10 Greatest Sci-Fi Games for Beginners, From Gentle Ranching to Reality-Bending Puzzles

Low-pressure worlds to explore

In Slime Rancher, players build a new life as a rancher on a distant planet. They explore with a multipurpose vacuum pack and use wildlife to help their ranch grow.

The game has no harsh penalties or enemies, so beginners can move at their own pace. Exploration and upgrades also introduce basic game mechanics without the demands of a more intense story.

Action and atmosphere

Cyberpunk 2077 sends players into Night City on a mission to deliver a package. A terrorist’s memory chip is accidentally implanted in the protagonist’s mind, setting off a search for a cure.

Its systems and choices may feel complicated at first, but different builds let players try varied styles. Aim assist can also ease the pressure in this open-world role-playing game.

Stray puts players in control of a cat navigating a cyberpunk setting. The goal is to escape and find a way back to the surface, with room to explore and follow the cat’s curiosity.

Puzzles and interdimensional travel

Stray’s streamlined platforming makes it difficult to fall, and few threats can defeat the player. Its relaxed pace gives newcomers time to take in the neon-lit surroundings. In Portal 2, Chell wakes in a worn-down facility and must solve puzzles to escape, with help from a friendly robot and interference from GLaDOS. Its comedy and charm offer an inviting entry point, though the puzzles may challenge people new to games.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart follows its two protagonists after a tear in reality separates them. They travel through time and different realities in an effort to reunite.