Do you know any singleplayer games that are infinitely replayable?
Do you know any singleplayer games that are infinitely replayable?
I recently booted up Half-Life 2 to replay it. I have played the absolute shit out of this game before, so 60% of it just feels like a drag to me now. It was such an amazing game but it's sort of spoiled for me after I've played it too much.
I also discovered ULTRAKILL a few months ago. I feel like I could play that game forever. It has tons of content, weapon combinations and higher difficulties with different enemy behaviour.
Do any of you have more game suggestions like Ultrakill? A really replayable singleplayer game.
!!BTW I don't mean online multiplayer games or games similar to candy crush!!
Tons. There's an entire roguelike genre built around this; some of my favorites are Vagante and Streets of Rogue. There are games with procedurally generated worlds like Terraria, RimWorld, Dwarf Fortress, and Factorio. There are RPGs like Baldur's Gate 3 that have so many ways to spec your characters and so many permutations of how events could unfold based on what you did that you're unlikely to see them all.
FTL. It’s a simple fun cheap game. Steam says I’ve played this for over 3,000 hours!
Minecraft, Hades, Solitaire, Civ, Gunfire Reborn, Vampire Survivor, Vampire Hunters, and Placid Plastic Duck Simulator,
My top ones I constantly replay are Factorio, rimworld and modded Minecraft java version, mainly because there's a incredible amount of mods For all of them, make themed runs for each one. Sometimes action adventure sometimes just pure automation.
Nearly 8k in Factorio and probably Minecraft, not as much in rimworld but only because I bought it about a year ago
Hades
Minecraft, Hoplite, Shattered Pixel Dungeon. You probably want a good roguelike.
Doom and all the other doom clones? Prodeus, dusk, forgive me father, there's a lot
For me, it's Grim Dawn, honestly. (And Diablo before that) 10 classes to choose 2 from means a lot of new skills and builds. Tons of random loot, but also recipes to make and collect.
I mostly play with mods now. Grim Internals, full rainbow, some rep and exp gain ones, and the Item Assistant. I play solo, and have enjoyed every hour of it!
Rainworld, Cult of the Lamb, Slay the Spire, Inscryption
Balatro
Kenshi is infinitely replayable, imo.
From the alternate starts, to the different ways you can even play the game (wanna be a lone trader, traveling from town to town buying and selling goods? Want to be the ultimate warrior who can go toe-to-toe with the Spider King? Wanna build a city/outpost where you can be totally sufficient and build up your own personal army to take over the world?), to the sheer size of the world. Plus all the awesome mods that can add so much to the game that already has a lot. You start off with your skills at 0 or in the low tens, and you will get your ass handed to you on an iron platter until you actually train up a bit; but even a high or max level character can still get fucked up by the wrong group of enemies.
I have mods that add a couple new factions (the fungoids are OP), flesh other factions out a bit more with more weapons and gear, and other building mods and some QoL mods so I can truly tailor my experience how I like it.
It plays kinda like an RTS with a mix of RPG elements.
Classic Doom 1 and 2. There's gotta be over 100 levels if you count TNT and Plutonia, which I think were sold as Final Doom? Anyway, if you just get the base games for 1 and 2, there are thousands upon thousands of community made maps, including some total conversions, so you can play new Doom content until it physically pains you to continue.
Of course, I feel obligated to mention that even though it would be super easy to pirate the WAD files and play with a free modern source port like GZDoom, like absolutely trivial to find copies of DOOM.WAD and DOOM2.WAD floating around the net, probably showing up easily on Archive.org, but... Um... Where was I going with this? Oh, right, don't pirate. Cheap on GOG last I knew.
Some single player games I've replayed often that aren't roguelikes would be...
Dishonored Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2 Prey 2017 Hitman, but specifically the World of Assassination games Bethesda RPGs Grand Theft Auto/Rockstar, specifically for me 5 or Red Dead Redemption Dark Souls (I replay it on offline mode predominantly anyway) Dying Light Middle Earth Shadow of Mordor/War Halo MCC campaigns Mount & Blade series Katana ZERO Vanquish/other platinum games
One I haven't seen mentioned (at a glance at least) is Noita.
Getting the "false ending" is achievable with some effort, but I dare you to actually finish the game. And as far as replayability, you'll be hard pressed to have two runs that go the same. The amount of Butterfly Effect in this game from all the combinations and systems is straight up insane.
I really can't recommend it enough.
I am currently in my like 90th run of Subnautica. I'm doing an "All Cuddlefish, no native food, save the Sunbeam" run.
Honesty I'm shocked nobody has mentioned Tales of Maj'Eyal or ToME for short. Extremely deep roguelike with story and it is getting expansions ans updates all the time.
Also it is open-source, so can be downloaded for free, but I would recommend you also buy it in steam for instance to support it.
Basically any game that doesn't in itself follow a story, so you are the story (or make it). For me personally it's building and factory games, like Factorio, cities skylines (1 or 2), satisfactory, Kerbal Space program (1 only), Rim world.
This list is essentially endless.
Have to throw CK3 out as my personal favorite grand strategy game (though EU4 and the like are other options). There's nigh infinite content in weaving the story of your family and realm, and mods add a whole new layer to it.
What you are describing is essentially the roguelike/lite genre, lol. Search up some of that, see if anything looks fun.
Slay the Spire
Anything with procedurally generated levels, like roguelikes/roguelites. I can personally vouch for the longevity of Slay the Spire, for one specific example.
How about a randomizer? Pick a game you like and see if there's a randomizer for it:
The binding of isaac: rebirth and dlcs
Doom. No the originals. Doom, Doom 2, and Doom Final. I always go back every few years.
War for the Overworld (I have many thousands of hours in this)
Settlers 2 Gold
(Both the above have a lot of user generated maps, which has given them most of their longevity.)
Factorio
Rimworld would be my top suggestion, as others have noted.
I picked up Old World (excellent native Linux support BTW) during this summer sale and have not been able to put it down. If you're a fan of Civilization style strategy games I'd highly recommend checking it out. I haven't really enjoyed a Civ game since Civ 4, and Old World feels very similar but fresher and with less jank. it's got a Crusader Kings style dynasty system with randomized events that adds a layer of role playing your leader and securing their dynasty through heirs you can train/influence.
As for the repeatability, Old World has tons. Each culture plays significantly differently, and each leader has different bonuses that encourage an interesting style of play. Games don't play the same because of the mentioned event system, but also because learning new technologies is "randomized" as well. New techs are researched based off a selection of 4 drawn tech cards once you finish a previous technology. The card system makes it so you can't just rush straight to archers and dominate the early game to snowball into a power house every game, but its not truly random so you can "game" the system in your favor to get the techs you want with the tools the game gives you through either unique leader powers, or specific governor roles for example.
The game is super deep while not being off puttingly complex.
If you don't mind top down colony managers, rimworld is an absolute gem. The base game itself is infinitely replayable because every game is basically a story. Think dwarf fortress with graphics (well, df has graphics now but). Also incredibly easy to mod to customize or completely change your game experience.
Many ppl suggest rougelike/lite and sandbox games I want to also add games with a good mod community and have a lot of side quest like Skyrim, they fit the replayability criteria because when it starts to feel the same can you add mods that change things up. I have done thousands of hours in Skyrim and never finished the main quest 😂 I think Balders gate 3 will also live for a long time. Many rpgs seem to get a lot of mods and games like Balders gate change a lot depending on what you do and how you play.
But you seem to want some kind of fps so warframe would be better, you can play alone or with friends. Just like ultrakill do you jump around killing, you can use, swords, guns and magic depending on your build (there are many). Doom would also fits your style of playing I think.
Otherwise management games is a time sinker. But most do not have fighting elements where you yourselves fight. Cult of the lamb tries to be all of it, it has action/fighting and management you can even decorate if you are into that. Pretty good for those who want it all. The devs still updates it too.
I've been recently playing the "so called" sequel to ftl, ftl multiverse. I have gotten the standard and old secret endings, but there are hints of a third even harder to find ending.
Europa Universalis 4. And EU5 is on the horizon.
Definitely not like the games you've mentioned though.
Deus Ex
Generally games with random elements are considered to be good for dumping tons of hours into. So games with randomly generated worlds like Minecraft, roguelikes, strategy games that are always variant just because of the nature of AI actions always being a little randomized, and other stuff like that. So maybe like Minecraft, Dwarf Fortress, Crusader Kings 2 or 3 as like a basic list. But really the game that's going to be the most replayable is the one you don't get tired of. I've beaten Thief: The Dark Project hundreds of times and that game is a relatively simple level-based stealth game with no random elements and not even especially huge levels.
Closest I can think of to infinitely replayable games are rougelike games like Slay the Spire, Peglin, Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate, Backpack Hero, etcetera, and sandbox games like minecraft (or Minetest if you don't feel like spending money and/or don't already have a minecraft account).
Though, with the rougelike games I mentioned, there are upper limits to increasing difficulty levels.
You can get hundreds of hours out of Binding of Isaac, easy
If you're into boomer shooters, you can't go past the original doom for infinite playability. Literally 30 years worth of user created content and mods.
The binding of Isaac.
I've been playing it on and of since the flash game released 13 years ago.
Honestly, Skyrim. With so many great mods available these days, you can literally turn it into a whole different game. And with modpacks on Nexus, Wabbajack or similar sites, it's easier than ever. I'm just getting back into it myself after 3 years, but I'm still a big fan of getting into the nitty gritty of it and configuring everything myself.
Risk of Rain 2 and Robo Quest are probably up your ally because you like Ultra kill
But if you want to diversify genre, here are some that I would recommend
- Card Games - Slay the Spire (Its like a card game and rogue like combined)
- Rogue Like - Hades is currently one of the top tiers in rogue like dungeon crawler
- RPG - Baldurs Gate 3, even if you end up finishing the game, how you ended up finishing it is what makes it so replayable. Each character has their own stories for you to uncover. Larian's other gem is Divinity Original Sin 2 too
- Sandbox Games - Minecraft of Terraria
- Arcade - Most arcade games are highly replayable because thats their whole selling point. Currently I am back to playing Temptest 4000
- Hack n Slash - Grimdawn, nuff said
Super Metroid. The game really opens up if you spend a bit of time learning alternate routes and sequence breaks. Many of them are kind of easy too. Besides all that, I just feel weirdly cozy in the depths or outside in the rain. It's also a shortish randomizer if you go outside of the vanilla experience with like 100 places to check.
Borderlands 2 has a lot of replay potential without getting boring. It never plays the same way twice. The weapon drops are very different each time through. Don’t forget the DLC. The rest of the games in the series are fun too, but BL2 seems to be where it peaked for me.
Look up project brutality or brutal doom. Those are great doom mods with a lot of fun gameplay. I used to play that for hours.
The Anno series is pretty cool. It's like playing crack. I've been playing 1800 recently and it feels like an instant classic.
The elder scrolls games are great for this. The further back you go the more replayability there is IMO. Morrowind is goated.
Dungeon keeper 1&2 are both a lot of fun, and have lots of custom maps. The original dungeon keeper even has a full engine rewrite which is really good.
If you want to try map painters, Crusader Kings 3, EU4, and Victoria 3 are all excellent and in depth games, with a lot of replayability stemming from all of the different ways to build up your nation in the sandbox.
Rimworld, dwarf fortress, etc. Have fun!
Factorio and RimWorld immediately come to mind. Even with the base unmodified game, you’ll likely get several weeks of gameplay out of Factorio. Then if you dive into modding, you’ll never put it down. Multiplayer is really nice too. And their big DLC just got announced, and is planned to drop in a few months. So now would actually be a great time to dive in, because you’ll get access to the DLC about the same time that you’ve burned through the content on the base game.
Diablo 1/2
Dyson Sphere Program is dangerously replayable to me. Hundreds and hundreds of hours sunk into it
Dynasty Warriors 2, Dynasty Warriors 3, Dynasty Warriors 4, Dynasty Warriors 5...
I don't know how much is truly infinitely replayable outside of tetris, but for what it's worth I have 250 hours into dead cells and I still haven't beaten 5 cells or even reached the final biome. You'll definitely get replay value out of it, the game is fantastic.
Strictly speaking about single player games, as in no rogue likes and such, Max Payne 2 is probably the game I played most times over the years.
The one I never get tired of replaying is Mafia 2. Maybe a weird choice since it's very linear and every play through is pretty much the same. But the story is just perfect for me. The gameplay perfectly suits the story, nothing especially clever, just well executed.
Then there's games like Binding of Isaac or Dead Cells where every play through is different.
Doom II, the base game itself isn't very replayable but there's a basically endless amount of mods that have built up over the 3 decades of the games existence. Would also recommend checking out the Ultrakill level loader
I feel like the best options would be strategy such as CK3 as the other commenter mentioned or endless sandbox games like Minecraft and Euro/American Truck Simulator. X4 Foundations is a pretty fun space sim, and there are the Bethesda games with mods, Skyrim and Fallout 4 have some pretty cool mods and eventually Starfield too.
I’ve played Risk of Rain 2 on and off for years and I’m not bored of it yet
Football Manager 2016 was the first version I tried. I put 1,500+ hours into it and only stopped because I decided to upgrade to Football Manager 2018. I'm on 2024 now at ~400 hours.
Red Dead Redemption 2, Fallout 4, the BioShock series
I want to throw out Mario Bro 3, Tetris, Dr Mario, and Sonic Mania. Just pick up and go, no long term commitment, always fun solo but you can add a friend anytime. Simple but rewarding game play loop.
Just Cause 3, with the additional DLC. I've been through all of it three full times, slowly plugging through a fourth (when time allows)
For me, Noita. I don't recommend it unconditionally, but for me that game will forever be the only permanent game in my library. I expect it's possible that I could finish Elden Ring. I know I will never finish Noita.
X4 foundations and relevant DLC. I have multiple saves with over a year worth of playtime
Cataclysm Dark Days Ahead
Zombie survival roguelike. It's free, open source, and a mature project.
I was about to suggest "Balatro" but you don't want infinite dopamine game then play The Binding of Isaac:Rebirth.
The binding of Isaac
Tetris maybe (too close to candy crush)
If you into emulators the SNES has a lot of good arcade ports, those are high score based
Kerbal Space Program, for sure. Skyrim is another.
I can play Control over and over again.
For the most enduring single player experiences, you really should give some grand strategy games a try, like older Total War entries, Crusader Kings, Civilization, Swords of the Stars, etc. Stuff like Factorio or Cities Skylines can also become addictive, but none of these games is action oriented.
Also, Age of Empires 2. I haven't played 4 yet, but I think it speaks volumes that, at least on steam, AoE2 has more players at any given time than 3+4 combined.
Ziggurat might be an interesting pick, as it's a roguelike FPS with magic weapons, though it might feel super neutered compared to Ultrakill. Risk of Rain 2 is 3rd person and roguelike, so every run you start from scratch and enemies will keep spawning at certain intervals, but it's a fine shooter
Fallout 4 might have a rather clunky shooting, but if you get into it, you can spend many, many hours blasting a variety of enemies, finding all sorts of places and weapons. Skyrim is a close second, while better played in 1st person, it's medieval sword and sorcery.
Stellaris, Rimworld, the Sims, and a lot of stragedy games.
Risk of rain and risk of rain 2
UT99 so shoot me lol
Wart Under
Football Manager!
Planescape: Torment is extremely replayable. I've been playing it every few years since I got a copy in I think like the early 2000s. It may be that this has something to do with having gotten to play it a little bit in the 90s but not having gotten to play the whole thing. There was a lot of anticipation there.
But I don't think it's just that. It's incredibly responsive to choice, and it's one of the first games I can recall with things like faction reputations and alignments. There's a lot there to dig through, and even once you have, it's always cool to wander around Sigil. It feels very alive.
The other one I end up replaying over and over is Shadowrun for SNES. That's not so much infinitely repayable though as just a really great game that I'm happy to run through.
For me, that would be the 3D Mario games (or any Mario game, really).
I have over 70 hours logged into Super Mario 3D-Stars, and that’s just the newer way I’ve played these games.
I have enjoyed caves of qud. Feels like every run is brand new.
One of my favorites is Invisible Inc. Top down tactical game but focused on stealth instead of combat. Its a cyberpunk setting with a stylized art style. You run a corporate espionage outfit, that's just been doublcrossed and exposed. Your supercomputer only has a few days worth of juice so you've got to a few days to get to the bottom of it and rebuild your agency enough to survive.
The levels are procedurally generated and sunce each campaign is time limited you really have to work with what you're able to find each run. You choose two agents to start and can find up to two more to round out your group as you go. They all have different abilities and synergies with each other so lots of combos to explore.
There's also an endless mode thats fun as well, and is different than the campaign since you don't have a time limit. You have time optimize your agents and have time to get your ideal gear loadouts. They also throw more security measures at you as the days progress.
Its super well balanced, and i can't recommend it enough
Besides what people have mentioned, you also have simulator type games like SimCity. Though with SimCity, I got bored of the "new" SimCity they released.... in 2013. Either play something like SimCity 4000, or try Cities Skylines.
So maybe don't take this as a real suggestion because it doesn't make sense to be a game with lots of replayability, but I've replayed the everything shit out of FF8. I don't think it's because of the game. It's because of me. Maybe it might do the same for you?
My first reaction on seeing the title was to name a games that just have fun core mechanics where replaying the game is basically just doing more of the same fun thing, so ULTRAKILL means I'm on the right track.
Prodeus is a pretty good doom clone. Not as in-depth as ULTRAKILL, but nonetheless has fun weapons and your basic doom (eternal) movement/mechanics. Blasting your way through enemies is as fun on the first level as the last. And the Quake games hold up extremely well, and the mechanics are so simple and powerful that you can really have fun replaying and getting better.
Stealth games are also very fun for this. The Splinter Cell series (especially Chaos Theory) are very fun to try to perfect/improve on. Dishonored and Thief as others have mentioned. And Midnight Club is the best racing series for this. You'll have to emulate it, but it's worth it. Completely open-world, and learning the city layout over time is very satisfying.Turbo Overkill is sort of Duke Nukem/Quake strafe boomer shooter with modern schmovement mechanics like Ultrakill.
Also another vote for Prodeus. It's basically a Brutal Doom clone. It's messy and gory and just a tone of mindless fun.
I'm playing Prey right now and it's also a ton of fun trying to figure out ways to do stuff instead of running in all guns a-blazing. Still trying to figure out how stealth really works mechanically.
Shattered pixel dungeon
Sorry to be a soulsborne weeb but I have something like 1500 hours in bloodborne and I still pick it up from time to time
My most played games outside of actually multiplayer games are arpgs. Diablo(mostly 2 and 3), path of exile, last epoch. Diablo2 and last epoch can be played offline, PoE can't. And yes, they're technically online multiplayer games but most people play them alone so they might as well be single player games to me. After that my most played games are RPGs and rogue likes. Plenty of good suggestions for that already
I put multiple thousand hours into Mount blade warband, Crusader Kings 2, Europa universalis 4, and more.