Many modern video games have complex game mechanics. This means beginners need to spend time figuring out the mechanics, controls, and rules before playing. Fortunately, there are video games for beginners that are very enjoyable to play.
These games also offer a heavy amount of strategy and complexity without being gated by complex mechanics. Most are simple to control and don’t consume much time when learning the mechanics.
Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley is a combination of a farm simulation and a role-playing game.
The game is all about tending to your land while also maintaining other aspects of your life by interacting with villagers and completing missions.
The clear-cut graphics, easy-to-navigate interface, simple game mechanics, and user-friendly design makes Stardew Valley one of the best video games for beginners.
It is available on desktop computers and mobile devices. The game also features a multiplayer mode where you can share all of your adventures with friends and family.
Gameplay
You can introduce the game to your friends and get on with playing after only a few minutes of introduction.
Released in 2016, Stardew Valley incorporates pixie-style graphics with different gameplay mechanics that are easy to pick up.
The game is mostly geared towards teenagers and young adults but is also good for any beginner.
Red Dead Redemption 2
One of the most surprising games on this list is Red Dead Redemption 2.
When you think about it, you might be wondering why such a heavy and complex game is on the list as one of the best video games for beginners.
The answer is quite simple - the opening tutorial does not pretend that you know how to play the game.
This alone makes learning about the game's control and its overall mechanics pretty simple.
Gameplay
The open world allows you to explore the game at your own pace. There are also a lot of things to do without any time limits to the game, so you can always spend your time learning more.
Red Dead Redemption 2 follows Arthur Morgan as he tries to survive the decline of the Wild West, including the rival gangs and the government.
Even the premise of the game alone is very simple, which could instantly invite new players to the game.
Minecraft
Minecraft is another simple online game that is suited for beginners.
The game is geared towards children and teenagers, but it can also be a great game to introduce to people who want to play online games for fun.
What truly makes Minecraft easy is its simple mechanics and open world. Players can do whatever they want within the game world.
They can explore, gather resources, build different infrastructure, anything that your mind and imagination take, you can do it within Minecraft.
Gameplay
You get to interact with many players that will help you learn more about the game.
The user interface is spot on with all the necessary details and options, so there is no need for you to look around your screen for navigation.
With its simple game design, Minecraft allows you to thrive using your imagination.
Hearthstone
Strategy games are heavily gated by different gameplay mechanics that are difficult to understand and hard to execute.
Many of these niche games are very challenging to play because of their intricate nature.
Hearthstone defies all of these rules and provides you a very smooth transition from introduction to playing the game.
Hearthstone is a card game that uses cards on your deck to battle other players until their health bar is empty.
Gameplay
Each player will have to construct their decks and select which card they want to play to attack their opponent. The rules are simple - eliminate your opponent before they eliminate you.
Hearthstone pretty much plays like a game of chess but uses fantastical creatures and spells to outwit and outplay your enemy.
The game rewards clever players, but it is also a fun and engaging game for beginners to play.
Plants vs. Zombies
Plants vs. Zombies is a great introductory game for video game beginners.
The goal is to protect your home from a horde of incoming zombies by using plants as your defense.
These plants protect your home by shooting the zombies, block their path, or blow up an entire route.
The game is pretty simple to understand, and the mechanics of each plant and zombie is very well thought-out.
Gameplay
You can easily tell which plant does what and which type of zombie does to your plant.
The goofy characters and their ridiculous premise also give the game a very light tone making it a great game to introduce to your video game beginner friends.
Animal Crossing
An easy-to-sink-into video game that will leave you with that same feel-good experience that Stardew Valley has to offer, Animal Crossing has a lot to offer a gamer of any caliber.
With the latest installment released in 2020, many have flocked to the title as it's one of the best comfort games on the market right now, and it will likely keep that renown for many years to come.
The aim of the games is simple: You have been given the task of building and expanding a village that is home to anthropomorphic animals with unique and loveable personalities.
You are the mayor, who is the only human in the game, but that strange fact about the world of Animal Crossing is easy to overlook once you get into the game and begin playing - it incredibly addicting.
Gameplay
The game takes place in real-time. Once you wake up and hop on, it is your duty as the mayor to interact with and ensure each of the unique and kooky characters in your village is happy.
In between the bits of interaction, you can fill the time with exploration and designing expansions for your village. Oh, and that real-time elapsing of days in-game?
They've added unique events that happen on certain days. They also feature holiday events, from Christmas and Halloween to Chinese New Year and Spring and Fall celebrations for the season changes.
Untitled Goose Game
Geese are creatures of impulse and chaos, and no game exemplifies this more than Untitled Goose Game.
If you've wondered what it's like to let a goose loose into a town to wreak havoc on all who cross its unfortunate path but also to be that goose, this witty puzzle game may be what you're looking for.
This charming, hilarious game pits you as a goose against the world. Combining slapstick humor with a sandbox puzzle game, you get to be the menace to an entire village all because you're a goose.
Of course, this doesn't mean that you're aimlessly walking around and terrorizing anyone you come into contact with. There's a bit more nuance to the way of the goose.
Gameplay
This is a puzzle game in a sandbox world with light stealth elements. Starting in your den in the nearby forest, you wake up as the goose and decide, "Today is the day they will feel my ire," and off you go.
The controls are simple: movement keys, wing control keys (for intimidation), neck control keys (to pick things up), and a honk button. You have a checklist of objectives to complete which involve ruining someone's day in some way.
You will have to find clever ways to check the boxes on your list and unlock the next area, which is how you progress through the game. It's a simple but excellent vehicle to tell a funny story.
Monument Valley
A shy away from console and PC gaming, this mobile game is a testament to how far video games have come as an art form.
Monument Valley, available for Android and iOS, is a beautiful and relaxing puzzle game that brings to life MC Escher's famous weird paintings.
Both the original and sequel games provide a relaxing, meditative puzzle experience through picturesque, colorful, and interesting 3D levels.
The game itself is simple to play so that you can focus more on the details of the levels themselves, how they were designed, and the beauty of the art style.
Gameplay
It's easy to play, as it is a mobile game. You control a little character who is making their way through these mind-bending levels.
They are filled with rotating and moving parts, changes in orientation and perspective, and other characters you'll meet along the way.
As far as puzzle platformers go, it's simple but one of the more pretty-looking ones.
Night in the Woods
Stepping away from puzzlers or alternate and immersive worlds, Night in the Woods is narrative-driven, featuring a cute art style with a not-so-cute story to tell.
It's gritty like Red Dead Redemption's story but there's a degree of cuteness to it, but the story of Night in the Woods is far more relatable and can touch the heart of many people.
Backed by a gorgeous art style and beautiful soundtrack, Night in the Woods tells the story of Mae Borowski, a college dropout returning to her childhood home and connecting with friends, new and old.
As Night in the Woods has a very real story to tell of mental health, economic struggle, the disparity between generations, peer pressure, and other topics that are sure to strike a chord or two.
Gameplay
It's a beautiful story that makes excellent use of sardonic humor, metaphors, and relatable characters to highlight the more important issue of society through the lens of a struggling young adult.
It is both an unrelenting punch to the gut on the harshness of the world and the warm hug you need to reassure you that everything will be alright.
The game is a 2D side scroller because the gameplay is not the focus.
Coffee Talk
In a similar vein to Night in the Woods, Coffee Talk is an excellent game for those who love narratives that tell relatable stories using video games as the engine.
Described as a "coffee brewing and heart-to-heart talking simulator," Coffee Talk has you play the role of a barista in a near-future version of Seattle, Washington.
During a time of a great crisis, everyone has a lot of worries on their mind. Also, the population of people is made up of magical fantasy beings.
The idea of this talking simulator is that you are a barista at a coffee shop who has a window into the lives of these people who come in with their worries just looking for some respite.
Gameplay
You see these people and their problems, talk to them, listen to what they have to say, and give them an excellent beverage to go.
The game exemplifies that, despite turmoil, the world goes on, all while everyone is living their lives. We could be wildly different, like elves and orcs, but our experiences in this world may be similar.
We all have issues, big and small, and the way Coffee Talk can give you that perspective into these people's lives is grounding and makes you feel pretty good knowing you aren't alone out there.
Summary
Most games should be very easy to comprehend if you are already a seasoned gamer. All those years of playing should give you the muscle memory to handle difficult gameplay mechanics.
Beginners have so much to learn, but with the help of these beginner-friendly games, they can dive straight into gaming without any issues to face.
