So recently, I ended up getting sick from an event I went to. I took sick leave from my employment, and I have a few days to rest. I don’t want to just stay in bed, however.
So, what games do you like to play when your sick? Something that doesn’t require too much thinking to play.
The last time I got really fucking sick and had to stay off work for two weeks I played a lot of “Sticky Business”.
You design and sell stickers. Its cute, chill, wholesome, scratches my creative itch, and is just distracting enough for all the being-sick stuff going on, but not so complicated as to trigger a headache.
Stardew valley and terraria
Terraria has an option to pause while in menus, which is useful when you’re sick and might suddenly need to run to the bathroom at any time.
You can pause Stardew by bringing up the menu.
I’d recommend emulating some nostalgic games from your childhood, ones you’ve played to death and wouldn’t mind any sudden interruptions of since you’ve seen everything a hundred times.
Basically, the video game equivalent of putting on old sitcoms.
I replay games I’m intimately familiar with so I can just autopilot and chill.
I am more likely to watch a movie or binge a show when I’m sick than play a video game though. Sometimes I read a comic book if my eyes are OK or listen to an audiobook.
Dorfromantik.
It’s a game where you place tiles to build a map and you get scored based on how well the placed tile matches the rest of the tiles. Extra score comes from additional goals which usually mean finishing a certain area.
It’s my go to game when I’m burnt out and can’t think or I’m so sick I can’t focus on anything, because the game is perfect when you’re low energy. There is no clock, there is no mental overhead of keeping track of something. The game gives you all the information you need and you can play one tile at a time. The music is calm and the tiles you place create this idyllic world that’s pleasing to the eye.
It’s the ultimate chillout game.
When my sick, close eyes and rest.
Dr. Mario or Microsurgeon so you can pretend like you’re curing yourself 😃
Derail Valley Simulator is actually quite chill, once you have an idea of how to handle your trains. I have almost $7,000,000 saved up to see how big of a boom I can cause without going into debt, or hurting my engines and caboose.
Maybe check out:
- Dorf Romantik
- Tiny Glade
- one of the house flipper or power wash sim games
- if I were sick, I’d probably play some RimWorld, or whatever open world RPG I have going, but those are probably more involved than it sounds like you’re in the mood for.
Something very chill. Your brain needs rest, more so if you’re running a fever.
If you’re majorly sick, I recommend playing a visual novel. They usually do not require much movement or thinking on your part; most only need you to click your mouse or tap spacebar to advance. You can look up a VN that suits your needs here: Link If you want a VN that has a particular genre or theme I can give more specialized suggestions.
Aside from that, you can play some simple automation or puzzle games. territorial.io works well for this. shapez 2 is also a good option.
Chaos;Head is a visual novel I’m tempted to recommend specifically for this type of situation. The plot revolves around a protagonist with the power to make his delusions into reality. Lots of mind-fuckery. It’d probably be a trip to experience while sick.
The naming scheme seems similar to Steins;Gate. Was it made by the same devs?
It is. It’s actually the first entry in the Science Adventure series. Steins;Gate comes after, though it also works as a standalone story. Robotics;Notes has a lot more references to Chaos;Head.
Deep rock survivor. No thought required. Break rocks. Guns will sort out the test on their own.
I’d do for Vampire Survivors
Goddamn YouTuber influencers made me get Megabonk the other day, and it’s pretty fun. It reminds me of Risk if Rain 2
Vampire of Rain
Also Ball X Pit.
Ball X Pit is PERFECT for being sick. I was recovering from hospital and marathoned it in a couple days. Beat it in 33 hours.
Turn based jrpgs like Final fantasy series games, octopath traveller, dragon warrior
Sam and max beyond space and time, comedy point and click adventure style game
DOOM
Visual novels would be good if you’re looking for something low-energy.






