These are the ten longest single-player games so far. The games included on this list are ones that are actually fun to play for tens of hours. So, games like Genshin Impact or other multiplayer games with anxiety-inducing levels of grinding aren’t included.
Every game on this list takes at least 50 hours to complete. If you pursue side activities, these entries will easily offer more than 100 hours of playtime. The hours to complete the games were taken from howlongtobeat.com.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Game of the Year Edition
The Witcher 3 is one of the greatest games ever. There are multiple regions to explore and the number of side quests is insane. And each of these side quests is as engaging as the main story itself. Some of them are short and sweet and others are questlines, featuring multiple quests attached to a single character or a location. There are collectibles, weapons, armor, and locations to uncover.
It is for good reason why The Witcher 3 has overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam. A free update for next-gen consoles is out now as well. Be sure to learn more about what’s new in The Witcher 3 Complete Edition.
On average, it takes around 55 hours to complete the main story and 126 hours to complete with sidequests.
Elden Ring
Speaking of the greatest games ever, FromSoftware’s magnum opus Elden Ring definitely deserves a spot on this list. The number of playstyles this game offers is flabbergasting and because of its mysterious nature, it encourages exploration and attention to detail. There are side quests and a multitude of hidden locations to discover. I personally currently have more than 200 hours of playtime in Elden Ring and I haven’t finished the game once yet. That’s because I took my time with it, but usually, it takes around 100 hours to finish one playthrough.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
Here’s yet another magnificent gem of the gaming industry. I doubt that there are many of you who haven’t played Skyrim as of now because it’s kind of impossible for me to think that anyone is missing out on this masterpiece. Skyrim raised the bar high as an RPG and because of mods, the game never dies. There are hundreds of side quests and locations to uncover on the huge map of Skyrim and the replay value is immense.
It takes about 130 hours to complete The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition, although you can easily get hundreds of hours’ worth of entertainment with all of the sidequests and add-ons.
Fallout New Vegas
Fallout: New Vegas is an RPG masterpiece and perhaps even better than Skyrim. The storytelling of New Vegas still stands out as some of the best in gaming history. There are a ton of locations to explore and the environmental storytelling is masterful. The quests and side activities take a lot of time. You won’t even realize until seeing your playtime that you’ve poured hundreds of hours into the game.
On average, it takes about 85 hours to complete but some players reach more than 400 hours.
Yakuza 0
Yakuza 0 is perhaps the best entry of the franchise. The side activities of the game are some of gaming’s finest. The map is not huge, but it’s packed with content. Likewise, the story is a masterpiece. There are around 60 side-missions; if you pay attention to the world and take part in many activities, you’ll spend more than 100 hours in-game without even noticing it.
On average, it takes about 70 hours to complete a single playthrough.
Dragon Age: Origins
Dragon Age: Origins is one of the best games of the 2000s. It was developed by BioWare so exceptional RPG mechanics and an impressive narrative are to be expected. You can create your own character and customize them as you see fit. While the game isn’t completely open-world like Skyrim or The Witcher 3, it’s certainly fun to explore. The dialogue options are many and the number of choices the player has is uncountable.
It takes around 75 hours to complete one playthrough.
Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 is Rockstar’s best game so far, and I don’t think many of you will disagree. Exploration is the single most enjoyable aspect of the gameplay, and the huge open world is one of the best ever. The world is richly detailed and the player can interact with it in many ways. In more ways than the graphics, the game is beautiful.
It takes around 85 hours to complete the game once, but players can reach 400 hours if they really love the game. In fact, one dedicated player had 6,000 hours recorded!
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen is one of my personal favorite RPGs of all time and that has to do with its insanely fun combat system. The game has a lot of flaws, sure. But to be clear, the goodness of the game outweighs the flaws and I highly recommend playing this absolute gem to any RPG fan. Like other conventional RPGs, this has a lot of quests and an open world to explore.
It takes about 57 hours to complete it once but I personally have 70 hours so far and I haven’t finished the main story yet. It’s possible to reach nearly 200 hours of gameplay on this.
Grand Theft Auto IV
I could’ve added Grand Theft Auto V to this entry but I chose this instead because it’s somewhat underrated these days. Arguably, GTA IV has the best story in the franchise and Liberty City is an insanely fun urban world to explore. The DLCs and side content are joyous to play through, and it takes around 60 hours to complete.
Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077 had a disastrous launch but as of now, it’s the game they promised us. More or less. In any case, Cyberpunk is one of the best RPG experiences available now, and after Netflix’s Cyberpunk Edgerunners anime, the game has only been gaining more and more players. It takes around 62 hours to complete the game.
