We all have busy lives, things to do, deals to make, work to finish, and so on.
It can be hard to find the time to experience all of your favorite games and shows, or even just sneak a little bit of gaming in on the clock.
10 Best Games For Short Play Sessions
If you don’t have a lot of time to play a game, just boot up something quick like Balatro or Pizza Tower.
Luckily, with the help of a second computer monitor or gaming console hooked up to a TV, you canget a little multitasking done.
While any game can technically be a second screen game, some are slightly better suited for the role.
These are low-impact games that generally demand very little of you, perfect for listening to a podcast or juggling between monotonous tasks.
10PowerWash Simulator
Wash Those Worries Away
PowerWash Simulator
In the modern age of the “dad game,” activities that would once be annoying chores that your parents took care of on the weekends have become surprisingly engaging gaming experiences.
The epitome of this paradigm isPowerWash Simulator, the game that somehow found a way to make spraying water on trucks and houses entertaining.
There are very few wrinkles to PowerWash Simulator’s overall gameplay loop. You just find a dirty spot and spray it until it goes away.
It’s an oddlyzen experience, perfect for passing the time with a relaxing podcast and a cup of tea.
Like Solitaire Before It
In the olden days of PCs, the time-wasting game of choice was solitaire.
You can still play solitaire on a PC if you’re into that, but there are more interesting card games available.
Balatro, for instance, has a very easily-understood gameplay loop and no particular time constraints.
However, it also has plenty of potential for time investment, not to mention hidden depths of strategy when you have more brain power to dedicate.
You can move a few cards around whenever you have a moment, and enjoy the soothing ambience and trippy backgrounds when you don’t.
8Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Do Chores While You Put Off Your Chores
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
If you’re looking for something productive to do while your favorite show plays in the background, you could always get some household chores done.
If you’d rather not do real life chores, though, there are always plenty of chores to do inAnimal Crossing: New Horizons.
New Horizons’ day-to-day gameplay means there’s always a little checklist of things you need to take care of on a given morning.
Whether you’re harvesting minerals, chatting up the neighbors,catching rare bugs, or just waiting for that construction project to finally finish, there are always a few things to occupy your time with while you listen to the news.
7Stardew Valley
Raise A Farm, Meet People
Stardew Valley
Do you want the same day-to-day life simulator experience of Animal Crossing, but without the real-life time limitation?
If that’s your preference,Stardew Valleyhas you covered and then some.
The myriad tasks and activities of Stardew Valley ensure you always have something to spend time on, whether it’s cleaning and tending the farm, making friends, or harvesting resources.
Stardew Valley’s days do pass in real time, but you can always just pause the game if you need to focus on work or change the channel.
6Euro Truck Simulator 2
Just Like A Real Trucker
Euro Truck Simulator 2
For long-haul truckers, some form of secondary stimulation is an absolute must, lest they succumb to the siren song of highway hypnosis.
As it turns out, this works in reverse as well. If you’re looking for something stimulating to go with your work or shows, Euro Truck Simulator 2 fits the bill.
Not unlikedriving a real truck, Euro Truck Simulator 2 is primarily about watching the road, making slight speed adjustments, and accounting for your cargo.
It scratches the same itch as a long drive across a mountain highway, except no one gets hurt if you zone out and crash.
5Webfishing
Always Time For A Quick Cast
Webfishing
Fishing is quite possibly one of the oldest forms of noncommittal activities devised by mankind.
There are plenty of fishing mini games to enjoy in various games, but if you want something more self-contained, try Webfishing.
10 Best Games With Addictive Fishing Minigames
It was THIS big!
This relaxing fishing game doubles as a chatroom where you can chat and goof off with your friends or random players.
You can also just keep to yourself if you prefer, casting a line and leaving it while you do other things at your desk until you get a bite.
4Slay The Spire
The Less-Intensive Roguelite
Slay the Spire
Roguelikes and roguelites are generally a pretty good choice for a second screen game, but depending on what you’re doing on your other screen, some may not work out.
An action dungeon-crawler, for instance, might not be good if you have to keep pausing and tabbing out.
For a roguelite that’s content to let you take your time, trySlay The Spire.
Slay The Spire’s card-based gameplay encourages you to take things slow and calculated, and won’t punish you if you need to step away for a bit.
3Spiritfarer
Keep The Spirits Happy
Spiritfarer
Chores make for a good second screen game, but it’s nice to be appreciated for the work that you do, even if it’s just in a video game.
If you want a game full of chores that someone will actually thank you for doing, you’ll enjoySpiritfarer.
All of the traveling, cooking, plant growing, and other assorted tasks you do are for the express purpose of keeping your spiritual wards content in their afterlife.
If at all possible, though, you might want to give the game your full attentionwhen the spirits leave. They deserve it.
2Bloons TD 6
The Monkeys Will Handle It
Bloons TD 6
Having a tower defense game as your second screen game is kind of like having an elaborate Rube Goldberg machine going off in your peripheral vision.
Even if you’re not directly controlling it, it’s immensely satisfying to see the whole thing unfurl.
Bloons TD 6is a great example of that satisfaction.
Just set up your monkeys of choice and let them handle all the balloon popping while you focus on other things.
You do need to add more monkeys and weapons as things escalate, but that doesn’t require more than a couple of quick clicks.
Nothing Like Business During Business
Can you imagine how proud the earliest engineers felt when they first managed to fully automate a task?
It’s a feeling you can experience yourself by playing Factorio.
The whole point of the game is to get your factory setup as completely automated as possible, handling the logistics of everything while the machines do the work.
It could be considered redundant to have what is effectively a work simulator running while you do other work, but it’s different.This is fun work.
7 Games With Deep Economic Systems
Deep economic models make every action you take more impactful and give some weight to decisions beyond just right-clicking a problem away.
