Gaming is intended primarily to be a fun pastime, something you enjoy in your off hours.
However, not everyone has the same amount of free time in a given day. You’ve got work to do, homework to finish, errands to run, or a combination of the three.
As such, not everyone can get sucked into a lengthy, immersive story or lose themselves in endless matchmaking outside the weekends.
The Longest Cutscenes In PlayStation History
Cutscenes pull a game’s story together, but sometimes they can be a bit much. These are the longest cutscenes in PlayStation games.
Luckily, games come in all shapes and sizes, and that includes play session length.
Even if you only have 30 minutes to an hour to play games on a given day, there are still plenty of games to enjoy.
Lasts As Long As Your Luck
If you know how to play Poker, you know how to play Balatro, at least on a surface level.
The relative simplicity of the game is what gives it its frighteningly addictive properties, but that’s not all there is.
If fortune shines down on you, and you getsome quality Jokers, you can start rocketing through the antes at a breakneck pace.
Of course, you could just as easily fumble the entire thing at the last minute, but that’s gambling for you. Rich to zilch in the blink of an eye.
9The Binding Of Isaac: Rebirth
Has A Built-In Speed Timer
The Binding of Isaac
Just about any roguelike dungeon crawler is a good choice for the time-strapped.
Since you have to start over every time you die, the levels are never too long.
One game that epitomizes this isThe Binding of Isaac: Rebirth.
If you’re skilled enough, you may clear an entire base game run in around 30 minutes, urged along by the built-in speedrun timer.
Actually seeing all of the game’s content will takeexponentially longer than that, but we’re talking about individual play sessions here, not total completion.
8Buckshot Roulette
You Can Stop When You Want
Buckshot Roulette
In a similar vein to Balatro, games that rely heavily on gambling and probability tend to be on the shorter side.
Buckshot Roulette makes this exceptionally clear, as you can clear the initial run of the game in around 20 minutes if you don’t end up blowing your head off.
After you finish the initial run, youunlock Double or Nothing mode. In this mode, you can push the envelope as far as you think you can get away with.
If you find yourself with more time after clearing the initial rounds, you can keep it rolling to increase your winnings.
7Sonic Mania
The Pinnacle Of Speed
Sonic Mania
When it comes to speedy gameplay, the original speed demon could be no one but Sonic the Hedgehog.
If you’re hungry for an arcade-style experience,Sonic Mania’s high-octane levels are perfect for a bit of midday mental stimulation.
Finishing the whole game in a single session might be a bit of a tall order, especially if you want toget all the Chaos Emeralds and see the true ending.
Luckily, unlike in the first couple of Sonic games, you can save between levels and pick it up later.
6Katamari Damacy Reroll
The King Demands Punctuality
Katamari Damacy Reroll
Among his many fabulous qualities,Katamari Damacy’s King of All Cosmos is well known for his strict punctuality.
In just about every one of the game’s levels, he’ll give you a strict time limit to make an adequately-sized Katamari.
These time limits are usually less than 10 minutes, though some of the late-game ones can go as high as 30.
Either way, if you want a short time to pick up lots of stuff while listening to awesome music, you can’t go wrong with this classic game.
5Monster Prom
Find Love In An Hour
Monster Prom
Monster Promis kind of like a midpoint between a video game and a board game, except you can play it either alone or with friends.
The hilarious dialogue and subtle challenge of managing your stats will give you a few laughs and groans in a compact package.
The game offers you options for a short 45-minute game or a full 60-minute game, but it won’t be an all-day affair, no matter what.
The only thing that might increase the time is whether you read everyone’s dialogue in funny voices.
4Pizza Tower
You’re Supposed To Rush
Pizza Tower
Pizza and high speeds have been intertwined ever since the first Domino’s said “30 minutes, or it’s free.”
This is probably why speed is a vital component of Pizza Tower. Just about all of Peppino’s abilities are speed-centric, from his mach dash to his frantic wall-climbing.
When you get to the end of a level, you also have to make a mad dash back to the beginning.
If that weren’t enough, your speed is also one of the qualities you’re graded on at the end. If you’re not finishing fast, you’re not doing it right.
3Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Win A Race, Make Lunch
Of course, we can’t have a conversation about speedy gameplay without throwing a racing game in the mix.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s compact tracks generally take around 3 or 4 minutes from start to finish line.
Every Track in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC Wave 2, Ranked
you may finish a whole race in the time it takes to boil noodles. Even if you wanted to do an entire four-race cup, it still wouldn’t be much of a time commitment.
You can play on your own or online, but no matter what, you’ll get to the finish line at around the same time.
2Street Fighter 6
Practice On Arcade Ladders
Street Fighter 6
Fighting game arcade ladders have always been a great way to waste some time while still gettinga modicum of practice on your favorite character.
Street Fighter 6offers these arcade ladders for all of its characters. Assuming you don’t get stuck on one fight, you can clear the whole thing in short order.
For an extra bit of customization, you can choose between a 5-fight ladder or a 12-fight ladder.
There are even separate leaderboards for both, so you can still get your rank up even if you’re keeping things low-key.
1Vampire Survivors
Fun For Exactly 30 Minutes
Vampire Survivors
There are many qualities that giveVampire Survivorsitsenduring appeal, but perhaps one of the most attractive is that you always know exactly how long a session will last.
All normal stages of the game last exactly 30 minutes. The moment the clock strikes 30, the Reaper will appear to put a stop to your shenanigans.
Technically, you can beat the Reaper, but another one will show up every subsequent minute.
If you don’t have 30 minutes, the stages’ unlockable Hurry Modes will sic the Reaper on you after just 15 minutes.
10 Best Short Video Games, Ranked
Bigger isn’t always better, here are the ten best short video games.
