PC games you can replay: what makes a game last
Some games are over when the credits roll. Others are still being played hundreds of hours later, and for the same price they are a much better deal. This guide explains what makes a game worth replaying, what to check before you buy, and how to find those games cheaper.
What makes a game replayable
- Runs that start over. In roguelike and roguelite games every attempt is a new run, with different rooms, items or choices, and what you learn carries into the next one. Steam's tags, such as "Roguelike" and "Roguelite", are the quickest way to find them.
- Open sandboxes. Building, survival and management games do not end. You set the goal, and the next save starts with a different one.
- Strategy games. A new map, a different faction or a harder opponent changes how a game plays out, and many let you play against the computer, with no one else needed.
- Other players. In a multiplayer game the people are the variety, so it lasts as long as there are players. That is worth checking before you buy: see popular online PC games.
- Mods. A game with mod support, for example through the Steam Workshop, can get new content from its community for years after it is released.
- A story you can change. Games with different classes, builds or endings can be played again as a different character.
What to check before you buy
- Read what long-term players say. Steam reviews show how many hours each reviewer played. A game whose positive reviews come from players with hundreds of hours is a different purchase from one whose reviewers stopped after ten.
- Look at what is included. Some games add content as paid expansions. "Complete" and "Game of the Year" editions usually include them and often cost less than the parts bought separately, as in how to tell if a deal is good.
- Check whether it needs other people. A multiplayer game that few people play is hard to enjoy, whatever its reviews say.
- Work out the price per hour. A game at 20 euros that you play for 100 hours costs 20 cents an hour. The same game played for five hours costs four euros an hour. You cannot know the hours in advance, but the sum is a fair way to compare a long game with a short one.
How to find them cheaper
Older games are discounted often and deeply, and many of the most replayed ones are a few years old. Every game page on SaveSpawn compares the stores and shows the price over time, so you can see whether today's price is a usual one. You can also browse the current deals by genre: strategy and simulation are two where a game often has no fixed ending.
For a game you want but not today, set a price alert on its page, or paste your Steam profile into the wishlist checker to see which games on your wishlist are on sale right now.