Numerous games demand the player’s undivided attention. Others, however, offer fans more relaxing activities, such as podcast listening!
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Sound design is one of the many aspects of gaming that has improved by leaps and bounds over the past three decades. Even though visual improvements are the most obvious change between console generations, improvements in sound design have been so consistent that some AAA games today sound like movies.
Despite this, there are times when players would prefer to turn down their volume and listen to their preferred podcast. In addition, some individuals are only interested in listening to the podcast and desire something to do in the meantime. Thankfully, there are numerous games available today that do not require players to read a great deal of text or watch a great deal of cutscenes, making them ideal for gamers who need to divide their attention.
Jack Pursey updated this page on 5 September 2022. It is not an exaggeration to assert that there is a podcast out there for everyone, given the vast number of podcasts currently being produced. There is a podcast for everyone to listen to for hours to pass the time, regardless of whether it is humorous, political, or about a subject that only a few thousand people in the world are interested in. This list of the best games to play while listening to podcasts has been updated to include a few more entries for those who are currently immersed in an engaging listen.
The Animal Crossing: New Horizons video game.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons rejects many standard elements of the gaming industry, such as enemies, combat, and predetermined objectives. Like its predecessors, New Horizons simply places players on an island and allows them to create their own paradise.
The game is deceptively addicting and easy to get lost in, as the personal tasks that players set for themselves become enticing objectives that players will gladly spend hours pursuing. The game’s laid-back, relaxing atmosphere makes it ideal for playing while listening to a podcast.
Hades
Hades, a roguelike dungeon crawler where combat and slaying enemies is central to the gameplay, is the polar opposite of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Despite how intense Hades is, it’s a great game to play while listening to a podcast, as the game has minimal dialogue during a run, so players can listen to something else as they attempt to reach Mount Olympus for the next time.
Hades is one of the most critically acclaimed games on this list, as evidenced by its 93 Metascore across all platforms, so fans of the genre should give it serious consideration.
Civilization 6
For those unfamiliar with the Civilization series, the inclusion of Civilization 6 on this list may seem odd. The game is extremely difficult for new players to grasp and is filled with text screens for players to read. Eventually, however, the game will click with players, and they will be able to disable any assistance or guidance.
Once players reach this point, which occurs surprisingly quickly, Civilization 6 becomes an ideal game to play while listening to a podcast, as they will be glued to the screen and unable to resist taking another turn repeatedly.
Virtually Every Platformer
When searching for games with little text, dialogue, and cutscenes, the platforming genre is an excellent place to begin. The majority of platform games, with a few notable exceptions, spend very little time establishing the setting or telling a complex story, instead providing players with a generic objective and allowing them to jump right into the action.
Peach tells Mario she’s baking a cake, Mario hears she’s been kidnapped, and then there’s almost no story until the very end, when Peach finally bakes Mario the promised cake.
The Testimony
Jonathan Blow, best known for his work on the highly influential indie game Braid, designed The Witness, an open-world puzzle game.
The Witness primarily consists of ambient sounds, as there is almost no music to listen to and only a handful of optional voice recordings. In some puzzle games, listening to podcasts or music can be distracting, but this is not an issue in The Witness, as players are free to explore the island and solve puzzles at their own pace, with only a small number of puzzles implementing time-limits.
Series of Farming Simulators
In recent years, the Farming Simulator series has had a significant impact on the simulator genre. During the mid-2010s, when the game became a meme and people played it as a joke, the game’s popularity skyrocketed before many players realized that the series and simulator games in general had a great deal of value.
The Farming Simulator series won’t make players cry from a gripping story or pump their fists in excitement after completing a challenging section, but it offers engrossing simplicity with plenty to aim for and work towards, keeping players engaged and making it an ideal game for unwinding.
Simulation of flight by Microsoft (2020)
Microsoft Flight Simulator is another excellent simulator game to play while listening to a podcast. The game received excellent Metascores of 90 and 91 when it was released on PC in 2020, followed by Xbox Series X/S the following year.
Similar to Farming Simulator, the game requires the player’s attention for the first hour as they learn the controls and mechanics, but after that, they can explore some of the world’s most iconic locations while listening to their preferred podcast.
Minecraft
Over 200 million copies of Minecraft have already been sold, making it the second best-selling video game of all time, behind only Tetris. Minecraft was released in its entirety just over ten years ago, in November 2011.
When playing alone, the creative and survival modes of Minecraft are ideal for podcast listening, as time flies by as players construct enormous structures or mine for diamonds.
Soccer Manager 22
Football Manager 22 qualifies for this list because it has no sound or music other than generic crowd sounds and a few repetitive greetings during press conferences, whereas the majority of the games on this list can be played with the volume turned down without sacrificing enjoyment.
As a result, Football Manager 22 is enhanced by listening to music while playing, as staring at spreadsheets and data in silence can cause players to question whether they are gaming or working.
Elden Ring
Elden Ring came out in February 2022 and has been a critical and commercial success, with over 12 million copies sold in one month and a staggering 96 Metascore. FromSoftware’s tried-and-true Soulsborne formula is used in Elden Ring, which has punishingly hard levels, few cutscenes, a lot of items and weapons to find, and memorable boss fights.
Soulsborne games have always been a good choice for playing while listening to a podcast because there aren’t many cutscenes and players often fight the same boss or travel through the same area for a long time. Elden Ring is by far the best game in the series to listen to podcasts while playing because it has a huge open world that players can spend hundreds of hours exploring at their own pace.