Sometimes you're busy and you just want to kill some time for a few minutes. Then there are other times when all you want to do is get lost in a world that is not the world we live in.
That's something video games are perfect for.
Most single-player games span at least five to ten hours these days, but other games make them look short by comparison.
If you're looking for a game that will keep you busy for weeks, here are the longest PlayStation 4 games that offer the most bang for your buck, at least in terms of playtime.
15. Pathfinder: Kingmaker
Main Story: ~75 hours
Main Story + Extras: ~125 hours
Completionist: ~200 hours
Even if you've never rolled a 20-sided die before, you've probably heard of Dungeons & Dragons. Well, Pathfinder is a similar tabletop game that spun off of D&D 3rd Edition back in 2009.
Paizo—the company behind Pathfinder—then licensed the rules to Owlcat games, who created a computer RPG based on the Kingmaker adventure path.
In Pathfinder: Kingmaker, you can build your own hero from any of the game's available classes and set off on a quest that will see your hero become the ruler of their own small nation.
Pathfinder: Kingmaker has a lot going for it, primarily its fun turn-based combat that's reminiscent of most tabletop RPGs but with all the math streamlined and handled by the computer.
The story is a lot of fun, too, with a great mixture of political intrigue, romance, and adventure. However, the actual mechanics for managing your kingdom can be unforgiving if you're not careful.
14. The Elder Scrolls Online
Main Story: ~50 hours
Main Story + Extras: ~250 hours
Completionist: ~600 hours
The Elder Scrolls Online feels less like a traditional MMORPG and more like an Elder Scrolls game that just happens to have real people in the world in addition to NPCs.
If you prefer not to group up, this game is even more friendly to solo play. You can sink a ton of hours into this game, making it one of the best PS4 games for grinding.
There have been constant improvements since the game first launched in 2014, so it may even be worth checking back on it if you tried it already but didn't like the earlier experience.
13. Divinity: Original Sin 2
Main Story: ~55 hours
Main Story + Extras: ~100 hours
Completionist: ~150 hours
Fans of computer RPGs will love the Divinity: Original Sin series from Larian Studios. The game's unique combat system plays with elements of your environment, forcing you to avoid dastardly hazards or to use them against the different monsters that rush to attack you.
You can play through the game's huge story campaign either by yourself or with up to three other players working together.
How big is that campaign? There's more than 50 hours of content if you only do the bare essentials. Otherwise, the multiple side quests and NPC quests will bump that to over 100 hours of content.
There's so much here that it can be almost overwhelming, but you'll love every second in this rich, complex, morally ambiguous world.
12. Final Fantasy XIV
Main Story: ~100 hours
Main Story + Extras: ~450 hours
Completionist: ~1000+ hours
For the most part, multiplayer games won't feature on this list. After all, it's kind of a cheat to consider a game "long" when you're just replaying the same content but against different players.
But we did include The Elder Scrolls Online earlier, and we're also including Final Fantasy XIV. The truth is, Final Fantasy XIV has an incredible story that's worthy of a single-player game.
You'll need to dive into the occasional dungeon with a group, but otherwise you can play most of it like a single-player RPG, especially if you pick a solo-friendly class.
11. Monster Hunter: World
Main Story: ~50 hours
Main Story + Extras: ~100 hours
Completionist: ~380 hours
While most people tend to play Monster Hunter: World online, you can play it without ever encountering another human. Of course, that means it'll be more difficult and make an already long game even longer—but in this case, that's a good thing!
The Monster Hunter series is known for being one of the best grinding experiences in gaming. The entire game is fundamentally one core loop: kill monsters to get ingredients to craft better equipment to kill bigger monsters for better ingredients to forge stronger equipment...
Monster Hunter: World is among the best of the franchise, having streamlined most of the clunky bits from past entries and making it far more accessible to modern gamers.
10. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Main Story: ~45 hours
Main Story + Extras: ~80 hours
Completionist: ~150 hours
The final Hideo Kojima-helmed entry in the increasingly bizarre Metal Gear Solid franchise is also the longest, thanks to its open world take on the series' stealth-action gameplay.
Just beating the main story will take you nearly 50 hours, but there are boatloads of side quests that you can pursue to get better gear and resources to help you on future missions.
9. Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age
Main Story: ~55 hours
Main Story + Extras: ~90 hours
Completionist: ~130 hours
This most recent entry in the Dragon Quest series takes most players around 50 hours to beat, and that's if you rush through the story—which we don't recommend doing! It's worth savoring, for sure.
If you take a more leisurely stroll through the game, you can expect it to last as long as 100+ hours. And for a game as great as this one, you should take your time and enjoy every moment.
8. Dark Souls III
Main Story: ~30 hours
Main Story + Extras: ~45 hours
Completionist: ~90 hours
When it comes to the Dark Souls franchise, even the most skilled gamers will take dozens of hours to make it through the final game of the trilogy. But for non-skilled gamers, it's going to take much longer.
Tackling the game's many extras and optional bosses will crank that time even higher—past 50 hours of playtime—and you can crank it up even further if you seek out everything the game has to offer.
7. Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Main Story: ~40 hours
Main Story + Extras: ~80 hours
Completionist: ~140 hours
Assassin's Creed is another series where nobody has ever accused the games of being too short. That said, Assassin's Creed Odyssey is the most sprawling entry in the series to date.
The main story alone will take you 40 hours, and that's if you don't do a single side quest or collectible hunt. With all that, your playtime could exceed 80 hours, especially when you include the DLC.
6. The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV
Main Story: ~60 hours
Main Story + Extras: ~100 hours
Completionist: ~125 hours
When you think of long games, several JRPGs probably come to mind. In fact, there are several of those featured on this very list. This genre tends to have big, sweeping stories with lots of side quests and plenty of grinding to get the best weapons and equipment.
The Trails series might not be as well known as Persona or Final Fantasy, but it's actually one of the largest JRPG series of all time, with Trails of Cold Steel IV being one of its all-time best entries.
It concludes the epic story that started way back in the first Trails of Cold Steel game, with this final portion offering more than 60 hours of content even without diving into side quests or extra dungeons.
Fortunately, the game's combat system is unique enough to keep things interesting throughout those dozens of hours. It's a system that relies heavily on positioning and unit placement to unlock powerful attacks and to break down enemy defenses.
5. Red Dead Redemption 2
Main Story: ~50 hours
Main Story + Extras: ~75 hours
Completionist: ~170 hours
Rockstar's open world Western game is more than just Grand Theft Auto with horses. In fact, it's still considered by many to be the absolute best game the studio has ever produced.
Just finishing it will take you close to 50 hours, but doing even a portion of the extra missions will push that time up to 70+ hours. More than that, the world feels alive and immersive, meaning you could lose much more time just living in this world that feels so real.
4. Persona 5 Royal
Main Story: ~100 hours
Main Story + Extras: ~125 hours
Completionist: ~140 hours
The original version of Persona 5 wasn't a short game by any stretch of the term, with many players taking in the neighborhood of 100 hours to finish it.
The definitive edition of the game, Persona 5 Royal, streamlines some elements of the original game but also adds characters and a new palace, meaning it will take even longer to finish.
3. Stardew Valley
Main Story: ~50 hours
Main Story + Extras: ~90 hours
Completionist: ~150 hours
The modern world can be a bit much for all of us—and the idea of taking over your grandfather's farm can be strangely appealing.
Stardew Valley is one of the most successful indie games of all time, with vibrant visuals, relaxing music, and addictive gameplay that'll have you staying up to the wee hours of the morning.
The main story only takes about 50 hours to complete, but that's just the beginning of your adventures in Stardew Valley. With multiple marriage candidates, new islands to visit, and dozens of achievements to earn, you'll always feel like you've just scratched the surface.
Each season has new crops to grow and fish to catch, which you'll need to keep an eye on if you want to restore the Community Center and breathe life back into Pelican Town.
2. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Main Story: ~25 hours
Main Story + Extras: ~100 hours
Completionist: ~225 hours
Skyrim has been out for years at this point, but that hasn't stopped people from playing it over and over again.
Whether you've played it or not, this is a game that can keep you busy for weeks on end, and that's just for a single playthrough.
1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Main Story: ~50 hours
Main Story + Extras: ~100 hours
Completionist: ~170 hours
None of the games in The Witcher series have been short, but the third installment is by far the longest so far.
This feels like a living, breathing world—one that is very much affected by how you play the game. If you're looking to kill time while you wait for Cyberpunk 2077, this is your best bet.
