I have been on a kick lately with short games. Because I’m a parent with a hectic job, it’s really nice to be able to beat a game in just a few days.

I’ve played both Plague Tale games (10 & 20 hours respectively), Stray (7 hours), and Alan Wake (10 hours). All great stories, very atmospheric, and felt like just the right length for what they were.

Any other good story-heavy games that are pretty short? Throw any and all recommendations at me!

  • bermuda@beehaw.org
    1·
    1 year ago

    I went on my steam profile (note these are all PC games, but some are on console) and looked at all the games I finished in under 20 hours at least once and enjoyed so I’ll just list them here. It’s in descending order from most (20.1 hours) to least (68 minutes):

    I put a star next to the ones I’d recommend in a heartbeat even without the 20 hour limit.

    • Mirror’s Edge ★
    • The Stanley Parable ★ (although may take you at least 20 to find all endings / easter eggs / secrets)
    • Deus Ex: Mankind Divided ★ (due to the fact that it’s the middle game in an incomplete trilogy, also recommend Deus Ex: Human Revolution but that’s more than 20)
    • Hotline Miami ★
    • Little Inferno
    • Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell
    • Dishonored ★
    • Myst
    • DOOM (2016) ★
    • Wolfenstein: The New Order ★
    • Portals 1 & 2 ★
    • Return of the Obra Dinn ★ (beat twice in 9 hours)
    • Kentucky Route Zero ★
    • The Henry Stickmin Collection ★
    • FAR: Lone Sails
    • Titanfall 2
    • DUSK ★
    • COD: Modern Warfare 2
    • Ghostrunner (didn’t like this but it seemed most people who weren’t me did so i’m putting it here)
    • Thomas Was Alone
    • Jazzpunk: Director’s Cut ★
    • Gunpoint ★
    • Orwell
    • Firewatch
    • Superliminal ★
    • Observer_ ★
    • SUPERHOT ★
    • The Beginner’s Guide
    • BattleBlock Theater
    • INSIDE ★
    • EDGE
    • Quadrilateral Cowboy
    • Journey ★

    edit: saw u said “story heavy” so i removed some of the arcadey ones. Some of these aren’t exactly “story heavy” depending on ur definition but they at least have a story