I own Thea 2, so I'm going to test it (it was a giveaway once I think) ; I own Songs of Conquest as well : I tried it, it was cute, but it didn't really hook me up at first glance. I'll need to give it another try. Ash of Gods has been added to my wishlist.

I own Cat Quest 1, I still need to try it out ! It was a giveaway once, but it didn't really strike me as my type of games at first. Monster Boy and A hat in Time clearly aren't what I'm looking for, but Monster Boy still feels like a nifty game. I might wishlist it. A bit the same with Lego games, or point'n clicks : good games, but not what I'm after right now.

Jagged Alliance is a strange case : I just never get past the prologue (gearing up, etc.), and stop shortly after.

Airborne Kingdom could fit, but visually, it doesn't really click. I'll still keep it in mind though.

Good points about Terraformers. It's high on my whishlist ^^

X-Com and Xenonauts really didn't click ! The Civ games really tend to bore me to death, and worse, I'm not that good at them. Alpha Centauri has to be one of my all-time fav games, but I can barely play at a higher difficulty than "Citizen"... I own Neon Chrome and it's a cool game. Not chill, but cool !

I tried Spachem : never again ! So games like Factorio or Opus Magnum are out of the question =P

It isn't a chill game, but it's still one I play from time to time =)

This one might scratch your itch:
https://www.gog.com/en/game/marble_age_remastered

Maybe some of the Hero of the Kingdom games, or the recently released DREDGE.

Try Cat Quest.
I usually am not at all into this sort of game, but this one caught me and I could not get away.

Jagged Alliance in my eyes only gets really really good once you find decent guns. My main was always a stealthy sharp shooter, that's my thing. I spent so many hours with that game ...

Cat Quest is really fun, you were right. I saw Cat Quest 2 has coop, so it might also be amusing to play with my wife - last we played was Dysmantle, that was a cool game.


It sounds interesting, but the gameplay looks a lot like just "sliders - the game"... ^^' But still, I wishlisted it.

Some games I found rather chill when playing them. Not necessarily quite in your genres listed, but maybe you'll want to expand:

https://www.gog.com/en/game/unpacking
A reverse "hidden object" game with a subtle implicit/unstated narrative as you complete the levels.

https://www.gog.com/en/game/growing_up
A "gateway" visual novel that's really chill, allows for multiple plays, and whatnot. The puzzle mini-game in it is neat.

https://www.gog.com/en/game/simulacra
It's a FMV-style point and click adventure lite horror game. But the way you explore it is kind of chill if you can handle a few jump scares (and they're not bad one). Again, it's a subtle plot.

https://www.gog.com/en/game/lego_bricktales
A pure explore/collect/light puzzle game

https://www.gog.com/en/game/reigns (also has various sequels I haven't played)
Make a series of binary choices to develop your kingdom and live as long as you can. The game does technically have an ending that's obtuse AF to get, and I haven't even after looking it up. But that's not the point of it to me.

https://www.gog.com/en/game/rebuild_3_gangs_of_deadsville
A pretty chill turn-based zombie-survival strategy-light game.

https://www.gog.com/en/game/endzone_a_world_apart
Others recommended Banished. This is "post-apocalyptic Banished". It does have occasional raids (basically a tower defense mode) that might count as un-chill for you.

https://colepowered.itch.io/concrete-jungle (sadly not on GOG!)
A superfun puzzle city-builder.

https://www.gog.com/en/game/book_of_demons
"Diablo, but with sliders for you to adjust difficulty and session length, and abstracted out a bit."

A couple that might get in your path that I'd suggest avoiding:
Block'hood
Tinytopia (it might sound like it fits, but the puzzle stages that are physics puzzles are NOT chill and rather frustrating.)

I tend to like a lot of chill builder/crafting games. Here are a few you might look into:

If you like Pharaoh/Zeus, then try Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom It was my favorite of the older city builders and it's currently on sale for 50% off.

I second the previous recommendation for Banished. There are many different maps and combos of farming to start with, lots of mods once you get the basics down, you can play in short segments and save or go for hours, and you can turn OFF tornados or other 'disasters' if you want a totally chill experience. Wait for a sale, it's usually 50-60% off a couple times a year.

I don't know if you are into Open World crafting and terraforming, but lately I've really been enjoying The Planet Crafter. It's personal base building any way and almost anywhere you like, crafting, terraforming, exploring with some survival (oxygen, food and water) mixed in. It reminds me of Subnautica without the story or creatures (or ocean depths), at least at the moment. Start on 'Relaxing' for the most chill game without penalties. After the first little bit of crafting oxygen tanks, making water from the ice and learning about how far apart to build outposts, the only thing to watch out for is to get yourself indoors or into a cave during meteor showers, which the environmental clues warns you are coming and get less frequent as you develop an atmosphere on planet. Again, you can play for however long you want at a time and save when and where you want. It is Early Access, but totally playable now and currently on sale. Check it out! :)
EDIT- There is currently a demo on Valve's site if you want to try it out first. I don't know why GOG doesn't currently have a demo as well.

Not sure if somebody already mentioned them, but the first games that came to my mind were Stronghold 1 and Crusader 1. Castle builder in Stronghold 2 would work as well.

Stronghold Crusader has a castle builder mode as well wherein you just focus on...building a castle and managing the economic side of things. It kind of exposes a certain lack of depth to the mechanics, but I sometimes put it on when I want to split my attention. For instance, if there was a podcast or some such thing I wanted to listen to but am having a hard time staying focused on it.

There's an economic campaign in the first game which makes things a bit more challenging.

Looks cute and chill indeed, wishlisted.


There's been many cool suggestions already, but this one actually intrigued me the most. It's really sad it isn't on GOG, but I still have an itch.io account, so maybe...


https://www.gog.com/en/game/rebuild_3_gangs_of_deadsville
A pretty chill turn-based zombie-survival strategy-light game.

This one also looks amusing. Overall design and premise are catchy. WIshlisted as well.


Nowadays, I try to avoid games that have too much of a "campaign/scenario" component : most of the time, it doesn't hook me enough, and I skim through dialogues, so games based on that wouldn't work ^^'


I played that one ^^ It was fun


I really feel "meh" about Banished as is, but both it and Endzone fall a bit in the same "sandbox" category ; I play Minecraft already, and it's enough to fill the sandbox itch (by sandbox, I also mean open ended ; I prefer games like Pharaoh or Zeus, that have some puzzle/scenerised aspects).


This really caught my eye, but one reviewer says that it's a bit of a click fest... I love Grimdawn, or Titan Quest, but it's basic enough. Book of demons sounds basic, but if the mechanic is too clicky, it might not do.


I agree : I tested those, and it really didn't fit. Block'hood was actually kinda misleading too ! The tutorial presented the game in a different way than it ended up playing out. Quite sad.


I own Emperor - I own all three games in their glorious box versions (well, Emperor was just a DVD box, but it still had a manual and map). Among my fav games of all time !

As for The Planet Crafter, like I said above, I have Minecraft that fill the deep open world crafting game. I can't really see myself investing into another similar game, however different it could be otherwise.


I played Stronghold back in the days. Terrific game. I actually own it here, along with Crusader, but I haven't gotten back to them yet.

Travellers Rest
https://www.gog.com/en/game/travellers_rest
A medieval themed tavern managerial game with farming and crafting, and you can decorate and expand your tavern too :) If you mess up and run out of stuff to sell and money to buy stuff you need to make things to sell, don't worry. They will start selling gruel or somesuch and you'll earn a lil bit so you can get back on your feet again :) So no matter what, you shouldn't be able to mess up to the point of no return :)

Tavern Master
https://www.gog.com/en/game/tavern_master
A cozy tavern management game! Easy and chill :)

TasteMaker: Restaurant Simulator
https://www.gog.com/en/game/tastemaker_restaurant_simulator
Very easy to learn and relaxing managerial game where you build and run a restaurant :) There's 6 scenarios and a sandbox mode.

Wytchwood
https://www.gog.com/en/game/wytchwood
This game have both story and exploration. You can wander freely, gather ingredients and craft, and you can do it all in your own time. Very cozy :)

Graveyard Keeper
https://www.gog.com/en/game/graveyard_keeper
Like Stardew Valley but darker and you are running a graveyard, and it's a lot more relaxing. You can't miss out on stuff, time passes but is of no matter, you can take your time doing whatever you feel like doing. The story of the game will wait for you :) You can open a tavern as well and make wine from your own grape harvest (though the tavern might be included in one of the DLC's, can't remember)

Cat Cafe Manager
https://www.gog.com/en/game/cat_cafe_manager
An easy and chill managerial game where you run a cat cafe with lots of cats :)

The Tenants
https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_tenants
You are a landlord and can buy different apartments and houses and rent out to tenants who then pay you rent. You get to decorate the places you rent out, and the more the tenants like their new place, the more they are willing to pay. There are tons and tons of furniture, decorations, walls and floors, so you can make their homes quite varied. Relaxing and fun!

Founders' Fortune
https://www.gog.com/en/game/founders_fortune
A city builder with a medieval theme and cute graphics :) You can set the difficulty by tweaking the settings to fit your play style :)

No Man's Sky
https://www.gog.com/en/game/no_mans_sky
Exploring, base building, space ship collecting and relaxation in a beautiful universe, depending on your settings :) They have recently been expanded on so you can tailor your experience to your liking, and they can be changed at any moment (unless you lock them in). So if at any point you feel that the game is too difficult and stressful, just tweak the settings :)

Anno 1701 A.D.
https://www.gog.com/en/game/anno_1701_ad
A city builder with a historical theme. Lots and lots of settings that will make the game very relaxing (or not), depending on your preferences :) If you turn off all the aggressive rivals and keep only one of the gentler ones, you'll have a relaxing time with mostly building, exploring and trading. Might be more advanced than the others if I remember correctly, but still easier than many other games like this :)

My Time At Portia
https://www.gog.com/en/game/my_time_at_portia
Kind of like a 3D Stardew Valley. You do have a rival which can be stressful, but you don't actually have to compete with him. You can just let him win and do your own thing, and you won't miss out on anything important :)

Terraria
https://www.gog.com/en/game/terraria
This game has some really difficult things, but you can set it not to be, or just ignore the dangerous parts and just explore and build :)

Thanks all for your suggestions. I just went through Gog's entire catalogue, and I would've missed several games suggested here. I think I have a decent wishlist now.

Try FTL, it's from the same developers.

I haven't tried it, but you might also like Holy Potatoes! We're In Space?!

HTH

Yep, I own FTL already. I remember it being a frustratingly hard game - and I don't remember if it was real-time or turn-based ?

It's turn=based (spacebar or the mouse middle-button pauses the game) and I share your frustration at the difficulty. When it first appeared the game was much easier. I had to reinstall it (twice) and each time it was noticeably harder to win. I am also convinced that the game "cheats", by which I mean it will bend the RNG to facilitate the narrative; when one selects the more obscure trials, like reaching the fifth system without killing anything (which is very difficult, since it means no loot) the game generously provides random loot to compensate.

That said, it is still a game I play quite a bit. I have the mod to add a save game facility, but I haven't installed it.