Nobody wants to be responsible for completing monotonous and repetitive chores. Whether it’s doing the dishes or cleaning your untidy home, there is nothing more tedious than forcing yourself to carry out such inexplicably boring activities when you could be doing something else. Anything else.

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Why is it, then, that when we are presented with similar levels of tedium in video games, we are more than happy to get stuck right into the repetition? Perhaps their rewards offer you more incentive to keep going, or maybe their relaxing nature allows you to switch off and get away from it all. We don’t expect to like these mundane activities, but for whatever reason, we are often unusually compelled to keep playing. These games offer the most strangely enjoyably mundane tasks you would rather do than your own in real life.

10 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - Going To The Gym

CJ lifting weights in the gym in GTA: San Andreas

What could be more fun than unceremoniously lifting a weight in the same repetitive motion over and over again to chase body image ideals? Doing it virtually of course! Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas introduced player stats to the series, which changed as you carried out certain activities. Managing CJ’s weight was one of the more interesting mechanics, as stuffing your face full of burgers and ignoring cardio would result in some serious weight gain. Just like in real life.

Fortunately, you have the option to hit the gym and do as many bicep curls and HIIT cycle sessions as your heart desires. If you put enough graft in, you’ll see CJ’s stamina increase, and he’ll also get more buff in the process. Not just pleasing to the eye, he’ll be stronger in combat and be able to run further distances without getting tired. Just as rewarding as going to the real gym, without the painful experience of actually having to go to the damn place.

9 Detroit: Become Human - Android Housework

Image collage of Kara and her cleaning the dishes in Detroit: Become Human

Detroit: Become Human takes place in the not-so-distant dystopian future where we have perfected the creation of AI robots to do our bidding and, for some reason, given them a fully formed consciousness to be aware of how terrible their lives are. Early in the game, you assume the role of a few AI protagonists who are each serving their humans in different ways.

As the housekeeper android, Kara, you are tasked with maintaining the home of your unpleasantly abusive human owner. This includes the menial tasks of taking out the trash, scrubbing the bathroom and cleaning the dishes. As with any other Quantic Dream experience, it’s the context that makes them interesting. The fact that you have no choice but to serve this horrible man is frustrating in a way that serves the story. It makes it all the more satisfying when you eventually get to break free of his control and stand up to your abuser.

8 Fable 2 - Jobs

Hero doing a woodcutting job next to his dog in Fable 2

Fable 2 introduced a whole host of new systems and gameplay improvements to further realise Peter Molyneux’s ambitious vision for the series. One of the more interesting additions to the game was the introduction of “jobs”.

Related: Best Games About Ordinary Jobs

These consisted of various types of mini-games you could engage with to make money. When undertaking different jobs, such as bartending, woodcutting and blacksmithing, you had the opportunity to level up your skills and be promoted for the chance to earn even more money. The repetitive nature of these tasks was strangely relaxing, and it felt rewarding to receive extra income to engage in the game’s surprisingly deep real estate system.

7 Red Dead Redemption 2 - Camp Chores

Arthur performing his camp chores by lifting a bale of hay in Red Dead Redemption 2

With all the train robbing and horseback shootouts you’ll be getting up to in Red Dead Redemption 2, it can be difficult to remember to carry out your camp duties. Although Arthur is a founding member of the gang, he still has to pull his weight like everyone else.

The chores you can carry out around camp range from moving large hay bales for the horses to chopping firewood and feeding the chickens. Though it sounds tedious and annoying, the activities are actually a nice change of pace from all the shooting and robbing you get up to elsewhere. It’s also a nifty way of filling your dead-eye meter and maintaining morale within the gang.

6 Papers, Please

Authorising a citizen entry in Papers, Please

Papers, Please takes the very non-enviable occupation of a border-control immigration inspector, and turns it into an interesting indie puzzle sim that is a poignant allegory to life in a communist police state.

Your job is to examine the identity papers of each individual as they attempt to cross the border and make sure there is no funny business going on. You have the power to deny or approve entry in accordance with the state’s rules. It is more than simply reading through a bunch of banal documents as it becomes detective-like in its loop of trying to put all the pieces together when deciding people’s fates. It’s a surprisingly addictive, deep and nuanced experience.

5 Unpacking

Boxed being unpacked in a study room in Unpacking

Unpacking takes the dreaded moving-in activity of taking all of your worldly possessions out of their boxes and putting them into the right places and makes it an enjoyable indie puzzle game.

Related: The Best Pixel Art Games On Xbox One/Series X/S

Sort of like playing Tetris with saucepans, potted plants and an old DVD collection, you are tasked with putting everything in just the right places without making too much of a mess. It’s a calming experience, with serene background music to hum along to as you try and make your new house a home.

4 Shenmue - Forklift Job

Ryo Hazuki lifting boxes with a forklift at his job in Shenmue

The original Shenmue revolutionised gaming when it was first released as it combined a range of new and experimental mechanics that are still used to this day. During the game’s compelling story about revenge, you eventually land a job driving a forklift to help pay the bills.

This mundane activity quickly became appreciated by fans. It included some interesting mechanics, such as taking part in fun warm-up races at the beginning of each day and working out the most efficient way to stack boxes to increase your quota. Though a bit of a drag at first, it quickly became an important way to interact with the world and added depth to the story.

3 Minecraft

Player-built house with a water feature and animals in Minecraft

Pretty much the entirety of Minecraft involves completing mundane tasks in one way or another, and that’s certainly not a bad thing.

Related: The Best Open-World Games For Kids

Whether it be hacking away at countless stone blocks for a makeshift mining shaft, building the perfect abode or peacefully tending to your quaint little farm, there’s no shortage of monotonously satisfying activities to fully absorb your attention. There is something very special about booting up the game and spending a couple of hours mining some resources to craft materials for some last final touches to your lovely pixelated and blocky home.

2 House Flipper

Smashing a wall with a sledgehammer in a house in House Flipper

In House Flipper you will be channelling your inner bulldozer as you take on the role of a one-person renovation crew. It’s your job to take your sledgehammer and smack regular household items as hard as you can in an attempt to go out with the old and in with the new.

Admittedly, smashing a house into oblivion isn’t the dullest activity in the world, but after all the destruction there’s still a lot of cleanup required to make it the house of your dreams. Paint the walls, install a fancy new kitchen and choose some nice-looking furniture to decorate your new home. Once all is said and done, be sure to revel in the humble satisfaction of a job well done.

1 PowerWash Simulator

Cleaning a dirty van with a jet washer in PowerWash Simulator

Finally, video games have caught up to the strangely satisfying viral ASMR trend of witnessing a filthy surface be sprayed clean in an instant. Ah, that’s better!

PowerWash Simulator sees you take on the very important role of a local dirt and grime removal specialist as you go around the neighbourhood with your trusty jet washer, leaving a wake of sparkly clean goodness to bask in. There is hardly anything more satisfying than pressure washing your way into a wholesome sanitary haven, and it can feel very fulfilling to sit back and clean away your troubles after a long day.

Next: Extremely Satisfying Cleaning Games