PC Game suggestions for casual gamer who hasn't played for the last 10 years

I have bought Legion 5 Pro laptop with RTX 3070 8gb, 32Gb RAM and 1Tb SSD drive, as per the deal below:

https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/667490

The reason I bought this is that I intend to start playing games again after not playing at all for the last 10 years (due to having kids etc, and I had Macbook Pro 2014 which i still have now). Now that the kids are growing up I look forward to start playing games to enhance my mental health, and most likely casually (whenever I have free time here and there).

So I need some suggestions from experts here of what games I should be playing, based on the laptop that I bought, as I am sure that the gaming now is very different from what I had played before. I am not sure how well latest games can run on my laptop config above.

In the past, I played games such as Mortal Kombat, Starcraft 1 and 2, Command and Conquer, SimCity, FIFA, NBA, NFL, Football Manager, racing games etc. I had challenges playing Wolfenstein or Doom due to motion sickness. Not sure if the new graphics would improve so that i don't get motion sickness or not. I haven't tried.

I don't want to spend a lot of money on games but I know the old age of copying games is pretty much dead (please tell me if this is not the case). I did recently signed up XBox Game Pass Ultimate for $2 ozbargain deal which will expire in March 2022. I am male, and in the 40s, if that makes any difference.

I look forward to hear from all the gaming experts here!

Comments

    • +1

      I have been using https://gg.deals/ for price history and comparison. Similar to isthereanydeal but I reckon the UI is a little bit cleaner.

      • Nice one, haven't heard of that! I'll check it out.

    • +1

      Definitely a +1 for the Tropico series. 40-something gamer here who also spent way too many hours playing Starcraft and SimCity - honestly, you will love Tropico.

      • Yes, I love me a bit of Tropico from time to time! I obviously have a small mind because I find the tongue-in-cheek jokes hilarious :D
        Even better, because they're not massive titles, you can get each of them for less than a coffee if you wait for a sale.

  • +3

    http://freegalaga.com/

    You only have a 3070, so low detail settings.

    • too hard :(

    • Like someone who buys a Lear-jet to go get some milk, I installed Linux many times mainly to get this when it was in the repositories.

    • Lol! I should be playing on my 2014 Macbook Pro!

  • Fortnite… Should be a casual introduction to online gaming with happy like minded players. Easy to pick up and such a friendly community.
    Trollolololol. 😋

    • Lol ….. The biggest game and I would probably get too addicted!

  • +5

    Skyrim!

    It's recently been updated to 4K, had the Dawnstar and Hearthfire add-ons last year, and has just been upgraded with three further add-ons. You have a choice of POV.

    • Thank you! I'll have a look!

      • I second this suggestion, it was mindblowing when it first came out. make sure you have a good sound setup too. Even my old Logitech 5.1 PC speaker setup did well, don't just rely on some crappy speakers lol

  • Loads of meh for the last decade. Go and play all the great games you missed from xbox 360/ps3 era - most on pc now. Get into emulators too - play ps3 games with rpcs3 emulator, wii and gamecube playable with dolphin emulator, pcsx2 for ps2 games, ppsspp for psp games etc. Many good cheap old games at cash converters, cex and of course ebay. Use the playnite launcher to make it easier.

    Also look for short games. Too many games are far too long IMO. Why sink 30 hours into a game when can you have more fun with a 4 hour experience?

    Stanley parable
    Dear Esther
    twelve minutes
    what remains of edith finch
    pinball (visual pinball is good, free and has lots of community made tables)

    • +1

      That Stanley Parable has been mentioned by a few OzBers ….. Maybe worthwhile playing!

      • Suggest throw firewatch into this category.

  • +2

    For multiplayer first person shooters, there is Americas Army: Proving Grounds. Its a free download on steam with no in game purchases. There is also cs:go, also free on steam.

    • Thanks mate. Will check it out!

    • Americas Army: Proving Grounds

      That game still running? I tried it for a while and enjoyed but so many cheaters and exploits forced me to ditch it.

      • still going, but sometimes hard to get an aussie server. I think the cheating isnt too bad these days

  • +6

    Horizon zero dawn. Beautiful story and game play. I own it on pc and ps4.

    • Totally agree and the wild lands expansion is epic

    • Will check it out!

  • +2

    Red dead redemption 2, horizon zero dawn. Big fan of contained single players if short of time

    • Sounds good. I am time poor so I don't want to spend too much time in a game …

  • +1

    Forza Horizon 5, MLB The show 21

    • I think I will definitely play Forza Horizon 5 …. lots of recommendations here!

  • +2
    • Blizzard has been asking me to play this for years given I have Starcraft 1 and 2 :)

  • +2

    I've been enjoying Hades a lot lately.

    • Thank you! I will have a look!

  • +2

    If you want to minimise your spend on games then firstly get an EPIC games account as they offer 1 or 2 free games a week. Usually they are crap but in the past they have had GTA 5, FM19 and Ark to name a few of the better games.

    Next, start using websites such as steamdb and "Is there any deal" which scan steam and other online sellers for games on sale. Check out what is deeply discounted then have a look at gameplay via youtube to see if you like it.

    Steam also has a discovery function and you can create a wishlist on steam which you can load onto these discount websites and create alerts for price drops.

    Steam has a huge summer and winter sale and smaller spring and autumn sales which should be the only time you buy directly on steam.

    Basically there are so many opportunities for discounts and websites to find them that you should never buy anything unless it's 50% off. Personally my threshold is 75% and I'm happy to wait years for that price.

    I don't see the point of telling you what I play as we have different tastes. Best to just check out gameplay on YouTube.

    Obtaining games illegally is still a thing but imo the risk is not worth it as they often require you to run cracks and other executables which could just as easily be programs hackers use to access your computer. This isn't 1990 anymore where we were just trading games on MIRC, too much crap out there now, I wouldn't recommend it.

    • Yes i have EPIC account and will restart claiming free games every week ….. Stopped a long while ago when I realised there were hardly any Mac games ….

  • +1

    Epic just published a good albeit biased buyer's guide https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/news/black-friday-2021… - must plays include:
    Rocket League
    Into the Breach
    Red Dead Redemption 2

    Xbox game pass games I have been playing recently include:
    Desperados III
    Middle Earth Shadow of War
    Maneater

    The best source of cheap Steam games is Humble Bundle Monthly - https://www.humblebundle.com/monthly - some of my recent favourites include:
    John Wick Hex
    Xcom Chimera Squad
    Void Bastards

    • Thanks mate. Rocket League has been recommended by a few OzBers …. Will probably give it a go.

      • +1

        Best played with a controller. Pretty much any controller works on Windows with the right driver. But if you value your time just get a Xbox One controller because MS include the driver with Windows - and also a bluetooth dongle if your laptop needs it.

  • +1

    Mass Effect Legendary Edition
    Bioshock
    Halo MCC and Halo Infinite
    Red Dead Redemption 2
    God of War (coming to PC in JAN2021)
    Dark Souls
    Latest Tomb Raiders
    Cuphead
    Overwatch

    • +1

      I forgot to add in Company of Heros 1 and 2. Best RTS of all time.
      The latest Age of Empires is also good.

  • +1

    Not sure if trying out a whole bunch of suggested games on all genres would be any useful for you. Why don’t you help by mentioning some genres of games you had enjoyed playing when you last did 10 years ago and before.
    it isnt that long ago and games haven’t changed that much tbh and the newest trend nowadays is to release a triple a titles game with 20% or less finished state and complete it post release over the next few years.

    I had challenges playing Wolfenstein or Doom due to motion sickness

    Give it a few more days and it’ll go away. Also adjust motion sickness setting on games that allow it to whats comfortable to you.

  • +1

    Maybe start slowly with Fortnite 😝

    Valorant 😍👌🏻

  • +1

    Lots of good suggestions above. I will add bastion, hades and the sexy brutale. As a fellow 40 year old gamer these games don't take too much time and are a treat

  • +2

    If you like medieval times and don't possess your own time machine, try Crusader Kings 3 (grand strategy role-playing) and/or Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord (strategy action role-playing). They'll scratch your itch without you actually losing your head.

    But as I say elsewhere above, whatever games you look at, search on YouTube and/or Twitch to watch players playing any game…

  • +1

    I haven't played PC games for 10 years and played every category from First Person Shooters (FPS) to Real Time Strategy (RTS).

    The OzBargainer in me says just search Google = "most popular free PC games". Eg. PUBG, Fortnite.

    If you don't like FPS games then search on keywords like "free Real Time Strategy PC games".

    That way you can test out your hardware as well as the category of games that now suits you. Personally I'd steer away from ultra competitive FPS games. Its been over a decade for me too and I don't enjoy games that rely on reaction speeds.

    If super lazy and money is no object just walk into EB games and look at the wall posters, window dressing, their monitors. Is same as cinema posters. Games drive PC hardware. PC hardware drives games.

  • +2

    Stardew Valley

    Be warned though, you can kiss your free time good bye with this game 😂

  • +3

    Rimworld and Factorio. Use responsibly- they are so very good at consuming your idle time.

  • +1

    Since you said you like single player and resource management games like simcity - play Satisfactory.

    Good use of your new good spec laptop and amazing game. Just look at reviews

    https://store.steampowered.com/app/526870/Satisfactory/

  • +1

    Interested to know how old are you OP

    • Mid 40s.

  • +1

    red dead redemption 2 is pretty casual in that you decide how you want to play
    if you want to do missions you can or if you just want to hunt or fish you can do that too

  • +1

    im still on AOE3

  • +1

    Destiny 2.

    Our raid team is looking for a consistent 6th person. We raid on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday 8:30pm-11:30pm AEST. DM if you decide to play.

  • +1

    You definitely need to try Halo, especially Campaign. I don't play multiplayer but I feel much more relaxed when I jump on single player for Halo.

  • +1

    Everyone's definition of casual seems really different to mine. The games I've enjoyed on PC lately that require minimal gaming 'skills' (managing complex systems, reaction times, etc) that I'd say are casual - that anyone can play - would be games like Disco Elysium, Unpacking, the Artful Escape, Hypnospace Outlaw, and Overboard. I guess it very much depends on your taste.

    Game pass is great for trying stuff out so definitely get into that!

  • +2

    If you like strategy/simulation/story-driven stuff that are also not fast-twitch, I highly recommend the below:

    • Xcom 2 (plus WoTC expansion) - Tactical/strategy (Defend Earth against alien-invasion; My biggest timesink to date)
    • Kingdom (plus Two Crowns expansion) - Strategy/Indie/Simulation (don't let the NES-like graphic fool you; the gameplay is highly addictive)
    • Frostpunk - City- building/Survival/Strategy (City-building to prepare for incoming ice apocalypse)
    • This War of Mine - Indie/Survival (play as civilians trying to survive an on-going war. You scavenge food and avoid armed hostiles.)
    • FTL - Indie/Rogue-like/Simulation (don't let the simple graphic fool you; this game is devilishly hard but fun)
    • Defense Grid 1 & 2 - Tower Defence (my other major timesink; can't stop playing)
    • A Plague Tale: Innocence - Action/Adventure (stealth/simulation game; really enjoyed the storyline)

    Edit: I'm a casual player too, clocking 1-2 gaming hours after work and domestic chores. These games are great as they don't need continuous, long sessions.

  • +1

    Based on the games you liked in the past, I'd recommend:

    • Motorsport Manager (simulation like Football Manager with racing cars)

    • Civilization VI

    • Gears Tactics (Gamepass)

    The first two games go on sale regularly, and you'll get many many hours of gameplay.

  • +1

    Minesweeper. the best version was on windows phone IMO, but then they updated it into some abomination of a game

    • Another game I loved playing on Windows Phone was Wordament, it made it to Android but I loaded it the other day and sure enough it's also got some story mode abomination. What's with MS that they want to screw up their own games?!

  • +1

    Witcher 2 and 3 are both brilliant games.

    • what about 1?

  • +1

    System Shock, BioShock , Prey.

  • +2

    I went many years without playing games, but now have an RTX 3070 too… and a toddler. I'm just over 50.

    When I get a chance to play, I play whatever I'm drawn to. And for a long time that was Ghost Recon Wildlands. It can be picked up very cheaply in sales and it runs amazingly on the 3070.

    I DON'T recommend all those games with long storylines that people keep recommending (Witcher games, Red Dead 2, Horizon Zero Dawn, etc). I own them all but I can't get into them because I don't have the time to commit.

    Wildlands is an enormous shooty sandbox where you can just tool around and shoot people and blow things up and add bits to your guns and enjoy the view… and then start progressing in the plot, bit by bit. It's good for a quick blast or a long session. I don't get motion sickness from it (I do from some games). The sequel Breakpoint is out, but it's not as good. Wildlands is more fun.

    • +1

      +1 this. those games are fantastic, but not if you are a "casual gamer who hasn't played for the last 10 years"

  • +1

    old age of copying games is pretty much dead

    pirate bay + deluge
    use caution and make sure the uploader is VIP, Trusted, or Verified (the coloured skull and crossbones on PB)

    • Cities Skylines will scratch your Simcity itch.
    • Going Medieval is a pretty nice Alpha release town / community building game
    • Banished is an older game of the same type. The town gets bigger faster than Going Medieval.
    • Medieval Dynasty has similar goals as the above two but is played more in 1st person view of the protagonist. Whilst the other three are played as God.

    • Path of Exile is a free to play dungeon bashing game. similar gameplay to Diablo 2. Considered better than Diablo 3.

    • they get so cheap - makes more sense just to buy them on sale and or get free or cheap in bundles

  • +1

    I was in a very similar position … I bought about 10 games the only two I ended up finishing was titanfall 2, and rayman legends (multiplayer with kids). They are both great. The others very much meh.

  • +1

    minecraft

  • +1

    Resident Evil 1-3 (2 and 3 are remakes) are pretty good especially if you played the originals and looking for that nostalgia feels.

  • +4

    I would play the older games first, so you can work your way though the graphical and gameplay improvements as you move forward. I have young kids and am eagerly waiting the point where i can get more than an hour here and there to game.

    Batman - Arkham series (Start with Asylum)
    Bioshock
    Portal 1 + 2
    Witcher 3
    XCom 2
    Divinity: Original Sin 2 (If you like classic RPGs)
    Doom 2016 (Motion sickness is a thing of the past for most gamers now due to game improvements)

    Few other worthy mentions Alien Isolation (if you liked the movies), Tomb Raider 2013, FarCry 3, Max Payne 3, Metro 2033, Subnautica,

    • +2

      Echoing Divinity: Original Sin 2 - absolute cracker of a game!

    • re "I would play the older games first, so you can work your way though the graphical and gameplay improvements as you move forward"

      I was leaning to that way of thinking too as I'm in a similar position to the OP… but I've now decided that's kinda dumb.

      You didn't spend a lot of money to get a sweet new powerful pc and 3070 just to play some pixely antique game did you?

      There are just soo many games to catch up on and new ones coming out that you might as well just enjoy the best games that are on offer full stop.

      Go back later - if you have time and if you can stomach going back to such cringeworthy graphics (and sometimes gameplay).

      There are of course always exceptions where it is worth playing series in order or just classic games.

      But of course - your call.

  • +1

    Untitled Goose Game.

  • -1

    +1 for Witcher 3 which many have mentioned.

    and

    Cyberpunk 2077 which I can't believe no one has mentioned yet! I loved this game. Great storyline and side quests are just as good as mains. The bugs just made the game funny! Never annoyed me once when playing it through from release date, most likely fixed the majority of them by now anyway…

    • Re Cyberpunk 2077 - This should get cheaper fast and maybe even free soon.

      More importantly - sounds like it'd be wise to wait a little longer for more game breaking bugs to be ironed out.
      Besides they may even optimise it to run a little better (as it's pretty bad apparently)?

  • +1

    I played the bjeezus out of FrostPunk and Jurassic World Evolution, FrostPunk is a city builder with a story line, Jurassic is like Rollercoaster Tycoon cept you make a Dinosaur Zoo.

    They're both on Xbox Game Pass (and I'm pretty sure they've both been given away at Epic).

    You should subscribe to the Epic Game Store and Prime Gaming on OzBargain, start collecting freebies.

  • +2

    If you're unsure, just get Game Pass and start messing around. Seriously a 3 month $1 trial for 100s of AAA games and heaps of indies is worth. Based on your old games, you can find the below on game pass:
    - Forza Horizon 5
    - SimCity
    - FIFA
    - NBA
    - DOOM
    - Wolfenstein
    - Yakuza (all of them)
    - Titalfall 2 (made me cry)
    - Fallout Series
    - A ridiculous amount of other games

    I know I sound like a game pass shill, but this is Ozbargain, and its basically free (definitely worth the subscription overall) - especially if theres a game you want in it - Forza for example is the price of 1 year of Game Pass, so why bother buying a digital copy instead of just going for it.

    https://www.pocket-lint.com/games/news/xbox/140423-what-is-x…

    • Just read the last line of your post lol

  • +1
    • Bioshock Infinite (and Bioshock 1 if you didn't play it yet)
    • Get Cemu setup with "The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild". It's a must-play.
    • You can do the same for Mario Kart 8, and there's even a way to play it online with official nintendo servers if you go down that rabbit hole.
    • Halo MCC if you want to catch up on Halo.
  • +1

    I’ve gotten back in to playing FTL recently (rogue like/ strategy game where you control a spaceship crew from a 3rd person perspective and save the galaxy), one of my all time favourites, and cheap for the hours and hours of fun to be had.

  • +1

    Welcome back. I'm in the same situation, although I started back in late 2019.

  • +2

    Short story games - I'd probably just pick out what seems most interesting to you (about 5-15 hours for each game):
    Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
    INSIDE
    Life is Strange
    Telltale series: The Walking Dead / The Wolf Among Us
    Tomb Raider

    Long/Never ending games depending on your play style (but can still be casual/these also have multiplayer):
    Stardew Valley
    Terraria
    Valheim

    Puzzle:
    Portal 1 and 2
    Glass Masquerade (Casual Jigsaw game)
    LYNE

    Strategy/RTS:
    Civilization VI
    Frostpunk
    Age of Empires

    Long RPG's/Open World etc. (Lets just say time-consuming story?):
    Assassin's Creed Origins/Odyssey
    Horizon Zero Dawn
    Red Dead Redemption 2
    Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
    Witcher 3
    Yakuza series

    Racing/Sports
    Forza 5
    FIFA22

    I've played most of these games, mostly the full casual ones haha. Maybe you will find something interesting :)

  • +1

    Heroes Might and Magic 3 HD, runs on any PC these days.

  • +1

    If you like anime or are keen for an adventure game Genshin Impact is a free to play casual game with just dailies (takes about 20mins/day) and you can explore and progress storyline at your own pace. Game is regularly updated with events and giveaways and even without that there is plenty of content to last you a while. If you get sick turn off the motion blur setting.

    It has gacha but the game rewards you with more than enough currency that unless you get greedy for something it's more than enough.

  • Minesweeper

  • +1

    some really good suggestions here… would like to add Wasteland 3 to the party if you're into turn-based combat

  • +1

    Age of empires 4
    Forward horizon 5
    Red alert 3
    Age of empires 3
    Microsoft flight sim
    Hitman 3
    Zwift(if you want to burn the calories)

  • +1

    Rimworld
    Cities Skylines

    Both have a decent vanilla playthrough but have HUGE replayability with the use of mods from the Steam Workshop. I am 1000hrs deep in Rimworld and still learn little things here and there.

    I also recommend Banished but its a little old. Did notice that its being redeveloped and re-released under Settlement Survival.

  • +1

    Dota 2. You'll hate me later but it'll be the only game until you depart this earth or smash your laptop.

  • +1

    Door Kickers.

  • +1

    Hi OP,

    Respectfully, a lot of people are suggesting their favourite games without necessarily considering whether these games are good for your situation.

    I am 42. I work and have three young children. I am very time poor. I look for games that pack a lot into not very much time.

    The Stanley parable is a very good suggestion.
    May I also suggest the Talos Principle. Probably my top game of the last five years. It asks the big philosophical questions in a way that isn't hackneyed.

    The original Portal was also suggested above. Great choice, and a great game that packs a lot into two hours.

  • +1

    Warcraft 3 frozen throne (not the enhanced edition)

  • +1

    FTL

  • +1

    Run Zelda BOTW in emulator in 4k resolution

  • +1

    Eve Online

    • +1

      I want to love Eve Online. I really do. I just can't get into it enough to subscribe and play daily.

      For me it's enough mine asteroids while being a rocket man, burning out his fuse up here alone.
      The profoundness of being alone in the emptiness of space is just plain swell.

      • I don't pay mate, just set up PI

  • +1

    Fall Guys is great for casual gamers. Can play for 30 minutes or a whole day.

  • +1

    if you have the xbox game pass why not give forza horizon 5 a try :-)

  • +2

    If you haven't played it, Portal 2, damn near perfect game and on sale for like 3 bucks at the moment. Watch some video if you need convincing

    • there are the large mods with all new levels etc for both Portals - find them on steam

  • Am same as u.. started playing divison 2 .. now cant stop 😂

Login or Join to leave a comment