I just realized that the most obvious choice for new players is Stardew Valley. I never really thought about it. Even newer Mario or Minecraft could be a barrier. Controlling cameras can be confusing and difficult for newer players. Stardew doesn’t require you to be good at twin stick mechanics (although that is used for the slingshot if you want to do that). It gives you lots of encouragement and is very straightforward with missions. The screen is never cluttered with junk or pop-ups. It gets more complex as you progress but you’ll never be “stuck”. The fishing and fighting games teaches how to use button control and timing. Everything feels rewarding like you are making progress. Not to mention it’s pretty universally loved and will run on almost any PC and is available on all consoles or tablet or mobile devices