No matter if a longer video catches your eye on the YouTube homepage, you want to watch your guilty pleasure on Netflix for the tenth time, or you finally want to listen to that one podcast – not everything requires your full concentration. That’s why we’re going to tell you about 5 Steam shooters that you can easily play while doing something else.
Be honest: How many True Crime podcasts have you listened to while driving? Watched YouTube videos while ironing? Sat in online conferences while doing the dishes?
Some things just don’t need your full concentration. You don’t have to stare at your screen for the full 2.5 hours while a video essay on YouTube finally explains NFTs clearly.
But you don’t always have to do household chores on the side. We’re going to name 5 great shooters that you can enjoy at low volume while something else is happening on your second monitor. This way, you keep your hands busy while your mind wanders elsewhere. That’s how multitasking can be really fun.
Destiny 2
In Destiny 2, you feel like a god. And you can do that quite casually.
The best thing about this incredibly popular loot shooter is that you play literally immortal forces, capable of unleashing devastation with huge guns, electric magic, or frost tornadoes at the push of a button.
But when you’re on autopilot in Destiny 2, you don’t really need to focus much on the game. In the grind for the next new weapon, you hardly need to stress your brain; instead, you can jump meters high in a trance, chase rocket-firing zombie aliens, and completely ignore the dialogue.
That’s why Destiny 2 is the perfect companion for that new rock album you’ve wanted to listen to uninterrupted and in one go for so long. Let the sounds guide and enchant you while the guitar solo of song 4 takes you to the seventh heaven.
Warframe
Warframe works for very similar reasons as a “podcast game” like Destiny 2. Warframe is also a gigantic sci-fi loot shooter, where you can farm better gear for hours.
But where Warframe sets itself apart from Destiny 2 is particularly in the progression system. Destiny 2 opens up the entire universe quite early to you, but you primarily play what is currently trending in the current season.
In Warframe, however, as a beginner, you tackle one planet at a time without much story distracting you. You, as an overpowered space ninja, carve your way through countless aliens, robots, and alien robots while always making progress.
All this can be done without much effort since, whether on a planet’s surface or on a spaceship – your tasks are always clear, relatively simple, and always fun. Accordingly, you can easily activate your relaxed brain cells for the trial between Hollywood stars that you have running in the background.
Risk of Rain 2
Risk of Rain 2 is an absolute indie gem. This roguelite shooter throws you on alien planets where endlessly spawning enemies appear. The longer you play a round, the harder and more numerous the hordes coming your way become – along with the rewards they drop when defeated.
Each level in Risk of Rain 2 is therefore a balancing act: How long do you want to stay in a level? Do you really want to take all the items with you, or do you pull the emergency brake, summon the boss, and fight your way to the next level?
Perseverance in the game is rewarded with an incredible power fantasy. Hundreds of enemies explode, sizzle, or freeze in front of you while you diligently collect the gold. But if you become careless and die, you have to start all over again.
Risk of Rain 2 is an excellent game to play on the side because it plays effortlessly despite a high difficulty level. You don’t have to think much here, and there are no dialogues. Instead, you can rely purely on your gaming instincts. The massive spectacle on the first screen distracts just enough for you to keep up with the dialogues on the second screen.
Splitgate
If you are less interested in loot than PvP duels, then Splitgate is a great game for casual play.
This clever F2P shooter is best described as a very successful mix of Halo and Portal. You shoot with sci-fi weapons in arena-like maps at enemies who can, like you, quickly create portals through which they can escape or shoot.
With a relatively slow TTK, it hardly matters whether you can hear enemies well or react at lightning speed to them. In Splitgate, fundamental shooter basics matter much more than reaction times enhanced by energy drinks.
So it doesn’t matter if you’re completely focused on the game or watching sports on the side – Splitgate can entertain you as a PvP shooter without giving you a huge handicap.
Deep Rock Galactic
Deep Rock Galactic is one of the best co-op games of recent years. You play as beer-drinking space dwarves who dig together for valuable minerals.
This co-op shooter has a pacing that is great for casual play: Between intense waves where you have to shoot alien bugs, there are many completely calm moments. Here you can pay attention to the YouTube video, plan your shopping in your head, or have pleasant conversations with your colleagues. Then it’s back to dealing with hordes of creatures that want to make your life difficult.
So you can have a simple, pleasant evening with the game and the alien bugs.
What do you think of this list? Do you have a favorite game that you play casually? If so, is it also a shooter for you? Tell us in the comments.
Maybe you already have such a game in your Steam library. Because there are some games that you just have:
