Maybe is the heat, or the mood, or my lazy nature. But these times, I'm looking for passive contemplative gameplay. Stuff where you can just sit back and watch the consequences of your actions unfold, as opposed to be personally active all along.

So, I ended up (oh the shame) playing Sim City.

I know that Banished and The Last Federation should both match that sort of gameplay. I remember that the Majesty games were quite like that too. I might have a go, again, at Gratuitous Space Battles. And maybe reinstall Spacechem. But what other games do you know of, which have this sort of "give orders and chill out" gameplay ?

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So far I have sorted the suggestions in these categories - the first two being what I had in mind with the OP.

ANTHILL MANAGEMENT :

SimCity, SimTower, Sims, SimEarth, SimAnts
Zeus, Caesar, Pharaoh
Cities XL
Tropico
Children of the Nile
Zoo Tycoon
Transport Tycoon
Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis
Creatures
Evil Genius
Theme Hospital, Theme Park
RollerCoaster Tycoon
Majestic
Banished
Gangsters
Stronghold

PLAN PHASE + WATCH PHASE :

Gratuitous Space Battles
The Sting
Spacechems
Kerbal Space Program
Frozen Synapse
Star Trek: Starship Creator
Defender Quest, Kingdom Rush

DREAM-PACED RTS-ING :

Nexus
Homeworld
Populous
Dyson/Eufloria
Oil Rush

TRIPPY SITBACK :

Enemy Engaged (autopilot)
Trainz
Euro Truck Simulator 2
Flight Simulator X

ACTION/ADVENTURES WITH CHILL OUT BREAKS :

Elder Scrolls
Blade Runner
Stalker
X series
Silent Hunter series

DELICIOUS SCAM-LEVEL MINDFUCKS :

Cookie Clicker
Candy Box

SCREENSAVERS ("i'm not dead") :

Progress Quest
Mechwarrior (bots)
Ur-Quan Masters (bots)

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Too tired right now to check where to put them (especially as any classification fails at some point) :

Minecraft
Deadlock
Distant Worlds
The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us
The Last Federation
Anno
Cossacks
Sins of Solar Empire
Knights and Merchants
Dungeon Village

Sort of different than the games you've listed, but wouldn't The Sims series count?

Rollercoaster Tycoon comes to mind, and it's on special!
I'm not sure how the planning part in the beginning matches up to simcity (can't decide which is more difficult though the former is definitely more forgiving), but it also has that sit-back-and-admire-your-handiwork vibe going on.

The Settlers 2 is the most fun game I know with a definitely passive and relaxing gameplay.

Different sorts of games but maybe something like Long Live the Queen, Zafehouse or King of Dragon Pass?

Maybe an odd example, but I've spent a lot of time playing Dungeon Village on Android lately. It's from Kairosoft of Game Dev Story fame (which I'd also recommend, by the way). Basically, the game puts you in the role of the mayor of one of those RPG villages where adventurers rest up and buy and sell equipment between dungeon raids. You have to manage the village by building facilities needed by heroes (inns, shops, restaurants, training grounds, etc.). You can recruit adventurers and send them on quests (but you have no control over what they do). If an adventurer likes your village enough, he or she may choose to settle down there, after which they'll pay you taxes of their loot once a year. You can save the game at any time, so it's perfect for short sessions, like my daily commute.

With mobile games, I too look for games with little or no action, partly because I think touchscreen controls for action games generally suck, and partly because I usually play mobile games when I'm commuting to and from work, which means that I have to be able to play the game standing up on the train, and preferably one-handed.

atleast KDP is hardly passive. at the minium youre reading all the time something.

Populous at the lower levels of difficulty is great for this. I used to enjoy just watching my followers slowly conquer the land on my Genesis all the time.

Passive gaming?

You should try burning wood outside in 90 degree weather for 2 hours on a warm summer afternoon. I don't even have energy right now to play a game. Hardly even have the strength to type these words.

You city kids and your lazy summer afternoons.

Lots of Nintendo games have a button to press and the game plays itself. :)

Also, sometimes I enjoy a good Let's Play of a game I wanted to check out but didn't want to buy.

You're right on Majesty. You can issue orders and sit back and watch.

Kerbal Space Program is sort of like it, too. You're very active for take off and building, but then you only have to do occasional burns to swap orbits. It's very satisfying to land on other wolds (just the two moons for me so far -- last night it was both moons in one shot -- what a thrill!).

You country bumpkins should stop burning witches (at least in the daytime during the summer).

Ah, another contemplation adept. :)

There are many games you can "play" this way, thought in many of them you had to "helo" them quite a bit.
For example, in Cossacks series, you can pick peace time and then just watch how your people move around.
Sins of Solar Empire allowed natural single-player, now they offer it only post-victory. Although I think there is map that allows old-style gameplay. Endless Space, post-victory, or in modded map (requires powerful rig), may allow you enough time to "enjoy the view".
X-unoverse games, mostly X3, probably - their graphics is fine, gameplay has been polished well. X-Rebirth still in the process of filing rough spots.
Cities XL at the moment when you found balance, may turn into endless contemplation.
Knights and Merchants, when you near victory - requires careful maintenance of equilibrium.
Most "old" citybuilders - Zeus, Caesar, etc.
Had good time in "Gangsters", but it doesn't really working now, for me at least.
Not particularly "seat back and watch", but rather relaxing game - Euro Truck Simulator 2. Was strongly surprised.

I know I've definitely wanted more games like Majesty, but many real time builder games (like SimCity you found, and The Sims, Sim Earth...) are like your requirements.

I know what you're looking for... Games that do their own things within the parameters you set, but aren't necessarily all directly your actions. Which is why SimCity Societies (and many others) have failed for me, since they're "plot what you want" instead of "paint zones and see what happens" games.

A lot of what people are listing are games with lots of wait times.

Watching bot battles in MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries Arena Mode.