The 26 best short games

Rainer Etzweiler

6.2.2026

Translation: Megan Cornish

Not every game needs to be 100 hours long to be fun. Here’s a selection of great games you can finish in an afternoon.

Over Christmas, I played Persona 5 Royal to the end. The internal clock showed 101 hours. That’s more than two working weeks. I don’t regret the time I spent on it, even though the last ten hours were a bit of a slog. But 101 hours is a really long time, so I needed something shorter afterwards.

Here are 26 games you can complete in an afternoon (or slightly longer). The playing times are fromHowlongtobeat, a website that uses user data to calculate how long it will take you to get to the credits.

I stuck to games you can play on current platforms.

Ready? Let’s go.

A Short Hike

No false advertising here. A Short Hike is a short, narrative adventure. You control Claire, an anthropomorphic bird who has to reach the summit of a mountain. But the goal’s almost secondary. The heart of A Short Hike is the totally charming characters you meet on your way up and the little secrets you uncover along the way.

• Playing time: 1.5 hours
• For fans of: Lil Gator Games, Haven Park and the climbing mechanics of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
• Platforms: PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X/S and PC

Haven Park

Want more bird protagonists? Here you go. In Haven Park, you play as a chick named Flint, taking care of your grandma’s campsite. From pitching tents to lighting campfires and gathering supplies – Haven Park’s really relaxing and at times reminiscent of Animal Crossing. Just with less debt and no unpleasant residents to kick out.

• Playing time: 3 hours
• For fans of: A Short Hike, Lil' Gator Game and campsite nostalgia
• Platforms: Switch and PC

To The Moon

To The Moon was produced using the RPG Maker engine – a tool primarily used for 8 and 16-bit RPGs, which gives the game a charming retro look. However, the gameplay of this 2011 release draws more on visual novels. Interaction options are limited – as is the challenge element – but there’s a twist that’ll break your heart.

• Playing time: 4 hours
• For fans of: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, Gone Home and Nicholas Sparks novels
• Platforms: PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X/S and PC

Unpacking

Moving house is one of the biggest challenges of adult life. The lift’s is too small, the IKEA wardrobe falls apart on the first flight of stairs, and at the end of the day you’re sitting in a sparsely furnished room with a sore back and the realisation that you own too much junk.

Doing it digitally delivers a satisfying dopamine boost. In Unpacking, you accompany protagonist Sadie through several stages of her life, unpacking her moving boxes. The contents have to be cleverly arranged so that everything fits. At the same time, Sadie’s possessions tell her story in a sentimental way without being cheesy.

• Playing time: 3.5 hours
• For fans of: A Little To The Left, Whisper of the House and keeping things in order
• Platforms: PS5, PS4, Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PC and Android

Portal

Valve’s puzzle shooter dominated all the best-of lists in 2007 and gave the world GLaDOS, the most passive-aggressive AI since HAL 9000. You use the Portal Gun to shoot entrances and exits onto walls, solving physics puzzles that make you believe you’re the smartest person in the world.

• Playing time: 3 hours
• For fans of: Superliminal, The Talos Principle and thinking outside the box
• Platforms: Switch and PC

Resident Evil 3 Remake

Resident Evil 3 Remake’s the weakest remake of Capcom’s survival horror franchise, missing a lot of content compared to the original. However, even a mediocre Resident Evil game’s still a fun gorefest. Jill Valentine’s adventure in Raccoon City’s gory, thrilling and never boring for a single second.

• Playing time: 6 hours
• For fans of: Silent Hill f, The Last of Us and zombie apocalypses
• Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S and PC

Road 96

How can you not fall in love with a game that starts with this wonderful song? Road 96 transports you to 1996 and puts you in the role of several nameless teenagers. The group’s on the run from the authoritarian regime in their homeland. Their destination is the border, which is several hundred miles away.

Along the way, you’ll make various multiple-choice decisions, play some mini-games and make sure your gang doesn’t starve.

• Playing time: 7.5 hours
• For fans of: Telltale’s The Walking Dead, Life is Strange and coming-of-age stories
• Platforms: PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PC and Android

Stray

No species on the planet has benefited more from the internet than cats, so it’s surprising that our feline friends have so few games of their own. Yet, four-legged adventures certainly have potential, as Stray impressively demonstrates. French studio Bluetwelve’s debut game combines a touching story about a cat searching for its family with a dystopian sci-fi setting and basic skill-based gameplay.

• Playing time: 5 hours
• For fans of: Abzû, Spirit of the North and cats
• Platforms: PS5, PS4, Switch, Xbox Series X/S and PC

Little Nightmares

All that’s missing is Johnny Depp to make Little Nightmares a fully-fledged Tim Burton production. The horror platformer sends the tiny Six through grotesque levels full of deformed monsters, all of which could have been dreamt up by the cult director. The puzzle platformer gameplay is solid, but the atmosphere’s the real star. The sequel’s just as good, but at around eight hours of playing time, it’s a bit too long for this listicle.

• Playing time: 4 hours
• For fans of: Inside, Hollow Knight and Coraline
• Platforms: PS5, PS4, Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PC and iOS/Android

Abzû

Not so hot take: the deep sea’s a terrifying place, and we should stay as far away as possible from all those jellyfish, giant squid and other underwater dwellers. There’s nothing wrong with a virtual dive though. Especially when it’s as amazingly relaxing and meditative as in Abzû.

• Playing time: 2 hours
• For fans of: Journey, Flowers and Bikini Bottom
• Platforms: PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X/S and PC

Far: Lone Sails

Speaking of meditative, Far: Lone Sails – the debut game from wonderful Zurich-based indie studio Okomotive – takes you on a melancholy journey through a post-apocalyptic world. Aboard a sailing vessel, you’re responsible for ensuring a smooth journey across the barren landscape. Along the way, you solve mini puzzles, carry out repairs and brave the harsh elements. Released three years later, the sequel Far: Changing Tides refines the gameplay and is equally worthy of a recommendation.

• Playing time: 3.5 hours
• For fans of: Of Mice And Sand and Mad Max
• Platforms: PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PC and iOS/Android

Doki Doki Literature Club!

At first glance, it looks like a harmless anime-style dating sim where you meet some wide-eyed girls at a book club. But NO. Doki Doki Literature Club’s a psychological trip that plays with your expectations like a cat with a half-dead mouse. I can’t reveal any more without spoiling the story.

• Playing time: 4 hours
• For fans of: Omori, Undertale, misery and depression
• Platforms: PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PC and iOS/Android

Titanfall 2

The day will come when I call off my Titanfall 2 crusade, but it’s not today. Respawn Entertainment’s delivered a spectacular shooter where every gameplay element’s spot on. The action’s uncompromising, there are varied tools to regularly expand your moveset and the interaction with your mech answers the never-asked question: «What if Pixar had decided that Wall-E needed more explosions and war crimes?»

• Playing time: 6 hours
• For fans of: Half-Life 2, Prey and good Michael Bay
• Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S and PC

Firewatch

When it was released in 2016, Firewatch divided opinions. For some, the digital park ranger mission was incredibly boring, while for others, the emotional story and believable characters were a narrative revelation. The game shaped the somewhat derogatory genre of «walking simulator» like no other and once again posed the question of how a game can be classified as such. The debate continues, and so does the love for Firewatch.

• Playing time: 4 hours
• For fans of: Dear Esther, What Remains of Edith Finch and M. Night-Shyamalan twists
• Platforms: PS5, PS4, Switch, Xbox Series X/S and PC

What Remains of Edith Finch

Let’s briefly stay in-genre: released a year after Firewatch, What Remains of Edith Finch delivers similarly minimalist gameplay and the same focus on the story. However, this story cranks the depressing intensity up five notches, making this deeply sad family drama only suitable for emotionally resilient gamers.

• Playing time: 2 hours
• For fans of: Dear Esther, Gone Home and sadcore
• Platforms: PS5, PS4, Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PC and iOS

Lil’ Gator Game

Lil’ Gator Game is colourful, cute and cosy, making it the perfect contrast to the previous entry. This 3D platformer comes from Mega Wobble, with Playtonic serving as publisher. Choosing Playtonic as a partner makes sense: the British studio was founded by former employees of Rare. Until the early 2000s, Rare was a reliable hit-maker for Nintendo, producing titles including GoldenEye, Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong 64.

While the alligator adventure doesn’t match the quality of these cult classics, it lays a good foundation for a possible sequel.

• Playing time: 3 hours
• For fans of: Yooka-Laylee, A Hat in Time and Nickelodeon
• Platforms: PS5, PS4, Switch, Xbox Series X/S and PC

A Little to the Left

Order’s essential. In A Little to the Left, you arrange everyday objects – books, pens, bottles – according to size, colour or other criteria. Each completed puzzle feels like a warm hug from Marie Kondo herself. The cat which regularly sabotages your arrangements is either charming or incredibly annoying.

• Playing time: 3.5 hours
• For fans of: Unpacking, Wilmot’s Warehouse and Marie Kondo
• Platforms: PS5, PS4, Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PC and Android

Oxenfree

Stranger Things is over, and by now even the most die-hard optimists have probably come to terms with the fact that the mysterious ninth episode doesn’t exist and Hawkins is demon-free. For fans of Mike, Eleven and company looking for a substitute, I highly recommend Oxenfree. Similar group of heroes, same vibe and an equally gripping mystery plot. And there’s even a satisfying ending this time.

• Playing time: 4 hours
• For fans of: Night in The Woods, Crossing Souls and Stephen King’s Stand by Me
• Platforms: PS5, PS4, Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PC and iOS/Android

Mouthwashing

If you thought while playing What Remains of Edith Finch, «That’s pretty cool, but I wish it were traumatising as well as sad,» you should a) do more therapy and b) play Mouthwashing. This horror adventure tells the story of a stranded spaceship crew’s desperate struggle for survival. Hostility rises among the overwhelmed astronauts shortly after the crash. Things only get worse from there. Mouthwashing lasts about 2.5 hours, but it’ll stay in your subconscious for a long time.

• Playing time: 2.5 hours
• For fans of: Soma, Omori and desolation
• Platforms: PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X/S and PC

Gris

Gris is nothing less than an interactive work of art. From its watercolour-like visuals and ambient soundtrack to butter-smooth animations, it’s an audiovisual masterpiece from beginning to end. Pathfinding can occasionally be a bit tricky, and the puzzle instructions are sometimes too vague, but neither detracts much from the overall gaming experience. In the words of Indiana Jones: «It belongs in a museum».

• Playing time: 3.5 hours
• For fans of: Neva, Spiritfarer and Art Nouveau painting
• Platforms: PS5, PS4, Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PC and iOS/Android

Donut County

In Donut County, you steer a hole that swallows everything unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Houses, the town’s animal inhabitants, objects, and… that’s it. That’s the game. It might sound shallow, and it is a bit. But what Donut County lacks in variety, it makes up for in charm and sheer fun. Plus, you’re a raccoon. No notes.

• Playing time: 2 hours
• For fans of: Katamari, Super Monkey Ball and holes
• Platforms: PS5, PS4, Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PC and iOS/Android

The Stanley Parable

What happens when an office worker rebels? The Stanley Parable provides the answer in the form of an interactive meditation on free will, obedience and the illusion of choice in video games. Or so someone smarter than me once said.

The British narrator comments on each of your decisions with a mixture of condescension and exasperation. There are dozens of endings, and none of them’s the «right» one.

• Playing time: 90 minutes (per round, of which you’ll play several)
• For fans of: Superliminal, The Beginner’s Guide and meta humour
• Platforms: PS5, PS4, Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PC and iOS/Android

Sayonara Wild Hearts

Like pop culture, synthwave music and indie films with Michael Cera? Then Sayonora Wild Hearts is for you. Ultimately, this neon-filled chaos is a rhythm game, but behind the colourful facade lies an authentic lesson about relationships, love and self-acceptance. Sayonora Wild Hearts is a great example of how versatile the medium can be and 90 minutes of pure Michael Cera-tonin.

• Playing time: 1.5 hours
• For fans of: Rez, Thumper and biker girls
• Platforms: PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X/S and PC

Europa

In Europa, you take on the role of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and are responsible for drafting the new rules for – just kidding. Europa is a Ghibli-style platformer that boasts a fun range of movement options. As the robot boy Zee, you jump and glide across the vast expanse of Jupiter’s eponymous moon. Zee searches for answers about himself and the fate of the celestial body’s extinct inhabitants. The game isn’t perfect, but the fun is over before it gets too annoying.

• Playing time: 3 hours
• For fans of: Gravity Rush, Planet of Lana and blasting off
• Platforms: PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PC and iOS

Superliminal

MC Escher’s been dead since 1972, but apparently the painter designed the blueprint for a video game before his death, which would be released almost 50 years later.

Superliminal plays with perspective and optical illusions. Objects change size depending on how you view them. A tiny chess piece becomes a gigantic obstacle; a distant exit turns into a tangible goal. The puzzles are clever without being frustrating, and there are aha moments in abundance.

• Playing time: 2.5 hours
• For fans of: The Stanley Parable, Antichamber and those 3D images that look like wrapping paper – NONE of which I’ve ever been able to decipher
• Platforms: PS5, PS4, Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PC and iOS/Android

Journey

Thatgamecompany sends you – an anonymous hooded figure – through a desert landscape towards a mountain on the horizon. No tutorials, no quest markers, no NPCs to explain that you’re the chosen one. Just you, the sand and occasionally another player who’s just as clueless as you are.

• Playing time: 2 hours
• For fans of: Abzû, Flower and existential beauty
• Platforms: PS3, PS4, PC and iOS

Carrion

Finally, something for all that pent-up aggression. In Carrion, you control an amorphous mass of flesh that crawls through ventilation shafts, tearing apart unsuspecting scientists and soldiers. The game calls itself «reverse horror», but strictly speaking, it’s a classic Metroidvania. Just with more tentacles.

• Playing time: 4.5 hours
• For fans of: Vigil: The Longest Night, Hollow Knight and body horror
• Platforms: PS5, PS4, Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PC and iOS/Android

Rainer Etzweiler

Freelance Editor

rainer@rockstar.ch

In the early 90s, my older brother gave me his NES with The Legend of Zelda on it. It was the start of an obsession that continues to this day.

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