design: Players can customize the appearance of their team members by creating unique costumes and props inspired by various tokusatsu and superhero themes.
  • Studio Branding: As the studio grows in popularity, players can brand their show with logos, slogans, and catchphrases to further enhance their identity and fan base.
• 4. Story and Narrative:
  • Campaign Mode: The game features a campaign mode with a branching storyline filled with humor, pop culture references, and tongue-in-cheek humor. Players navigate the challenges of running a TV show while unraveling a conspiracy.
  • Multiple endings: Player choices and performance in battles affect the outcome of the story, resulting in multiple possible endings and replayability.
• 5. Nostalgia and Homage:
  • Tribute to Tokusatsu: Chroma Squad pays homage to the tokusatsu genre, drawing inspiration from iconic shows such as Power Rangers, Super Sentai and Kamen Rider. Fans of these shows will appreciate the game's references and parodies.
  • Pixel Art Style: The game features charming pixel art graphics reminiscent of classic 16-bit era games, evoking a sense of nostalgia for retro gaming enthusiasts.

6. Going Medival

Game overview

Want some casual PC games? Let me introduce you to a great game. Going Medieval is a colony-building simulation game developed by Foxy Voxel. Released in Early Access in 2021, the game transports players to an alternate history where they must build and manage a medieval settlement following a devastating plague. With elements of building, survival and strategic management, Going Medieval offers a rich and immersive experience as players guide their settlers through the challenges of medieval life.

Features

• 1. Settlement building:
  • Construction: Players can design and build their settlement using a variety of building materials and architectural styles. Structures can be built above or below ground, allowing for complex, multi-level fortifications and homes.
  • Customization: The game offers extensive customization options, allowing players to create unique layouts, decorative elements, and functional buildings tailored to the needs of their settlement.
• 2. Settler Management:
  • Skills and Attributes: Each settler has unique skills, attributes, and needs. Players must assign tasks to settlers based on their abilities and ensure their well-being by providing food, shelter, and protection.
  • Health and Happiness: Keeping settlers healthy and happy is essential. Players must manage medical care, recreational activities, and social interactions to keep morale high.
• 3. Exploration and Expansion:
  • Exploration: Players can send settlers to explore the surrounding wilderness, discovering new resources, hidden locations, and potential threats.
  • Territorial Expansion: As the settlement grows, players can expand their territory by building new outposts, farms, and defensive positions.
• 4. Visuals and Sound:
  • Art Style: The game features a stylized, low-poly art style with vibrant colors and detailed environments, creating an appealing and immersive visual experience.
  • Sound Design: Ambient sounds, period-appropriate music, and environmental effects enhance the atmosphere and make the world of Going Medieval feel alive and dynamic.

7. Graveyard Keeper

Game overview

Let me introduce you to the last of the 7 best casual PC games you must play. Graveyard Keeper is a darkly humorous and unique simulation game developed by Lazy Bear Games and published by tinyBuild. Released in 2018, the game blends elements of cemetery management, crafting, exploration, and role-playing. Set in a medieval village, players take on the role of a newly appointed Graveyard Keeper, tasked with managing and expanding a dilapidated cemetery while uncovering the secrets of the strange world they find themselves in.

Features

• 1. Cemetery Management:
  • Grave digging and burial: Players are responsible for preparing graves, burying bodies, and maintaining the overall quality of the cemetery. Proper management of graves and corpses affects the cemetery's rating and the village's perception of the player.
  • Decoration and Maintenance: To improve the cemetery's appearance, players can plant flowers, build fences, and place tombstones. Keeping the cemetery clean and aesthetically pleasing is essential to attracting visitors and increasing the cemetery's rating.
• 2. Economy and Trade:
  • Selling goods: Players can sell crafted items, cooked food, and harvested crops to earn money. Trading with villagers and merchants is essential for obtaining rare materials and upgrading equipment.
  • Market Days: On certain days, special markets are held where players can buy and sell unique items, adding a strategic element to managing resources and finances.
• 3. Time Management and Day/Night Cycle:
  • Time Progression: The game features a dynamic day/night cycle and calendar system, with specific events and activities occurring on certain days.
  • Energy Management: Players must manage their energy levels, balancing work, exploration and rest to maximize productivity.
• 4. Story and Lore:
  • Narrative drive: Graveyard Keeper has a rich story that unfolds through quests, character interactions, and exploration. Players will discover the mysteries of the medieval world and their role in it.
  • Dark humor: The game's narrative and dialogue are infused with dark humor and satire, providing a unique and entertaining twist on the simulation genre.

Conclusion

After reading this article, I hope you can identify your favourites from these 7 best casual games! Also, you can try other games like action adventure games, puzzle adventure games, management games, and so on. Have a good time!