Top 5 Best Games When You Only Have an Hour to Spare

Life can get in the way of kicking back and enjoying your video games. There’s no doubt that quite a few are collecting dust right now that you haven’t set aside time for. And you still haven’t scheduled those doctor’s appointments. When you only have an hour to spare, here’s a look at the top 5 best games.

The Outer Worlds

Wait, an RPG? Not Skyrim or Fallout 4, but The Outer Worlds. You won’t have to travel miles in one direction, hoping to find something meaningful to do. The Outer Worlds is a smaller, more tightly-crafted experience. Co-director for The Outer Worlds, Leonard Boyarsky once said that the size of the game and length are “roughly comparable to a KOTOR 2.”

Because of this, you can get quite a lot done in a single hour. The areas are small in comparison to vast, open-world titles, but the content is readily available and always within reach. In a single hour, you could finish a few side quests or even prepare your next session by clearing out a few buildings for loot.

Mario Kart 8

Who doesn’t love a game of Mario Kart? Any version of Mario Kart will do, but Mario Kart 8 is the current iteration. Matches are by default limited to three laps, so every race will only take a few minutes to finish; in fact, there’s enough time to play for the cup (four races in a row).

Of course, there’s more than that. You can jump into time trials, battle mode (five separate games), solo races, and online matches. If you have an hour to spare, you cannot go wrong with Mario Kart 8, especially if you have a friend over.

Pokémon UNITE

Like League of Legends and DOTA 2, Pokémon UNITE is a MOBA, but you’ll be controlling Pokémon instead of genre-bending heroes and champions. Despite first making it to the Nintendo Switch first, it has since been released on mobile devices. More importantly, it is free-to-play.

Unlike the former, Pokémon UNITE doesn’t take 30 to 40 minutes to play; instead, a single match may take as little as five minutes to complete. Matches are designed to be fast-paced but intense, making it a fantastic option if an hour of relaxation is all you have.

Evil Dead: The Game

Evil Dead: The Game follows a similar gameplay loop to Dead by Daylight. There are Survivors—four at a time—and one Demon. Survivors have to retrieve the Necronomicon; Demons have to destroy it. Saber Interactive’s take on the beloved Evil Dead franchise is a blast to play.

Now, Evil Dead: The Game may be a bit on the longer side, but a good team of Survivors (sticking together) can easily win a match in 20 minutes. The same if you decide to play as a demon. Matches are even shorter if you prefer playing with people, but against an AI-controlled demon.

Rocket League

No one expected that soccer and cars would go so well together, but Rocket League does so with flying colors. What’s arguably Rocket League’s best quality is its accessibility. It’s free on all its available platforms (Xbox, PlayStation, PC, Switch) and you don’t have to be a pro to enjoy the game. Rocket League is easy to learn, hard to master.

Following the logic of Mario Kart 8 or Pokémon UNITE, the length of a single match of Rocket League takes five minutes, not including overtime. And if you only have an hour to spend, that’s plenty of time to chip away at the battle pass.

With that being that final entry, you have the top 5 best games when you only have an hour to spare. If you’re still looking for some more fun content, Evil Dead: The Game was only just released in May, so be sure to read our Evil Dead: The Game review.