What to play if you only have 30 minutes: games that fit in a break

Half an hour before dinner, a gap between meetings, the time it takes someone to get ready to go out. They're perfect windows for playing, but with the wrong game they disappear into menus, cutscenes and trying to remember where you left off.

The key isn't that the game is short, but that its runs are. A game can last a hundred hours and still fit into thirty minutes if each run, level or day starts and ends within that time. These are the ones that do it best, depending on what you're in the mood for.

If you want to think a little

Half an hour is enough for a whole run of many light strategy games. None of these force you to react quickly: you can stop and think through every move.

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  BalatroRoguelike · Cards · StrategyA full run fits into half an hour and you can pause between hands whenever you like. Thinking a little with no time pressure makes it perfect for the sofa.When to play it and when not to
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  Mini MetroPuzzle · Strategy · MinimalistWhen you have a short while and feel like thinking a little: each game lasts between 10 and 20 minutes.When to play it and when not to

Balatro turns poker into a roguelike: you play hands, buy jokers that break the rules and look for combinations that make your score explode. A full run fits into half an hour and you can pause between hands whenever you like. You don't need to know how to play poker.

Mini Metro asks you to design the underground network of a city that never stops growing. Each game lasts 10 to 20 minutes and always ends the same way (the network gets overwhelmed), so the challenge is to hold out a little longer than last time.

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  Into the BreachTurn-based strategy · Tactics · RogueliteWhen you want to think seriously but in little time: a mission lasts minutes and you can stop on any turn.When to play it and when not to

Into the Breach is for when you want to think seriously in a short time. You see exactly what every enemy is going to do and your job is to move your mechs to stop it. Each turn is a small puzzle, and you can stop at any moment.

If you want to switch off

Some days you don't want challenges or tough decisions, just something lovely and calm that you can leave halfway without regret.

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  DorfromantikBuilding · Puzzle · CosyIdeal for 20-40 minutes of calm: each game builds a beautiful landscape and you always want one more tile.When to play it and when not to
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  UnpackingPuzzle · Cosy · NarrativeWhen you need to switch off with something tidy and satisfying. Each move takes about 20 minutes.When to play it and when not to

Dorfromantik is like a calm board game: you place tiles to build a landscape of forests, rivers and villages. A game takes 20 to 40 minutes, with no rush and always the urge to place one more tile.

Unpacking is about taking things out of boxes and putting them away in each new home of one person. There's no dialogue: the story is told through the objects. Each move takes about 20 minutes: just the right amount of time.

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  TownscaperBuilding · Creative toy · CosyFor ten minutes of total disconnection. Opening it, building something pretty and closing it is exactly what it offers.When to play it and when not to
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  A Little to the LeftPuzzle · Cosy · TidyingFor 15 minutes of calm: each puzzle takes a minute or two to solve and leaves a very peaceful sense of satisfaction.When to play it and when not to

Townscaper is more of a toy than a game: you click and houses, arches and stairs appear and adapt by themselves. No goals and no score. For ten minutes of total calm.

A Little to the Left offers tidying puzzles: lining up pencils, stacking plates, straightening pictures. Each one takes a minute or two, and there's a cat trying to mess everything up.

If you want to feel you're making progress

Sometimes what you fancy is little effort and lots of reward: finishing the session with something new unlocked.

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  Vampire SurvivorsRoguelite · Survivors-like · ActionPerfect when you have little time and little energy but want to end the session feeling you've made progress: every run unlocks characters, weapons or maps.When to play it and when not to

Vampire Survivors is the king of this category. Your character attacks on their own: you decide where to move and which upgrade to pick. Each run lasts half an hour at most and almost always unlocks something, whether characters, weapons or maps. Ideal for when you're tired but still want to play.

How to make the most of a short session

• Choose before you sit down. What eats up the most time isn't the game, it's deciding what to play.
• Avoid long story games in short gaps: between sessions you'll forget what was going on.
• Look for games that let you save at any time, or whose runs end on their own.
• If you're tired, lower the bar. A hard game at the wrong moment makes for a bad evening. We have a whole list of games to play when you're tired.

What if you have 30 minutes right now?

Tell us how much time you have and how tired you are, and we'll suggest one. If you connect your Steam, we'll choose from the games you already own.