The Best Games For Busy Parents

Being a parent of young kids leaves people with very little downtime. Parents need to be able to drop everything and give their child their full attention at a moment’s notice. However, here are some games that can be played in those few precious moments of time when things are calm and the kids are napping. There are, of course, idle games that require basically no attention, but for those who like something with more depth, it can be trickier to find the right game.

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Here are seven specially selected games that can fit in with a hectic parenting schedule. These games have been chosen based on:

• Saves – Regular auto saves or a forgiving save feature.
• Emergency Idle Time – For when parents have to drop everything and the game can stand idle for extended periods of time without being attacked or suffering a fail state.
• Kid Safe – Relatively PG and without content that could be distressing for small people. This will shift the more the child can read or perceive inappropriate content.
• Portability – Is there a portable playing option such as Android, IOS, or Switch?
• Pick Up and Play – Consistency of rules and replayability so that busy parents don’t need to learn a whole new game, or remind themselves how to play after long breaks.

7

Sid Meier’s Civilization 6

Invade Ancient Rome, One Turn At A Time

• Saves – Regular autosaves.
• Emergency Idle Time – Turn-based rather than time-based.
• Kid Safe – Yes (and somewhat educational).
• Portability – Switch.
• Pick Up and Play – Reference guide and incredible replayability.

Civilization 6 has enough complexity to keep parents who like complex games interested but can be simplified to allow for brain fog and more casual play. Players can govern one of many nations from all across Earth’s history, from its first settlement to the space age.

The game modes are insanely customizable, and Civilization 6 is available on multiple devices. However, it can involve a lot of reading for new players when they are first getting started and learning the features. However, the game is flexible enough that it can be enjoyed without having to master its mechanics.

6

Dicey Dungeons

Roll For Damage

• Saves – No penalty for exiting a level.
• Emergency Idle Time – Turn-based rather than time-based.
• Kid Safe – Cute dice? Absolutely.
• Portability – Available on Switch, Android, and IOS.
• Pick Up and Play – Rules change across levels but have good replayability.

Dicey Dungeons is an adorable dice-based RPG that increases in complexity as its levels go on. Players roll dice and the score is calculated according to the stats of the character being played at the time. The player will then deal damage to an enemy.

There is a basic overarching storyline in which the player must escape Lady Luck’s dungeon, but it is pretty simple and doesn’t affect gameplay that much at all. There are also bonus extra episodes for those who quickly burn through the original levels and are hungry for more.

5

Balatro

I Guess You Weren’t Bluffing

• Saves – Rogue-like but short stages.
• Emergency Idle Time – Turn-based rather than time-based.
• Kid Safe – No violence or sexual content in the base game, but resembles poker and gambling.
• Portability – Available on Switch, Android, and IOS.
• Pick Up and Play – Almost infinite combinations of conditions can be confusing but very replayable.

The incredibly popular and addictive card game Balatro is kind of like poker… if the dealer was a supernatural sadist who kept changing the rules with every game. It can be extremely challenging, but it is very easy to put down in the middle of a round. It’s definitely not one to get the kids involved with because of the gambling imagery, but it is great for those few moments alone.

Players can replay ‘seeds,’ so if parents are distracted and make a mistake, all they need to do is copy the seed and replay it to see if they can do better. It’s not an undo button by any stretch, but it does offer some reprieve.

4

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Just Don’t Poke The Wasp Nest

Systems

Released

March 20, 2020

Developer(s)

Nintendo EPD

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

• Saves – Remember to save!
• Emergency Idle Time – Safe to idle except for the occasional scorpion, etc.
• Kid Safe – Extremely
• Portability – Available on Switch
• Pick Up and Play – The rules are simple and very consistent.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons may have past the peak of its popularity, but it is still a great cozy game to dip in and out of as parenting schedules permit. It can be quite cathartic to customize the island to perfection when life is being a bit chaotic.

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It offers a relatively comfortable and cohesive experience regardless of whether players simply do the bare minimum to customize their island or get right into unlocking everything. It’s also adorable and intriguing enough to kids that they can get involved when they are old enough.

3

Monument Valley

A Little Serenity

• Saves – Forgiving saves.
• Emergency Idle Time – Safe to idle.
• Kid Safe – Yes.
• Portability – Available on Android and IOS.
• Pick Up and Play – Consistent rules.

Monument Valley is a charming and soothing series of puzzle games that allow the player to manipulate their environment to move a character through labyrinthine architecture that resembles optical illusions. It is not necessary to start with the first game, but it is interesting to see how the series has evolved over time.

The soundtrack is absolutely beautiful, which undercuts the frustration players might feel at the impossible geometry of the levels. It’s quite remarkable in its ability to challenge players despite the surface-level simplicity of its gameplay.

2

Stardew Valley

Maybe Give The Caves A Miss

• Saves – Forgiving saves.
• Emergency Idle Time – Safe to idle for a while but time continues to pass in-game.
• Kid Safe – Yes.
• Portability – Available on Switch, Android, and IOS.
• Pick Up and Play – Consistent rules.

Much like Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley is as complex and time-consuming as players want it to be. There are branching narrative storylines and ethical dilemmas to be navigated, but all in all, it is a cozy farming and village simulator and doesn’t ever need to be anything more than that.

5:30

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Save file data can also be transferred between PC and Android, so if sitting in front of a computer is no longer possible, players don’t necessarily need to start a new farm from scratch. However, not the most intuitive process, so many will not want to make the transfer on a regular basis.

1

Terra Nil

Make A Home For Tiny Polar Bears

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Terra Nil

Systems

Released

March 28, 2023

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

• Saves – Forgiving saves.
• Emergency Idle Time – Safe to idle.
• Kid Safe – Yes.
• Portability – Available on Android and IOS through Netflix.
• Pick Up and Play – Consistent but evolving rules.

Terra Nil takes the cozy elements of many of the other games on this list and applies them to an ecological recovery context. The player is given a barren wasteland to restore to its green glory in stages. The conditions of recovery are logical and clearly laid out, the process of restoration is extremely satisfying, and the game has an interesting environmental message of hope that it delivers subtly throughout.

Terra Nil actually encourages idling at the end of each level, allowing the player time to observe and appreciate their work. The graphics are beautiful and the tiny animals that can be reintroduced into a functioning ecosystem are impossibly adorable.

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