Video games have grown to be one of the largest forms of media entertainment in today's world. As such, the gaming business has boomed with breakthroughs, new games, developments, and much more. But, unfortunately, life can get in the way of free time, and video games get left covered in household dust.
Luckily, there are plenty of games, old and new, that can be played in short matches. These short matches can take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes, making for a perfect way to spend free time before the other activities of life call away. These games can be short, yet also rewarding in the amount of time it takes to play them.
10 Fortnite
As one of the most popular multiplayer games out there, Fortnite not only has one of the largest playerbases, but also consistent content updates that keep players queuing up more and more. Fortnite is a free competitive battle royale game that has amazing gameplay, whether it is through the game's main battle royale mode or Fortnite's Creative 2.0 mode.
Players can also purchase some of their favorite characters from other mediums to use while battling it out on the game's island, like Goku or Spider-Man. Fortnite is also crossplay, allowing friends to play with one another through different consoles and/or PC.
9 Mortal Kombat 11
When it comes to multiplayer fighting games, Mortal Kombat is one of the most popular, if not 'the' most popular. Mortal Kombat 11 has a wide variety of characters for gamers to choose from, including the likes of the Terminator, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and even Spawn.
Mortal Kombat 11's story mode is great, but for fans looking for a quick match, the versus mode (offline or online) is a great way to kill some time fairly quickly. One Mortal Kombat 11 match can easily last anywhere from 3 to 10 minutes, depending on each player's skill.
8 Apex Legends
Battle royale games, like Fortnite, have been on the rise since the early 2010s, and as such, battle royale games are some of the most populated. Apex Legends is another very popular competitive multiplayer game that is entirely free to play aside from cosmetics.
Apex Legends, which is made by the creators of Titanfall 2, is an FPS shooter with various characters for players to choose from. Each character has special abilities, so players will want to stick to their favorite play styles with specific characters.
7 Street Fighter 6
When it comes to fighting game combos, Street Fighter takes the cake. Street Fighter has been famous for its insane combo inputs, and aggressive gameplay.
Street Fighter 6 is one of the most ambitious games in the Street Fighter franchise, as players will even be able to create their own characters with unique fighting styles. Players can also wander around the streets looking to fight almost any NPC, but in a short amount of time, players will want to simply play a quick match against a computer or player.
6 Marvel Snap
It's certainly a lot more difficult to get in a quick gaming session before having to deal with life's many obstacles, so mobile gaming is much more efficient at times. Marvel Snap is one of the greatest mobile games that players can download on their mobile devices for free.
Marvel Snap is a card battling game that features many iconic Marvel characters, who each have unique abilities to gain the upper hand. Though it is free, players can purchase Season Passes, card sleeves, card variants, and even tokens to access new cards.
5 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Nintendo has many great short-and-sweet video games that fans can play, but Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is easily one of the best. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is available on the Nintendo Switch and offers players a ton of characters to choose from, even characters from other franchises, like Link from Legend of Zelda.
Not only that, but the course roster is immense, especially when paired with the game's DLC packs. With about 5–10 minutes, players can play a quick race with friends or against computers.
4 Destiny 2
In the modern gaming world, free-to-play is becoming much more consistent in the gaming market. One of the best free-to-play games that players can get their hands on is Destiny 2. Destiny 2 is a sequel to Destiny 1, although players don't necessarily need to play the first game.
In Destiny 2, gamers can choose from an incredible amount of content to pursue, from different stories, missions, dungeons, raids, and even PVP content. For a 15-minute gaming session though, players will want to jump into the Crucible, where gamers battle it out with each other.
3 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Super Smash Bros.Ultimate is one of the most popular Nintendo Switch games, so the game's servers are almost always full of players ready to fight it out. With over 70 characters to choose from, dozens of stages, plenty of customizable rules, and other content, gamers will have a hard time getting bored with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Especially with friends, the Nintendo fighting game is a blast to play. Though matches are usually already under 10 minutes, there are other rules including time and stocks that players can change to make matches even shorter.
2 Rocket League
Rocket League used to require players to purchase the game before playing, but now players can download the game for free on their consoles, or PC. Rocket League is a competitive multiplayer game that places gamers on two different teams.
Each team will be controlling a car while essentially playing a game of soccer with a large ball. With double jumps, versatile controls, and trick shots, Rocket League is a great way to spend a little bit of free time with friends or alone.
1 Overwatch 2
Overwatch 2 is another video game that players won't need to purchase to play, as it is free to play on Pc and consoles. Like the first game, Overwatch 2 is a team-oriented game with various game modes like Team Deathmatch and Escort. There are different characters with different abilities that players can choose from in three categories: Tank, Damage, and Support.
The collaboration of all three classes is important to achieve victory in Overwatch 2. And even with 15 minutes to spare, a match of Overwatch 2 will only take up about 10 minutes.