20 Games Under 5 Hours That Are Totally Worth It

Short games can fit neatly into a busy week and still deliver memorable stories, clever mechanics, and striking art. This list focuses on tightly made experiences that you can finish in a single sitting or two. Expect focused gameplay loops, strong direction, and minimal filler across a range of genres from narrative adventures to inventive puzzlers. All of these typically take five hours or less to complete for a first playthrough.

Journey

This atmospheric adventure focuses on exploration, light platforming, and a wordless story told through movement and music. You travel across deserts and ruins toward a distant mountain with optional anonymous co op that requires no voice or text. There are no fail states and minimal interface, which keeps attention on traversal and environmental cues. Most players finish in about two hours on PlayStation, PC, or iOS.

Firewatch

Set in the Wyoming wilderness in 1989, this first person narrative game follows a fire lookout and his supervisor who communicate by radio. The experience emphasizes dialogue choices, environmental navigation, and gradual discovery rather than combat. Its linear structure and chapter breaks make it easy to complete in one or two sessions. Typical completion time is around four hours on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch.

What Remains of Edith Finch

This collection of short interactive stories explores the history of a single family through distinct mechanics and perspectives. Each vignette introduces new controls and visual styles while guiding the player through a compact area. Navigation is straightforward and objective markers are clear which keeps the pace brisk. Most players finish in two to three hours on PC and all major consoles.

Inside

This side scrolling puzzle platformer uses physics based challenges, stealth, and timing to drive a dark narrative. Visual storytelling and sound design guide you through hazards without on screen prompts. Checkpoints are frequent, so experimentation carries little penalty. A first run generally lasts three to four hours on PC, consoles, and iOS.

Limbo

Monochrome visuals and simple controls define this minimalist puzzle platformer from the creators of Inside. Puzzles combine physics, traps, and creature behavior with clear cause and effect. The game autosaves often and areas are compact, which keeps retry loops short. Expect a three to four hour playtime on PC, consoles, and mobile.

A Short Hike

You explore a small island park as a bird who climbs, glides, and chats with visitors while collecting feathers to reach the summit. The map is dense with small activities like fishing and treasure hunting, all optional. Movement feels quick and verticality makes backtracking efficient. Most players finish in two to three hours on PC and Switch.

Gone Home

This first person exploration game centers on a single empty house filled with letters, recordings, and objects that reveal a family story. There are no enemies and no timed sequences, only environmental investigation and light puzzle solving. Progress is nonviolent and largely nonlinear yet the footprint remains small. A typical run takes two to three hours on PC and consoles.

Superhot

Time moves only when you move in this first person action puzzle hybrid, which turns each encounter into a tactical scenario. Levels are short and restart instantly, inviting iteration and experimentation. The core campaign is compact and introduces mechanics at a steady pace. You can complete it in about three to four hours on PC, consoles, and VR platforms.

Portal

This first person puzzle game teaches its portal mechanic through tightly designed test chambers with clear difficulty ramping. Each chamber focuses on one idea, which keeps solutions readable and sessions short. Loading is quick and checkpoints are frequent, minimizing downtime. Most players reach the end credits in three hours on PC and consoles.

The Stanley Parable

You navigate an office while a narrator comments on your choices, leading to multiple short paths and endings. Each route takes only minutes, encouraging experimentation to discover variations and secrets. Movement is simple and there are no failure states or complex systems. A first session to see several outcomes usually takes one to two hours on PC and consoles.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

This adventure uses a single controller to move two characters at once, creating cooperative style puzzles for a solo player. Environments vary between villages, forests, and caverns, with light platforming and timed sequences. The game introduces new interactions in each chapter without adding complexity. Most playthroughs last three to four hours on PC and consoles.

Dear Esther

This narrative driven experience takes place on a remote island where you follow a path while voiced letters unfold the story. Interaction is limited to movement and observation, which keeps the focus on audio and scenery. The route is linear and checkpoints are generous. Completion commonly takes about one to two hours on PC and consoles.

Abzû

As a diver in a stylized ocean, you explore reefs and ruins while restoring life to different biomes. There is no combat, and navigation relies on swimming, meditation points, and gentle stealth around machinery. Chapters are self contained with clear objectives and quick traversal. Plan for a two to three hour completion on PC and consoles.

Sayonara Wild Hearts

This pop album video game blends rhythm action, arcade driving, and boss sequences set to a continuous soundtrack. Levels are short and score based with generous checkpoints, which supports quick retries. You can replay stages to chase higher ranks without inflating the main campaign length. Finishing the story usually takes around one to two hours on Switch, PlayStation, mobile, and PC.

Gorogoa

Hand drawn panels form a grid where you zoom, align, and stack scenes to solve spatial puzzles. Solutions involve perspective tricks and visual logic rather than text hints. The interface is simple with instant resets for experimentation. Most players conclude the journey in two to three hours on PC, consoles, and mobile.

The Beginner’s Guide

Presented as a guided tour of experimental game prototypes, this first person experience uses simple interactions to illustrate themes of authorship and interpretation. Levels are brief and vary widely in style, which keeps the pace steady. There are no fail states or complex mechanics. Expect a runtime of about ninety minutes on PC.

Donut County

You control a hole that grows as it swallows objects, turning physics puzzles into playful cause and effect sequences. Levels introduce new object interactions that remain easy to grasp and quick to clear. The story unfolds through short scenes between stages. Completion takes roughly two to three hours on PC, consoles, and mobile.

Her Story

This investigative game uses a database of video clips that you search with keywords to reconstruct events. The interface is a simulated computer, and progress depends on careful note taking and observation. There are no hard gates, so you can reach a satisfying conclusion once key clips are found. Typical playtime is about two to three hours on PC and mobile.

To the Moon

This story focused adventure uses simple exploration and light puzzles to follow two doctors who traverse memories. Pixel art presentation and minimal combat keep attention on dialogue and music. Chapters are tightly scoped and objectives are clearly signposted. Most players finish in four to five hours on PC and Switch.

Superliminal

Perspective based puzzles ask you to manipulate object size by changing the camera angle, creating solutions that rely on visual tricks. Levels are segmented into themes that introduce one concept at a time. Checkpoints and instant loads support quick iteration when testing ideas. A first playthrough usually lasts two to four hours on PC and consoles.

Share your favorite quick play games in the comments and let others know which short experiences should be next on the list.