I started a high stress job and when I get home I'm physically exhausted and in pain from being on my feet all day. We decided that it'd be a good idea to buy a new game console to veg out to, and settled on the PS3 because online gaming is free, there's an extensive collection of games, and I like the controller over the XBox 360.

Can anyone suggest beginner friendly games for someone who wants to just veg out and not feel stressed playing? First person shooters can be fun, but sometimes they're so in depth that it sucks you in and you can feel a bit of anxiety over them.

I really enjoyed the older GTA games, and have played the older Need For Speed games. I don't recall specific titles, it's been a while. Things that get me to think without being high stakes is a good option since it'll force me to get involved in something else besides what happened at work.

Congrats on getting a job and you have earned extra points for choosing a PS3  Are there any genres you like in particular?  It can be really hard to tell what a person likes.  Here are a few that are good: 

Heavy Rain *must get*

Catherine

Spec Ops: The Line (a third person shooter)

Sims 3

Uncharted 2 and Uncharted 3

You might like the Little Big Planet series.

Something similar to GTA, but more... funny, and less stressful (in my opinion) is Saint's Row: The Third. It's pretty much a sandbox world where you can do what you like, most of which just makes you laugh. That can draw you in, but in a good way. I haven't played the latest one, so can't comment on that. If you can get hold of the second in the series, that is my favourite. It's more story driven and focused, but still very witty and funny in many places.

I'm inclined to agree with Malachite that it's hard to recommend without knowing more about your tastes.

Personally, I think Tomb Raider Trilogy (Legend, Anniversary and Underworld) is a worthwhile investment. As well as the latest one. That's very, very good. But does suck you in rather a lot, and can feel very high stakes at times.

I've heard good things about the Uncharted games, too, but never played them.

If you like FPS games, but don't want to feel too stressed out with them, maybe give Borderlands 2 a shot. It's more of an FPS/RPG hybrid. Designed more for co-operative play than blowing each others' brains out repeatedly on a small set of maps. It's exceptionally good, well written, funny, absorbing, and as stressful as you want to make it.

Pinball arcade. An emulator of many classic and popular pinball machines. It's a bit pricey but can be found in the PlayStation store. An excellent ipad version exists too.

"Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch"

GORGEOUS game (it was designed and animated by Studio Ghibli.) The gameplay mechanics are simple but fun, and the action is cartoony enough that it's not stressful, just an enjoyable escapist adventure. Kind of like a combination between Pokemon and a JRPG.

I'd say GTAV is great to unwind on, once you've finished single player you can play the online mode & if you don't like other people shooting at you then you can play online mode solo.

As was previously mentioned, Heavy Rain is great but can be stressfull in parts & certain parts are not for those with weak stomachs, if yu have no problems watching Saw then you'll be fine with the more stomach churning parts.

If yu like racing then you've got to try the Motorstorm series.

If you want to relax then I strongly recommend From Dust, a simple yet compelling god game

Without knowing your tastes it's hard to say what you'd like, when you get your PS3 you should just download any demo's you see

Arkham Origins all the way-it's fun, fast, fairly easy, you can basically fly around the city, and you're batman.  What's not to love? 

3D Dot Game Heroes. Absolutely brilliant game. I'd go so far as to call it the best "Zelda" game this side of 1994. There's a lot of referential humor you might not get, but even without it, it's still a solid game. Seriously, I bought my PS3 for this game; that and Demon's Souls, but if you're really stressed, you probably don't want Demon's Souls.

Devil may cry is fun, mortal kombat is too, there are lots and lots of good games out there.

I only play fantasy games. No no not that kind..LOL   

What about minecraft. I hear people love that game. Doesn't do any thing for me.

How about Disgaea 3 or Disgaea 4 on the ps3. It is a tactical rpg (like Final Fantasy Tactics) with a humorous side.
(1 and 2 is on the ps2 and psp if you have those laying around)

Great suggestions, folks. We put her on lay-away in hopes that Black Friday will bring a sale price even though it's pretty cheap already. For now I'm playing WoW for free and I figure I'll probably hit the end of the freebie by the time we bring the PS3 home. We also have a Wii that I sometimes play Donkey Kong on.

As far as what I'm into I absolutely love bringing out my NES and playing Super Mario and the classic Mario games. I also really enjoyed the Super Mario 64. Having a lot of choices in a game is nice but not something I seek out. Story lines with a clear definition helps me unwind.

The first should be Dragon Age:Origins.Best game EVER! otherwise i have no other real suggestions but this game freaking rocks! :O As far as details,its an rpg but with your own out comes.You can interact *even date/sexually interact* with your party members.Your choices through out the game can alter and change ends :O wicked game

I've got a few more suggestions: Dragon's Dogma, i've clocked a couple of hundred hours & once you get leveled up a bit it's quite relaxing (until you meet your first Dragon, lol)
When I met my first dragon in the wilderness it was at night, I saw a fire in the trees ahead & as I looked closer I saw the outline of teeth around the fire before the flames shot out at me, I nearly dropped the joypad in fright!!

Someone suggested DMC, the DMC HD Trilogy is great value for money but if you're looking for a relaxing time then this game may not be for you as it featues several really tough bosses, when DMC first came out many people couldn't get past the first boss.
Once I had unocked abilities & weapons I could defeat him in 30 seconds, so his bark is really worse than his bite, lol

One game everyone must play is Shadow of the Collosus, it's the only game that's ever made me feel guilty about killing my foe, that's quite an achievment when the foe is a screen filling giant carrying a club many times bigger than me

NASCAR 14
Grid Autosport

If you're into racing games, those are two really good ones