A recommendation pleading post (with a twist)

APICO maybe? It's got some crafting, but is mostly pretty chill, concentrating on breeding bees.

Dorfromantik is relatively mindless. You place tiles and create landscapes. There's nice music too. There's a sort of strategy to it, but it's pretty light. Unlocking new tiles is the main grind. If you wanted a bit more thought involved, just about any turn-based strategy like Civilization 6 should do.

If you want to keep to JRPGs but at a calmer pace than FF7R, False Skies might be up your alley. ARPGs like Chronicon are also low on the intense/concentration scale (although like most ARPGs, you shouldn't expect much of a story).

But more than any of those, I think Dave the Diver is your best bet. Ocean theme, doesn't require great concentration (besides the odd minigame), and has a bunch to be taken in at your own pace.

Slay the Spire is a classic, it's all turn based, playing is easy but mastering it is a deep skill if that's something you're into.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is a cool CRPG, the exploration is real-time and it switched to turn based for combat. Very big and large, and you can spend a lotta time running around learning lore rather than fighting if that's what you like.

Persona 5 Royal is a dream, again turn-based fighting, cute characters and story, very anime. Also long (took me like 90 hours) but never feels drawn-out.

If you like board games, I've recently got the Aeons End digital adaptation, and that's a lotta fun. It's co-op, but you can play "two-handed" (aka control 2 people) and it works pretty flawlessly, and the app is very good. If you really wanna be ambitious you can even play up to 4-handed, but I feel like that's too much brainpower for any sane person lol

Subnautica does have freedom and fun modes letting you ignore food and stuff like that. But I will say skipping the crafting, it loses something. The gradual increase in depth and pressure you can take is really satisfying.

I like turning off food and water needs though. That's just tedious

I find Townscaper really relaxing, there's no objective, just a toy to make cute looking towns. Haven't tested it on steam deck tho.

If you like building/puzzles there's Shapez (this one I tried on steam deck and it might take some time to get used to the controls), it's like factorio but abstract and without resource management, you just make machines that modify and combine shapes to create new ones, it get's progressively complicated, if it's your thing you'll find it quite addicting so be mindfull of that.

For sims there's Two Point Hospital, (Two Point Campus came out recently but I haven't tried it), Planet Coaster and Cities Skylines (if you're into the hard stuff)

Here are some more narrative driven games that I like:

• Life Is Strange: Graphic adventure with a cool twist and a compelling story
• Child of Light: Chill RPG in the style of a children's story
• Blacksad: Cool detective graphic adventure
• Both FAR games Lone Sails and Changing Tides: Puzzle platformer with a story told just with the environment, I recommend playing both one after the other in order
• SteamWorld Heist: Tactical RPG in a side 2D perspective with ricochet. I haven't played much of this one but it's very cool
• Gris: an interesting platformer with really nice looking animation
• A Short Hike: A cute adventure game about exploration
• Oxenfree: An interesting graphic adventure with a cool story
• Night In The Woods: Platformer adventure with an interesting story and great characters

Permanently Deleted

The outer wilds is mostly pretty chill and relaxing and one of the best games I've ever played. Don't look up spoilers if you pick it. It's a game about exploring and curiosity

The Outer Wilds. If you have a keyboard and mouse Cities: skylines.