I'm an always-busy husband and dad of a two-year-old son (and a daughter soon). I'd love to be able to disconnect even for 15 minutes once in a while, probably at night, after everyone goes to bed, preferably by playing some old game that triggers shivers of nostalgia on my back. Now, I don't think I'll find one. I'm a huge Star Wars enthusiast with a massive crush on Ep. I - Racer. This game would fit perfectly, and I do play it from time to time, but it is very dynamic and alert and that's not usually the mood I'm in at midnight. And if this game doesn't do it, I don't know which one will.

Having said that, I need an easy game of any kind that doesn't require hours of play in order to have fun. A game that doesn't require a certain mood, a game that I can turn to or let go at any time without worrying about it. No nostalgia-related feelings required. If anybody finds himself/herself in the same situation please suggest something. I'd really appreciate it!

Thank you!

Tower defense games are pretty good like Defense Grid and to an extent Plants vs Zombies.

Bejeweled is also good and is Pinball games from Zen Studios.

During periods with little time on my hands, I enjoy RPGs. One quest at a time or parts of a quest, like returning to a good book. Quests are, in my opinion, the perfect bite-sized gaming experience.

Stardew Valley is also great in that way, just stroll around and relax for a bit and do your thing. One day in-game is the perfect playtime, the game autosaves after every day.

You have a two year old?
I'm amazed you have time for gaming period.

What do you get per night, 10 minutes of sleep? :P

First game that comes to mind is Dark Messiah of Might & Magic. It's a first-person game of fighting bad guys and orcs (mostly), and it's so linear that you don't have to think about it or plan strategy a lot. The only major choices are about skill point allocation.

It isn't on GOG yet, unfortunately.

Good luck with the new baby and with finding a game that fits.

I don't have time for gaming but I hope I'll have, like 10-15 minutes once or twice per week.
I buy games hoping that I'll play them sometimes, but most of them are never touched. I spend all my free time playing with my son or telling him stories. Sometimes I can't wait for him to grow up and play PC games together :)

I'm in the exact same life situation and look for the exact same thing in the games I play. I look for three qualities in a game. 1. An option for a forgiving difficulty mode. 2. The ability to save at any time 3. Controller support (Cause I prefer gaming on the couch)

Old games that fit those requirements for me have tended to be updated versions of older shooters. Strife, Doom, Turok.

The ability to save any time makes it easy to pick up and drop as required.

Depends completely on what kind of games you like.

I could for example recommend Rollcage, but if you hate driving games, then it would not be fun.

Or Opus Magnum, but if you do not like puzzle games....

Or Tower of Guns, but if you do not like FPS's....

You sound like a great father.

It's a pleasure to meet you.

I know exactly how. Enjoy the time, they grow up really fas and you'll be wondering where the time has gone... My daughters are now 8 and 11... and love to play a game once in a while themselves :-)

Recommendations from my library:

- Pinball games: Short and sweet with added retro bonus. I have Epic Pinball and the Pinball Gold Pack (Pinball Dreams, Fantasies, Illusions) which I fondly remember from back in the day. Sadly my favourite game Psycho Pinball isn't available here.
- Jydge: if you can muster some concentration. Missions are very short.
- Crimsonland. Just kill some bugs in short levels.
- Reigns: A game you can play in short bursts, based on simple yes/no questions. It's hilarious and one of the few games I can play even when drunk or seriously tired.
- Mini Metro: Great game to get into a Zen-like mood. Also available for mobile platforms.
- Race the Sun: Great skill based game. Single runs are very short. To relax a bit get the Sunrise DLC.
- Gorogoa: Amazing and short puzzle game.
- Hotline Miami: Crazy violent game with retrolook on drugs. Beware: Hard.

No Man's Sky can offer you a pretty chill open world (well, open universe) exploration game that you can play at your own pace. Sci-fi, open world (as mentioned), that you can basically free explore if you want. The very beginning requires maybe 20 minutes to a half hour before you get to save, but after that you can pretty much save at will.

Maybe games like Sokobond, Opus Magnum or Space Chem? (I believe Sokobond is not available on GOG anymore though)

Maybe some adventure games like the Syberia series or the Longest Journey series?

Possibly something along the lines of Expeditions:Conquistador as well?

I'd love to recommend RPGs, but with only a handful of minutes to play, it's tough to get rolling in those and easy to forget what you were doing in the previous play session.

*edit* Oh, maybe the Trine series.

Desktop Dungeons
Into the Breach
Curious Expedition

All of the above fit under "having fun in just fifteen minutes".

A few such indies that I enjoyed and finished (some are well known though):

Yoku's Island Express, Donut County, On Rusty Trails, Crimsonland, Undead Horde, Forager, Semblance, Broforce, Katana Zero, Limbo, Inside.

Postal 2 is great for some R&R, in short bursts or longer runs. Lots of replay value, great de-stressor.

Tyrian 2000 is quite a relaxing shmup, and free to boot.