Summary
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.
Games withinfinite replayabilityare 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 July 27, 2025, 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 likeRocket LeagueandHelldivers 2are not included. Same forGTA Online.
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 anElden Ringplayer 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 2is 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 spendhundreds of hours cycling through buildswhile 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 Editionis such a robust game when taken as the full package.
RimWorldis 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,RimWorldhas multiple difficulty levelsand 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.
Factoriois 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.Factorioalso 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.
Fallout: New Vegasis 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 Vegasboasts a robust modding community, which adds new quests, items, and gameplay mechanics to make every single playthrough feel as fresh as possible.
Roguelike games famously have a high replay value, simply due to their randomized nature and continuous meta progression, even after death.Hadesis 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.Hadesis designed for several replays, asthe world’s unique bosses will remember the players' previous escape attempts, with new interactions every time!
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 likeVampire Survivorscan beplayed 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.
They get tochoose 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 Survivorsis an excellent game for those who revel in chaos and enjoy steady character progression while unlocking new items.
Stardew Valleyis 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 Valleyhas already become a poster child ofgames 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 manyfarming games,Stardew Valleykicks 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 differentiatedStardew Valleyfrom other farming titles and kept players engaged for some more years.
Terrariais a 2D sandbox game that has remained popular for over a decade. The game has many similarities toMinecraft, withthe core mechanics being exploration, crafting, and mining. There are an infinite number of things to do and accomplish, from building a town forTerraria’s host of NPCs to tackling all the world’s bosses - the world is the player’s oyster!
Another similarity toMinecraftis thatTerrariahas procedurally generated worlds. This randomization is at the heart ofTerraria’sinfinite replayability, as players are guaranteed to have a different experience every time they start a new world and embark on a new adventure.
The Simsseries 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 theGame Developers Choice Awards, while alsobecoming the best-selling PC game of all time.
The Simsseries is today one of the gaming industry’s most well-knowninfinitely replayable games, thanks to its true-to-life gameplay that sees players guide multiple generations of characters through their lives.The Sims 4went free-to-play in recent years, meaning it is now wholly accessible to players who want to pour hours into this delightful life sim.
The marketing campaign for the originalRollercoaster Tycoonbasically wrote itself in 1999, as the classic game gave kids the chance to try their dream job of building and testing rollercoasters. It trulypopularized the theme park genre, paving the way for many other successful tycoon games likePlanet 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 ofRollercoaster Tycoonhas been ever-lasting, proving popular even 20 years later.
