By As someone with ADHD, I often struggle to stay focused when playing games.
Most of the time, I have at least 6 or so games installed on my PC and phone. I jump between these games, instead of sticking to one game until the end.
Due to this issue, one of my favorite types of games is those mindless games you can play on a second screen while watching a video on another.
These games help keep my ADHD brain occupied enough to focus on the game, as they require minimal brain function to play. You can just mindlessly play these games on a second monitor while doing some other work.
In this list, I’m sharing some of the best mindless games to play whenever you need to engage your ADHD brain. These are also some of the most addictive games I know, so approach with caution.
I have a 10-inch tablet next to my monitor for watching videos while playing games. If you have a second monitor or a laptop, that would work too.
1. Black Desert Online
Black Desert Online, or BDO, is a highly addictive MMO that features stunning graphics and very grindy gameplay.
This game is the grindiest MMO out there and that’s actually a good thing for ADHD players. There are several different ways you can play the game
You can grind for leveling your character, grind for better gear, do trading, fishing, farming, and much more. All these tasks involve doing mindless tasks, which are perfect for doing while watching a video.
When you level up your character, you get a strong dopamine rush and it makes you keep going. You can create multiple characters in the game so there’s no end to replayability. And you can even set auto-play options to play this game while minimized.
2. Runescape
I don’t usually recommend Runescape due to its expensive monthly subscription, but if that’s not a big issue for you, this is one of the best mindless games you can play anywhere.
Runescape can be played on any potato PC, even on a work computer at your office. And you can easily play it on a second monitor while doing other tasks.
In Runescape, you can do quests and build your skills, and most of those tasks require a ton of grinding and they can also be automated. This allows you to easily have your character go do some crafting and mining while the game runs in the background.
I also have a whole list of Runescape alternatives for those of you who prefer games without subs.
3. STALZONE
I’ll be honest, this game looks stupid and funny on the surface. But it’s one of the most addictive games I’ve played.
STALZONE (previously Stalcraft X) is an MMO inspired by the STALKER universe. It pretty much has the same locations and gameplay mechanics of the Stalker games, only with blocky and weird graphics.
There’s something so satisfying about the progression system in this game. It has repetitive and grindy missions that give you a sense of accomplishment at the end of each session.
You can grind for new gear, weapons, and missions by doing repetitive tasks to farm resources. These tasks are perfect to play while watching videos or listening to a podcast in the background.
4. Elite Dangerous
Elite Dangerous is one of the favorite games to play while watching a podcast.
It’s a very grindy game that has lots of activities that involve mindless gameplay. Like space travel, jumping between systems, farming materials, and my favorite of them all, mining asteroids.
These activities involve very little focus, so you can easily play this game while watching videos on a second screen.
5. Path of Exile
A great thing about Path of Exile is that you can play this game with one hand while doing something else with the other hand (no, not that. Get your mind out of the gutter).
Path of Exile is an ARPG that has a lot of grinding aspects to it. You will be mindlessly clearing mobs and maps to far resources to upgrade your builds. And it’s perfect for playing while watching videos.
The loot in this game is what keeps you addicted. It also has a massive skill tree you can progress and experiment with.
Path of Exile 2 is also available right now, but I still prefer PoE 1 for its lightweight system resource usage.
6. Albion Online
Albion Online is a free-to-play MMORPG that has features similar to Runescape. But unlike Runescape, you don’t need a subscription to play this game.
Albion Online has a unique classless system, which lets you progress your character on any path you like and change specialties along the way. There are several professions in this game, like trading and crafting, that you can grind for hundreds of hours.
Albion Online is a PVP-focused game so you might get jumped by other players at any time. But lately it has gotten very PVE friendly and you can find tons of players who enjoy the game peacefully.
You can also play Albion Online across multiple devices, including PC and mobile on the same save file.
7. Minecraft
We can’t forget about Minecraft when talking about fun games to play on second screens. This game has been keeping people busy for decades.
Some of the tasks in Minecraft require focus and attention but it also has repetitive and mindless tasks, like resource farming and exploring, that can be done while doing other tasks on a second screen.
8. Factorio
Building a factory that runs on its own sounds a bit tedious and boring, but this game balances its gameplay on addictive mechanics to get you hooked from the start.
Factorio is all about building an automated factory where you can create massive empires and structures that runs on its own.
In the early gameplay, you’ll have to put some thought into it. But after that, you can play this game mindless for as long as you want.
9. Satisfactory
Satisfactory is like a 3D version of Factorio, where you build an automated factory in first person view.
Satisfactory is highly addictive and involves the same mechanics as Factorio. You will be farming resources, building structures, and exploring a lot in this game.
Most of these tasks are repetitive and addictive. You can easily do them while watching videos.
10. Sims 4
Being a god involves less work than you think. In Sims 4, you get to play god on the sims you create and control their life however you want.
You get to build and upgrade the house, guide the sims on their career, choose their partner, make babies, and so much more. All this stuff is done in auto-play. You can fast forward or play slow. Your choice.
Personally, I couldn’t get into this game, but my wife loves it.
11. Tropico 6
I actually love Tropico more than Civilization. This game is more about city-building than building empires, but it does it with a bit of humor.
In Tropico 6, you get to play the role of a dictator who does voter fraud to stay in power and control the nation with an iron fist. Your goal is to build a city and keep it profitable. And there’s a lot of humor involved in it.
You can do other work or watch videos while you build the city and the game has a pause function as well.
12. Kenshi
Kenshi is a sandbox survival game where you start at the bottom. Like literally at the bottom without any skills or abilities.
Your goal in this game is to develop your skills one by one and guide your character through a path. This involves training them in combat, trading, farming, and more.
It’s a very grindy game with many paths to explore. Most of the activities involve a lot of waiting around and traveling the massive map. Pull up a video and enjoy the grind.
13. House Flipper
House Flipper is a game about renovating houses. This involves cleaning trash, rebuilding, painting, and furnishing. All these activities are super satisfying to do in the game.
These tasks involve some attention but you can play while watching videos or podcasts.
If you’re into this type of games, check out Super Market Simulator. It’s another addictive game you can play in the background.
Best Mindless Phone Games
If you play on your phone, these are some mindless phone games to play when you’re away from home.
Realm Grinder
Realm Grinder is one of the best idle games on mobile that offers satisfying progression and gameplay value.
This game is basically a city-building and management sim game where your goal is to start with a small farm and grow it to a kingdom.
It’s an idle-clicker with incremental progression that even earns coins while you’re offline. It’s the perfect game to jump in whenever you want to kill boredom with a quick session.
IdleMMO
IdleMMO is an online game that also includes automation. It’s actually a text-based MMO that will remind you of the old-school adventure games from the 1980s.
Much like any other MMO, IdleMMO also has a skilling system. You can do mining, fishing, cooking, and various other activities to develop your skills. And you do all that by clicking.
IdleMMO is one of the few great games on mobile that doesn’t have pay-to-win elements. And it offers endless amounts of gameplay value.
Cell: Idle Factory Incremental
Widely known as CIFI, this idle-clicker is another addictive game that takes you on an adventure.
This game is all about automation, and it features an exciting sci-fi world with an addictive progression system. In this game, your ultimate goal is to build a cell production system to drive maximum growth.
The game supports idle offline mechanics as well, which allows you to progress even while not playing the game.
NonStop Knight
NonStop Knight is another fun and addictive idle-clicker that I’ve been playing for a while.
In this game, you take control of a knight on an adventure. Your goal is to clear levels and beat bosses. The game features auto-play and you can choose which skills to activate and when.
It also features a build system and lots of loot to get you addicted as well. I love NonStop Knight 1, but NonStop Knight 2 is also pretty good.
IdleOn
IdleOn is another MMO-style game with idle mechanics. It’s actually available on both Steam and mobile platforms.
It features all kinds of MMO mechanics, like mining and crafting. You can also do most of these activities while offline.
The game doesn’t have ads, but be warned, it has some pay-to-win mechanics. But you can easily avoid those if you have patience.
