Used to spend most of my days playing live service games that required a huge amount of time, or big AAA titles that are critically acclaimed. For example, Fallout 4/76, Battlefield 2042, rainbow six, World of Warcraft, RuneScape, Skyrim, Destiny 2, OverWatch… Basically any really big game that you would find on the top 20 of steam or by player count, I would spend a huge amount of time playing that. But I got pretty bored of all these really big games having overplayed them so much, and now I have no idea what to play anymore…
So I’ll spend a few hours playing something, and then jump to another game and then another game and none of them give me any Joy. For example, playing 3 hours of 7 Days to Die, 10 hours of No Man’s Sky, 5 hours of stardew Valley, play fortnite with a friend for 2 hours, login to World of Warcraft and get bored Within a day or two. Tried going back to Battlefield 2042 because it saw a small uptick of players…
Honestly have no idea what to play anymore. So I just bounce around trying to look for something that’ll bring me some joy and don’t get much luck
Sounds like you need a break from video games tbh. If you like the role-playing accepts you might try Dnd or another TTRPG.
This happened to me. I tried to force the issue but it never felt the same.
Try some computer-related past-times. Blender is a great option if you want to learn how to work with 3d models. But it’s much more than that, you can use other people’s models and make digital dioramas or animations.
An alternate route leads you into 3d printing or industrial design. Blender is great for organic shapes, but something like OnShape is better for accurate part sizes.
You could pick up some programming, learnpython.org could be a starting point, if you have zero experience.
You could try digital art. There’s a world of knowledge out there for you.
Or, go do something unrelated to computers!
These things ebb and flow. Don’t force it.
Looks like all the games you’ve listed are games where you can spend hours just to grind to the next level, or are filled with mundane fetch quests to keep you busy. If you don’t want to take a break like someone else suggested, you could try to play a single player game with a definite ending. Even if it’s a short game that is only a couple of hours long, you might just need something that has a final cutscene/boss fight and then the credits roll.
Not really sure what games might interest you, but look into Turnip Boy Commits Tax Fraud for a short, 4-6 hour long fun adventure. Or TUNIC if you want something similar to a Dark Souls esque experience, without getting all sweaty and try-hard
Agreed, seems OP is getting tired of the live service grind. Subnautica (start with the first) and Hollow Knight are both excellent single player games to try out.
Sone more suggestions:
- Journey
- Donut County
- Furi
- event[0]
- Inside
- Katana ZERO
My 5 year old freaking loves Donut County.
I picked up a little game called Night Stones recently and it’s a cute little adventure game. Only about 5-6 hours.
Maybe try something different? A strategy game perhaps?
Or you might actually need a dopamine detox in combination with practicing a more rewarding and sustainable hobby. Read a book or start a project if some sort.
It could also be that you’re experiencing a depression.
This actually sounds like depression. Being unable to find joy, and then unsuccessfully searching for it in places where you used to find it. I would consider talking to a professional if you can.
Or try Dragon Age Veilguard.
If we are going down this path, I’d actually recommend touching grass first (proverbially), before a sinking time and money into a professional. It’s an easy, non-committal step, that may do wonders.
Sounds like you’re over saturated and need a break from gaming. Happens to a lot of us.Try not gaming at all for like 2-3 months. It’ll feel fresher afterwards
There is always a need for those 3, 5 or 10 hour games. Something short and sweet instead of the mindless grind of a live service game. I recommend looking in your backlog for something different every now and then.
You’re getting bored from playing the same thing constantly and need to try new genres. Spend some time away from live service / AAA and the fun should return
Play Baldur’s Gate 3. It’s enormous. It’s difficult and the turn based combat is something you’ll have to get used to but it’s incredibly fun and deep.
I’ve put 1300 hours into the game because if you get bored you can just start a different character and try the story from their perspective. There are dozens of ways to complete every encounter.
I don’t know if they are your vibes but might be something a bit different for you to try.
Cataclysm DDA
Space station 13
Try UFO 50, it’s got 50 games to bounce around between.
Sometimes you’re just craving something specific or need something a bit smaller scale instead of a massive AAA. After finishing Cyberpunk 2077, I bounced around from God of War to Assassin’s Creed Origins to Spiderman, and on and on, all great titles but just stopped after a few hours… the game that finally grabbed me was an indie from a few years ago called Crying Suns.
If you want a small game with killer mechanics and that you won’t feel like you’re abandoning after a few hours, try Into The Breach
Crying Suns is really cool. Neat to see someone else who got hooked in the wild.
Also really enjoyed that one.
I go through phases like this, and its best to try other hobbies for awhile. When you feel that drive to play again, you will know.
When I struggle to find a new game to play, I just go through my backlog. The difficult part is to get started, get used to the controls, get settled in the story. Once you’re in, it’s not too hard to pick it up when you have some spare time.
The bouncing around isn’t a bad thing.
In fact, if anything, I try to be sensitive to when I start to burn out on a game, and when that happens I avoid playing until the desire is really strong again.
Sometimes looking for something to play means having a LARGE number of false starts before I find the thing, but I make a note of not trying a bunch of similar games whenever something isn’t scratching the itch. I make each attempt with something very different.
And coming back to a game can take years.
That’s kind why you need a TON of games if you don’t want to take breaks from gaming entirely, because otherwise the medium just doesn’t have enough variety to keep the human brain engaged.
You should try shorter games, and completely ignore whether something is “big” enough to be worth your time. The big stuff is what’s boring you right now, so don’t waste time on trying to force the enjoyment.
Plus, if you’re restricting yourself to stuff that achieves critical acclaim, you’re limiting yourself to games everyone likes. That means you’re probably missing some stuff only you and people like you would like.
Not all good things are enjoyed by everyone universally, some things are just for a subset of people.
I used to do that until I started Persona 5 Royal. I’ve been playing it nonstop with 150 hours in. I’m almost at the end and it will be the first RPG that I will finish (I didn’t even finish Chrono Trigger)
