One of the many aspects of gaming that has improved by leaps and bounds over the past few decades is sound design. While visual improvements between console generations are the most immediately noticeable change, sound design has also made steady progress to the point that some AAA games today are comparable to modern movies.
Despite this, there are times when gamers prefer to lower the volume and listen to their favorite podcast instead. Also, some people are really only interested in listening to the podcast and just want to do something with their hands in the meantime. Luckily, there are plenty of games available today that don’t require players to read lots of text or watch lots of cutscenes, making them perfect for players to play while part of their attention is elsewhere. .
sept Almost all platforms
When looking for games without a lot of text, dialogue, or cutscenes, the platformer genre is a great place to start. While there are a few exceptions, most platforms spend very little time setting the stage or telling a complex story and simply give players a generic goal before letting them jump straight into the action.
Most platform games follow the Super Mario 64storyline shot, where Peach tells Mario that she is baking a cake; Mario learns that she has been kidnapped. then there’s hardly any storyline until the very end where Peach finally bakes Mario the cake she promised.
6 The witness
The witness is an open-world puzzle game designed by Jonathan Blow, who is best known for his work on the highly influential indie game Braid.
The witness has mostly ambient sounds, as there is virtually no music to listen to and dialogue is reduced to a handful of optional tape recordings. Listening to podcasts or music can be distracting in some puzzle games, although it’s not really a problem in The witness as players are free to explore the island and solve puzzles at their own pace, with only a small handful of the game’s many puzzles implementing time constraints.
5 Farming Simulator Series
The farming simulator has had a huge influence on the simulator genre in recent years. The game gained popularity in the mid-2010s when the game became a meme and people played it as a joke before many of them realized there was actually a lot of value in the game. series and simulation games in general.
The farming simulator the series isn’t going to have players crying over a gripping story or pumping their fists with excitement following finishing a tough section, though it does offer gripping simplicity with plenty to aim for and work towards, keeping players engaged and making a perfect game to change to.
4 Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020)
Another great simulation game to play while listening to a podcast is Microsoft Flight Simulator. The game was released on PC in 2020 before coming to Xbox Series X/S the following year and received excellent Metascores of 90 and 91.
As farming simulatorthe game requires the player’s attention for the first hour while they learn the controls and mechanics, but once that’s done they can set off on a journey of their own choosing and explore some of the world’s most iconic locations, while listening to his favorite podcast.
3 Minecraft
Minecraft received its full release just over 10 years ago in November 2011, and it has already sold over 200 million copies, making it the second best-selling game of all time behind only Tetris.
MinecraftBoth the Crafting and Survival modes are ideal for listening to podcasts when playing alone, as time will pass as players create gigantic structures or search for diamonds.
While most of the games on this list are applicable because their sound can be turned down and still be enjoyable, Soccer Coach 22 qualifies for this list because it has literally no sounds or music other than generic crowd sounds and a few repetitive greetings and goodbyes during press conferences.
Therefore, Soccer Coach 22 is a game that is actually enhanced by listening to something while playing, as sitting still staring at spreadsheets and data in silence can make players wonder if they are playing or working.
1 Anneau d’Elden
Anneau d’Elden was recently released in February 2022 and was a smash hit both critically and commercially, with over 12 million copies sold in just one month and a whopping 96 Metascore. Anneau d’Elden sticks to FromSoftware’s tried-and-true Soulsborne formula, with punishing difficulty levels, minimal cutscenes, plenty of items and weapons to find, and memorable boss battles all appearing in-game.
The lack of cutscenes and the fact that players will often be fighting the same boss or in the same area for a while has always made Soulsborne games a good choice to play while listening to a podcast. Anneau d’Elden is by far the best game in the series for listening to podcasts, thanks to the implementation of a massive open world that players can literally spend hundreds of hours exploring at their own pace.
