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If you’re like me and you have ADHD, gaming can be a bit of a minefield. I can’t tell you how many times I got in the mood to play something like an RPG, reinstall it, only to play for an hour, and move on to something else. There’s also a level of stimulation I need, which means games heavy in story and little action is like a sleeping pill. But I’ve zeroed in on a few that I love falling back on that help me cope with my speedy brain.
Doom Eternal
I’m starting off this list swinging with Doom Eternal. This is exactly what my brain wants. Constant. Action. That. Does. Not. Stop. It’s like strapping jumper cables to my brain and giving it an overcharge.
For starters, the speed of Doom Eternal matches my internal tempo. If you don’t have ADHD yourself, the best way I can explain it is this deeply seeded need to move. But Doom Eternal comes along and says, “It’s okay. Fidget all you want; just fidget in the direction of demons.”
And you know what? It works! The guns feel punchy, there’s a lot going on so I’m getting a constant stream of stimulation, and when there’s a bit of platforming, it gives me just enough time to breathe and get ready for the next round.
Baldur’s Gate 3
Now, I don’t want you to get the impression that I’m this little goblin who needs flashy things happening at all times. You aren’t entirely wrong, but there’s an asterisk, and that asterisk is Baldur’s Gate 3 and, by extension, any RPG with an interesting world, characters, and mechanics.
I have a nasty habit of obsessing over every nook and cranny; it’s why I usually dislike playing multiplayer RPGs. I want to see everything, but Baldur’s Gate 3 is one of the few games that gives me a reassuring pat on the shoulder, tells me to slow down, and encourages me to play again.
It’s made me accept the fact that I won’t see everything because that’s impossible. Some routes will be inaccessible to me, but that’s okay! The world is so fascinating and the characters are so rich and the gameplay gets so chaotic that I’m ecstatic to start another playthrough.
Kingsway
My attention span is absolutely garbage, giving boredom room to sneak up on me and knock me out cold. I came across this video on YouTube, featuring Dr. Russel Barkley. Long story short, it led me to adopt a strategy of working in bursts, followed by a short break. When I go on break, Kingsway has become my choice of relaxation.
It’s pretty lightweight as far as RPGs are concerned, but for me, that’s the point. Kingsway’s gameplay isn’t static, even though it might appear that way. The small but frequent events that happen in the overworld and combat are just stimulating enough that they keep me awake. The last thing I want is my brain overstimulated when I have deadlines to meet.
More importantly, Kingsway can be played in short bursts. Give me 10 minutes with the game and I come back to my work ready to type another 500 words.
Diablo 3
I’ll defend Diablo 3 until the day I die, and I was there at the start. I remember the login error codes, the bugs, and the auction house, but despite that, the gameplay was what hooked me. Just like Diablo, Diablo 2, and Diablo 4 the cycle of dungeon, town, sell, is simply too sweet.
Diablo 3 edges out just a hair because it’s had more time to bake. The leveling experience is fast, especially if you have hundreds of Paragon levels. Build diversity is great, making it really easy for me to switch to a build that satisfies my internal tempo (like Doom Eternal does).
My favorite game mode is Nephalem Rifts. You mean to tell me there’s a dungeon I can run, kill demons, and not have to worry about picking up items? And I have to complete it as fast as possible? Well, that checks off the most important boxes for me.
Every Open-World Game in Existence
I’m being hyperbolic, of course. Not every open-world game gets a pass just because it has a massive world to explore. To me, a mark of a good open-world game is one that prevents my choice paralysis from becoming an issue, but funny enough, I couldn’t even pick one game specifically.
Witcher 3, Morrowind, Horizon (Zero Dawn & Forbidden West), Ghost of Tsushima, Dragon’s Dogma 2—these are great examples of open-world games that I deeply fell in love with because of how easy it was for me to get lost.
Being able to wander is key because my brain likes to wander. And when I have no obligations, no expectations, and no goal in mind, the wandering is at its sweetest. Finding new locations by accident is like a dopamine hit.
