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Mafwek: Are you lol?

Anyway, thank you for updated list, seems good but as somebody who plays Age of Empires 2 campaigns on hard, no you can't play RTS games without off-hand on shortcuts and good dominant hand on mouse.
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SultanOfSuave: Not everyone is going to have the misfortunate of lacking their dominant hand, and not everyone wishes to play on the hardest difficulty setting.
I think RTS games are in the same group as FPS games and other action games that they have to be played with both hands, and modern RTS games have better AI than old ones had.

If I am making a list after my hand heals, I am putting RTS games only in theoretically playable.
Some considerations:
* Games that are strictly turn-based can be played one-handed. This includes (traditional) roguelikes (Tangledeep, for example, should be playable one-handed), as well as games like the Wizardry series (not counting 8, though even that's probably doable one-handed) and Might & Magic 1-5. (Ultima series is trickier here; I think 4-6 are doable. Maybe 3, though it makes you skip your turn if you take more than 5 seconds to make a move. 1 and 2 I'm not sure about it (though, 2's main real-time element, landing a space vehicle, can be easily done one-handed).
* Turn-based strategy, for example, should be playable one-handed, unless the developers did something that doesn't fit that genre. This includes SRPGs like Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark.
* Some games allow remapping controls. For many of those games, you might see if you could remap the controls so they're all reachable with one hand.
* I know for a fact that VVVVVV supports one-handed play even without control re-mapping (don't remember if it's been added yet). There's only 3 controls needed in real-time here: left, right, and flip. Furthermore, there's multiple choices for each one. (Other controls are for things like pausing, looking at the map, reading messages from terminals, but not anything you actually need to do while dodging things or timing flips.)

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SultanOfSuave: Not everyone is going to have the misfortunate of lacking their dominant hand, and not everyone wishes to play on the hardest difficulty setting.
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Mafwek: I think RTS games are in the same group as FPS games and other action games that they have to be played with both hands, and modern RTS games have better AI than old ones had.

If I am making a list after my hand heals, I am putting RTS games only in theoretically playable.
Sometimes a game that's "theoretically" possible might be doable if you play on an easy difficulty and/or slow the game down (if there's an option to do so).

Speaking of slowing the game down, it occurred to me that Celeste (not on GOG, but DRM-free elsewhere) might be doable, thanks to there being an assist mode that allows that sort of thing. On the other hand, that game doesn't need that many controls, and could be done one-handed; just bind jump and dash to keys near where your hand sits for moving. Actually, you could even do this on a standard gamepad; use the left d-pad/analog stick for movement, but bind jump and dash to the left shoulder buttons (sometimes called triggers).

(For those disabled long-term, there exist one-handed controllers, and it may be possible to play more games like that. But since your situation should only last a few weeks, that may not be worth it, unless you're able to somehow borrow one.)

Edit: One other issue with Celeste is grabbing walls (which I forgot about). I think there may be some option to help you there, like being able to turn grab into a toggle.

Speaking of which, any option that allows you to turn something into a toggle rather than having to hold a button/key is useful here.

It occurred to me that Dead Cells might be doable, at least on some level, with assist mode and key remapping. There's an assist mode that will make you auto-attack with the melee weapon you're carrying when there's an enemy there, for example.

And then Crystal Project got an auto-jump option that should make the platforming parts doable one-handed. (The RPG aspect of the game is turn-based, so no issues there.)
Post edited November 09, 2024 by dtgreene
Disciples: Sacred Lands Gold has been a great one-handed, mouse-only favorite. OldFatGuy had given it to me, and I had enjoyed it to such an extent that I had purchased its sequel. There is something quite enchanting about leading the 'Legions of the Damned' against the (falsely-identified) forces of 'good'.

World in Conflict: Complete Edition is another fantastic choice. A few years ago, a user with physical challenges had asked about the game, and I had confirmed that it can be played (comfortably) with a single hand.
Making a wank joke is both temping and way to easy......so, heres a few games:

Botanicula

and a freebie,

UnrealWorld

Mostly 1 hand can play this as you should take your time in a turn based fight. Else your actor dies permanently.
Any point and click adventure game should be mouse-only

Turn-based puzzle games should also only require a mouse

RPG Maker games are turn-based. The controls are either keyboard arrows or mouse to move around.

Visual novels also tend to have mouse-only controls.

Any RPG with turn-based combat, even if it will use a combination of keyboard and mouse, will wait for you to do something and not have a bunch of level 1 enemies swarm you to death. / Balrum is an example of this. While the game acts like there's some urgency and a limited number of days, enemies don't respawn and I wasted so much time on the base building part. The game is real time most of the time. It switches to turn-based whenever you enter into combat.
Heroes of Might and Magic 3
Disciples 2 Gold
Black Mirror
Undertale
Kentucky Route Zero
Torchlight I+II
Rimworld
Any point & click adventure game evidently. Amongst my favorites:

Monkey Island 2
Unavowed
Technobabylon
The Longest Journey
The Devil's Playhouse, should it finally arrive here, hint hint.


But also turn based strategy, like

Steamworld Heist (1, not 2)


For more of a JRPG vibe, how about

Battle Chasers: Nightwar
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dtgreene: (For those disabled long-term, there exist one-handed controllers, and it may be possible to play more games like that. But since your situation should only last a few weeks, that may not be worth it, unless you're able to somehow borrow one.)
Indeed, if one is unfortunate enough to suffer from some long-term physical disability and is sufficiently determined to not allow it to be an impediment, other options exist. But for the purposes of the original poster who is only temporarily unable to use both hands, such suggestions might not be the most practical or useful. But hopefully this fellow can serve as a sufficient example that hands aren't required!
A few games that I enjoy playing mouse only, if it's ok for you to use a mouse on the left hand:

TBS:
Into the Breach - Turn based chess-like with mechs and time travel, awsome game, really well done.
Battle Brothers - Medieval mercenary company simulator. Turn based, quite deep, both in tactical and strategical sense but might require a run or two to get with the grips.
Kings Bounty - 2008/2014 Turn based combat with RTS style overworld, Divinity Original Sin style.
Iratus:Lord of the dead - Freebie on GOG a few years back, similar to Darkest Dungeon.
Fell Seal - A bit boring but for those who like the genre is well executed.

Time wasters:
Shotgun King - Diferent take on chess , simple but enjoyable.
Bad North - Mobile like RTS.
Spacechem - Puzzle with chemistry theme. Gets very hard later on.

City builder:
Banished - It's been a while since I played the game but I'm pretty sure used only the mouse.
Cities Skylines - Heavy trafic simulator, or the way I like to play Tsunami simulator. Not on GOG.

A few more random recomendations:
You can play some RTS with one hand, my brother plays Populous: the Beginning with touchpad only every once in a while. Plenty of Tower Defence RTS's to choose from, only played a couple but neither on GOG, Defense Grid was nice.
Age of Empires 2 can be played mouse only if you map the pause to a lateral mouse button, not ideal but doable. For the first time, yesterday, I beated 2 AI opponents on the hardest dificulty and shamefully I used pause a couple of times.
Some car games can be also played, like the good old Track Mania (nations forever DRM free, here ) Flatout 1/2, Re-Volt or Barely Racing/Death Rally style.

Can games like Stardew Valley or Terraria be played with just one hand?
Post edited November 10, 2024 by Dark_art_