I'm looking for PC games that I can play while listening to podcasts- games that don't have engaging cut scenes or important dialogue, games that honestly don't require a lot of skill or thought.
I used to be really into things like Farm Frenzy, Rescue Team, hidden object games, that kind of thing. I got heavily into MMOs and stopped downloading casual games for a decade or so.
Now it almost feels like this sort of game isn't made anymore? Were they completely nuked by the existence of Gacha games, P2W, and anything that earns the dev a constant income stream? I'm happy to pay for a game once, but I can't be constantly buying booster packs.
I also don't want to play on mobile or on a console, PC Master Race here, haha.
It's not clear to me that I could ever listen to podcasts while playing most of my library, but I'll do my best to list some with which I might try:
Euro Truck Simulator 2 (and, by corollary, American Truck Simulator). If you can listen to podcasts in your car, this is basically a similar experience :)
Super Hexagon. This is not a game about making conscious decisions, it's too fast for that. You'd have to turn off the music, and determine whether you can retain stuff you're listening to at the same time.
Race The Sun. This is somewhere in the middle of the above two.
Solace Crafting. This is a relatively bare-bones sandbox RPG with harvesting, crafting, and building elements, that doesn't require all that much decision making, and can be played at any pace.
Minecraft (the Java edition). You've probably heard of it! I recommend the Java edition due to the rich modding ecosystem; you can usually find a flavor of content that suits any purpose.
Cities: Skylines (and, by corollary, SimCity 4). These are both world-class genre-defining city builders, which can be played at your own pace, don't require a whole lot of active involvement, and pair well with background listening of your choice.
I’ve actually gotten back into Guild Wars 2 for the first time since its release over a decade ago, and I’m really enjoying all the new content they added. It SEEMS complicated with all the MMO-style currencies but you can honestly ignore most of them and go at your own pace because there’s so much to do but none of it is required to have fun. It’s even more casual if I’m using a low intensity character build, aka just left click in combat to win
Minecraft creative mode can be very relaxing but time consuming, it takes a while to build a big project but looks awesome when completed, you can go for a small hobbit home too and give in some detail, it takes your mind off of things sometimes, especially when doing the math to even builds out.
Power wash simulator will be your best friend. No spoken dialogue, no important cutscenes, just you and a power wash gun. The only thing you'll miss out on listening to podcasts is the admittedly very soothing sound of PSSSSHHHHHHHHHH from the washer itself.
https://classic-mahjong.com/ is free, entirely browser based, has no ads or other nonsense, and has the pleasant waterfall cascading effect when you clear all the tiles.
I have a Steam collection just for that purpose, called "zone-out games":
Factorio
Euro Truck Simulator
Viscera Cleanup Detail
Satisfactory
Space Engineers
Hardspace Shipbreaker
Rift Breaker
Monster Train
Jupiter Hell
Vampire Survivors
Dorf Romantik
DOOM (any)
Nethack
Some advice I want to give is that "games that require a lot of skill" is only a temporary blocker. If you enjoy a hard game enough to play through it repeatedly, it can become a podcast game. Many people play Bloodborne or Binding of Isaac to audiobooks, and roguelikes are generally like this.
That in mind, I have a list of games that are valid podcast games but I haven't built enough familiarity with them yet:
If you stick to the lower, less intense hazard difficulty levels, I find Deep Rock Galactic to be an excellent game to chill to. Can’t go wrong with badass Space Dwarven miners on a hostile alien insectoid planet. I only play with randoms via co-op, and it’s been nothing but a pleasant experience each time.
Mine is currently Civilization 6 and I don’t think I have anything else that could possibly fit; I occasionally have to step back and decide what to do next as it still is a strategy game, but since turns can take awhile (especially in late game since the AIs have to take their turns), having something else to pass the time helps. The dialogue is pretty inconsequential, and turning the game’s sound off won’t really change anything. I usually have music/podcasts going while I play.
(Worth noting it does have lots of DLC, but it doesn’t make winning easier and is entirely skippable.)
Dorfromantik is a very chill puzzle game that runs great on Steam Deck if that’s your thing, a favourite of mine while the TV is going in the background.
If you’re into factory games I 1000% recommend Shapez, which is a shape-building game that doesn’t have the notion of grinding or currency or running out of resources. It’s immensely satisfying when you get the perfect mechanism together and you’re churning out shapes. Definitely one for mouse and keyboard though.
Monster train is my go to right now. If you like the deck building genre such as Slay the Spire etc. You can put as much brain in as you want and it's still pretty fun.
Try Dorfromantik. It's a hexagonal puzzle game where you build a map using different tiles and connecting like with like. Very relaxing, doesn't require sounds or full attention.
The first game that popped into mind for this title was Dave the Diver. It is a lovely game where you fish in the morning, then serve up the fish at the sushi restaurant you work for in the evenings. I recommend you check out a video on it! It's technically early access, but the full game is set to release on the 28th.
Someone already mentionned Dorfromantik. I'm doubling this. I also have a recommandation. It's not exactly what you asked for. But maybe give Superflight a shot. It's been one of my go to "I'm listenning to something but needs something to keep busy" game for me for years now.
Diablo games are easy to play while listening/watching other things. Diablo 4 does have a story, but you don't need to watch it if you don't want to. And after it's beaten, the story will never bother you again. Diablo 2 Remaster is also great if you're feeling a bit more old school.
Skyrim. You CAN pay attention to what's going on but you don't have to, just look at the pretty landscapes while listening to your podcast and follow the questmarkers.
I just gave Cassette Beasts a shot and was instantly hooked. Fun PokeClone that is one of the best I've played and gets some stuff better than even Pokemon does. Also on gamepass if you've got that
Nobody mentioned Kerbal Space Program yet?
While it's no longer indie, it was during most of the development. It's the space game. While it's not claiming to be a perfectly accurate simulation, it captures the essence of orbital mechanics pretty well. The xkcd comic about it is on point.
Cultist Simulator. It is a card game that lives from the cards' flavour text. The core gameplay is simple, but the mood the game creates is extremely captivating. You only get served small bits of information at once, and you have to connet the dots yourself (or get spoilers online...). Also, it's not an easy game, and unless you are really lucky you will not succeed in your first few playthroughs.
Unreal World. This is roguelike survival game set in a fantasy version of ancient Finland.
Also in the truck driving bucket - Snowrunner. The focus is on off road trucking, mud and snow physics, with a winch that you can use to unstick yourself.
If you want to "beat" it, then it requires a bit of thinking and planning, but honestly it's such a fantastic go-at-your-own-pace kinda game. It's an open world factory building/sandbox building game. There are objectives and missions, but you have no time limit, and there is some freedom in choosing what you want to work on next.
It's also multiplayer, so you could invite a friend(s) to join and help you explore or find resources. I frequently will watch streams/youtube while playing.
Racing games, once you are good at them, fit this bill. I can win online races while watching YouTube videos in Forza Horizon.
But I'd say Farming Simulator is my favorite game to play while listening to podcasts or watching YouTube videos on the side. It's got enough going on to keep you engaged but you aren't doing any actions that are time critical or require deep focus.
If you're a fan of Stardew Valley and games like that, might I suggest Disney Dreamlight Valley? While there is a story (and there are extra character-specific quests you can do), you don't have to do them (or indeed anything). You're free to do what you like.
It's currently my go-to game when I want to play something but I'm just not sure what. Running around collecting materials to craft new items to decorate my Valley (or even just seeing what my residents are doing) brings me joy and whiles away the hours before I know what's happening!
Another suggestion would be Slime Rancher, which is another low stakes (potentially no stakes, you can turn off the one 'enemy' in the game that might disrupt your cosy experience - the Tarr slimes) game which has you running (and renovating) a slime ranch (funnily enough). The slimes are adorable, the music is very chill, and the world is so colourful I often enjoy just roaming around enjoying the scenery.
What about tycoon games ? Old school ones are usually still very playable.
Or for something more recent Planet Zoo can be as slow and peaceful as you like
It's a 2d game where you drill for oil, then have some light logistics management to do to load it in to barrels on horse waggons and then sell it. It's a lot of fun.
I love to play from time to time Banished with podcasts. Once you figure out how to survive then it's just "how much can I build on a map before my PC explodes".
Ostriv seems nice too, but it's still in alpha, so weird things happen like villagers going out to buy candles or soap and returning with shoes.
Two casual-adjecent games I played a lot over the past week are Mini Motorways and Inscryption: Kacey's Mod.
The first one is like a simplified city building simulator that works more like an evolving puzzle, you just build roads to connect houses and buildings of the same color while trying to keep traffic moving along. It might sound overly simple but it gets hectic and intense incredibly fast.
The other is an expansion to the original Inscryption game, which was a roguelike deckbuilder with a horror-ish spin that, no spoilers, went places lmao. What the expansion does is essentially take out all the story and convert a specific part of the game into an actual endlessly repeatable roguelike. It's challenging, but very engaging, and the presentation is just 10/10.
I love ARPGs for this. Path of Exile and Last Epoch both have a highly repeatable endgame where you can just put on your media and blast maps/monoliths mindlessly for a few hours
I really enjoy basebuilders for relaxing. It's often just the right mix between just enjoying watching how stuff works, or solving problems at my own pace (being able to slow down, speed up or pause whenever needed). If you're interested in this genre I can recommend Timberborn, Against the Storm, Factorio - ascending by complexity.
Bloons TD 6. It puts out what you put into it. There’s definitely some skill required but you can largely avoid most of that stuff. Once you have a semi working strategy, you can kinda cruise into new levels for a while no problem. It’s my favorite game to playb while listening to stuff.
Dead Cells was my go-to podcast game for quite a while! Story tidbits are few and far between, and it’s more about finding your stride in subsequent runs. There’s a lot of DLC that often goes on sale too.
A Short Hike has dialog and a shorter play time but you can just ignore that and soar around the island. It's got an isometric view with a pixel art style. I really enjoy it. I play it when I'm hung over.
TBH Minecraft Parkour in the Hypixel server's housing area are good for this. I usually play one until I starts getting hard/finish then switch to the next one while I'm watching YouTube.