Not sure it strictly counts as Grand Strategy as it’s more of a sandbox, but X4 might be up your alley on the sci-fi front. Build a galaxy spanning empire from a single ship; complete missions, mine, trade, explore. You -can- fly the ships, but you don’t have to. You can just sit in a station issuing orders.
If you’re into boomer shooters, you can’t go past the original doom for infinite playability. Literally 30 years worth of user created content and mods.
I’m in a similar situation with my partner; she does game, but only shitty repetitive predatory mobile puzzle games. I got her Stardew to try and she absolutely hated it. I have, however, had some limited success with puzzle RPGs like Ticket to Earth.
First game of this style that i really enjoyed. The characters actually feel and play differently, the mechanics make sense and finding synergies is so much fun. My favourite is the silent but I’m not actually that good; haven’t finished the game yet but have gotten damn close a couple times.
That’s one of the things that’s not explained, related to the DLC launch. There are a few different versions of the game. The console version is considered legacy and is functionally “disconnected” from the live version. It no longer receives updates outside of the occasional security or stability patch. Only PC is receiving new content. If you can get it for free it’s a good way to test out the general gameplay, but most of the community is on PC these days.
It’s the only MMO I still play regularly after three years. That said, I hesitate to outright recommend it. It’s fairly niche, and kinda still recovering from a disastrous DLC launch a couple years ago. It’s in a pretty good place now but confidence in the playerbase is still a little shaken. Mechanics-wise there’s a lot built up over the years that just aren’t explained at all in-game, so the learning curve is more of a sheer cliff face. OTOH, the community is honestly one of the most supportive I’ve ever experienced; even the griefers will chat with you after blowing you up and explain how to avoid it next time. And having the entire physically modelled milky way to explore is honestly an amazing experience. I’d suggest checking out a few streams to suss out if it’s for you, streamers are generally lovely and happy to chat with and help out new and prospective players.
I just finished The Invincible. Runs like dogshit on my system (i5-9600 16Gb/RX6650XT 8Gb), but very engaging for a walking simulator. About ten hours long and very little replay value unless you’re a completionist. Recommended if that sounds like your cup of tea, but don’t pay full price.
They’re both valid. It just depends on your mental model of the control scheme; whether you feel like you’re moving the crosshair, or your character’s head.