8 Games That Teach Patience (2024)

Life is hard. Sometimes, our emotions get the best of us, we act in ways we knew we shouldn't have, and regret starts to eat away at our conscience. If you relate to this, and you're looking to become a more patient person, the good news is that this is a skill that can be learned, and over time, regularly applied within your life.

Even better, this skill can be honed through video games, regardless of their genre or format; you just have to find one that works for you. Thankfully, the games below offer you a great place to start. Now, all you have to do is take the first step.

8 Squad

Think Before You Shoot

Let's paint a picture; you're the machine gunner for your fire team, set up on higher ground in a heavily wooded area where your vantage point overlooks a clearing that the enemy is likely to cross. Moments later, two riflemen appear in the clearing, and you immediately open fire, sending precise bursts at them.

Both of them fall, but this is far from a victory; you failed to call out the enemy's position, your team hadn't finished setting up defensive positions, and the rest of the enemy's fire team quickly dove into hardcover. High skill ceiling or not, Squad will teach you good trigger discipline.

Rome Wasn't Built In A Day

Whether you've already sworn allegiance to a major faction, or you're looking to forge a new future for all of Calradia by your own hand, it takes time, logistics, strategy, political cunning, and by extension, patience to conquer every other kingdom in Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord.

As you recruit soldiers from neighboring villages (of which many will die in future battles) or evaluate whose hand you should take in marriage at the right moment, your patience will eventually be rewarded in the form of upgraded units, more land to tax and distribute to deserving vassals, and new alliances forged.

6 Outer Wilds

It's More About The Journey, Rather Than The Result

In many games, while there are still certain restraints set by the setting, main story, or mechanics, the pacing of the game, and how fast you complete it, still tends to be largely up to you. That isn't to say that the Outer Wilds exist completely outside this phenomenon, but it's somewhat complicated.

Even with extensive background knowledge of this game, you'll still be under a major constraint: you have 20 minutes to explore, learn about the history of civilizations before you, solve puzzles, and uncover secrets before the universe explodes. Then, with the knowledge you've gained, you start over, again and again.

5 PC Building Simulator

Step By Step, Little By Little

Sometimes likened to building a medium to large-sized Lego set, building your own gaming PC takes time, with even the most seasoned builders still taking an average of one to two hours to get everything squared away and have the computer pass the power-on self-test.

While nothing beats the real-life experience, PC Building Simulator gets very close; you'll be spinning thumb screws, sliding off case covers, plugging and unplugging USB drives, messing with power cables, and dusting out neglected computers for your clients. Take your time, double-check everything, and keep your customers happy.

4 Baldur's Gate 3

Will We Ever Get To Baldur's Gate?

This is less true on lower difficulties, but if you plan to play Baldur's Gate 3 in Tactician or Honor mode, you'll have no choice but to slow down, predict enemy movements, leverage the environment to your advantage, and envision how each of your party members can best work together to achieve hard-fought victories.

With such a detailed, comprehensive campaign before you, it's easy to envision what kind of epic boss fights lie ahead. While there's nothing wrong with this, a good tip is to remember where your feet are, so to speak; you still have to beat those vicious, level-four Redcaps that have been murdering your party, first.

3 Satisfactory

Can You Maintain Control Over Your Insatiable Creation?

This isn't a requirement or a hard rule, but generally speaking, Satisfactory is all about stages and cycles. As the tools and mechanisms of industrialization extend farther and farther throughout the alien planet you inhabit, the restructuring and optimization of your factories and subsequent machinery becomes necessary at regular intervals.

This is where the real challenge begins, and the cogs within your mind might start to grind against one another as you figure out the best way to balance power costs, integrate new systems into older, pre-existing formats, and actualize your very own industrial empire.

2 Getting Over It

Try Not To Descend Into Madness

When you combine somewhat limited controls that take some time to get used to, and a carefully crafted level design that can cause major setbacks from the smallest mistakes, you end up with Getting Over It, the video game equivalent of Sisyphus and the boulder.

While the line between madness and patience might start to blur if you torment yourself long enough, that doesn't detract from the fact that beating the game is an ultimate testament to patience, perseverance, and mental resilience. Most important of all, though: remember to take breaks when you need to.

1 Elden Ring

Keep Dodge Rolling At All Costs

Whether it's unforgiving, multi-stage attacks, slowly learning the timing, range, and attack patterns of specific enemies, and weaving in attacks at the right time, it's no surprise that some Elden Ring players don't make it past the first or second major boss, as it's a big time commitment.

That's not even including the emotional and mental toll getting pummeled into the ground, over and over again, can take on you over time; early-game Crucible Knight or Godskin Duo, anyone? There is reason to endure, however, since there's no sweeter victory than one that is hard-fought.