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Good games to play with your girlfriend who isn't a gamer?
- Thread starter SolVanderlyn
- Start date
I introduced my girlfriend, now wife, to Katamari Damacy 1 on our first date. I got a 2nd date so it must've done something right. A year later, we obsessively played LBP1 as well.
A Tiktoker recommended Assassin's Creed Odyssey to my partner, she decided to jump on my PC and buy it and she likes it so far.
We first saw/played Nidhogg at some art exhibit and she loved it. When I realized it was a game on consoles, I downloaded it, I think we only played it once together, and then it sat there haha.
I definitely have some games I've purchased in the hopes that she'll like them only to find that she doesn't really.
This one.
The Stretcher also looks like a fun casual but haven't tried it.
I enjoyed Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light and Portal 2 greatly in co-op, figuring out puzzles together, don't know how appealing they might be in your case.
I play a lot of Soul Calibur VI with my girlfriend. The game is kind a button-mashing so she can do very well.
Unravel 2 is also a good choice for us.
Unravel 2 is also a good choice for us.
Stay away from The Last of Us 2. My wife hates watching me play the "gameplay" segments, as I look in every nook and cranny for items, ammo or collectibles.
- What Remains Of Edith Finch (great story, short enough to run through in a weekend, very easy introduction/pace, will let her learn 3d controls in a non-punishing environment).
- Untitled Goose Game (some of the trickier bits you can control the goose but ask her to offer suggestions for puzzles)
- Peggle (it's the best)
- The Gardens Between (a really simple and engaging puzzle game, doesn't overstay its welcome)
- Costume Quest 1&2 (very cute game, RPG-light (will introduce those mechanics other games further down the line will use, without being punishing).
- Limbo/Inside (a step up from the previous ones in terms of dexterity requires, but if she can play Mario, she can play these. They are both games that leave a lasting mark)
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My experience with people who don't play games in general is that they struggle excessively with the camera. Younger people can pick it up easier but don't expect them to be pulling off complex stuff with it for a bit.
You need something that either has a fixed camera or something that the camera snaps back up front.
Heavily cinematic games are good. Easy to get into and learn how to use the controller. Teach all the buttons and it's like a movie so they already know how it works.
You need something that either has a fixed camera or something that the camera snaps back up front.
Heavily cinematic games are good. Easy to get into and learn how to use the controller. Teach all the buttons and it's like a movie so they already know how it works.
I don't know what systems you have, etc but here's the kinda stuff my wife likes to play/watch...
Uncharted
Detroit
FF7R (story stuff not random fights)
Until Dawn
Beyond Two Souls
Story driven, non open world kinda games. My wife may also have a crush on Nathan Drake.
Uncharted
Detroit
FF7R (story stuff not random fights)
Until Dawn
Beyond Two Souls
Story driven, non open world kinda games. My wife may also have a crush on Nathan Drake.
IloMilo is the game my friend and I play together, and it's designed to charm the pants off of you. It's really cute.
Mario Party is always a winner -- really any of the Nintendo multiplayer games are made for casuals to enjoy. The days of quiz games are long gone, but back in the 360 days, 1 vs 100 was a big winner with the ex-wife who was not a gamer at all besides the random pinball.
You can never go wrong with pinball. Try out some of the Pinball FX3 licensed tables if you can. It has that good mix of luck and skill where you can play against each other at a moments notice and the games don't go too long unless you are really good.
Cat Quest 2. Play the cat in a healer role and let her clobber things with the dog in heavy armor. Dodge, clobber, dodge, clobber. On story mode it's very difficult to lose that way. Couch coop.
My wife played Dragon Quest Builders on my brother's switch when he was visiting. Then she bought her own switch with that and got into Minecraft (which she said she could never understand how my son and I played that - she even had us go to MoPop for the Minecraft exhibit). Then she beat Breath of the Wild, some Assassins Creed games, and started Skyrim (hates the combat, but I did warn her). She has said she would never have thought she'd start playing games in her 40's.
Don't listen to these Overcooked suggestions, unless you want to lose that friend.
Overcooked only ends one way.
I disagree. My partner and I had a great time playing that game together. We even went after the Platinum. After a while, we barely needed to talk because we were totally in synch. If your relationship can't survive playing a coop game, maybe it just wasn't meant to be.
My wife is not a gamer at all, but she loved to backseat on Uncharted 4, quantum Break, resident evil 2, until dawn, men of Medan.
She still doesn't want the controller, but these games are growing on her...
She still doesn't want the controller, but these games are growing on her...
Any Bubble Bobble game including the original via Arcade Archives (Bubble Bobble was literally created as a way to get more girlfriends into arcades).
Unravel 2 (maybe a bit complex at times but it's very friendly in terms of design)
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (not really co-op but can be played with two sides of a single controllers)
Untitled Goose Game (hilarious to both watch and play)
Unravel 2 (maybe a bit complex at times but it's very friendly in terms of design)
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (not really co-op but can be played with two sides of a single controllers)
Untitled Goose Game (hilarious to both watch and play)
Don't listen to these Overcooked suggestions, unless you want to lose that friend.
Overcooked only ends one way.
This. Don't play Overcooked with someone that doesn't game but you want to stay friends with.
Wow, thanks for the free relationship advice, brb filing the divorce papers!
I suggest this, play some cinematic stuff and let her enjoy watching first. It's how I originally got into games back in elementary schools, I mostly watched other people play, unsure of my own capabilities (and not having my own console or PC at the time...).
Your wife is cool! I suggest "gone home" although it will feel like a step back after the other two games she already liked. Maybe she's also going to like "Her Story" or fun FMV stuff like "Contradiction"? Maybe "Oxenfree" or "Night in the Woods" look interesting to her?
I think she might also enjoy Telltale Games' stuff (can you still buy "The Wolf Among Us"?) or Life is Strange.
Also the Sherlock Holmes series from Frogwares might be something she finds fun.
... and from there it's just a short hike over "Judgement" to start playing "Yakuza", which of course should always be the end goal here. (I jest.)
Personally I also suggest "To the Moon" as a great gateway drug into Visual Novels, but she might hate the graphics.
My wife is the same way, OP. She enjoyed taking turns playing Yoshi's Crafted World, and she likes Mario Kart games, but that's it. She doesn't like 2 player games that much because she feels like it's too much pressure.
She did enjoy watching me playing Life Is Strange. The story really intrigued her and she enjoyed the playthrough. I started Beyond 2 Souls too and she was interested (I just couldn't finish it because I was playing on PS Now for PC and it required gyro).
She did enjoy watching me playing Life Is Strange. The story really intrigued her and she enjoyed the playthrough. I started Beyond 2 Souls too and she was interested (I just couldn't finish it because I was playing on PS Now for PC and it required gyro).
My wife was never a gamer and she made a complete 180 when I showed her Breath of the Wild. I know you are asking for games you can play together, but I had a blast watching her play BotW and it really opened up her eyes that games weren't all mindless hack and slash or shooting games.
My wife watches me play the recent Tomb Raider games or Uncharted, and she'll assist with the puzzles. Otherwise she doesn't give a fig about games.
Terraria might be good.
We Were Here 1 and 2, or Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes for joint puzzle solving. These games are very communication heavy so hopefully it doesn't cause fights lol.
Raft for joint survival stuff.
Mario Galaxy if she just wants to help collect stuff and shoot things while you do the platforming.
Space Engineers or Factorio if you like building stuff together.
We Were Here 1 and 2, or Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes for joint puzzle solving. These games are very communication heavy so hopefully it doesn't cause fights lol.
Raft for joint survival stuff.
Mario Galaxy if she just wants to help collect stuff and shoot things while you do the platforming.
Space Engineers or Factorio if you like building stuff together.
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The LEGO games are pretty solid. Just pick whichever property they like best and go with that, there should be at least one that she'd like (DC comics, Marvel, Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, LEGO Movie, Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones, Ninjago, LEGO City, etc.).
She played BOTW for a bit, but only ever moved the camera when it was absolutely necessary, and sometimes not even then (like looking at a monster running up on her).
Yeah, I had my partner try some of my a Switch games when Covid started and right stick camera controls were definitely something she wasn't good at.
She played BOTW for a bit, but only ever moved the camera when it was absolutely necessary, and sometimes not even then (like looking at a monster running up on her).
My GF hadn't played a games console since childhood, over 20 years ago. Thankfully that's changed.
Games she plays on her profile:
Stardew Valley
Rayman Legends
Untitled Goo
Tetris Effect
DJ Max Respect
Games we play/have completed together:
Overcooked
Towerfall Ascension
Knowledge is Power
Horizon Chase Turbo
Sherlock / Poirot point'n'click-esque adventures
Telling Lies
Her Story
Return of Obra Dinn
The Witness
What remains of Edith Finch
Until Dawn
Rory McIlroy PGA Golf!
Detroit
Last Guardian
Shadow of the Colossus
And so on. I have Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime but haven't ever tried that with her, so will give that a go soon. Don't Starve Together too.
It's controlling the 3D camera that she struggles with in the main, so most of the games we play avoid that.
Games she plays on her profile:
Stardew Valley
Rayman Legends
Untitled Goo
Tetris Effect
DJ Max Respect
Games we play/have completed together:
Overcooked
Towerfall Ascension
Knowledge is Power
Horizon Chase Turbo
Sherlock / Poirot point'n'click-esque adventures
Telling Lies
Her Story
Return of Obra Dinn
The Witness
What remains of Edith Finch
Until Dawn
Rory McIlroy PGA Golf!
Detroit
Last Guardian
Shadow of the Colossus
And so on. I have Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime but haven't ever tried that with her, so will give that a go soon. Don't Starve Together too.
It's controlling the 3D camera that she struggles with in the main, so most of the games we play avoid that.
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Same. She loves Crash bandicoot and 2D Mario or Mario Kart, because she doesn't have to move the camera.
Yes! It's great because, while most of us here get upset if we don't make it a good distance. Casual / new players get a kick out of beating out even just 5-10 others, which is generally pretty easy. So even if they didn't "Win" they feel better than at least a handful of others, keeps them going.