Video games are a great way to let out frustration through virtual high-intensity situations and provide a sense of achievement for players as they work toward winning the game. But sometimes gamers want to sit down and relax with a video game with no goals or quests that go on with no real end, like The Block.
Games with no goals still provide a sense of accomplishment as players see their world grow or character evolve but don’t have the added stress of reaching a plan by a particular time or having to do the same tasks repeatedly to move on to the next phase. These games are great for winding down or gamers who like to put down and pick up different games without losing progress or forgetting their place.
Townscaper
Much like The Block, Townscaper focuses on building quaint towns and villages with no other purpose but looking pretty and giving players a creative outlet. The simple controls provide a relaxing environment and allow for changes to easily be made throughout the landscape being built, so it is to players liking.
By not having to gather resources, players can jump right in and create endlessly, and when they are down with one town, the game continues making it the perfect stress-free game for daily play.
Minecraft (Creative Mode)
Minecraft is one of the most popular games in the world, with numerous ways to approach the game players looking to use the platform as a creative outlet has been able to recreate impressive TV and movie locations on Minecraft servers. By not having a set ending or goals to achieve, Minecraft has a world of opportunities to experiment with building and creating the perfect world for players to explore and maintain if they choose.
The game’s simple design allows for easy building and demolition so that the world is constantly evolving, so players never get bored. This is part of why the game has remained popular for many years.
Roller Coaster Tycoon
Roller Coaster Tycoon was one of the most popular computer games in the 2000s; with its accessible gameplay and ability to recreate players’ favorite amusement park rides or build creations of their own, the game had replayability that was unmatched at the time.
Even though many people had friendly competitions over who had the better park, the overall lack of competition built into the game allowed players to take their time with building and stop and start the game whenever they liked, and this resulted in amazing parks that had hours of building put into them. With no ending to the game, players could create forever and only be confined by the size of the map the game gave them, which made players even more creative with their layouts.
Zoo Tycoon
If theme parks seem too stressful or overwhelming, Zoo Tycoon was the alternative for many players as they could build the zoo of their dreams with a few clicks and continue to expand. While expansion packs offer challenges to complete, the base game is open to players’ interpretation.
Beyond building enclosures, players can feed their animals, giving the game a relaxing routine that players can fall into and do daily or whenever they have time to play. The game’s flexibility allows all ages to play and find joy in the game without the frustration of goals that are too difficult to complete for some players.
My Oasis
With a rise in games that players are meant to relax in, games like My Oasis are becoming more popular as their lack of goals provides a less stressful environment than games that require constant achievements to move forward in. As a game specifically made for reducing stress, the lack of goals allows players to build a dream world where their worries can melt away as they cultivate plants and animals with no purpose other than to look nice.
With different settings and elements, players can come back and change whatever they want to suit their mood and not be worried about losing progress, as there is no progress to worry about when creating their oasis.
Terraria
Terraria is described as “blending elements of classic action games with the freedom of sandbox-style creativity,” making it the players’ choice over whether they want the game to have goals to complete. If players choose not to have plans, the game is all about exploring a lush world and building camps that can be explored throughout the world.
Mixing the elements of Minecraft and games centered on exploring the 2D game provides players with creative options that don’t have to have a purpose outside of what they want to build and the towns they want other travelers to visit. With the versatile gameplay, players can bounce from quests to the cozy building details if they decide they need a goal one day and don’t want one another day.
Starbound
Starbound may seem like a game riddled with goals, but it isn’t, as the game allows players to choose their journey or have no journey at all and build colonies on different planets. The pace of gameplay depends on the player, just The Block, so players can start and stop whenever they want but continue to build endlessly as more planets are added for exploration.
With the freedom of multiple play styles, explorers can make each planet they find different and suit multiple functions should they choose to give them one, making it fun to leave each place and not stress about revisiting the planet to maintain it later on.
Wobbledogs
If building and exploring is not the path gamers want to go, there is Woobledogs, which is similar to Nintendo Dogs but has more vibrant environments and unique species of animals that can be created in the game or obtained. Woobledogs is a caretaker-type game where players feed and nurture their dogs while creating fun spaces for them to live in with no requirements about what they should include in the habitat.
This simulation game has no end game other than for players to create new species, but there are no requirements to do so; it is up to the players how far they want to take the evolution of their creatures, making it the ultimate no-goal pet simulation.
The Sims
The Sims 4 has some of the best worlds to live in, but any of the games ate perfect for gamers looking to play for the thrill of achieving a quest and wanting to live in a world where anything can happen. As one of the most popular life-simulation games ever, The Sims franchise has thrived off players’ ability to endlessly play the game, change their characters, and build new worlds, but with no requirements to do anything in particular.
The experimental nature of the game is similar to games like The Block since things can be changed and changed back to see what happens without destroying too much progress or fear of losing the game.
No Man’s Sky
No Man’s Sky is known for being similar to Grounded. While the story version of the game offers great gameplay, the infinite option allows players to endlessly explore different parts of space and see what each new world has to offer. The building aspects of the game allow players to build their adventures, as they can build space stations that are complex or small and don’t require many resources.
No Man’s Sky is another game where fans can bounce between goal-oriented storylines to the infinite mode when they need something more slow-paced, like The Block.
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