A new roundup has identified 20 single-player games released in the last five years that can absorb players for hundreds of hours. The list, compiled from a video by the gaming media outlet Gameranx, spans genres from open-world RPGs and survival sims to tactical strategy and factory automation titles. For anyone looking to lose themselves in a sprawling game world without a subscription or online requirement, these are the titles worth clearing your calendar for.

What makes a game "long"

"Long" in this context means a minimum of dozens of hours for a single playthrough, with many of these games offering 100 hours or more. The list excludes multiplayer-only experiences and focuses on campaigns, quests, or sandbox modes that a solitary player can explore. Some of these games are pure single-player; others can be played cooperatively but are designed to be fully experienced alone.

The selection criteria appear to emphasize both critical mass of content and replayability. Games like Baldur's Gate 3 and Elden Ring are obvious inclusions — their worlds are dense with quests, secrets, and branching narratives. But the list also nods to less mainstream titles such as Caves of Qud and UFO 50, suggesting that longevity can come from procedural generation and deep systems as much as from scripted content.

The heavyweights: RPGs and open worlds

Role-playing games dominate the top slots. Baldur's Gate 3, released in 2023, is widely acknowledged as a 100-hour-plus epic. Elden Ring (2022) packs a similar runtime with its vast overworld and optional catacombs. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023) follows the same philosophy: a dense open world where players can easily spend triple-digit hours building, exploring, and solving puzzles.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (2024) and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (2024) continue their respective series' traditions of meaty main stories and robust side content. Metaphor: ReFantazio, a new IP from the developers of Persona, promises the same kind of time-sink gameplay. Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition (re-released in 2025) brings a massive sci-fi open world from the Wii U era to modern consoles, offering exploration and combat on a scale that easily exceeds 100 hours.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (2025) is a historical RPG with a reputation for meticulous pacing, meaning even a straightforward playthrough can take 80 to 100 hours. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl (2024) blends open-world survival with a branching story, and the game's punishing difficulty encourages slow, cautious progression.

Crimson Desert is an upcoming open-world action-adventure that the list anticipates will deliver a similar time commitment. Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord (2022) is a sandbox strategy-RPG where players build armies and conquer territories — a single campaign can run for dozens of hours, and the game's mod support extends that further.

Simulation and survival: games that never end

Several entries on the list are not strictly narrative-driven but are designed around building, surviving, or optimizing. Valheim (2021) is a survival-crafting game set in a procedurally generated Viking afterlife. Even after defeating the game's bosses, players often continue building and exploring for hundreds of hours.

Satisfactory (2024) is a factory automation game where the goal is to build ever more complicated production lines. There's no story ending; players stop when they decide they've optimized enough. Similarly, RoadCraft (2025) focuses on building and repairing roads and infrastructure in a physics-based sandbox. My Time at Sandrock (2023) combines farming simulation with RPG quests, and each playthrough can take 100 hours to complete.

UFO 50 is a compilation of 50 retro-style games from a fictional 1980s game company, each with its own length and challenge. The total time to complete all 50 likely exceeds 100 hours. Caves of Qud is a roguelike set in a bizarre post-apocalyptic world; its procedural generation and deep character customization mean no two runs are alike, and a single death can reset dozens of hours of progress.

Classics revisited

Mass Effect Legendary Edition (2021) bundles three games with all DLC into one package. A single playthrough of all three campaigns, plus side missions, easily clears 100 hours. The collection is notable because its games were originally released over a decade ago — it shows that aging design can still compete with modern epics.

Octopath Traveler II (2023) and the first Octopath Traveler (the list references "Octopath Traveler 0" — likely a typo for the original or a placeholder) are retro-styled JRPGs with eight distinct character stories that together can take 60 to 80 hours each. Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous (2021) is a deep CRPG based on the tabletop rules; its complexity and number of choices push a single campaign past 100 hours.

What the list says about gaming in 2025

The roundup reflects a trend that SysCall News has covered before: single-player games are not dying. They are getting longer, more ambitious, and more varied. The list includes triple-A blockbusters, mid-budget RPGs, and indie experiments, showing that content length is not exclusive to big budgets.

It also highlights that players in 2025 have more choice than ever. Whether you prefer a scripted narrative like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth or a self-directed sandbox like Satisfactory, there are dozens of games that will keep you occupied for months.

The only catch: you will need the time. These 20 games represent a combined investment of thousands of hours. Picking one might mean committing to a single world for the foreseeable future.