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[cerapa]

Path of Exile is a fun (and free) game, and there's a new expansion coming out in 2 days. I suggest you check it out, did I mention that it's free?

It's a diablo style game. Collect loot so you can run harder maps so you can find better/more loot so you can run harder maps and so on. Find some gem/skill combinations you like and maybe look for currency to buy a particular unique item that would be good for your build. There's always better stuff to get.

You can play at whatever pace you want. I'm not currently playing since I''m waiting for the new expansion to drop, but back when I played I generally just ran a single map a day, which took like 10-20 minutes, and I found plenty of nice upgrades to my gear and cool uniques.

[Shadowlord]

It's not already out? They changed their icon and everything.

[Robsoie]

Both ToME4 and ADoM features an "infinite" dungeon on their own world map with randomised floors layouts.
In ADoM it's possible to get back to earlier floors (that are re-randomised) and exit that dungeon, in ToME4 you can only go down and never come back to earlier floors.
 
In ToME4 you can even play with it as a separated game mode once you unlocked it in the main campaign.

[Teneb]

Any of the Paradox Grand Strategy titles (Crusader Kings, Europa Universalis, Victoria, Hearts of Iron), should qualify. While a campaign is as short as you want it to be (there is an end date, though it takes a while in the first two), there is no set goal and you can play with almost anything you see in the map.

[sambojin]

Clash Royale on mobile probably qualifies if you spend no money. The levelling/card collecting grind will take months or years to hit max level, but the matches are quick and interesting and you can jump in for a few at any time.

Playing the game seems to be the object of it, not the grind. There is little reward for constant play (about 8 wins a day is optimum, with each match taking 3-4mins).

It's quite fun as a casual game, with some deeper strategies and builds available, and not bad even at lvl 1-3 to get some good matches in (I'm level 5 now, at 3rd or 4th arena, with an ok'ish set of cards/units/spells after 3-4 days of too much play. 70-80 wins out of about 140-160 matches or so? A 50/50 win ratio still allows reasonable "progression" of sorts).

A weird mix of both quick and longterm play, with playing good matches being the reward. Sponge off guildmates to open up your card set a bit and you'll end up with enough variety and strategies available within a few days to keep it as fun enough to log in a couple of times a day for ages. Quick match-making, quick games, "reasonably" balanced, and so p2w to even think of getting to the higher brackets that you never have to care about being in them (more cards really doesn't mean better player). Good for a morning coffee/quick lunch break/arvo wind down game.

Mini-micro-dota, with a way easier headspace to play in. It's free as well. Like super-p2w/advance upwards mobile game free. But so far I haven't cared too much (good play can often beat higher levelled people). The p2winners float to the surface naturally, leaving you happily fighting against free scrubs like me

Forever!!!!!

(until one of us breaks down and spends some money on it. Which I probably will at some point. Until then, there's something slightly zen about the lessons of patience and the virtue of being a ninja goblin (or something) there for us all to learn. And it's rewarding learning )

[Dozebôm Lolumzalės]

Wouldn't DF count? Hehehe.

[FallacyofUrist]

Wouldn't DF count? Hehehe.

Heh. I say yes.

And Minecraft, potentially.

[frostshotgg]

In the ARPG vein, Borderlands 2 you can sink hundreds of hours into and still have stuff to do, and then you start it over with another character.

If you're open to online games, Warframe plays a lot like Borderlands, but with more grind and less variation, and it receives updates semi-regularly.

[Ghills]

Pokemon. Easy to fire up, easy to save, and incremental progress is practically the name of the game for Pokemon. It works really, really well in the circumstances you're describing (source: personal experience).  It's engaging but doesn't require spending a lot of time deeply immersed in it like a lot of other RPGs do. There are GBA and DS emulators that run on PCs and phones if you want to take that route instead of getting the handheld.  The 3DS is pretty neat, though.

For MMOs, GW2 is very friendly for people who want to drop in and drop out of playing or don't have a lot of time. You don't need a set party, groups happen naturally across the world.  There's a login bonus so even if you don't have time to do much you at least get something. There's a lot of grinding to get the best gear and legendary weapons, but it's not like WoW's organized raiding schedule where taking time off penalizes you a lot. Good gear stays good.  It does have a set schedule for world bosses though, so YMMV.

Have you thought about the better mobile games? Threes, Lyne, Strata, Cogs and Tetrobot are all great.  These + Pokemon were my mainstays when I was working long hours and commuting.

[inteuniso]

Reassembly. Open-world 2D isometric space shooter where you design boats and shoot at other boats with your boat-mounted weaponry. And drones. There's quite a few mods and progression can be saved and you can continue jumping through wormholes: there is a maximum point value that individual boats have but there isn't a limit to fleet size.

[Girlinhat]

Reassembly. Open-world 2D isometric space shooter where you design boats and shoot at other boats with your boat-mounted weaponry. And drones. There's quite a few mods and progression can be saved and you can continue jumping through wormholes: there is a maximum point value that individual boats have but there isn't a limit to fleet size.

One of the guys I subscribe to on youtube does Assembly, and would generally finish up a faction in like 5 episodes.  He'd hit the resource cap and kind of run out of things to do.