space garden belongs to the gentlest branch of the simulation genre, the kind you tend rather than conquer. The premise practically explains itself: a patch of the cosmos to cultivate, a rhythm of small decisions, and a quiet satisfaction that builds as your little system fills out around you. There is no clock breathing down your neck, just the steady pleasure of watching something you shaped take hold.

It is built for the browser and asks nothing up front, which suits the mood exactly. Free, no download, and easy to leave open while your garden ticks along in the background. If tending a slow, growing thing sounds like your speed, it slots neatly beside our more simulation games.