PC video games come in different sizes, genres, and playthrough lengths; the latter of which can often determine whether or not a game is worth purchasing. After all, why play a short game when there are so many seemingly endless ones? The ideal length for a video game typically boils down to personal preference, but it's hard to discount the appeal of a lengthy title.
Players won't always require the most sophisticated PC rigs to run these games. What they will need, however, is patience; and lots of it. They're not for those with short attention spans as many are among the longest in the history of gaming; at least according to howlongtobeat.com, anyway.
Updated April 16, 2021, by Thomas Bowen: Some people love short games that can be completed on a lazy Sunday afternoon or, at a push, over the course of a single weekend. Others, however, prefer titles that they can sink hundreds of hours into over the course of months or, in some cases, even years. Thankfully, for that second group of people, there are plenty of lengthy games available on PC right now. Not all of them are perfect, but they do provide ample opportunities for killing a lot of time over a prolonged period.
10 Deep Rock Galactic (75 Hours)
Up to four players are able to join forces as they progress through endless waves of alien monsters in this co-op first-person shooter. Better still, many of the environments in Deep Rock Galactic are fully destructible.
This hidden gem of a video game is available on Steam for a fairly modest price and has picked up some solid reviews since its launch. Since it's procedurally generated, there is almost no end to the game, leading to an average-paced playthrough taking players approximately 75 hours.
9 SD Gundam G Generation Cross Rays (88 Hours)
Gundam and mech games are nowhere near as popular in the west as they are in Japan, but that hasn't stopped thousands of Americans from picking up a copy of SD Gundam G Generation Cross Rays. For those who are into mech-related games, it's generally considered to be one of the very best and is packed full of engaging content.
It's for this reason that so much time tends to be spent playing the game, with the average time taken to complete the main story currently standing at 88 hours. A completionist run, however, will likely require well over a hundred and so those hoping to unlock all of the game's Steam achievements will need to budget their time according.
8 Let It Die (89 Hours)
Let It Die is an action RPG where the Grim Reaper himself supervises the player. Only this version of the Grim Reaper inexplicably rides a skateboard. If that alone wasn't enough of a reason to pick it up, it's also completely free-to-play, so there's plenty of incentive to jump into the action.
Despite being criticized by some reviewers, the game holds a fairly respectable 72 average rating on Metacritic. Completing the main story will take approximately 89 hours though, so players should be prepared for a long ride as well as a wild one.
7 Elite Dangerous (89.5 Hours)
Developed by Frontier Developments, Elite Dangerous allows players to explore a realistic 1:1 scale representation of the Milky Way galaxy. It started life as a Kickstarter campaign back in 2012, but has since gone on to become one of the most popular and most profitable space sims on the market.
The gameplay is somewhat open-ended, so "completing" it is generally a matter of playing it until one's had their fill. For most people, that tends to come around the 90 hour mark, although many have spent considerably longer enjoying everything that the game has to offer.
6 SnowRunner (90 Hours)
For those who prefer RPGs or first persons shooters, SnowRunner may not seem too appealing at first glance. Beneath the somewhat asinine premise, however, lies a game full of harsh open-world environments that can be as challenging to traverse as they are beautiful.
The game puts players into the driving seats of a range of large off-roading vehicles while also providing various challenges and objectives. Players can choose to brave the wilderness alone or join a team of up to four players in a relentless co-op mode. The main single-player campaign will take around 90 hours to complete, although many players sink hundreds of hours into the game.
5 Wizardry 8 (91.5 Hours)
The eighth game in the Wizardry series arguably took the RPG genre to brand new heights. Released in 2001, this is a game that earned wide acclaim and currently holds an impressive 85 average rating on Metacritic. With dark themes and an abundance of content, it's an RPG that's well worth delving deep into; for those who have a lot of free time, at least.
Each character has their own unique personality; not to mention over 100 lines of dialogue. Due to the sheer scale of the game and its well fleshed out story, Wizardry 8 will take players over 90 hours to complete, making it far longer than the average PC game.
4 Tropico 4: Collector's Bundle (102 Hours)
Tropico 4 is a simulation and strategy game that revolves around managing a city and manipulating its inhabitants through fear. It's not too dissimilar to games like Sim City and Cities: Skylines, although differs greatly in that players exist as an influential dictator, rather than some faceless mayor.
Whether players opt to treat their citizens fairly and hold regular elections or instead decide to have the opposition brutally murdered is entirely up to them. As is often the case though, some of these actions can have consequences. Thanks to its immense depth, it can take over 100 hours to fully complete; longer still with the additional DLC.
3 Kerbal Space Program (117 Hours)
Kerbal Space Program allows players to become part of an alien race as they attempt to build a spacecraft under the constraints of orbital physics and aerodynamics. Praised by many for its realism, completing the game's 117-hour main story will likely lead to players becoming experts in theoretical space travel.
As a member of a small green alien race known as the Kerbals, players will need to familiarize themselves with every element of the game's sophisticated building mechanics if they're to have any hope of succeeding. Building spaceships, rockets, and land vehicles has arguably never been as fun; nor has exploring a vast digital universe full of stars and space stations.
2 Disciples II: Gold Edition (120 Hours)
This turn-based strategy game contains all three expansion packs for the original release of Disciples II: Dark Prophecy. Completing them all, however, is by no means an easy feat. In fact, it takes players, on average, 120 hours to beat the full game.
The grim and desolate atmospheres found throughout the game tie in perfectly with its story and some of the exciting role-playing elements; blending together almost seamlessly to provide a truly thrilling adventure. The game brings more than enough to the table to be considered relevant as a turn-based fantasy game, even in spite of its length.
1 Farming Simulator 19 (159 Hours)
Simulator games place players in real-world situations where they must tackle real-world problems. Farming Simulator 19 is a prime example of a simulator done right. It contains an abundance of content and farm-related tasks that can keep players busy for hours at a time.
Seemingly mundane tasks like plowing, cultivating fields and collecting wood are surprisingly enjoyable, albeit incredibly time consuming. It might not be back-breaking labor for the player behind the blue light of their computer, yet the game playthrough can still be pretty fatiguing; as evidenced by the game's 159 hour average completion time.