What are some of the best short games on PS4? The PlayStation 4 has lots of short games available, and while some of them probably aren't worth your time, there are plenty that are. In this list, we'll go through some of the shortest games you can play on PS4 — but first, some ground rules.
For starters, all the games that appear here are ones we believe are well worth playing; there are some ludicrously short titles on PS4 that we wouldn't recommend. Next, these are all games that are primarily single player or story driven. Thirdly, we've tried to keep the list to games you can feasibly complete in one sitting. And finally, we wanted to stick to more modern games, as we didn't want to flood the list with short retro titles.
With all that out of the way, let's get to the games. Here is our choice list of short games on PS4. For a list of the best PS4 games, click through the link.
Best Short Games on PS4 You Can Beat in a Day
Below is a list of some of the best short games on PS4. In no particular order, these are our favourite short games on PS4, selected by our editorial team.
ABZÛ (PS4)
Average Length: 2-3 hours
If you're looking for a game you can totally chill out with for an evening, ABZÛ comes highly recommended. Essentially an underwater Journey, this is a serene, peaceful exploration game that doesn't get in your way. It's an adventure with subtle storytelling, gorgeous presentation, and a relaxing atmosphere that's perfect for a lazy night in.
Arise: A Simple Story (PS4)
Average Length: 3.5 hours
We're big fans of Arise, a short but sweet narrative adventure that ought to tug on your heartstrings. It threads bittersweet story scenes together with basic but effective 3D platforming. This is a game that definitely lives up to its name, but the simplicity of the experience is what makes it stand out. At only a few hours in length, this is a good game to check out if you have a free afternoon, and local co-op sweetens the deal.
Burly Men At Sea (PS4)
Average Length: 30 minutes
The above estimation refers to each playthrough. Burly Men At Sea is a short tale about three sailors on a grand adventure, but there are multiple paths you can take through the game. Even if you wanted to see absolutely everything, you're looking at no more than a few hours to complete this unusual game. It's not just its structure that makes it unique; each time you beat it, you're rewarded with a code to purchase a real picture book about your adventure. A funny and creative curio.
Donut County (PS4)
Average Length: 2 hours
In Donut County, you play as a hole in the ground. It's a premise that doesn't sound that exciting on paper, but you'll be hooked on this game's simple gameplay for its duration. It's only a couple of hours long, but in that time, you'll get to know all about the titular town and its residents. It's full of quirky humour, and seeing things tumble away into the hole is a joy.
Dreams (PS4)
Average Length: 2 hours
This entry is a little tricky, but we're referring to Art's Dream, Media Molecule's own adventure that acts as the official story mode for Dreams. Like the other games on this list, Art's Dream is short but very sweet. It packs an awful lot of variety into its two-hour runtime, demonstrating the breadth of what's possible with the game's wider creation toolset. As a standalone thing, though, this is well worth playing, and with the gameplay changing up throughout, you certainly won't get bored.
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Erica (PS4)
Average Length: 2 hours
As far as FMV adventure games go, Erica is certainly one of the stronger titles in the genre. Holly Earl turns in an impressive performance as the titular Erica Mason in this engrossing psychological thriller. As it’s designed to be played in a single sitting, you can see the credits roll in under two hours, although repeated playthroughs are recommended as the story branches in some interesting ways.
Firewatch (PS4)
Average Length: 4 hours
When you think of Firewatch, you first think of its incredible visual style. This walking sim is absolutely gorgeous, but the short adventure game has a decent story to follow too. Playing as Henry, you'll get acquainted with the American outdoors as he takes up station in a watchtower. There's more to it than that of course, but we don't want to spoil anything. If you've yet to try this one, it'll only take a few hours, so why not?
Comments 58
What?! No The Order: 1886???
Little Big Planet 3 is pretty short if you're only playing story mode...also, there's quite a few more, some that you can beat in an hour or so.
Ah now this is a list I can get behind.
Dreams - 2 hours
Personal in game time - 16 days
I must be playing it wrong.
Haven't played most of these to be honest but really enjoyed Super hot. If you haven't played it dont believe the hype around Gone Home, it's a truly awful walking simulator with an ending that annoys me to this day - avoid
I really didnt get on with Jazzpunk unfortunately.
Really great idea for a list! I don't have a ton of time to play games anymore, so I only play one long game per year now, and so playing more shorter games like these allows me to experience lots of different games as opposed to 100 hours of just one
What about Far Cry 5 you can beat that in like 5 or 10 minutes if you do the starting glitch
super destronaux dx, you can get the platinum trophy in about 20 minutes.
what about the Mayo game, can't remember it's name but all you do is tap on a jar of mayonnaise?
@potter32 and Far Cry 4, you can finish that in 15 minutes and it's a proper ending too
I was surprised that Unfinished Swan and Everybody's Gone to the Rapture were not included in this list. I think those games do some unique and cool things and both are very short.
How could you not put Sonic Forces 😂
@lacerz If included, it may be the longest one on this list. It took me at least 8 hours.
Games don’t have to be long to be good.
Gone Home, Edith Finch - 2 of my fav games from this generation. Beautiful story telling filled with empathy and emotion.
@potter32 glitch? Isn’t it just an Easter egg ending for fun?
@FullbringIchigo how?
Gone Home can be finished in 30 seconds but there is no point aside from the trophy.
A game worth savouring every second. Such a beautifully written game. AAA titles could learn a thing or two from Gone Home or Edith Finch. Proper adult story telling comparable to a great film.
@Arnna at the start when Min asks you to wait, well if you actually don't move and wait he will come back, you will do what you went there to originally do and get an alternate ending
I was expecting 98% of the PSVR library to appear in this list.
@FullbringIchigo that mayo thing is nothing but a joke.
@vhsodre true but it's still a game, you still have to pay for it and you can still get trophies so it should still count
Dreams??? I get the argument, but really? For a site that is so pro Dreams that's not really an endorsement to be on this list.
@FullbringIchigo Even Ratalaika games, that are known for their extremely easy platinum trophies, requires a minimum effort to do it. My Name Is Mayo requires zero effort. That thing is a damn counter.
@vhsodre well i never said it was a good game and anyone who actually has the Platinum on that game should be ashamed of them self's but because you do still have to do something in it to get the trophies it does still qualify it as a a "game" sadly
@FullbringIchigo I didn't say that either. What I said was that My Name Is Mayo is not a game since it doesn't require any effort, mentally and physically speaking. For me, games are about challenges (I'm not only talking about video-games but in general). Pressing a single button a million times is not even close to it.
About the shaming thing, the trophy system is failed. Trophies should be about rewarding tasks achieved (completing missions, for example) and measuring skills (finishing on very hard, for example). It makes no sense creating trophies for random things like the trophy on one of the first Borderlands dlc.
@vhsodre what trophy was that?, i don't play borderlands but i would have imagined given the type of game it is that all the trophies would require some effort bar the story progression ones of course
@FullbringIchigo The last Borderlands dlc, called "Claptrap's New Robot Revolution". There are four trophies, "The Lubrificator", "Bobble-trap", "It's so realistic" and "What a party!" that you need to collect random items. I remember finishing the dlc around ten times and I couldn't find get them all. Fortunately, it wasn't a requirement for the platinum.
Edith Finch & Inside are two masterpiece's of storytelling.
Excellent games!!
You could beat Resident Evil 1, 2 & 3 in a day.
I couldn't think of many short games I've played recently that weren't already listed, but you could add Shovel Knight. I'd say most people could beat it in 4 or so hours. I think I spent 6 playing it, but I got all the music notes, relics, etc. That time expands with the additional campaigns, but vanilla Shovel of Hope is digestible in an afternoon.
Oh, and one more, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon. This is the 8-bit Bloodstained prequel game that is classic Castlevania-like. I think I beat it in less than 2 hours, but there is some good repeatability if you want to poke around the levels more.
Journey and Inside are the two on this list that had a lasting affect on me. Journey is still, imo, one of the most unique experiences period. And if the drop in co op landed you with someone equally immersed it was pure magic.
Layers of Fear? I quite liked the first game and its pretty short. No so keen on the sequel even if it is a longer game...
What? No FLOWER. Can be done in a few hours at most.
Resident Evil 3 Remake if you know what I mean
@ApostateMage playing all three for the first time??? Impossible.
Never Alone was a pretty enjoyable few hours.
1. 99 Vidas
2. Evoland 1
@Deljo Did you get the full ending because i loved every bit of it.
@Sebatrox But you wont know anything about what happend if you play it that way.
@Ristar24 I agree it was quite fun the buildup was quite disturbing.
Whispering Willows 2D horror game with a little girl and The Park also horror, Resogun, Super Cloudbuild i like that one a lot.
@Flaming_Kaiser Yeah, I agree, tone is not for everyone. Mainly for me It played like a haunted house simulator. I kept wondering what visual tricks they'd play next.
@Flaming_Kaiser Dont know if it was the full ending or not but at the start the game had quite an interesting horror vibe and ended with 2 lesbians running away with each other... I seem to remember it was implying a double suicide which at least would have been something. Glad it was only a couple of hours long 🤨
@Deljo I thought they just ran off because their parents would not allow their relationship. Did you find all the notes? That explains the whole story and only if you get everything you get the full ending.
@Flaming_Kaiser Sounds like you enjoyed the story which is fair enough but once I discovered it wasnt the horror game I was expecting (had read nothing about it before playing) I was disappointed and to be honest I couldn't care less about this family drama crap. Not criticising you for enjoying it but definitely not my cup of tea 😁
@Deljo No problem mate i really liked it we cant all like the same things.
@Ristar24 I thought it was horror to at first. It the story kept me going.👍
Not sure if you were meant to beat it in a day however I did Maneater the same day I started it.
Where's Deus ex: mankind divided and Order 1886?)))
The Invisible Hours has caught my attention, that looks good. Is the non-VR version worth it, or do you really need a VR headset to appreciate this game?
Wonder boy The Dragon's Trap,
Streets Of Rage 4
Dues Ex Mankind Divided.... Its as if they cut half the game out on purpose
The Last Campfire is such a charming game I enjoyed it very much indeed. Also totally agree with Arise A Simple Story
Skyrim can be been speedrun in about 30mins. Add it to the list /s
@Blacksmith1985 About 15.5 and 7 hours respectively according to HLTB
Where are all the Telltale games?
They get finished in matter of hours and award you Platinum for virtually watching the cutscenes.
Played trough Ruiner the other day. Took me 5 hours on medium difficulty.
Really enjoyed it.
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