It was 2014, the year I finished my SPM examination. I played Dragon Age: Inquisition and subsequently the whole Dragon Age franchise. I spent dozens of hours, exploring Thedas in different perspectives from a Human to a Qunari, saving the world from the Blight, and scouring the map for every hidden party banter.

Fast forward to 4 years, I’ve graduated from university and currently working full-time. There are a lot of amazing games that are produced every year and some of them take a long time to finish it. You may find yourself constantly buying games that you never get around to play and decide to put in the mountainous pile of games’ backlog.

This presents a problem: how does a person with a busy schedule free up some time to play games and since free time is such a rare commodity, how do you make your time worth playing it? Here are a few tricks that I’ve learned along with some recommendations of games.

1) Short video games are king

Street Fighter V

Although many modern games are marketed with 100+ hours gameplay content, let’s face it: not many working people (like you and me) have the time to pick up a controller. But, this doesn’t mean you cannot enjoy games in one sitting. You’ll be surprised that there are games that can be finished in the same duration as watching a movie in the cinema or binge-watching a Netflix series.

These are 10 best short games to play:

1. Minit (1 hour and 30 minutes) – available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
2. Tetris Effect (1 hour and 30 minutes) – available on PS4
3. Journey (2 hours) – available on PS4
4. Superhot (2 hours) – available on PC, PS4, Xbox One
5. Street Fighter V (2 hours and 30 minutes) – available on PC and PS4
6. Little Nightmares (3 hours) – available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
7. Portal (3 hours) – available on PC, Xbox 360, PS3
8. Inside (3 hours and 30 minutes) – available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS
9. Simulacra (4 hours) – available on PC, Android, iOS
10. A Way Out (6 hours) – available on PC, PS4, Xbox One

2) Enjoy the story

Red Dead Redemption 2

Nowadays, games are becoming more life-like and complex, thanks to powerful gaming machines from PC to consoles to even mobile phones. Game developers are able to tell the stories in the most meaningful way. The best thing is you get to tailor your own story according to the choices you made. It’s like starring in your own film!

Of course, you can take your sweet time to play these games and put it on hold whenever you like. Check out these 10 story-driven games you can enjoy at any time:

1. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – available on PS3 and PS4
2. The Last of Us – available on PS3 and PS4
3. Telltale’s The Walking Dead – available on PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS
4. Alan Wake – available on PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One
5. Life is Strange – available on PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS4, PS3, iOS, Android
6. BioShock – available on PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, iOS
7. Silent Hill 2 – available on PC, Xbox 360, PS3
8. Detroit: Become Human – available on PS4
9. Red Dead Redemption 2 – available on PS4 and Xbox One
10. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – available on PC, Xbox One, PS4

3) Get your family and friends to play together

Overcooked 2

I may sound like Xbox boss, Phil Spencer but I agree wholeheartedly with his statement: “When everybody plays, we all win.” Gaming is not an isolated experience anymore. It is meant to be shared. While gaming might not be a cup of tea for some friends and family, chances are they would love to spend some quality time together with you by playing games together!

Here are 10 amazing cooperative and multiplayer video games for your squad:

1. Any LEGO games (LEGO Star Wars, LEGO The Incredibles 2, LEGO Marvel Superheroes)
2. Resident Evil 5 & 6 – available on PC, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3, PS4
3. Overcooked 2 – available on PC, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch
4. Destiny 2 – available on PC, PS4, Xbox One
5. Borderlands 2 – available on PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4
6. Minecraft – available on Android, iOS, PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
7. Left 4 Dead 2 – available on PC and Xbox 360
8. Monster Hunter: World – available on PC, Xbox One, PS4
9. Fortnite – available on PC, Xbox One, PS4, iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch
10. Little Big Planet 3 – available on PS3 and PS4

Do you face the same issue? Got other useful tips you would like to share with us? Feel free to drop your comments on how you deal with this situation on our Facebook page.