20 Games Under 5 Hours That Are Totally Worth It

Even with a packed schedule, you can still enjoy fantastic games! This collection features short, well-crafted experiences that offer compelling stories, smart gameplay, and beautiful visuals. These games are designed to be completed in one or two sittings – usually five hours or less – and focus on delivering strong, engaging gameplay without unnecessary fluff. You’ll find a variety of genres here, including story-driven adventures and creative puzzle games.

Journey

This game is a peaceful, exploratory adventure where you journey across deserts and ancient ruins towards a faraway mountain. It’s experienced through movement and music, without any spoken or written words. You can optionally play with a friend online, but it doesn’t require any communication. The game focuses on experiencing the world and doesn’t have any failing or complicated menus. Most people finish it in around two hours on PlayStation, PC, or iOS.

Firewatch

This game, set in the Wyoming wilderness in 1989, puts you in the role of a fire lookout who communicates with his supervisor over the radio. It’s a story-focused experience where your choices in conversations, exploring the environment, and uncovering secrets are key – there’s no combat. The game is designed to be completed in a single sitting or two, taking around four hours to finish on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch.

What Remains of Edith Finch

I just finished playing this really cool game – it’s a series of short, interactive stories that tell the history of one family. What’s neat is that each story feels totally different – they all have their own unique ways of playing and look completely different too. You explore small areas, but it’s super easy to get around because the game guides you clearly. I was able to finish the whole thing in just a couple of hours on my computer, and I’ve heard it takes about the same amount of time on consoles too. It’s a really brisk and engaging experience!

Inside

This game is a puzzle platformer where you move sideways, and it focuses on realistic physics, sneaking, and precise timing to tell a compelling, dark story. It relies on visuals and sound to show you how to overcome obstacles, without using on-screen instructions. You can experiment freely because the game has frequent checkpoints. A typical playthrough takes about three to four hours on computers, consoles, and iPhones/iPads.

Limbo

This minimalist puzzle platformer, created by the team behind Inside, features a striking black-and-white art style and easy-to-learn controls. You’ll solve puzzles using physics, avoid traps, and understand how creatures react, with each action having a clear result. The game frequently saves your progress and levels are small, so you won’t have to repeat long sections. It typically takes around three to four hours to complete on computers, consoles, and mobile devices.

A Short Hike

You play as a bird exploring a charming island park, where you can fly, climb, and even talk to people! Your goal is to reach the highest point by collecting feathers, but you can also enjoy optional side activities like fishing and treasure hunting. Getting around is fast and easy thanks to the game’s focus on vertical movement, and most players can complete it in about two to three hours on PC or Switch.

Gone Home

This game is a personal story told through exploring an empty house. You’ll uncover the history of a family by finding letters, listening to recordings, and examining objects. It’s a peaceful experience focused on investigation and simple puzzles, with no combat or time pressure. While you can explore in a fairly open way, the game is contained within a small area and usually takes around two to three hours to complete on computers and consoles.

Superhot

This unique game blends action and puzzles, and time only progresses when you move. Each challenge becomes a chance to carefully plan your next step. Levels are quick to play and restart immediately, encouraging you to try different approaches. The main story is relatively short, teaching you the game’s mechanics gradually, and can be finished in around three to four hours on computers, consoles, and VR headsets.

Portal

This puzzle game cleverly teaches you how to use its portal mechanic through a series of well-designed challenges that gradually get harder. Each challenge introduces just one new idea, making the puzzles easy to understand and quick to solve. The game loads fast and saves your progress often, so you spend more time playing and less time waiting. Most players can finish the game in about three hours on both PC and consoles.

The Stanley Parable

This game puts you in an office environment where a narrator reacts to your decisions. It’s designed with many short, branching storylines and different endings. Because each path is quick to complete, you’re encouraged to try different things and uncover hidden content. The controls are straightforward, and there’s no way to ‘lose’ – it’s all about exploring. You can typically experience most of what the game offers in an hour or two on PC or consoles.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

This game offers a unique experience where you control two characters simultaneously, solving puzzles designed for cooperation – all while playing alone. You’ll explore diverse environments like villages, forests, and caves, with some simple platforming and challenges that require good timing. Each chapter introduces new gameplay elements, but keeps things easy to learn. A typical game takes between three and four hours to complete on computers and gaming consoles.

Dear Esther

This game is a story-focused experience set on a secluded island. You explore a set path while listening to narrated letters that reveal the plot. Gameplay mainly involves walking and taking in the sights and sounds, with a strong emphasis on audio and visuals. The game has a straightforward, linear path with frequent save points, and typically takes between one and two hours to finish on computers and gaming consoles.

Abzû

Explore a beautiful, stylized underwater world as a diver, discovering vibrant reefs and ancient ruins. Your goal is to bring life back to different ocean environments. The game focuses on peaceful exploration – you’ll swim, use meditation to solve puzzles, and carefully sneak past machines. Each chapter is self-contained with straightforward goals and allows for quick progress. Expect to finish the game in around two to three hours on PC and consoles.

Sayonara Wild Hearts

This game combines music rhythm gameplay with fast-paced driving and epic boss battles, all set to a non-stop soundtrack. Levels are quick to play and focused on getting a high score, with plenty of checkpoints to help you quickly jump back in if you fail. You can replay levels to improve your ranking without making the main story longer. Completing the story typically takes between one and two hours on Switch, PlayStation, mobile, and PC.

Gorogoa

This puzzle game features hand-drawn levels arranged in a grid. You solve challenges by zooming, aligning, and layering scenes, using visual and spatial reasoning instead of written clues. The game has a clean, easy-to-use interface and lets you quickly try different solutions. Most players can finish the game in about two to three hours on computers, game consoles, and mobile devices.

The Beginner’s Guide

This game is a first-person exploration of experimental prototypes, designed like a guided tour. You’ll interact with simple elements to explore ideas about creating and understanding art. Each level is short and visually different, keeping the gameplay fresh. It’s designed to be relaxing – there are no ways to ‘lose’ and the controls are easy to learn. You can expect to finish the game in around ninety minutes on a PC.

Donut County

You play by controlling a growing hole that absorbs objects, solving puzzles with fun and simple cause-and-effect gameplay. Each level introduces new ways objects interact, but remains easy to learn and beat. The story is told through brief cutscenes between levels, and a full playthrough takes about 2-3 hours on any device – PC, consoles, or mobile.

Her Story

This detective game lets you solve a mystery by searching a video database using keywords to piece together what happened. It’s designed like a computer simulation, and you’ll need to pay close attention to details and take notes as you investigate. You can finish the game when you’ve found the most important video clips, and it usually takes around 2-3 hours to play on computers and mobile devices.

To the Moon

This adventure game centers around exploring memories as two doctors, with a focus on simple exploration and easy puzzles. Its charming pixel art style and limited combat let the story, characters, and music take center stage. The game is broken into short, well-defined chapters with clear goals, and most players can complete it in about four to five hours on PC or Switch.

Superliminal

I’m really into this puzzle game where you solve things by playing with perspective – basically, changing how you look at objects makes them fit together! It’s super clever. The game gently introduces new ideas one step at a time, and it’s designed so you can quickly try out different solutions without getting stuck. I’ve been playing on my computer, and a full run usually takes between two and four hours, which is perfect. It’s all about those visual tricks!

Tell us your go-to games for a quick gaming session in the comments! Help everyone discover some fun, short experiences they might enjoy next.

2025-11-13 08:20