Anyone else bounce around from game to game with no clue what to play?
Anyone else bounce around from game to game with no clue what to play?
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.
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.
Not disagreeing with you necessarily, but ADHD also fits the bill. I'm very much a happy person at the moment, I wouldn't change anything in my life, yet I subscribe to what OP says. Games are too long, too boring to grab my attention long enough.
I managed recently to complete GTA V because I found the story hilarious, and I only managed that by skipping all side missions. That's the only long / AAA game I've managed to finish in recent years.
What helps me is understanding that if I get 5h of enjoyment out of a game rather than getting to the intended 50h playtime, that's also valid. 5h of fun also counts as fun and this is a game, not work, so there's no pressure to finish 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
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.
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.
If we’re being real, there’s a chance you’re just depressed. It’s also worth noting that you don’t actually have to play video games. Sometimes I just find myself without anything good to play. It’s ok to do something else for fun for awhile.
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.
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.
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
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
In my experience this means you're just looking for a dopamine drip, and aren't actually looking to enjoy games. Best to realign for a bit... But YMMV
Oh that's interesting, I hadn't considered that. What do you mean by realign though?
Realign on how you choose to spend your time
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've been doing this for decades. I just get bored easily. But every now and then I find a game that works for me and I spend 1000s of hours playing it. At this point I probably have a 1000+ games and 70% of them I played 2 to 4 hours..
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 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.
Yes I do I won't even make it a few hours most times before jumping to a new game
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.
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.
Along with the suggestions here can also recommend a short hike. There's also a bunch of short, fulfilling games on itch.io and the developers see more of your cash vs steam, worth considering if you're so inclined.
I also go through phases like this, particularly in the winter. You could be suffering from depression or if this is a more recent thing as the days get shorter maybe its SAD. Get some sunshine and a SAD lamp and see if that helps. If not, worth talking to a professional like others have suggested. Godspeed fellow gamer!
This happens to me when I don't have somebody to share my progress in a game with. It's definitely some sort of failure to achieve dopamine or something.
Having a second person to talk to about the game and your progression may help you to overcome this hurdle.
Alternatively, try some indie stuff? AAA+ games are made by soulless companies who don't actually care about your joy. Have you ever played Stardew Valley? Made by ONE dude with love. Give that a shot.
In principal, I agree with mixing up your gaming time with other stuff but maybe you're all good with that stuff and just looking for some ideas.
I noticed a lot of your gaming choices are very open ended experiences. Perhaps you could try playing a more "on rails" or story driven experience..
Ideas::
Sony games like Spiderman, Uncharted, God of War.
Psychonauts 2.
Titanfall 2 campaign.
Control. (? Maybe, I haven't played it ).
Modern Warfare (the new cod) or the new Black Ops.
The latest Mortal Kombat.
Hades (1).Or maybe something where short plays are the go, like rogue lites where you don't feel like you need to play it forever. Good luck!
They're just ideas but you hopefully you see what I mean. Only pick one though.
i have a different problem. i cant stop replaying games the second i beat them
That seems like it's only a good thing! Have fun, save cash, I'm jealous haha!
it would be if i didnt have 3 other games i wanted to play as well 😂 already bought downloaded and collecting dust as i replay the same game over again
This was me. I eventually bounced around games and tried Satisfactory, a game type I never thought I'd like. Now it's my new meth and daddy needs his fix.
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)
I never heard of this. I play wow.
I enjoy playing older games I missed out on years ago. Recently I finally played Silent Hill 3 and 4 for instance. Now I plan on doing Resi 1-3 and games like it. Other than that my guilty pleasure is League of Legends. I have accepted that I will play it until they shut it down.
Helldivers 2.
Its always fun. It's always big boom. It's always democracy.
I like sandbox games where you can jump in any time and build further. If you are looking for a time sink like game, I'd recommend, Subnautica, Satisfactory, Factorio. I'd also recommend shorter games where you can just finish it in an evening without big commitment. Or rougelike, rougelite games where you can just finish a run, like Slay the spire, monster train, DCSS.
Lastly you don't have to play most popular games, it is OK to play old games or lesser known ones. I play time to time HoMM3, might and magic series etc.
I’ve been doing that here lately, just bouncing from game to game to game. Despite having hundreds of games in my Steam library, just feeling burnt out I think. Trying to move back to my unloved boardgames more to switch it up some. Sometimes you don’t need to force it, take a break and find something else to do for awhile until the interest comes back.
This was me, too. Over the past few years, I noticed I was having less and less fun with games, and was getting bored with them more quickly, even good ones that are right up my alley. I ended up starting a new hobby (gunpla) and couldn't be happier. I still game some, but only a small fraction of what I used to.
this is known as depression
If you want a Battlefield game that actually revolves around teamwork and communication, I suggest Squad.
The team largely started off modifying BF2 into Project Reality... eventually became their own studio and made their realism / teamwork version of BF2 in UE.
Its not as milsim as the Arma series, but its not as casual as Battlefield.
I buy cheap games on steam and play them for however long I enjoy them. Anywhere from 4 to 400 hours