Far too many games these days are built to be played in small bursts: brief encounters, designed for a world with too few hours in the day and too many digital distractions. And that’s fine! Blasting through a few rounds of Valorant or Rocket League matches is a wonderful way to spend some time.
But sometimes, you want something more—something meatier. Whether you’re looking for an entertaining way to blow a long stint at home or simply want to wrap your head around a satisfyingly complex experience, these 20 deep, intricate, and just plain great PC games will hold you for hours and hours and hours on end. They’re the best long PC games that you can play, and better yet in a time where it’s hard to get your hands on a new graphics card, many of them can be streamed via GeForce Now or Xbox Game Pass’s cloud streaming as well—no GPU required.
The best long PC games
Age of Empires IV
Microsoft
All these years later, Age of Empires II remains a gold standard in the real-time strategy genre, and it’s only getting stronger with the extra attention devoted to the recent Definite Edition release—but that’s not the only way to scratch that AoE itch. Age of Empires IV stays true (almost too true, at times) to the classic formula, offering four campaigns (each with branching civ-specific landmark choices that change your empire’s direction in different ways) and eight different empires to play in skirmish battles or multiplayer clashes. Each civilization brings its own quirks and advantages to the table, and as always, you can win the game in several different ways, from scoring a religious victory to building and holding a late-game Wonder.
It’s not quite as deep as AoE 2 is yet—that game has been out and being tweaked for over 20 years—but Age of Empires IV is nevertheless fun and deep. Better yet, it’s a strong foundation for updates yet to come, and you can play it for “free” as part of a monthly Xbox Games Pass subscription, the best deal in PC gaming.
Forza Horizon 5
Microsoft
Forza Horizon remains the best pure arcade racer around, and Forza Horizon 5 perfects the series’ bombastic open-world action. Chasing down vehicles hidden in barns throughout Mexico never gets boring, especially when new races or goodies hide around seemingly every bend. Simply changing car classes can change the feel of almost every race (before you even wade into tuning your vehicles) and you can even create your own racing challenges, or play challenges crafted by others. If you’re a completionist who wants to cross off every box and collect all 500-plus cars, you’ll be blasting down streets for a long, long, long time—and enjoying every over-the-top second of it.
Like Age of Empires IV, you can snag Forza Horizon 5 on Steam, but it’s also available as part of a $10 per month Xbox Games Pass for PC subscription.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
C’mon.