Whether you’re working from home or you have a pretty powerful portable device that’s able to run games, it’s important to make sure that they don’t serve as a distraction during your work hours. However, they can be quite an excellent tool when it comes to taking a break, so long as you’re playing the right ones. It might not be all that satisfying to crack open the latest 100+ hour RPG in those 30 or so minutes you get for your lunch break, but here are some games that fit much better in that space, instead.
Reset Your Focus With Some Bullet Heaven
If you’ve been having a hectic and stressful day, then sometimes you need to let that energy out so that you can come back to work feeling clear and focused. Fast-paced bullet heaven games, also known as survivor-likes, such as Vampire Survivors, can let you jump into the action with minimal setup and simple enough controls that you’re never getting too overstimulated. These games are built to have short, self-contained runs, which make them perfect for filling up a little time in your lunch break, with no worry about length utrotirals or story commitments. However, they’re fast and reflex-dependent enough that they’re not going to end up bringing your energy levels down too low, either.
Keep Your Mind Sharp With Roguelike Deckbuilders
Some days, your brain is working efficiently and effectively, and you don’t want a break to interrupt your flow. However, a little distraction can still be very effective if you want to avoid burning out. To that end, roguelike deckbuilders, like Balatro or Monster Train, can be great for keeping your mind engaged without putting too much pressure on it. The different feel of reach run can keep your problem-solving and experimenting skills nice and sharp. What’s more, these games tend to offer incremental increases between each run, as well, so there’s always good incentive to come back for more the next day, but their randomness means that they don’t feel like you’re playing the same thing again and again.
Simple Rules-Based Games For A Zen Escape
While sometimes it can be a benefit to have a game that’s always changing on you, in other cases, it might be that returning to the same ruleset and scenarios can help you keep your mind busy while allowing it to relax. Simple games like Spider Solitaire are perfect for this. They’re familiar and low-pressure, which makes them easy to step into for a few minutes, and they’re not too distracting, so you’re not going to have a problem pulling away from them to get back into your work. Whether you prefer simple card games or digital contemporaries like Minesweeper, you can slow an overstimulated day right down, acting as a mental palate cleanser before you get back into work.
Switch Off With Idle And Clicker Games
If you’ve been rushing throughout the day, sometimes you need nothing more than the chance to turn your brain off, even if only for a few minutes. When your energy is low, idle and clicker games like Cookie Clicker can be just what you need. They’re not going to need your attention throughout the day and offer progression without any deep thinking or reaction-heavy play. You can simply check in, make a few upgrades, click to watch that number go up, and then, when your break is over or you’re simply done with it, close it to let it continue working behind the scenes. If your brain needs rest more than anything, the meditative quality of these games can offer just that.
Puzzle Games And Brain Teasers
If you want a little something thoughtful, but not one that demands a full play session to give you a relatively complete experience, then there are plenty of puzzle games that can offer just that. Games like the Professor Layton games offer small, bite-sized puzzles one at a time that can test your logic and creativity in different ways. You can easily solve one or two of those puzzles during a lunch break without having to commit to a long session. Some of these games can also have their longer story-driven segments, so you might want to play those out when you have more time, then leave the more open puzzle bits for your breaks.
Asynchronous Multiplayer Games
If you love the challenge of a little PVP, but you know that you’re not going to have the time to hop into an online lobby, then you should look at the growing genre of multiplayer games that allow you to pause or take turns. Words with Friends is one of the better examples of those that allow you to take your turn whenever you have a spare moment. You can even set up multiple games at one time, so that you can chip away at several games throughout the day, giving an answer during your lunch break, then coming back for a more focused session when your work is out of the way for the day.
Short Session Action-Driven Games
A good, slow, turn-based game can be just what you need when your day is feeling a little hectic. However, when your energy is high, and you don’t want to let it drift down too much, then you might want ot look at faster-paced action games with sessions that can last only a few minutes. This might mean hopping online with a fighting game, or joining a session or two of team-based shooters like Marvel Rivals or Overwatch. You want to avoid playing heavy PVP-driven games when your mood is variable, as a seemingly unfair match during a tough day can makes thing even worse. However, when it’s going well, and you want to keep up your momentum, they can offer the mental exercise you need.
Which lunch break games work best will depend largely on what type of break you need. Not to mention your preference games. However, hopefully the above tips have given you some easy directions to explore.
