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Is Boring Actually Better in Open-World Games?
When you think about open-world video games, your mind probably jumps to massive titles like Grand Theft Auto VI or Red Dead Redemption 2—games full of high-stakes missions, fast-paced action, and lifelike graphics. But here’s a surprising thought: what if the best open-world games aren’t the most action-packed ones?
That’s right. Some of today’s most rewarding open-world experiences are intentionally slow, quiet, and even a little… boring. And believe it or not, that’s what makes them special.
What Makes Open-World Games Truly Great?
There’s something undeniably exciting about open-world games. They offer the freedom to go wherever you want, do anything, and tackle challenges at your own pace. But not every open-world game focuses on non-stop action. A growing number of games are ditching fast-paced combat and blockbuster chaos in favor of quiet exploration and simple, everyday tasks.
And you know what? That’s not a bad thing.
Games like Death Stranding, SnowRunner, and even American Truck Simulator have shown us that a slower, more methodical style of gameplay can be just as engaging—if not more—than games overloaded with explosions and shootouts.
The gaming industry has evolved significantly over the past decade, with developers recognizing that not every player wants adrenaline-pumping action around every corner. This shift represents a maturation of the medium, acknowledging that video games can offer experiences as diverse as any other art form.
The Joy of “Boring” Games
Let’s clear something up: when we say “boring,” we don’t mean dull or lifeless. Instead, these games embrace simplicity and allow players to fully immerse themselves in small, seemingly mundane tasks. These tasks might involve walking around a quiet countryside, delivering a package, or navigating difficult terrain in a truck.
Here’s why people love them:
Less stress, more immersion: Without constant action, you can actually take the time to enjoy the game world. You notice the way sunlight filters through trees, how weather patterns change, and the subtle environmental storytelling that most action games rush past.
Meaningful progress: Completing small objectives can feel incredibly satisfying. There’s a psychological principle at work here—the sense of accomplishment from finishing a tangible task, even a simple one, triggers the same reward centers in our brain that make any achievement feel good.
Realism: These games mimic real-life more closely, making the experience more relatable. When you struggle with vehicle physics in muddy terrain or plan the most efficient delivery route, you’re engaging with problems that have real-world parallels.
Relaxing gameplay: Sometimes you just want to slow down and chill, and these games deliver exactly that. After a stressful day at work or school, the last thing some players want is more stress—even if it’s virtual.
The Psychology Behind Slow Gaming
The appeal of slower-paced games isn’t just about preference—it’s rooted in psychology. Our brains are constantly overstimulated in modern life, bombarded by notifications, social media updates, and the general pace of contemporary living. Slow games offer what psychologists call “restorative experiences”—activities that help replenish our mental energy rather than drain it.
Research in environmental psychology has shown that even virtual nature experiences can reduce stress and improve mood. Games that emphasize exploration of natural landscapes, quiet contemplation, and methodical problem-solving tap into these same benefits. You’re essentially giving your brain a break while still remaining engaged and entertained.
Additionally, these games often employ what game designers call “flow states”—that perfect balance between challenge and skill where time seems to disappear. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need intense action to achieve flow. Repetitive, meditative tasks with clear goals and immediate feedback can create equally powerful flow experiences.
Why Slower Games Hit Different
Think about it—life isn’t one giant action scene. It’s full of small, sometimes tedious moments. Slowly climbing a mountain in Death Stranding or fixing your truck in SnowRunner mirrors the real-world struggles of getting from A to B. You begin to feel every step, every turn, every obstacle.
Overcoming these smaller challenges tends to feel more personal. There’s no explosive reward at the end—just the quiet satisfaction of a job well done.
It’s like finishing a good hike. No fireworks, no medals—just the view and the feeling that you did something meaningful.
These games also teach patience and persistence—qualities that translate beyond gaming. When you spend an hour carefully navigating treacherous terrain only to finally reach your destination, you’ve learned something about dedication and seeing things through. It’s a gentle reminder that not everything worth doing comes easily or quickly.
Why Modern Gamers Are Embracing the Quiet
In a world where everything is rushed—work, social media, even gaming—people are embracing slower forms of entertainment. Open-world “boring” games offer a space where you can:
- Unplug from constant stimulation
- Experience a digital world that’s peaceful and calming
- Play at your own pace, without pressure
- Take breaks without worrying about losing progress
- Engage in something meaningful without high stakes
The quiet moments allow you to notice the details: the sound of wind through trees, the changing colors of the sky, or the rhythm of your footsteps on gravel. These simple pleasures are what make these games so memorable.
The gaming community has also become more vocal about mental health and self-care. Players are increasingly recognizing when they need something calming rather than stimulating. The rise of “cozy gaming” as a popular category reflects this shift in consciousness about how games can serve different emotional needs.
The Rise of the “Cozy Gaming” Movement
Closely related to slow open-world games is the broader “cozy gaming” movement. This trend encompasses games that prioritize comfort, relaxation, and low-stakes gameplay. While cozy games like Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, and Unpacking have gained massive followings, slow open-world games represent a different flavor of the same philosophy.
Where cozy games often feature cute aesthetics and community-building mechanics, slow open-world games tend toward realism and solitude. Both serve the same fundamental need: a respite from the chaos of both modern life and mainstream gaming’s obsession with constant engagement.
This movement has grown so significant that major gaming platforms now feature dedicated sections for relaxing or low-stress games. Streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube have seen the rise of “chill gaming” streams where the emphasis is on atmosphere and conversation rather than skilled gameplay or dramatic moments.
Examples of “Boring” (but Brilliant) Open-World Games
Here are a few titles that may not be packed with high drama but still offer deeply engaging experiences:
1. Death Stranding
At its core, you’re just delivering packages. But the journey through lonely landscapes and the struggle to stay on your feet turns every delivery into an event. The game wants you to respect the journey—not just the destination.
Death Stranding was directed by Hideo Kojima and represents one of the boldest AAA experiments in slow gaming. The game asks you to think carefully about weight distribution, terrain navigation, and route planning. Combat exists but is optional and discouraged. Instead, the focus is on connection—both literally, as you rebuild America’s infrastructure, and metaphorically, as you leave helpful items for other players.
The game’s meditation on loneliness, connection, and the value of mundane work resonated with millions of players, especially during the pandemic. It proved that even within big-budget gaming, there’s an audience hungry for experiences that prioritize contemplation over action.
2. SnowRunner
Driving massive trucks through muddy trails might sound dull, but it’s oddly addictive. Every dip in the road, every slippery slope becomes part of a meaningful challenge that demands your full focus.
SnowRunner takes vehicle simulation to an extreme, with intricate physics modeling that makes every journey feel earned. You’re not just driving from point A to point B—you’re managing fuel, choosing the right vehicle for the terrain, winching yourself out of mud pits, and sometimes spending an hour on a single delivery.
The game offers a massive open world across multiple regions, each with distinct terrain challenges. The sense of accomplishment when you finally complete a difficult haul is unmatched. It’s a game about problem-solving, patience, and the satisfaction of conquering nature through careful planning rather than brute force.
3. American Truck Simulator
Imagine cruising across the U.S., hauling goods while listening to your favorite podcast or just watching the scenery roll by. It’s not about winning—it’s about soaking in the ride.
American Truck Simulator (and its European counterpart) has built a dedicated community of players who appreciate its attention to detail and relaxing gameplay loop. You manage your own trucking company, purchase and customize vehicles, and traverse beautifully recreated American highways.
Many players use these games as a form of active meditation. The game requires just enough attention to stay engaged but not so much that you can’t let your mind wander or enjoy other media simultaneously. It’s become popular among streamers as a “background game” that facilitates conversation while still providing something interesting to watch.
4. My Summer Car
You build a car from scratch while trying to survive in the Finnish countryside. Most of the time is spent fumbling with tools and eating sausages. And yet, there’s something strangely delightful about it.
My Summer Car is arguably one of the most “boring” games on this list—and that’s exactly what makes it special. The game simulates the minutiae of car assembly with hundreds of individual parts to install correctly. You also need to manage basic survival needs like hunger and thirst, maintain your home, and navigate Finnish rural life.
The game’s charm lies in its specificity and authenticity. It’s a love letter to a particular time and place, capturing the experience of teenage life in 1990s Finland. The struggle of assembling your car piece by piece makes that first successful drive feel like a genuine triumph.
5. Firewatch
While shorter than other entries on this list, Firewatch exemplifies the power of slow-paced exploration. As a fire lookout in the Wyoming wilderness, you spend your days hiking through forests, investigating mysteries, and engaging in walkie-talkie conversations with your supervisor.
The game prioritizes atmosphere and narrative over action. Your main activities are walking, observing, and talking. Yet the stunning visuals, compelling voice acting, and mysterious story create an unforgettable experience. It proves that you don’t need complex mechanics or lengthy gameplay to create something meaningful.
6. A Short Hike
This charming indie game gives you one simple objective: hike to the top of a mountain. How you get there and what you do along the way is entirely up to you. You can help other characters, collect items, or simply enjoy the scenery.
The game respects your time while still offering a satisfying open-world experience. Its low-poly art style and gentle soundtrack create a thoroughly pleasant atmosphere. It demonstrates that “open-world” doesn’t always mean “massive”—sometimes a smaller, more focused world offers more meaningful freedom.
7. Mudrunner
The predecessor to SnowRunner, Mudrunner offers an even more focused experience of off-road trucking. With fewer missions and a tighter gameplay loop, it distills the satisfaction of vehicle-based problem-solving into its purest form.
The game became a surprise hit precisely because it embraced its “boring” premise so completely. There’s no pretense of action or drama—just you, your truck, and the unforgiving terrain. This honesty in game design created something genuinely unique.
What Do These Games Offer That Others Don’t?
They give you space to think.
Because you’re not being constantly bombarded with quests, notifications, or enemies, your mind wanders. You actually begin to think about the road ahead. Maybe even… reflect a little.
It’s almost like meditation, but with a joystick.
These games create what researchers call “soft fascination”—engaging your attention enough to quiet mental chatter without demanding so much focus that you become stressed. This is the same quality that makes activities like gardening, fishing, or walking in nature so restorative.
The Power of Player Agency
Slow games often provide more meaningful agency than their action-packed counterparts. In a typical action game, your choices are often binary: fight or don’t fight, take this quest or that quest. In slow games, you’re constantly making smaller decisions that shape your entire experience.
Do you take the faster route with more obstacles or the longer, safer path? Do you push forward despite low fuel or play it safe and turn back? Do you help another player or focus solely on your own objectives? These choices may seem minor, but they accumulate into a uniquely personal experience.
Environmental Storytelling
Without constant action and dialogue, slow games rely heavily on environmental storytelling. The world itself becomes the narrative. You learn about the game’s universe through observation rather than exposition.
Death Stranding’s ruined America tells a story of collapse and fragmentation. SnowRunner’s remote regions speak to human ambition and the marks we leave on wilderness. American Truck Simulator’s highways reveal the diversity and vastness of American geography. This show-don’t-tell approach respects player intelligence and creates more memorable storytelling.
How This Style of Gameplay Can Redefine the Genre
Game developers are slowly waking up to the fact that not all gamers want or need their attention hijacked every five seconds. Slower, more thoughtful open-world games offer a different kind of thrill—one based on patience, persistence, and presence.
And believe it or not, these games might be leading the evolution of the entire open-world genre.
Breaking Free from the Ubisoft Formula
For years, open-world games followed a familiar formula: climb towers to reveal the map, complete dozens of similar side activities, collect hundreds of collectibles. While this approach works for some players, it often leads to bloat and repetition.
Slow games reject this formula entirely. Instead of filling the map with icons and activities, they trust players to create their own objectives and find their own meaning. This represents a fundamental shift in how developers think about player engagement.
Accessibility and Inclusivity
Interestingly, slow games often prove more accessible to different types of players. Without the need for quick reflexes or complex combat mechanics, these games welcome players who might be intimidated by mainstream gaming. Older players, those with disabilities, and people new to gaming often find slow games more approachable.
This accessibility doesn’t mean the games lack depth or challenge. Instead, they shift what’s being tested—from hand-eye coordination to planning, patience, and problem-solving. This democratizes gaming skill, allowing different types of intelligence to shine.
The Technical Artistry Behind Slow Games
Creating a compelling slow game requires tremendous skill and artistry. Without action to maintain engagement, developers must excel in other areas:
Sound Design
Audio becomes crucial in slow games. The crunch of gravel under tires, the whistle of wind through trees, the rumble of an engine—these sounds create immersion and provide important feedback. Many slow games feature dynamic audio systems that respond to player actions and environmental conditions.
Games like American Truck Simulator include realistic CB radio chatter and accurate truck sounds. Death Stranding’s soundtrack by Low Roar perfectly complements the lonely atmosphere. Sound design in these games isn’t just decoration—it’s integral to the experience.
Visual Design
Without explosions and special effects to dazzle players, slow games must excel in creating beautiful, believable worlds. This often means attention to lighting, weather systems, and natural environments.
The way light changes throughout the day in Firewatch, the detailed mud physics in SnowRunner, the haunting landscapes of Death Stranding—these visual elements create atmosphere and mood that action games often sacrifice for spectacle.
Pacing and Rhythm
Designing good pacing in a slow game is paradoxically more challenging than in an action game. Developers must maintain engagement without traditional excitement hooks. This requires understanding rhythm, knowing when to introduce new elements, and trusting players to find their own engagement.
The best slow games have an almost musical quality to their pacing, with moments of intensity punctuated by periods of calm. This creates a satisfying ebb and flow that prevents monotony while preserving the meditative quality.
The Community Around Slow Gaming
Slow games have fostered unique communities that differ from typical gaming spaces. These communities tend to be more collaborative, less competitive, and more focused on sharing experiences rather than achievements.
Streaming and Content Creation
Slow games have found an interesting niche in streaming culture. While they might not provide constant excitement, they create perfect environments for conversation between streamers and viewers. The gameplay provides ambient interest while the real content comes from the streamer’s personality and community interaction.
Content creators have also found creative ways to enhance slow games—adding narrative roleplay, creating self-imposed challenges, or using the games as virtual tourism experiences. This creativity demonstrates how these games serve as platforms for personal expression.
Player-Generated Stories
Without prescribed narratives dominating the experience, players of slow games often create and share their own stories. Online forums and social media feature tales of unexpected challenges, beautiful moments, or lessons learned from these virtual journeys.
This emergent storytelling represents gaming at its most personal. Two players can have vastly different experiences in the same game, and both stories are equally valid and interesting.
Should You Try a “Boring” Game?
Absolutely.
If you’ve never played a game where the main objective is just to drive, hike, or deliver something across a massive landscape—you’re missing out. Not because these games are full of excitement. But because they give you time and space to enjoy every small moment.
You might even find yourself more relaxed afterward.
How to Choose Your First Slow Game
If you’re new to slow gaming, consider what appeals to you:
Love vehicles and machinery? Try American Truck Simulator, SnowRunner, or Mudrunner.
Prefer exploration and story? Check out Firewatch, A Short Hike, or Death Stranding.
Want something truly unique? My Summer Car offers an experience unlike anything else.
Looking for something shorter? A Short Hike or Firewatch can be completed in a few hours.
Ready to commit? Death Stranding and SnowRunner offer dozens of hours of content.
Tips for Getting the Most from Slow Games
Adjust your mindset: Don’t expect constant action. Embrace the slower pace and give yourself permission to simply exist in the game world.
Use good headphones: Audio design is crucial in these games. Quality headphones will significantly enhance your experience.
Don’t rush: Resist the urge to optimize everything or rush to the end. The journey is the point.
Play when you’re in the right mood: These games work best when you’re looking for calm, not excitement.
Share your experience: The communities around these games are welcoming. Don’t hesitate to share your stories and learn from others.
The Future of Slow Open-World Gaming
As gaming continues to mature as a medium, expect to see more experimentation with pacing and gameplay styles. Major publishers are taking notice of slow gaming’s success, and indie developers continue to push boundaries.
Emerging Trends
We’re seeing slow gaming principles applied to new genres and settings. Games about fishing, gardening, photography, and other contemplative activities are finding audiences. Virtual reality is particularly well-suited to slow experiences, offering unprecedented immersion in peaceful virtual worlds.
The success of games like Unpacking and PowerWash Simulator demonstrates that players crave more than just traditional gameplay loops. They want experiences that feel meaningful, meditative, and distinct from the rest of their media consumption.
Mainstream Adoption
Even blockbuster games are incorporating slower elements. Red Dead Redemption 2, despite its action-heavy marketing, features extensive slow-paced activities like hunting, fishing, and camp maintenance. The game’s most memorable moments often come from quiet rides through beautiful landscapes rather than shootouts.
This hybrid approach suggests that the future of open-world gaming might not be a choice between slow and fast but rather a thoughtful integration of both styles.
The Therapeutic Value of Slow Games
Mental health professionals have begun recognizing the therapeutic potential of slow games. Some therapists recommend these games to clients dealing with anxiety, stress, or trauma. The combination of gentle engagement, sense of accomplishment, and meditative gameplay can provide genuine mental health benefits.
Gaming as Self-Care
Viewing gaming as self-care requires choosing games intentionally based on your needs. After a stressful day, a slow game can help you decompress in ways that intense action games cannot. This isn’t about one type of game being superior—it’s about recognizing that different experiences serve different purposes.
The ability to step into a peaceful virtual world where your only concern is delivering packages or driving trucks offers a form of escapism that’s restorative rather than merely distracting.
Final Thoughts: Slow Down and Enjoy the Journey
Open-world games don’t need to be thrilling every second. In fact, the best open-world experiences might just be the ones that let you soak in the silence, wrestle with geography, and accomplish small goals that feel huge in the moment.
The slow gaming movement represents something important in our increasingly frenetic culture—a reminder that not everything needs to be optimized, rushed, or packed with content. Sometimes the most valuable experiences are the ones that give us space to breathe, think, and simply be.
These games teach us patience, persistence, and presence. They remind us that the journey matters as much as the destination, that small accomplishments are still accomplishments, and that there’s beauty in the mundane if we take time to notice.
So the next time you’re browsing for something new to play, consider skipping the explosions and trying out a game that dares to be “boring.” You might discover it’s exactly what you needed.
What’s Your Take?
Have you played any of these slower open-world titles? What’s your favorite “boring” game and why does it stick with you? How has slow gaming changed your relationship with the medium? Drop a comment below and let’s talk gaming!
Because sometimes, the best adventures don’t rush you at all.