Gamers come from all walks of life, making them a pretty diverse bunch in terms of age and backgrounds. Even though you’re a gamer, you may have found over time your hobby taking a back seat to other aspects of your life like work and family.
As much as you may want to dive into a lengthy role-playing game or sharpen your skills on thebest competitive online multiplayer shooters, there are only so many hours in a day. Fortunately, there are several games that offer you fun, challenge, and story in bite-size chunks you can squeeze into your busy schedule.
9Death Loop
An FPS With A Sci-Fi Twist
Deathloopby developer Arkane is a first-person sci-fi shooter that incorporates a unique mechanic using time. You wake up on an island decked out in retro 60s style and discover you must kill certain characters before the day is over.
Once the day is over, time loops back to when you woke up and will repeat until you’re successful in defeating the required enemies. For those who are short on time, Death Loop is a great title because each time loop takes twenty minutes on average.
8Doors: Paradox
Opening Doors Shouldn’t Be This Fun
Doors: Paradox is an inventive puzzle game that requires you to solve the mystery of how to open a variety of entryways. The art style is eye-catching and full of three-dimensional and interactive levels full of strange mechanisms.
Not only is the game relaxing after a stressful day at work, but each level can also be as short as five to ten minutes. With Doors: Paradox, you can spend a few minutes gaming and accomplish something before you must tend to other responsibilities.
7Portal
An Imaginative First-Person Puzzle Game
Portalis one of the most revered puzzle games ever, tasking you with navigating various rooms with obstacles, switches, poisonous goo, and bottomless pits. You receive a Portal Gun early on, and it allows you to fire an entry and exit portal to help you reach the end of each chamber.
Meanwhile, GLaDOS, an artificial intelligence with questionable motives, continually comments on your successes and failures. You can complete one chamber at a time (usually less than fifteen minutes) to work around your hectic schedule.
6Bridge Constructor Portal
Physics, Portals, And The Aperture Science Laboratories
Bridge Constructor Portal is an offshoot of the popular Portal franchise and requires you to build and incorporate portals. This physics-based puzzle game will have you trying to span a variety of environments that will then be tested by characters called Bendies in their work vehicles.
Each level ups the ante with new mechanics and challenges but can usually be completed in a short amount of time. The odd puzzle here or there might take some extra time, but otherwise, this game can be enjoyed in short spurts.
5Ryse: Son of Rome
A Cinematic Brawler With Great Visuals
This action game by developer Crytek offers impressive graphics,sweeping cinematic battles, and plenty of carnage. One of the criticisms of this title is the lack of a complex fighting system like those found in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice or Sifu.
But, the simple combat controls make it easy to jump into a game without having to remember elaborate moves or precise timing. The story is straightforward and features some fantastic cut scenes that will immerse you in a world full of Roman soldiers and barbarians.
4Stories Untold
Spooky Adventures With 80s Nostalgia
This text-based retro game uses point-and-click controls and has some prominent industry talent behind it. Stories Untold provides you with four adventures that obviously took inspiration from classic horror with plenty of atmospheric details.
While it may seem basic on the surface, you quickly get engrossed in the stories, and your imagination fills in the blanks. The entire game can be completed in a matter of hours, leaving you feeling a sense of accomplishment without sinking too much of your spare time into it.
3Stray
A Character With Nine Lives
Combine a future cyberpunk city with a nimble alley cat, and you get the indie adventure gameStray. You play as a cat and navigate through a strange metropolis void of people but populated with robots and work to discover what happened.
The controls are simple in that you aren’t manually platforming but instead selecting where you want the cat to jump. The game is enjoyable and relaxing, with chapters that can be completed in under 30 minutes.
2Call Of The Sea
An Intriguing Mystery Puzzle Game
Call Of The Sea is a first-person adventure game set on an island in the 1930s with colorful and lush environments to explore. You play Norah, who has set off to discover the whereabouts of her missing husband after his mysterious disappearance.
Featuringexcellent voice acting, interactive locations, and a well-developed story, you’ll keep solving puzzles and pushing forward to uncover the truth. The game can be completed in around six hours and is ideal for busy gamers who still crave immersion.
1Submerged
A Relaxing Third-Person Adventure
Submerged is an eye-catching game that has you exploring the ruins of a partially sunken city. You begin your journey on a fishing boat looking for aid to tend to your wounded brother, but you must investigate, climb, and uncover the city’s hidden secrets to succeed.
This title concludes in about five or so hours, and it is one of the rare third-person adventure games that doesn’t feature combat. Submerged is a great way to unwind for a few nights if you have little time to spare.
