I play games like Risk, Battleship, and Puzzle with your Friends on Steam with him, but I’m looking for more options that are simple enough for him to learn (especially since there’s a Steam sale on now). Bonus points if it is co-op for me to play with him.
Ideal game: not much/no reading, easy to learn, possibly world war 2-themed, ideally mouse-only, and turn-based instead of real-time
Zachtronics has a lot of puzzle games, ahough some are VERY obtuse there are some very simple ones that your father may enjoy, my personal recommendation is Opus Magnum, i think he may enjoy It
Golf with friends, singleplayer! Maybe Portal? Stardew Valley? War Thunder? Raft? Beholder?
Not sure if it is exactly what you’re looking for but there is a pretty good 2 player co-op game called ‘a way out’ on ps4 (I’m 95% sure it’s on Xbox and PC too) but it’s pretty simple, and not too hard.
It’s about 2 prisoners who attempt an escape, and go on the run. There are a lot of choices to make in the game, with an option provided by each of your characters, but you only have a few seconds to both decide what option to chose, so there is an element of replayability.
It also has small open levels/areas to explore with a bunch of interactions, and little mini games like horseshoe toss, darts, or baseball. There’s even a bit where you find a piano and banjo together, and can button press along and play a song.
The story is great too, won’t spoil anything too heavy, but it’s a story of love and loss, lies and truth, and trust and distrust, not just with each other, but also with their previous lives and families.
Give it a look and see if it’s something he might play, because it might be a decent way for him to branch out into other game styles. Check for it on offer though, as it goes for as little as £5, instead of about £15/20 full price in the UK, so might be similar with the US pricing.
I haven’t played it but board games brought to mind 5D Chess, where you can also send pieces INTO THE PAST which then branches off to another “timeline”, I think you always play the “chronologically/turn wise” earliest game and need to get a checkmate in any one timeline.
A nice cosy game he might enjoy on his own is Pillars Of The Earth. It’s really very good.