You only have an hour or two of free time to play games after work? We collect short RPGs that you can play through anyway!
Do you always have too little time for gaming? Between work, school, household and socialising, it’s damn hard to squeeze in several uninterrupted hours at a time. As a result, many big chunks of games unfortunately become an insurmountable mountain – just think of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla with easily 100 hours of occupational therapy. And then there are the DLCs, of course.
Because we keep reading in the comments that many of you feel the same way, we have collected the best short role-playing games that you can play through even with little time. Our list is sorted in ascending order, i.e. the RPGs with the shortest playing time come first. Have fun browsing – you’re sure to discover a few titles you hadn’t thought of yet! If you’re looking for other genres, we’ve also got some short open-world games for you that are easy to play through.
Costume Quest
(Developer: Double Fine – Release: 15 October 2011 – Playtime: 5 – 7 hours)
Costume Quest and its equally short sequel Costume Quest 2 are two really cute games that fit perfectly into the Halloween season. You choose a character, explore outlandish levels, collect (candy) stuff with your party and increase your abilities by donning creepy disguises. Combat is reminiscent of classic JRPGs, so side view, turn attacks and all.
By the way: The games are also available as a bundle at (Steam), which reliably lands in the sale every Halloween.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York
(Developer: Draw Distance – Release: Dec 11, 2019 – Playtime: 6 hours)
The much better known Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines is probably a bit too long if you’re short on time. But don’t despair, you can still experience the dark universe of the “World of Darkness” – with Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York.
It plays more like a visual novel than a classic role-playing game, but you choose your clan, complete quests and make decisions that influence the course of the story. This also results in some replay value. Definitely worth a look for fans of bloody vampire fantasy!
By the way: “Coterie” means clique or circle. And of course the story again revolves around the feuding vampire clans of New York – as usual in the Bloodlines cosmos.
Undertale
(Developer: Toby Fox – Release: September 15, 2019 – Playtime: 6 – 10 hours)
Don’t be put off by Undertale’s visuals, which take some getting used to – it didn’t earn dream ratings from critics and gamers for nothing. You play a lost child who has to find his way through a world full of bizarre monsters. You don’t necessarily have to fight them; Undertale can also be played completely pacifically. To do so, however, you have to demonstrate negotiating skills. A perfect example of a short role-playing game that you can play through many times.
By the way: Despite the mega-success, solo developer Toby Fox thinks his game is pretty niche and deserves an 8 out of 10.
Gamedec
(Developer: Anshar Studios – Release: September 16, 2021 – Playtime: 7 – 12 hours)
A little Disco Elysium and a lot of cyberpunk: Gamedec puts a lot of emphasis on atmosphere and freedom of choice. There are no battles, but various cases in which you investigate as a detective. Mostly you visit a wacky virtual world, uncover secrets, connect clues and then draw your own conclusions – and you can also be miles off the mark. It’s all up to you.
The complex plot leads to six different endings, depending on how you behave. Gamedec is a true declaration of love for role-playing games and tabletop.
By the way, developer Anshar Studios has worked on many well-known games, such as Outriders, Divinity: Original Sin 2 and Baldur’s Gate 3.
West of Loathing
(Developer: Asymmetric – Release: August 10, 2017 – Playtime: 7 – 12 hours)
Did you know that the Wild West was completely black and white? Except, of course, for the red life bars that the stick figure cowboys and demon cows carried around. Have you never heard of it? Then you’ve missed out on the insane role-playing game West of Loathing until now and you should urgently fill this gap in your education!
Death’s Door
(Developer: Acid Nerve – Release: 20 July 2021 – Playtime: 9 – 12 hours)
Death has rarely been this charming: In Death’s Door you are a reaper yourself. Or rather, a reaper crow that has to collect the souls of the dead. When one escapes, a dark conspiracy unfolds. The less concrete you know about the story, the better. It is much more touching, loving and tragic than it seems at first glance – just let it sink in.
Gameplay-wise, Death’s Door is quite demanding, but always fair. You need quick reflexes and a certain frustration tolerance. Similar to Soulslikes, your opponents only forgive a few mistakes, but with patience and brains you can defeat them all. After a while, a graceful dance of death develops from attacks, dodges and lightning-fast spells.
By the way: The developer team of Acid Nerve consists of only two people. Mark Foster programs, designs, writes and animates. David Fenn is a producer and has also composed the soundtrack and effects.
Griftlands
(Developer: Klei Entertainment – Release: 1 June 2021 – Playtime: 10 – 12 hours)
Griftlands is a mix of role-playing game and deck-builder from the indie developers behind Don’t Starve. Once again, you can expect stylish 2D graphics, but with a completely new sci-fi setting. You control one of three very different characters through a dangerous world, make decisions and fight monsters and crunchy boss opponents with the help of collected card decks.
By the way: Griftlands is extremely popular with Steam players, especially for a fairly small indie game. Of over 10,000 reviews, 95 percent are positive! If you’d rather try it out without any obligation, you can also find (a free demo) at Valve.
Child of Light
(Developer: Ubisoft Montreal – Release: 30 April 2014 – Play time: 10 – 15 hours)
Child of Light is not only very time-friendly, but can also be played wonderfully in pairs in co-op – and will most likely convince even people who have had little experience with gaming. The battle system is surprisingly tactical and fun, clearly reminiscent of the classic Final Fantasys. But above all, the emotional story about Princess Aurora and her friends is convincing.
By the way: The short game is told entirely in rhyme. Child Of Light also deals with heavy themes like loss, grief, despair and self-doubt. But above all, it shows how such feelings can be dealt with.
South Park: The Stick of Truth
(Developer: Obsidian Entertainment – Release: 27 March 2014 – Playtime: 10 – 15 hours)
Yes, you should have that certain kind of humour if you want to install South Park: The Stick of Truth. Fountains of various bodily fluids, fart attacks and jokes about minorities are just as central in the game as they are in the series – and just as in the original, there is often biting social satire behind them.
But it’s also a rare example of a really successful licence adaptation! You experience an absurd fantasy story that gets further and further out of control and throws the most absurd twists at you. Battles, equipment, levels, skill trees, everything a role-playing game needs is included. Mkay?
By the way: Developer Obsidian worked closely with series fathers Matt Stone and Trey Parker for The Staff of Truth. And you can see that in the story too.
Gordian Quest
(Developer: Mixed Realms – Release: 27 March 2020 – Playtime: 10 – 15 hours)
Hard to decide between turn-based strategy and role-playing? Then Gordian Quest might be just right for you. It is still in Early Access, but already offers an exciting mix of classics like Ultima and modern elements like deckbuilding, loot spiral and procedurally generated worlds.
By the way: Two acts of the story have been released so far, you will need about 5 hours for each of them. The finished game is supposed to consist of four acts.
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing
(Developer: Neocore Games – Release: May 22, 2013 – Playtime: 12 – 16 hours)
Actually, there are actually three games that we recommend to you here. Besides The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing, the two sequels are also refreshingly compact. As you probably already guessed, you slip into the skin of demon hunter Van Helsing (Junior) and go into battle against all kinds of monsters and undead. Hasn’t developed into an equal Diablo competitor, but is still regularly in the top lists of action role-playing games.
By the way: The setting should also appeal to the steampunk fans among you. A dark mix of fantasy, gothic and fabulous hats awaits you.
The Outer Worlds
(Developer: Obsidian Entertainment – Release: October 25, 2019 – Playtime: 12 – 20 Hours)
Pure retro science fiction and Fallout flair. The Outer Worlds doesn’t even want to hide the fact that it comes from the developers of New Vegas. And of course you get freedom of choice, skill trees, factions and a thick portion of black humour. However, this time there’s no real open world, but instead hub areas, which are just as inviting to explore.
By the way: You can hammer through the actual story in 12 to 15 hours. If you have a little more time to spare, however, it’s definitely worth getting involved with the world. Almost all side quests offer you several ways to solve them and many of them allow you to finally be a real puke.
The Ascent
(Developer: Neon Giant – Release: 29 July 2021 – Playtime: 12 – 20 hours)
Even if technically not everything runs smoothly and many small problems still tug at the nerves (keyword jogging at snail’s pace), cyberpunk fans should at least take a look at The Ascent. The graphics are fantastic, especially for a game from the iso-perspective. And rarely has the dirty neon atmosphere been so dense – feel free to check out this gameplay video.
Ys Origin
(Developer: Nihon Falcom Corp. – Release: 31 May 2012 – Playtime: 12 – 20 hours)
If you’re into JRPGs, then you should definitely set your sights on Ys. The gameplay offers a lot of action, but you also need to be clever when it comes to puzzles and riddles.
But basically each game is self-contained and almost all of them can be played through within a few hours. The most recent part, Ys 9: Monstrous Nox, however, takes considerably longer at 30 – 40 hours.
By the way: Most Ys are about Adol, an adventurer who hits the beach of some land and promptly becomes a hero. That’s why prior knowledge is so seldom necessary
The Council
(Developer: Big Bad Wolf – Release: 13 March 2018 – Playtime: 15 hours)
Are you all about your choices having real consequences in role-playing games? Then be sure to check out the adventure RPG mix The Council. In five episodes of 2 to 3 hours each, you experience a thrilling crime story about a secret society in the 18th century. You search for your missing mother and become entangled in dangerous intrigues. Your actions have real consequences here and strongly influence the course of history.
By the way: The first episode is available (for free on Steam), so you can try out The Council first. You will have to buy all the other episodes as a Season Bundle
Jade Empire: Special Edition
(Developer: Bioware – Release: Feb 28, 2007 – Playtime: 15 – 20 hours)
Jade Empire is definitely not fresh graphically after 14 years, but still a blast narratively. And exciting role-playing games with such a polished Asian setting are still far too rare. You box and kick your way to mastery in true martial arts style, explore linear but nevertheless pretty environments and directly influence the story with your decisions. Just like Bioware used to do back in the day.
By the way: Unfortunately, the Steam version of Jade Empire is notorious for being a bitch. You can usually solve it quite easily by running the game as an admin. Or you can read the latest (Community-Fix here on Steam)
South Park: The Spectacular Ordeal
(Developer: Ubisoft San Francisco – Release: Oct 17, 2017 – Playtime: 17 – 20 hours)
South Park, the Second: We’ve listed the game again individually because you might like it even if you didn’t quite warm to The Staff of Truth. This time it’s not a parody of fantasy, but of the superhero genre. You even get to assemble your own hero (or villain) and determine their personal kryptonite.
Both the depth and the bite of the game have been improved, even though all the basic principles from the predecessor remain. You complete quests, level up, upgrade your character and collect equipment – so far, so classic role-playing. And it plays really, really well, if you can relate to the quirky humour.
By the way: There was an episode in the animated TV series that served as a real prequel to the game. Proudly titled: “Franchise Prequel”.
Tyranny
(Developer: Obsidian Entertainment – Release: November 10, 2016 – Playtime: 20 hours)
Have you ever wanted to be really bad? Well, only on the screen, of course. Then Tyranny is just right for you. In it, you are the deputy of a giant in chief and you decide for yourself whether you resist him or are fully absorbed in your role as a cruel oppressor. Hardly any other game takes your decisions so seriously and confronts you with the consequences as uncompromisingly as Tyranny.
By the way: How long you need for Tyranny depends mainly on how fast you read. The game is similar to Pillars of Eternity in that you shouldn’t skip texts too often or you’ll miss out on a lot of exciting content.
Evoland 2
(Developer: Shiro Games – Release: August 25, 2015 – Playtime: 17 – 20 hours)
Now it’s getting pixelated! But don’t scroll straight on, Evoland 2 is a really good role-playing game and a declaration of love to the good old gaming days. If the names Secret of Mana, Zelda and Chrono Trigger immediately ring a bell in your ears, then give Evoland 2 a chance. It will surprise you time and time again, and you can finally put to use all the gamer training you’ve spent years accumulating in various genres.
By the way: The first Evoland got pretty lousy reviews. Fortunately, the second part tells its own story, so you won’t miss anything if you skip its predecessor.
Operencia: The Stolen Sun
(Developer: Zen Studios – Release: 29 March 2019 – Playtime: 20 hours)
Directly at the beginning you have to get used to Operencia: The Stolen Sun. Instead of free control, you only move forwards, backwards, to the right or left – as if you were travelling on cross-shaped tracks. And all this from the first-person perspective! But it’s worth sticking with it if you’re keen on dungeons, exploration and crunchy puzzles. However, you definitely need to have a certain amount of frustration, sometimes you can spend hours on the puzzles.
By the way: Operencia is based on a mythical world that is rarely found in games, namely the Hunnic-Hungarian one.
Mass Effect
(Developer: Bioware – Release: June 5, 2008 – Playtime: 17 – 25 hours)
Admitted: The first Mass Effect already scrapes neatly along the border of a “short role-playing game”. But if you refrain from wandering around on some remote planet scanning for stuff, but just follow the main story, you’ll get through it in a few evenings. And the thrilling story about Commander Shepard and your alien crew is the best thing about the sci-fi role-playing game anyway. Even if the Legendary Edition has improved a lot in terms of gameplay.
By the way: If you don’t have time for the (significantly longer) sequels, feel free to play the first part anyway. The ending isn’t so open-ended that it’s hard to bear – back then it wasn’t even sure if the series was going to be, well, a series.
Now it’s your turn!
Do you have any compact role-playing tips that you would recommend? Then post them in the comments so that your fellow readers get something out of it! We’ll continue to add suitable games to this list in the future
