FantasticToma Member Sep 21, 2024 2,173 Germany Inspired by the "AC Shadows roadmap"-thread: Something I've often witnessed with a lot of people here or elsewhere is that we often spend years anticipating a certain video game, then the game releases, then 1-2 weeks pass, people have finished the game, even 100%ed it, and they completely put it aside, moving on to the next game. As someone who remembers the old days (PS2-era), people used to spend A LOT more time actively engaged with the singleplayer-games, old discussions forums would have threads running forever because people kept playing them. Some games have more longevity than others, but my impression is that generally people have less motivation to stay engaged with the same game before moving on to the next. So, simple question: When you buy a new singleplayer-game (obviously, multiplayer-games have more inherent longevity to them), do you rather quickly (2 weeks or less) finish it, possibly even using a guide, and then move on to the next game? Or do you take your time and spend several weeks (3 weeks+) to let the game breathe, to discuss it with others, to discover secrets by yourself, etc? Personally, I try to do the latter, but sometimes end up doing the former. My worst and dumbest experience was playing and finishing Xenoblade Chronicles 3 in less than a week out of fear for spoilers. I still enjoyed the game, but I definitely ruined it in parts due to these extreme sessions. It actually warms my heart that the Xenoblade Chronicles X: DE-thread still pops up on the first page here. When you wait so long for a game's release, I feel we should try to appreciate these games more by giving them some time, and not just in terms of hours-count. PS: For the purpose of this thread, "rather quickly" is defined as "2 weeks or less", and "taking your time as "3 weeks or more". PPS: This is obviously a question asked generally. Of course, everyone will have individual fluctuation, sometimes taking more, sometimes less time. Just try to think about how you handled it most of the time in the past.  PallasKitten Member Jul 11, 2022 1,737 It's rare for me to even start a game immediately upon obtaining it nowadays, so I don't really know how to vote, lol. I'm probably not the target demographic this question is aimed at here though. To answer how quickly I finish single player games in general though, it really depends on the game. I rarely play only 1 game at a time, unless it's something I immensely enjoy and want to focus all my spare time on, in which case I may finish it in under a week if it's relatively short. It can otherwise take me a few weeks/months to finish games if I am playing multiple games at once, depending on their length and how much time I'm dedicating to each one. Whether I use guides or not, or even discuss the game at all with anyone, will also depend on the game. It's way too broad for me to really generalise.  Spehornoob Member Nov 15, 2017 11,398 Normally I run through them pretty quickly. However, my girlfriend sat down with me when I started playing Clair Obscura: Expedition 33, and now I'm not allowed to play it unless she's over here, so that'll take some time to get through lmao  Andrew J Member Oct 26, 2017 5,018 The Adirondacks My pace is very slow. I have a full-time job, and a lot of my free time goes to TV shows, anime, and professional wrestling. It took me over a month to finish The Last of Us, for crying out loud.   Bear Member Oct 25, 2017 12,219 I only have 30 min-1 hr per day to play at most, so it naturally takes a while.   bitcloudrzr Member May 31, 2018 20,428 Finish them within a few days usually.   t26 Avenger Oct 27, 2017 5,326 Some of us don't get to play video games everyday. I only get about 10 hours of game time a week so I can't finish any game in 2 weeks unless it is around 20 hours.   MDR Member Jun 21, 2018 284 Nowadays I only play one game at time and still takes a good 3, 4 weeks on a medium sized game sadly.   Jaymageck Member Nov 18, 2017 2,794 Toronto Normally quickly but it depends if I'm playing it with my partner. If I am we usually limit it to about an hour or two each session so it takes a few weeks. For ones I'm doing myself I tend to binge it until I'm done.  Pai Pai Master Member Oct 25, 2017 36,868 Atlanta GA I play a big chunk at first and then I slow it down and take my time with it. It's pretty rare that a game still grab me so hard that I play it all the way through in a few sittings. I think MGS4 and The Last Of Us was the last time that happened.   Adam Tyner Member Oct 25, 2017 1,332 It depends on the length of the game, but usually pretty quickly, yeah. I'm almost always focusing on one game at a time, and I tend to favor games that are < 30 hours, so in most cases, it doesn't take long.   StarPhlox Member Oct 25, 2017 5,464 Wisconsin I only buy games that I'm playing that same day so no backlog here and I'd say it varies a bit depending on what else I got going on in life but I am generally on the faster side which is to my detriment. I think it's better to soak in an experience but we are definitely in a binge culture currently and forums like this tend to encourage the people who are most voracious. Not an ideal situation!   nonoriri Member Apr 30, 2020 5,352 I've been playing Elden Ring since December so...   bounchfx Member Oct 25, 2017 7,793 Muricas Too much shit out there for me to dilly dally. It happens sometimes but I prefer to focus on 1-2 games at a time at most, usually only 1 if it's single player   Convasse Member Oct 26, 2017 4,247 Atlanta, GA, USA I take my sweet time with them, bite at a time for weeks before I beat the game. AC Shadows being the current target, I play an hour or two often, clearing castles, doing POI stuff to level up hideout locations and what not. Admittedly, being a part of this forum often causes me to think I don't play through games fast enough. I have to consistently remind myself that I am playing these games to enjoy them. This hyper-consumptive bubble really messes with your sense of fulfillment when you're thinking about the next meal while currently eating.  HeikoSC Member Feb 8, 2024 235 Taking my time is a nice way of putting it for getting distracted midway through, because games are so long, and then one year later remembering that you never finished the game - together with 20 other games.   Rosebud Two Pieces Member Apr 16, 2018 50,776 Usually take my time because I play a hundred games at the same time, but in rare occasions a game get me very focused and I can't think in anything else (Persona 5, AC Odysssey and Skyrim were some)   Vulcano's Assistant Member Oct 29, 2017 15,264 I try to complete as much as possible, something like Blue prince I have around 100 hours, but if it is a linear experience like Split Fiction, then it won't last more than two days. So it mostly depends on whether there is side content or not.  Agni Kai Member Nov 2, 2017 9,869 bitcloudrzr said: Finish them within a few days usually. Click to expand... Click to shrink... As expected from my Mentor.  teruterubozu Member Oct 28, 2017 9,881 I take my time at first, but once the gameplay loop has been established I will burn through it. I also find video game stories overwhelmingly corny so I usually blaze through any dialogue.   lilojigsaw Chicken Chaser Member Mar 1, 2018 306 I play them at an average rate. long 60 hour game will takes weeks, but a 10 hour game wont.   shinobi602 Verified Oct 24, 2017 11,124 I play them whenever I have free time. With both me and my wife working and 4 kids, sometimes it works out to where I knock a game out in a couple weeks, sometimes it takes two months lol.   joffocakes Member Nov 15, 2017 1,954 Around 10 months on average.   Chakoo Member Oct 27, 2017 3,228 Toronto, Canada I barely have time to game. So even when I want to play something quickly it still takes over a month. :(   Santar Member Oct 27, 2017 7,051 Norway I'm not so hung up on if I finish a game. I just lpay them for as long as they are fun. Then I jump over to something else. The other games will still be there when I want to play them again.   KrAzY Member Sep 2, 2018 2,407 take my time, no rush.. usually abondon OTs cause im far behind and it will contain spoilers by that time   Bishop89 What Are Ya' Selling? Member Oct 25, 2017 42,371 Melbourne, Australia I store them in my backlog for years and start playing them when they retail for $10 🥲   Ruu Member Oct 28, 2017 1,291 For me its less about finishing it and moving onto something else and more I need to finish it quick or I lose the thread or momentum and end up dropping it. If I don't play something for a couple days I end up dropping it. I LOVE Avowed but I haven't finished it yet because I got distracted by life stuff and when I finally got back to it I just kind of lost the drive. Hopefully I'll go back soon though. Expedition 33 is my current game and its INCREDIBLE but as much as I want to take my time with it I know I need to burn through it sadly. I just don't have a ton of time to play games and If I let it sit I probably will drop it despite absolutely loving it.   rudeboyoslo Member Jan 5, 2018 1,414 I don't play games for hours on end. I didn't even when I was young, I always had other stuff to do. I squeeze in an hour here or there, so a large game will take me months to finish.   TheOnlyJ Member Oct 29, 2019 787 shinobi602 said: I play them whenever I have free time. With both me and my wife working and 4 kids, sometimes it works out to where I knock a game out in a couple weeks, sometimes it takes two months lol. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Not to derail the thread but OH MY GOD I have no idea how a person handles four kids - I have one and only one working parent and am constantly overwhelmed. Good on you.   bitcloudrzr Member May 31, 2018 20,428 Agni Kai said: As expected from my Mentor. Click to expand... Click to shrink... It helps when you do not bother with any side missions, except ones that affect the main story or are critical in some way. Funny enough I ended up higher than average on the main story for Shadows, since so many view points were castles. shinobi602 said: I play them whenever I have free time. With both me and my wife working and 4 kids, sometimes it works out to where I knock a game out in a couple weeks, sometimes it takes two months lol. Click to expand... Click to shrink... TheOnlyJ said: Not to derail the thread but OH MY GOD I have no idea how a person handles four kids - I have one and only one working parent and am constantly overwhelmed. Good on you. Click to expand... Click to shrink...   kxs Member Jul 25, 2022 1,088 I don't even remember the last time I finished a game in 2 weeks. Maybe Stray? It usually takes a couple months to a year to finish a game. I do rotate between few games at a time. I also tend to play longer action adventure games or RPGs.  Noema Member Jan 17, 2018 5,219 Mexico CIty Final Fantasy VII Rebirth took me 5 months. Elden Ring took me 6 months. BG3 took me 7 months. So you could say I take my time with games.  Kuosi Member Oct 30, 2017 2,514 Finland 3) Don't have the time to push through in 1-2 weeks even if I wanted to   Shiz Padoo Member Oct 13, 2018 7,736 Sometimes it takes me years.   Bardeh Member Jun 15, 2018 3,772 It's not about motivation. It's about having the hours in the day to actually play them.   nullref Member Oct 27, 2017 3,348 I take my time, but that's less an intentional choice than just how I play games. Sporadic shorter (<1h) sessions are the norm for me, depending on how into the game I am, my mood, what else I have going on, etc. Maybe I'll play an hour or two a day for a week if I'm really into a game, and then maybe I won't play it at all for a week or two. A 20–30 hour action-adventure game could take me a couple months to get through.   Phantom_Snake The Fallen Jul 26, 2018 4,814 Montana It depends. Something like God of War, TLOU, Spider-Man or Ghost of Tsushima I will get done in a week or two. While something like RDR2 (75ish hours) took me a month. And FF7 Rebirth(96 hours) took me two months. Edit: I'll also say since I turned 30 the days of knocking a game like RDR2 out in a month are over. And I'm definitely more picky on what 60+ hour games im gonna play going forward. The third installment of FF7 Remake and Persona 6 are the only long ass games I have any intention on playing.  Narastel Member Nov 29, 2024 39 If its a 20-30h game i'll play it through within a week. But with 100h games it will take a month or two. I find it hard to start a game for some reason but when i do I usually only play that game until its completed or i lose interest.   Xando Member Oct 28, 2017 36,883 I'm too old to finish a 60 hour game in two weeks   liquiddragon Member Jun 20, 2020 2,601 If I bought a game for $50-70, i'll play it right away but majority of my game purchases go in the backlog 😅🤦🏻‍♂️ When I do play them, I play them like I'm never coming back to it again. I'm not looking to100% but I'm very thorough. I take my time on all the games I play. How long just depends on the length of the game. I have about 15hr a week for games so big games take me a month or 2.  BasilZero Member Oct 25, 2017 39,740 Omni I take my time I don't have the free time I used to have  engine Member Jul 20, 2022 425 Years ago, I found myself buying a ton of games and not finishing most of them since there was no real timeline pressure/motivation to be finished. I no longer buy games but I'm finishing way more games than ever. They are either games I borrow from the library for 3 weeks or games that are leaving Game Pass. Having a finite end date makes me power through, and most of the time, is actually more rewarding and enjoyable than just dropping games. It's gotten me more comfortable with not trying to 100% every game which sometimes just saps enjoyment. I used to beat games but keep them in my backlog because I hadn't gotten 100% completion. Now I'm happy to return the game and move on.   AviAvi ▲ Legend ▲ Member Jun 23, 2021 9,655 "newly bought" Jokes on you, I buy games and let them sit for years before playing them!  Pyro God help us the mods are making weekend threads Member Jul 30, 2018 18,596 United States I try to finish them quickly. Typically takes less than two weeks to beat something unless I drop it and then come back months later and start over.   ClickyCal' Member Oct 25, 2017 65,159 Take my time....except for TLOU2. I needed to see the story after not seeing any leaks for those months before.   Dr Doom Member Oct 25, 2017 13,355 Take my time but tend to rush them when I'm almost at the end. Just finished KCD2 last night 196 hrs  KKStrider Member Oct 10, 2024 1,701 Depends on the game. A short, indie game? Won't take me long. But games like Hogwarts Legacy and Jedi Survivor took me literal months, mainly because I was taking my time, enjoying the exploration, not rushing, etc. Tears of the Kingdom took me well over a year. I took breaks here and there (i.e. I might've gone a month or two without playing it), but it's also because I wanted to beat it without fast travel (other than using the travel medallions once I unlocked them). I basically covered almost every inch of the map (still have some of the depths to explore if I go back) on foot lol. I loved it.  Normanski 2.0 Member Nov 21, 2017 3,921 Depends. If I'm conscious of spoilers or strapped for time then I'll take time off work and aim to complete the main story within that week if possible. That's only for specific games that mean a lot to me and I'm invested in though: I did it for KH3, FF Remake and Rebirth (I remember my boss asking me if I still wanted the week off for Remake as we'd all just started WFH when that released, told him that I was planning to just sit at home and play it anyways so why would I cancel lol?). I also took time off to play MGSV when that released too but that was more to do with feeling pretty burnt out at the time. Persona 6 would join that club too but I feel that I'd never complete it in a week lol. Outside of that I'll take my time.  hasher Member Oct 10, 2020 933 I buy games faster than I can finish them. I'm trying to get better about this! But it takes a long time for me to finish games. I have decided that super long 80-100 hour games are not for me anymore.