Gift Guide: “Mindless Fun” Steam Games

If you’re anything like me, you might find yourself frequently dealing with at least some degree of anxiety and/or stress. If you or anyone for whom you’re buying gifts could benefit from having some new Steam games to play to help you zone out for a while, I’ve got a short list of suggestions to help with that. I call games like these “mindless fun” because that’s exactly how I describe them – they’re games that let me shut my brain off, relax, and enjoy myself when the outside world gets to me too much. On with the list!

Earth Defense Force 5 ($59.99 USD)

Are you at all excited by the thought of equipping your choice of armor and using any of a huge variety of weapons to defend Earth from an invading army of extraterrestrial, gargantuan killer insects? If so, the entire Earth Defense Force series might be right up your alley; I’m specifically listing EDF 5 here because that’s the only one I’ve played to date. Of course, this one might be a terrible gift for someone who’s afraid of insects; if that’s not you, however, then load up your dual arm-mounted Gatling guns and get back into the fight, soldier!

Clone Drone in the Danger Zone ($19.99 USD)

Picture this: Your mind has been downloaded into the body of a robot, and you’ve found yourself in a combat arena being forced to fight your fellow formerly-human robots to death. Your opponents can slice off any part of your new body for the amusement of the commentators who are voiced by text-to-speech systems, so it’s only fair that you try and do the same to them first. For my part, I really enjoy using my flaming sword to slice an enemy in half at the waist and then triumphantly (and mockingly) yelling, “Lieutenant Dan, you ain’t got no legs!”

Heretic’s Fork ($9.99 USD)

Heretic’s Fork is a deck-building tower defense title in which you play as “the manager of Hell.” Your job is to use your computer system to build automated defenses that will keep the souls of sinners from escaping Hell (by killing them, of course). Each “shift” as the manager of Hell will end when you let too many sinners escape at once, but you can jump right back in and try again afterward. I’m not sure how sinners can be kept in Hell by being killed, since logic dictates they’ve already died once, but that’s putting far too much thought into a “mindless fun” game.

PowerWash Simulator ($24.99 USD)

I’m tempted to say PowerWash Simulator needs no introduction, especially within the context of a list like this. You can spend hundreds upon hundreds of hours relaxing while you use your power washer to eradicate dirt wherever it might hide. Completing each level will give you the satisfaction (and appropriate compensation) of a job well done, as well as the catharsis of knowing you’ve thoroughly cleaned something that was previously utterly filthy, likely without needing to have put much conscious thought into that process. Fair warning, though – don’t be surprised if you find yourself needing to urinate more often than usual while playing PowerWash Simulator.

Audiosurf 2 ($14.99 USD)

Audiosurf 2 is a rhythm game in which you traverse various lanes of a road to score points in time with any music track you like. You can import MP3 files you’ve got locally stored on your computer to play within Audiosurf 2, or input a YouTube link to your chosen song if you don’t have your own digital copy of it available. I’m honestly not sure how best to explain why playing Audiosurf 2 works wonders for my mental health, so if you’re not convinced to buy the full game, I’d advise trying its free demo to experience its offerings for yourself.