“I want to play, but I don’t have time.” This phrase keeps popping up across forums and social networks. Unfortunately, some people only have a handful of hours to game during the week, forcing them to be (much) more efficient with the titles they pick. The portal How Long to Beat has been specifically designed for everyone who wants to know the “time investment” required in the most popular games, whether it’s exploring the main story or chasing side objectives.
The last game I finished was Cursed to Golf, one of the freebies from Epic Games Store recently. While it took several attempts (like any roguelite worth its salt), the main mode wrapped up in four and a half hours. As for the “last long game” I completed, that would be Death Stranding… with 168 hours on its internal clock. Its main story doesn’t stretch beyond 40 hours, but chasing 100% completion requires multiplying that time by at least 3.
Many players see those numbers and simply say “I can’t.” Work, family, assorted commitments, health issues, technical hiccups… there are too many things in the way, and sometimes they can only squeeze in a few hours of entertainment at very specific moments.
However, you’re not alone out there, and the portal How Long to Beat brings together all the information you need to start new adventures as efficiently as possible.
How Long to Beat: How to Know if a Game Is “Too Long”
The site includes tools to catalog games, import your Steam collection, evaluate current game prices, and compare your sessions with other players, but the most important part is just a couple of clicks away. Its database holds nearly 70,000 games, with entries dating back to 1970. Naturally, the newest and most popular titles come with extra data, from extended statistics to full guides and interactive maps.
Among the most notable examples are Baldur’s Gate 3 (58 hours of main quest, and 150 for the rest), Cyberpunk 2077 (25 hours, 107 in a full session), and Elden Ring, which demands nearly 60 hours for its main story. However, the advanced search lets you filter by duration, and if you enter a more or less reasonable value (say, four hours), great games like Portal, Limbo, Superhot, The Stanley Parable, Journey, Untitled Goose Game, FAR: Lone Sails appear… and I stop because there are more than 900 pages of results. Link below!
Official site: Click here
