10 Games That Went On TOO Long

“Mafia III” (2016)

The first two “Mafia” games kept things relatively brisk, and are remembered fairly fondly by those who played them. But the third game went bigger, and proved that it isn’t always better. The story follows Lincoln Clay, who sets out to avenge his slain family while building his own criminal empire. The plot actually holds your attention for a while. But the overall game takes around twice as long to complete as its predecessor, and doesn’t have the interesting mechanics or quest structure to keep that attention. If the developers had tightened the focus and cut the fat, complaints of dull missions and repetitive gameplay may have been less frequent, and “Mafia III” would’ve been much stronger.

“Fallout 4” (2015)

Unsurprisingly, there will be a few open world games to take up spots on our list. “Fallout 4” is still a strong entry in the series, with a lot of depth. But Bethesda made the cardinal sin of adding on too much with what they accomplished with “Fallout 3.” The main story, which follows you searching for your missing child after the murder of your better half, is interesting. But there are a TON of side quests, many of which pull your attention away from what you’d rather be doing, making them a chore. Yes, we’re talking about radiant quests, and how you’re called on to defend any settlement you find. These were designed to occur endlessly, so they’ll always pop up, nagging at any player with a completionist desire and extending your playthrough way longer than it should be.

“Alien: Isolation” (2014)

I’m going to feel bad about saying anything negative about several games on this list, and one of them is “Alien: Isolation.” For the most part, it is an excellent horror game and entry into the pop culture behemoth. The AI of the Xenomorph is still impressive over a decade later. And every time it crosses your screen, the panic sets in, making your entire body tense. But…there is a point where that tension lessens a bit in the third act. The game takes around 18 hours to beat on average, which is a bit too long in the tooth for a game like this. Once you have the firepower to deal with your enemies, while still thrilling, it isn’t quite the same strong experience present in the first two thirds.

“Dragon Age: Inquisition” (2014)

The “Dragon Age” series would never reach the same heights as its first. And while “Inquisition” is better than “2,” it still has its fair share of problems. In general, it takes around twenty hours longer to complete the story than its predecessor. While the semi-open world biomes outside of those found in the main story are much more interesting, there are still a lot of needless side quests that inflate the play time. You’ll be closing Fade Rifts, gathering crafting resources, doing whatever Scout Harding tells you to do. A lot of it feels like padding just because RPGs are meant to be long. But there are many players who would have preferred just getting to the meat and potatoes, so to speak, but even that doesn’t need to be as long as it is.

“Red Dead Redemption 2” (2018)

Oh boy. Before you crucify me in the comments, just know that “Red Dead Redemption 2” is a remarkable piece of art. One that, as closely as it can, translates the experience of living in the Old West into video game form. Plus, the acting, writing, and music are all top notch. However, it suffers from the desire of most open world game developers to go bigger than the first just because it’s expected. The main story captivates you for the majority of your playthrough, but once you reach Guarma in the 5th chapter, separated from the main game world, you might feel your patience start to wane. This takes away from the climactic, failed bank heist that ended the previous chapter…and then the game just keeps going. That’s not to mention a several-hours-long epilogue that feels like it could have been trimmed.

“Metaphor: ReFantazio” (2024)

There are probably many JRPGs you could place on a list like this. But for a recent example, “Metaphor: ReFantazio” feels like several hours could’ve been removed. Granted, Studio Zero and Atlus put out one of the best games of 2024. The art style is incredible, the worldbuilding is engaging, and the central cast of characters are all superbly written (long live Heismay). But it’s another case of feeling like the game is long just because it’s expected rather than warranted. I mean, you fight the big bad, Louis, multiple times leading up to the climax. After the second time, you get thirty in-game days to do a dungeon, confront him at the end, and he runs away…to another dungeon, which consists of multiple previous bosses, then fight him again, with multiple phases. It’s just unnecessary padding. Also, it feels like the story runs out of steam, with characters becoming repetitive and themes being hammered into you over and over. We get it: everyone has personal anxieties to overcome, a good ruler shouldn’t be corrupt, and everything else you’ve been preaching to us for 100+ hours.

“The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword” (2011)

There are a few “Zelda” games that shouldn’t be as long as they are. As much as I love “The Wind Waker,” the tacked-on Triforce Quest brings the momentum of its climax to a snail’s pace. But there’s no entry in the series more egregious at needlessly inflating your playtime than “Skyward Sword.” One of the biggest complaints surrounding the game is how it forces you to backtrack to previous locations for fetch quests that must be completed to progress. This brings the plot, which is actually quite good, to a screeching halt, forcing you to navigate familiar terrain that isn’t even that interesting the first time around. And then you have the three fights against the Imprisoned, one of the franchise’s worst bosses. Even one of those was too much.

“Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain” (2015)

Most games in the “Metal Gear” series are a perfect length, which is partially why they remain beloved today. “The Phantom Pain” is far from the weakest entry in the series, but it is a bit divisive for various reasons. The one that puts it on this list is that it’s just too damn long. On average, it can take between 45 to 50 hours to complete the main story, more than twice the length of the previous game. But with optional content, that balloons to around 160 hours, which is frankly insane. Not every moment in the campaign is worthy of your time, either. So with repetitive open world missions and base building, there’s just a lot more here than there needs to be. And some of it was even cut after Kojima and Konami had their falling out.

“The Last of Us Part II” (2020)

Warning: there’s no way to talk about this game without going into spoilers. “The Last of Us Part II” follows Ellie seeking vengeance against Abby for the murder of Joel, who killed her father during the events of the first game. After playing through a three-day period as both characters, the game’s central theme of losing oneself to revenge seems to have been succinctly summed up. Ellie has to live with the horrible things she’s done and significant PTSD from Joel’s death, but gets her lovely farm life with Dina and her baby, JJ. Every single one of Abby’s friends is dead, but she has regained her humanity through protecting Lev, and the two set out to find the reformed Fireflies. Ending on the farm chapter would’ve been bittersweet, sad yet hopeful…but then the game keeps going, not satisfied with giving its characters an ending that’s anything but miserable. Ellie abandons her life to track Abby down again, who has been captured by a group of slavers called Rattlers. The gameplay feels a bit shallow following the climax of Seattle Day 3. And while Ellie finally realizes that revenge isn’t what she should be chasing, that realization comes at the cost of Dina and two fingers, taking away her ability to play guitar, a connection to Joel. The whole Santa Barbara section just reiterates a message already delivered, while leaving characters we’ve grown to care for in a far worse place.

“Assassin’s Creed Valhalla” (2020)

You could arguably place several recent “Assassin’s Creed” games here, as many players have complained about the way Ubisoft has focused too heavily on open world structure and RPG mechanics. But there’s no game more guilty of being too long than “Valhalla.” The central narrative about Eivor, a Viking out to expand the power of their people in England, is engaging. But honestly, what’s there could have easily filled the playtime of an older “Assassin’s Creed.” The rest is what has become derogatorily known as the Ubisoft formula; a vast world full of checklists composed of repetitive quests that make said world feel empty, even in places where it isn’t. This game truly feels like it goes on forever, and that’s before factoring in DLC. More than many others, “Valhalla” is a game that feels like it would’ve wholly benefitted from scaling back and cutting the fat.

What game tested your patience by going on for way too long? Let us know about it in the comments!