When you’re someone like me who plays a ton of video games, and am also someone who really likes ranking things and creating lists, it’s only natural that you’d eventually want to look into what a list of your most-played video games might look like. Well, that’s exactly what I’ve done for this week. I’ve crunched the numbers and compiled the data, and put together an ordered list of my most played video games of all time, based on total hours spent.
Now, that doesn’t mean I quite wanted to out myself by actually stating the hours beside each game. Just know that the games in this list are in order from least hours (but still a lot) at #15, to the game with the most hours at the #1 spot.
Ready? Let’s begin!
15) Shadowverse
It’s not a secret that I’m a sucker for card games, so it’s no surprise I’d latch onto a few of them here or there. Of all the card games I’ve played, none are more enjoyable than Shadowverse, which is why I’ve poured so much time into it. I love the vast array of deck formats, archetypes, and playstyles. I love the various card-related mechanics, chief of all the ability to Evolve your monsters to gain new effects and bonuses. I love how much effort was put into the music, visuals, and presentation. Shadowverse is a joy to play.
14) Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Smash Ultimate might be the pinnacle of the series, but there’s no single installment in the Smash Bros franchise that I played more than Brawl. When I was younger, I had less games to play, yet paradoxically more free time to play them. This often manifested in me diving deep into a single game, squeezing every last possible drop of fun and enjoyment out of them as I could. For Brawl, this manifested in multiple playthroughs of the cinematic Subspace Emissary campaign, hundreds of tokens fired in the trophy unlocking minigame, dozens of very-bad stages created in the stage creator mode, and even a few hours spent playing painfully-short demos of old Nintendo games (because this game included the ability to do that, for some baffling reason).
13) Monster Hunter World
To this day, I still feel like I owe Monster Hunter World a bit of an apology. Now, I do honestly think that the opening hours of this installment in the long-running franchise are pretty weak, and the Ancient Forest (the game’s first area) showed up on my article of the worst levels in all of video games in the #2 spot. But when you get past this, as I forced myself to do with a second playthrough years after this game first released, you’ll discover maybe the most consistently fun Monster Hunter game ever made. The exploration, the fighting mechanics, the monster interactivity, the seemingly limitless number of quests and special events…this is a game that just never feels like it’s going to end, in the best possible way!
12) Hyrule Warriors
Another game (of many more to come) that should not be a surprise to see here on this list of mine. I’ve talked about Hyrule Warriors a bazillion times throughout the lifespan of this blog, and its a game I could play until the end of time itself without getting bored. Heck, completely unrelated to this article, I actually put a few hours into Hyrule Warriors just this past week because I was feeling the itch that only this game can scratch. Honestly, that’s the best way to play a game as beastly as this one, because you might drive yourself insane if you tried to conquer all of its content in one dedicated multi-week (more like multi-month) push. It’s best enjoyed in sporadic chunks, especially because it’s so fun and easy to jump back into.
11) Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Yes, it’s a little crazy to admit, but the Xenoblade game that I technically enjoy the least makes it onto this list (and even crazier, 3 and X, my 2nd and 3rd favorite video games ever, aren’t on the list at all!). But for as much as I like to rag on this game, I feel like I need to reiterate that I not only don’t hate it, but I think it’s pretty decent. It’s a weak Xenoblade game, but that still makes it an enjoyable JRPG. It’s also a lengthy one, and a pretty addicting one. And so the reason it ends up on this list is because, even thought I’ve only played it (and its DLC campaign) twice to completion, it’s that dense of a game that it still took that much time for me to get through all the whimsy this game has to offer!
10) Nioh 2
Most people found something to do during those initial lockdown weeks of the 2020 pandemic, often spending truly ridiculous amounts of time devoted to whatever that thing you found to do was. Well, for me, Nioh 2 was my big pandemic hobby. It felt like every single day I was knocking out some college coursework in the mornings (which was wonky in all sorts of ways thanks to my professors not exactly knowing how to adapt for the shutdown), and then all of my afternoons and evenings were spent playing Nioh 2, usually with my best friend by my (virtual) side. I have a ton of amazing memories of journeying through Nioh 2 with him, and it made for a magical experience. And, obviously, a long one too, which ballooned even more once the DLC missions came out!
9) Borderlands: The Handsome Collection
This entry has cheated its way onto the list a bit, considering it’s a compilation package of two full-length games on one disc. Still, my PlayStation profile records list this as being a single game, so it manages to secure a spot on this list because of that. Borderlands: The Handsome Collection is comprised of Borderlands 2 and Borderlands the Pre-Sequel, which are both full-length looter-shooter RPG adventures. Borderlands 2 in particular is where most of my playtime ended up, as it’s not only a long game, but it’s also got a plethora of add-on content included in the package, like a bevy of bonus areas and missions, and five multi-hour post-game campaigns. Sprinkle in how inherently replayable these games are, and…yeah. It’s no surprise to see this here.
8) Smite
It’s a strange phenomenon, but it’s somehow almost easy for me to forget that Smite was such a large part of my gaming life for so many years, because I haven’t touched it in over two years at this point. Alongside my closest friends, I’ve put a ton of time into this game, and (almost always) had a blast doing it! With more characters than you can shake a stick at, and a claim to fame of being the only MOBA that’s actually enjoyable to control, Smite was awesome. I loved mastering the different characters and buying items to switch up my build, unlocking new skins and cosmetics, and participating in the varied events and minigames. And who could forget how fun it was to shout ‘WOO-HOO‘ and ‘YOU ROCK’ using the in-game vocal callouts? I don’t even play the game anymore and I can still vividly hear those callouts in my mind!
7) Xenoblade Chronicles
Obviously my favorite video game of all time would have to score pretty highly on this list, given the many times I’ve played it over the years. And those are really the two biggest points in its favor, that being that it’s my favorite game ever and that I’ve loved it for years. Whether it was the original Wii release, the 3DS port, or the enhanced Definitive Edition on the Switch, I’ve consumed more Xenoblade Chronicles in my lifetime than I assume many people have. Also, it doesn’t hurt that it’s an exceptionally lengthy and content-dense game that will keep you occupied for a super long time if you let it. And I’m someone who will let it, so multiply that fact by my many playthroughs, and you can see why it would score highly!
6) Zenless Zone Zero
On the surface, it’s a bit shocking to see a game I only began playing less than two years ago be this high on the list. But I have to face the facts and respect the hustle that Zenless Zone Zero‘s developer, miHoYo, has created. It’s a free game that doesn’t cost a single cent, it’s got a fantastic visual style, excellent music, amazing voice acting, fun/flashy combat, and engaging characters with an interesting story. And then every six weeks, the game gets another totally free update with new characters, quests, and events? It’s designed to hook you in, and I can’t pretend it doesn’t have its hooks in me. It’s not my favorite game from miHoYo (there’s some oh-so subtle foreshadowing for you…), but it’s definitely a very good one.
5) Overwatch
Similar to Smite, it’s easy for me to forget just how many hours I’ve poured into Overwatch, and the immense nostalgic love I still hold for the game. I’ve talked before on this blog about how, without Overwatch, I’d have never gotten a PlayStation 4 and discovered dozens of amazing games and franchises, nor kept such consistent gaming friendships after graduating high school. Overwatch is barely recognizable these days, but my lack of actively playing the game presently hasn’t dimmed the memories of days-long play sessions during special events, or staying up entirely-too-late grinding ranked matches with my buddies. What a special game.
4) Honkai Star Rail
This game is also fairly new, but I’m less surprised to see it rank highly compared to Zenless Zone Zero. After all, it’s managed to secure a very respectable place on my list of favorite video games of all time! Honkai Star Rail is probably the best turn-based RPG of all time, and the fact that it’s entirely free still blows my mind. I’m actually jealous of the mere concept of someone beginning their journey through this game, knowing just how many dozens of unforgettable hours they’ve got ahead of them. Considering this game makes a bajillion dollars a month, it’s probably going to continue on an unstoppable path for years, and I am 100% ready to keep playing right alongside each new update until humanity learns to explore the cosmos just like you do in this game!
3) Pokémon Masters EX
And now we finally get to the big three. The games that I actually don’t know my total number of playtime hours for. For this entry, and the #1 spot, it’s because there’s no way to track your time played. It really just comes down to logic in terms of how I figured out that these three games in particular rose to the top.
Still, I’ve played this game nearly every day for about five years, so it’s kind of a no-brainer that it would show up here. And it’s strange, given this game’s concept. Who would have ever thought to design a Pokémon game centered around the human trainers, and not their adorable monsters? Well, it was apparently a brilliant idea, because this game is awesome. These characters come alive like they never have before through great voice acting and 3D model animations, tons of story events and quests, an addicting upgrade and battle system unique from other Pokémon titles, and even other fun bonuses like a Hangout mode with select characters, or an in-depth photo booth mode.
2) The Binding of Isaac
If you looked exclusively at my playtime for this game from the PC version on Steam, and from the PlayStation version, it wouldn’t be anything crazy. Still on this list, but closer to the #13 spot. But there’s one very specific reason why this game blows almost every other entry on this list out of the water. That reason is that, for all four years of high school, I had this game on a dinky little 2GB flash drive that I brought with me to school each day. The Binding of Isaac is simple enough to run on a potato, so even our shoddy school computers could play it.
I can’t even begin to try and guess how many hours I have in this game because of the version of it I carried to school each day. Hardly a single day of study hall passed with playing Isaac, and I will only slightly-shamefully admit to playing it during other classes too when I probably should’ve been paying attention. My favorite (and most unique) way of playing was that my best friend would use half the keyboard to control the shooting, while I would be the one who ran around and dodged enemies. It was a bootleg two-player mode, but it entertained us for years.
1) Fire Emblem Heroes
Where else on this list could I possibly place a game that I have played nearly every single day for over nine years? I mean, seriously? Where else could it go? Even though some days I only play for about five minutes, if you multiply that by the number of days in a year, and the total years, it comes out to…uh…well…um…maybe I’ll just let you do the math yourself on that one. And that whole formula alone would be if I just played it for five minutes each day, which is a far lower average than the real number.
I feel like I’d probably pass out if I knew how much time I’ve spent playing this game over the years. It definitely has to be a pretty staggering amount. But, I mean, how many hours has someone who spends their time binge-watching tv shows actually spent on tv shows? Or people who gather on the couch every evening to watch basketball or football games? We all have our hobbies, and mine just happens to be medieval fantasy anime chess on a mobile device!
But hey, that’s just my opinion! Or, uh, well, I guess this time it’s a literal statistical fact based on my hours of playtime…
The Contrarian Corner 