If you want more than just to finish a game over the weekend and instead truly immerse yourself in its world for a long time, the options are plentiful. But a long game does not necessarily have to turn into an endless chain of repetitive tasks. We have selected five projects from different genres where a large amount of content is combined with a full-fledged story, world exploration, and mechanics that keep the playthrough from becoming routine.

Baldur's Gate 3

· Release date: August 3, 2023

· Genre: action RPG, adventure

· 100% completion time: more than 200 hours

Baldur's Gate 3 is one of those rare cases where, after finishing the game, you can start a new campaign and have a completely different experience. It is enough to choose a different class, race, and background, and make different decisions — and familiar events will begin to unfold according to a different scenario.

The game offers an unusual amount of freedom. You can solve a problem in combat, try to negotiate with an enemy, deceive them, or use environmental features to your advantage. Some important characters may die long before the moment you expected to meet them, and the game will still continue the story, adapting future events to your actions.

A distinctive feature is the combat system based on D&D rules. A lot here depends not only on character stats and tactics, but also on dice rolls. Even a carefully thought-out plan can fail because of an unlucky roll, while a seemingly hopeless situation can unexpectedly end in victory.

Because of the huge number of mechanics, the first few hours may feel overwhelming, but that gradually becomes the game's greatest strength. And the option to complete the campaign in co-op lets you have a completely new experience — this time together with friends.

Pathfinder: Kingmaker

· Release date: September 25, 2018

· Genre: RPG, strategy, adventure

· 100% completion time: about 200 hours

Pathfinder: Kingmaker is a good fit for those who enjoy classic computer RPGs with lots of rules, challenging battles, and meaningful consequences for their decisions. In many ways, the game continues the traditions of old-school titles like Baldur's Gate, but adds kingdom management to the familiar formula.

It all begins quite traditionally: choosing a race and class, assigning stats, and creating your character. But fairly quickly, the scale of the game changes. The hero will have to do more than just fight and explore the world — they will also govern their lands, develop cities, monitor the economy, and make political decisions.

The combat system is based on the Pathfinder tabletop game, so character stats, equipment, abilities, and random rolls matter a lot. A poorly built character or a lack of preparation for a specific enemy can seriously complicate your playthrough.

Kingmaker does not try to hold the player's hand all the time. You have to learn the rules, plan character development, and consider the consequences of your decisions. That is why a playthrough can easily stretch into hundreds of hours — especially if you want to understand all the game's systems and explore its narrative possibilities.

Elden Ring

· Release date: February 25, 2022

· Genre: action RPG, adventure

· 100% completion time: about 160 hours

Elden Ring is a good choice for those ready for a tougher challenge. It is a huge open world where almost any direction can lead to a new dungeon, boss, weapon, or story line.

The game does not rush to explain its story directly. A significant part of the world is revealed through dialogue, item descriptions, and events the player witnesses during the journey. The story was worked on in part by George Martin, the author of the book series adapted into the TV show Game of Thrones.

The combat system is built around dodging, blocking, attacks, magic, and carefully studying your enemies. At first, some bosses may seem almost impossible to defeat, but after several attempts, the player begins to understand their attacks better and gradually changes their own tactics.

The main campaign can take around 100 hours, especially for newcomers. But Elden Ring can easily absorb much more time thanks to optional bosses, hidden areas, side storylines, and a huge number of character build options. After the first playthrough, there is another reason to come back — to try a completely different class, weapon, or playstyle.

Final Fantasy XV

· Release date: November 29, 2016

· Genre: action RPG, adventure

· 100% completion time: about 125 hours

Final Fantasy XV begins with fairly dramatic events. Noctis sets out on a trip with three friends to get married, but soon learns about the fall of his home kingdom and the death of his father. However, instead of a traditional heroic quest, the player gets something much more personal — a great journey of four friends across a huge world.

It is the relationships between the main characters that become one of the game's central strengths. Gladiolus is responsible for the group's strength and protection, Ignis handles driving and cooking, and Prompto is constantly photographing what is happening. During their travels, the heroes talk, joke, and discuss events, gradually turning from mere game characters into true traveling companions.

Even things that are usually seen as pauses between story events are enjoyable here: stopping by a restaurant, cooking a meal, setting up camp, or looking through the photos Prompto took during the day.

Final Fantasy XV is best seen as a grand adventure rather than a continuous chain of combat scenes. Its story is built not only around global events, but also around the friendship of its heroes. Because of this, the game may appeal even to those who were not previously interested in the Final Fantasy series.

Horizon Forbidden West

· Release date: February 18, 2022

· Genre: action RPG, adventure

· 100% completion time: about 100 hours

Horizon Forbidden West is an option for those who want a large open-world RPG but are not ready for the difficulty of Elden Ring. On higher difficulty settings, battles become noticeably more demanding, but the main focus here is still on exploration, story, and varied activities.

In the second part of Aloy's adventures, the developers significantly expanded the formula of the first game. The world has become even larger, there are more mechanics and enemy types, and you can explore it for dozens of hours. At the same time, it is not necessary to remember the events of the previous game in detail: this one explains the backstory thoroughly enough.

Many of the most interesting stories are found not only in the main plotline. Side quests send Aloy to different corners of the world, while audio logs, dialogues, and discovered records gradually reveal the history of civilization and the reasons behind what is happening.

That is why reaching one hundred hours here does not come from endlessly capturing identical outposts. The world constantly offers new places, characters, and story situations. As a result, Horizon Forbidden West remains a long game, but it does not ask the player to endure repetitive content just for an impressive number on the hour counter.