For me, games that you can customize in a meaningful way are the most rewarding to play.

Games like:

Stardew Valley Age of Empires Worms Reloaded The Long Dark Skyrim

All of these games have core mechanics that stay the same, but every time you load up the game is a unique experience.

Stardew Valley: I can build my farm however I like, there are tons of different crops to plant. Or I could not focus on farming at all, I could go mine or fish.

Age of Empires: I can destroy my enemies in a number of ways, using one of many unique civilizations.

Worms Reloaded: I can attack with a variety of different weapons (for a simple-looking game, this one is actually pretty complex in strategy)

The Long Dark: Obviously this is a more stripped down/survival game, but I can choose where I want to explore or set up camp/what I want to carry.

Skyrim: The ultimate in customization, I can go on so many different sidequests and not touch the main game if I want to.

I’m looking for more games like this, I’m open to suggestions.