Summary

  • RimWorld: Unpredictable & Versatile survival game with unique characters and modding community.
  • Factorio: Procedural technology allows for endless factory optimization and multiplayer mode.
  • Fallout: New Vegas: Huge modding community, complex narrative, and reputation system for unique playthroughs.

Everyone has that one game that they keep coming back to again and again. Some titles are built with this in mind, having players experience the game in short bursts. Other projects are simply so good that players can't help but play through it every once in a while.

Fallout 4 Sole Survivor and Dogmeat on left, Death Stranding Sam Porter with bridge baby in middle, Ghost of Tsushima Jin Sakai looking over the landscape on right
The Most Immersive Open World Games, Ranked

Open world games are some of the most popular because of how many hours you can spend on them! These are the most immersive.

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Games with infinite replayability are like chicken soup for the soul. The player is so familiar with every aspect of the experience that playing it feels like slipping into a warm, relaxing bath. The game might even be so pulse-poundingly fun that it's borderline addictive. No matter the case, these titles will likely last into the next eternity.

Updated on October 8, 2024, by Mark Sammut: Not every game needs to last 100+ hours. In some cases, a short and sweet 2-hour investment is perfect for the type of experience a project is trying to offer. That said, there is something special about those titles that can be endlessly revisited. They just never get old.

Genres mainly known for their multiplayer have been left out (battle royales, hero shooters, MOBAs, etc.). So, games like Rocket League and Helldivers 2 are not included. Same for GTA Online.

22 Nioh 2: The Complete Edition

Welcome To The Depths

Nioh 2
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Action RPG
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Released
March 13, 2020
Developer(s)
Team Ninja
Genre(s)
Action RPG

Honestly, most Soulslike games are very replayable, particularly FromSoftware's run of titles. Along with featuring multiple stages of New Game+, these projects tend to emphasize customization, encouraging players to try out different play styles. For instance, if an Elden Ring player who initially focused on melee decides to start a new playthrough with a magic build, the gameplay will change entirely, creating a wildly different experience. Technically, these games are not infinite, although their quality is so high that they rarely get boring.

Nioh 2 is arguably Team Ninja's best Soulslike, delivering an extremely satisfying base game that represents the concept at its best. The combat is challenging, deep, and flexible, with an extensive weapon system that includes extensive skill trees for each type. Even if focusing just on the vanilla campaign, players can easily spend hundreds of hours cycling through builds while trying out different Soul Cores and weapon types. New Game+ also ramps up the challenge significantly.

However, the game's replayability received a significant boost with The First Samurai DLC, which added 11 missions, along with introducing The Underworld. While not the easiest to unlock, the latter challenges players to complete 108 floors, which are remixed from the standard missions. Shockingly, this mode is just the appetizer to the main course: The Depths. Using randomly generated content, this section consists of 30 extremely difficult floors that cycles through various bosses from the game, giving them substantial boosts in the process. Nioh 2: The Complete Edition is such a robust game when taken as the full package.

21 RimWorld

Unpredictable & Versatile

RimWorld
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Simulation
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Released
October 17, 2018
Developer(s)
Ludeon Studios
Platform(s)
PC, PS4, Xbox One
Genre(s)
Simulation

RimWorld is a survival game that features a level of unpredictability that is encouraged through its complex AI storyteller system. The game generates a unique set of characters, events, and environmental factors for each playthrough, creating a new experience every time.

The game's characters have a wide range of skills, traits, and backgrounds, making each playthrough feel distinct as players must adapt their strategies to work with or around the characters they are given. Additionally, RimWorld has multiple difficulty levels and options that allow players to customize their experience further. The game also has a robust modding community, which adds even more replayability through user-generated content.

20 Factorio

Procedural Technology

Factorio
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Simulation
Real-Time Strategy
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Released
August 14, 2020
Developer(s)
Wube Software
Platform(s)
PC, Switch
Genre(s)
Simulation, Real-Time Strategy

Factorio is a management and automation game where players have to optimize their factories and production lines. The game has a procedural map generator, creating new terrain, resources, and enemies for each playthrough.

Additionally, the game has a wide range of technology trees and upgrades, allowing players to experiment with different approaches to building and automation. Factorio also has a multiplayer mode that allows players to work together or compete with each other to achieve different goals, further adding to the game's replayability.

19 Fallout: New Vegas

Huge Modding Community

Fallout: New Vegas
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Released
October 19, 2010
Developer(s)
Obsidian Entertainment
Platform(s)
PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Genre(s)
RPG

Fallout: New Vegas is a role-playing game with a rich and vibrant world that further engages players through its complex narrative. The game has multiple branching paths and endings, depending on the player's choices and actions, making each playthrough feel unique. The title also boasts a wide range of factions, each with its own agendas and storylines, allowing players to experience different perspectives on the game's world and events.

The game also has a reputation system, which affects how different factions perceive and interact with the player, adding another layer of complexity and replayability to the game. To top it off, Fallout: New Vegas boasts a robust modding community, which adds new quests, items, and gameplay mechanics to make every single playthrough feel as fresh as possible.

18 Hades

Action Roguelite Epic

Hades
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Action RPG
Roguelite
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Released
September 17, 2020
Developer(s)
Supergiant Games
Genre(s)
Action RPG, Roguelite

Roguelike games famously have a high replay value, simply due to their randomized nature and continuous meta progression, even after death. Hades is no exception and is one of the most popular games of the genre.

Playing as the son of Hades, Zagreus, the player must escape their father's grip and the Underworld, slashing their way through anything that stands in their way using the legendary weapons of Olympus from Greek mythology. Hades is designed for several replays, as the world's unique bosses will remember the players' previous escape attempts, with new interactions every time!

17 Vampire Survivors

Addictive Gameplay That Is Great For Short Sessions

Vampire Survivors
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Roguelike
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Released
December 17, 2021
Developer(s)
Luca Galante
Genre(s)
Roguelike

If roguelikes are the pinnacle of games with the most replay value, then roguelites are the runner-up. Incorporating many of the same elements with a slight twist, roguelites like Vampire Survivors can be played for hours on end. Vampire Survivor's gameplay loop is all about choosing a character and attacking creatures of the night with bullet-hell-styled gameplay.

ghost of tsushima, the last of us, batman: arkham asylum
8 Awesome Games That Have No Replay Value

Not all great video games have excellent replay value, as shown by the following titles that feel unrewarding to replay.

They get to choose their weapons of mass destruction and passively upgrade them as they level up. Players also earn coins through playing the game, allowing them to purchase additional permanent power-ups. Some items synergize well together, allowing for powerful weapon evolutions to destroy the enemies en-mass. Vampire Survivors is an excellent game for those who revel in chaos and enjoy steady character progression while unlocking new items.

16 Stardew Valley

Lead Another Life

Stardew Valley
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RPG
Simulation
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Released
February 26, 2016
Developer(s)
ConcernedApe
Platform(s)
PC, Xbox One, Android, iOS, PS4, Switch
Genre(s)
RPG, Simulation

Stardew Valley is the masterpiece of ConcernedApe and was originally released in February 2016 on PC, before coming to numerous other consoles, including Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. Stardew Valley has already become a poster child of games with infinite replayability, and it is still being enjoyed by many players today, some of whom have surpassed the eye-watering landmark of 1,000 hours of playtime.

Like many farming games, Stardew Valley kicks off with players inheriting a plot of land from their grandfather and are then free to cultivate it in any way that they choose. Farming isn't all that players will be doing, however, as it's the game's engaging life simulation features that have differentiated Stardew Valley from other farming titles and kept players engaged for some more years.

15 Terraria

Expansive 2D Sandbox

Terraria
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Released
May 16, 2011
Developer(s)
Re-Logic
Genre(s)
Action, Adventure, Sandbox

Terraria is a 2D sandbox game that has remained popular for over a decade. The game has many similarities to Minecraft, with the core mechanics being exploration, crafting, and mining. There are an infinite number of things to do and accomplish, from building a town for Terraria's host of NPCs to tackling all the world's bosses - the world is the player's oyster!

Another similarity to Minecraft is that Terraria has procedurally generated worlds. This randomization is at the heart of Terraria's infinite replayability, as players are guaranteed to have a different experience every time they start a new world and embark on a new adventure.

14 The Sims Series

Live Multiple Lives

The Sims 4
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Simulation
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Released
September 2, 2014
Developer(s)
Maxis
Platform(s)
PS4, Xbox One, PC
Genre(s)
Simulation

The Sims series originated in February 2000 and kicked off the new millennium in style by providing a truly revolutionary experience. The iconic life simulator won numerous Game of the Year awards from places like the Game Developers Choice Awards, while also becoming the best-selling PC game of all time.

The Sims series is today one of the gaming industry's most well-known infinitely replayable games, thanks to its true-to-life gameplay that sees players guide multiple generations of characters through their lives. The Sims 4 went free-to-play in recent years, meaning it is now wholly accessible to players who want to pour hours into this delightful life sim.

13 Rollercoaster Tycoon Series

Fun For All Ages

RollerCoaster Tycoon
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Simulation
Management
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Released
March 31, 1999
Platform(s)
PC
Developer
Chris Sawyer Productions, Frontier Developments
Genre(s)
Simulation, Management
RollerCoaster Tycoon

The marketing campaign for the original Rollercoaster Tycoon basically wrote itself in 1999, as the classic game gave kids the chance to try their dream job of building and testing rollercoasters. It truly popularized the theme park genre, paving the way for many other successful tycoon games like Planet Coaster.

Although the series does have campaign missions with pre-determined end conditions, the games give players the option to continue building their theme park indefinitely while also offering a separate sandbox mode. The success of Rollercoaster Tycoon has been ever-lasting, proving popular even 20 years later.