As the world continues to debate the correlation between money spent and hours it takes to complete a video game, I find myself very grateful that such a wide variety of different game lengths exist.
If every single game were a 40-plus hour experience with tons of side quests, I feel like we’d all get bored pretty fast. That’s why I value games that are on the shorter side, where the best experiences are the ones that leave a lasting impression.
The benefit of these games is that none of them wears out their welcome. In fact, they check out at a time when I find myself desperate for more of their unique worlds. I would rank many of these games rather high, and consider a few of them to be some of my all-time favorites.
You don’t need a lot of time to complete these absolute gems, so if you’re looking for a few games that will strive to entertain you beyond anything else, let’s take a look at some of them.
I’ve used HowLongToBeat to showcase the length of each game, focusing on a standard playthrough. Some games may take longer when going for 100% completion.
10 Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons
Oh, Brother, How Long Art Thou?
|
Main Story |
3 Hours |
|---|---|
|
Main Story+Extras |
3 1/2 Hours |
|
100% |
4 Hours |
I bought Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons when it had a deep discount on Steam way back in 2014. And I did so because it looked so unique to me, and I’m glad I trusted my instincts.
It was actually directed by Josef Fares, who has gone on to become one of gaming’s most charming personalities thanks to his work on A Way Out and Split Fiction. You can see just how much his innovative design philosophies were on display, even this early in his game directing career.
You control both brothers in A Tale of Two Sons, each one assigned to a control stick. It’s one of those titles that you need to experience at least once, especially if you’re someone who values emotionally complex narratives in video games.
It can be completed in a few hours, but those few hours are simply breathtaking. It was also remade in 2024, so it’s easier than ever to access today.
Kept You Waiting For A Conclusion For A Year, Huh?
|
Main Story |
2 Hours |
|---|---|
|
Main Story+Extras |
6 1/2 Hours |
|
100% |
21 Hours |
After spending a lifetime becoming hopelessly invested in the world of Metal Gear and the story of Solid Snake, the arrival of Ground Zeroes signified just how important this franchise was to my life.
And while Kojima’s decision to split up Ground Zeroes from the main piece of The Phantom Pain seemed unusual, it was the perfect appetizer.
Ground Zeroes is a fully immersive sandbox, and one of the best you can find even today. You can approach each playthrough, which lasts roughly two hours, in different ways each time.
Its short, bite-sized nature was a flawless tee-up for The Phantom Pain. It would take over a year to get the main experience, but Ground Zeroes was an intoxicating experience that left me salivating for more of its bold new vision for Metal Gear.
8 Carrion
Horror Metroidvania Done In Reverse
|
Main Story |
4 1/2 Hours |
|---|---|
|
Main Story+Extras |
5 1/2 Hours |
|
100% |
6 Hours |
After being recommended Carrion by a friend, I started to realize that, in spite of how ubiquitous they are, the Metroidvania genre still has a lot of untapped potential.
There are plenty of Metroidvania games out there, but they all tend to bleed together after a while. And Carrion was a game that expanded that scope, playing out like a horror game in reverse.
In Carrion, you are the monster that hunts down the helpless humans who are after you. It’s still one of the most innovative games in the genre I’ve ever played, and clocks in at roughly five hours.
Within that short time span, it offers up some remarkable exploration mixed with an evolving map. Carrion is a stand-out horror game in the Metroidvania genre, and one that you should play immediately.
7 Ico
Team ICO Debuts With Timeless Classic On PS2
|
Main Story |
6 1/2 Hours |
|---|---|
|
Main Story+Extras |
7 Hours |
|
100% |
8 Hours |
The sixth generation of video games is still my favorite older era. The games from this generation just feel so intrinsically linked to their place in history, and Ico is one that I continually reference when it comes to how impressive that era was.
Ico’s world and aesthetic are simply breathtaking, with an alluring old-school charm that is still delightful to look at today. It uses every part of its roughly six-hour runtime perfectly.
Reaching the end of Ico just reinforces how much of a grip it has on you, as the journey to its ending is rife with emotions and all sorts of conflicting feelings. It’s the type of world that I just want to live in and explore its unlimited potential.
6 Monument Valley
Don’t Like Puzzle Games? Play This One
|
Main Story |
1 1/2 Hours |
|---|---|
|
Main Story+Extras |
2 1/2 Hours |
|
100% |
2 1/2 Hours |
I haven’t had a ton of experience with puzzle games over the years, but the ones I’ve become invested in have become full-blown obsessions.
Monument Valley was precisely one of those games. It has just enough cute little details in its world and characters to draw me in, complete with some absolutely mind-bending puzzles.
It’s one of the most atmospheric and enjoyable puzzle games I’ve ever played, and it also clocks in with a brisk runtime of less than two hours. But by the end of those two hours, you’ll find yourself hungry for more of its chill world.
Thankfully, Monument Valley has been followed up with two sequels. It’s one of the most outstanding examples of a title that satisfies hardcore fans of the genre and newcomers to puzzle games.
5 Hotline Miami
A Bit Of The Old Ultra Violence
-
- Released
- October 23, 2012
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Intense Violence, Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Strong Language, Crude Humor
- Engine
- gamemaker, phyreengine
- Franchise
- Hotline Miami
- PC Release Date
- October 23, 2012
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- October 23, 2023
- PS5 Release Date
- October 23, 2023
- Nintendo Switch Release Date
- August 19, 2019
- Metascore
- 87
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
|
Main Story |
5 Hours |
|---|---|
|
Main Story+Extras |
71/2 Hours |
|
100% |
15 Hours |
If it wasn’t for Steam and its many sales, I think I would have missed out on a lot of amazing games. Case in point, Hotline Miami.
This absurd, over-the-top 80s-infused action game has been a long-time favorite of mine. It’s a rather quick one at five hours, but this blood-soaked tale of revenge could go on forever if you ask me.
It plays almost like a puzzle game, trapping you in a room with violent men who all seem to have pitch-perfect aim. A simple mistake can cost you, but the game also offers its own tools that allow you to get out of a sticky situation.
The hectic, madcap pace of Hotline Miami is non-stop over the course of five hours. It’s one of those games that you’ll immediately restart upon completion.
4 Gone Home
Walk, Don’t Run
|
Main Story |
2 Hours |
|---|---|
|
Main Story+Extras |
2 1/2 Hours |
|
100% |
3 Hours |
Despite the ongoing debate about their status as actual video games, I’m a sucker for a good walking simulator. I don’t need, nor do I want, every game to be a big-budget cinematic experience.
Sometimes, I just want to experience an interesting world at my own pace. And that’s exactly what Gone Home offers.
Gone Home is a compelling story of family and relationships, which unfolds at a methodical pace. What really sells Gone Home is just how honest its world feels.
It really feels like you are exploring the haunting memory of a broken family in 1995. The authenticity and level of care is second to none.
You may be able to find a lot of walking simulators out there, but none of them feel as genuine as Gone Home.
3 Portal
Mind The Gap
|
Main Story |
3 Hours |
|---|---|
|
Main Story+Extras |
5 Hours |
|
100% |
10 1/2 Hours |
In my attempt to play every version of Half-Life 2 possible, I purchased The Orange Box all the way back in 2008. While I got to re-experience the desperate struggle of Gordon Freeman, another game was included on that disc, known as Portal.
I didn’t know it at the time, but Portal was about to become one of my favorite games of all time. This insanely impressive puzzle-platformer was absolutely everything I was looking for in a video game.
Its story was absurd, the lead villain was an absolute madwoman, and the mind-melting puzzles were out of this world. Portal can be wrapped up in less than four hours, but you’re likely to find its addictive cycle of running through test chambers and finding out what’s next hard to put down.
2 Dear Esther
No, Sadly, That Is Not Sean Bean
|
Main Story |
1 1/2 Hours |
|
Main Story+Extras |
1 1/2 Hours |
|
100% |
1 1/2 Hours |
I spent quite a lot of time playing Dear Esther assuming it was Sean Bean doing the narration, but sadly it was not. Even so, Dear Esther had a hardened grip on me and wasn’t intent on letting go.
It situates itself neatly into the walking simulator genre, but presents itself almost like a magnificent audiobook that you get to live out. Complete with lush, gorgeous visuals and a fully 3D world that you get to exist in for an hour or so.
That hour is rife with mystery, betrayal and doomed romance. It almost feels like a mid-century gothic romance novel, its focus squarely on the morose musings of a man mourning a lost love.
Just listening to the narration, the waves crashing on the beach, and the distant hums of birds flocking is a fabulous experience. That hour goes by quickly, and piecing together the story relies on multiple playthroughs.
1 Firewatch
Firewatch With Me
|
Main Story |
4 Hours |
|
Main Story+Extras |
4 1/2 Hours |
|
100% |
5 Hours |
After completing Firewatch during a marathon session with my best friend on launch day in 2016, I immediately started playing it again on my own. This rich, complex narrative and delightful cast of characters have become one of the indie scene’s most lauded experiences.
The relationship it creates between its lead, Henry, and the disembodied voice of Delilah is the kind of magic you don’t see a lot in games. Their complicated relationship vacillates between flirty to friendly, all the way to downright conspiratorial.
Unraveling the mystery of a group of missing girls, as well as the spooky secrets that haunt the rest of the forest, is backed by some sharp, outrageously clever writing. It also features some excellent voice acting, and a magnificent ending that keeps you guessing all the way down.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
