Calculate how long your gaming backlog will take to complete. Add games and see your total hours and finish date.
Total hours
261
hours of gaming
At 10h/week
26.1
weeks to complete
Finish date
Apr 2027
at current pace
Hours are approximate estimates. Actual playtimes vary based on difficulty, playstyle, and whether you skip cutscenes. Data based on HowLongToBeat community averages.
Studies suggest the average gamer has 40+ unplayed games in their library. On Steam alone, the average completion rate for games is around 50% — half of all purchased games are never finished. The humble bundle era created a generation of backlog hoarders.
HowLongToBeat.com data shows that completionist playthroughs average 3–4x longer than main story runs. Open-world games like Skyrim (35 hrs main vs 232 hrs completionist) show the most extreme variance. JRPGs like Persona 5 can take 100+ hrs even for just the main story.
If you play 10 hours a week, you get through roughly 2–3 substantial games per month if sticking to the main story. Many people underestimate how long games actually take, leading to backlog pile-up during sales.
Many players feel obligated to finish a game they don't enjoy because they paid for it. Remember that your time is the scarcer resource. It is perfectly valid to stop playing a game that isn't enjoyable, regardless of how much it cost.
The data in this tool is sourced from community submissions on HowLongToBeat.com, the largest crowdsourced game time database. For any game not listed here, visit HLTB directly for accurate times based on thousands of community submissions.
Build your game backlog and see exactly how long it will take to finish. Search popular games or add custom entries with your own estimated hours.
3 open-world games, 10 hrs/week
150–300+ hours — approximately 15–30 weeks
5 indie games, 15 hrs/week
40–100 hours — approximately 3–7 weeks
According to HowLongToBeat data, the average AAA game takes about 12 hours to complete the main story. The longest mainline game ever tracked is Persona 5 Royal at 102 hours for the main story alone.
Begin with the decision or task you want this page to support. Calculate how long your gaming backlog will take to complete. Add games and see your total hours and finish date. Write down the expected kind of answer before entering values, so you can notice if a default, unit, or mode does not fit your situation. If more than one input could change the result, hold the others steady while you test one value at a time. This makes it easier to understand what the tool is responding to instead of treating the first number on screen as a complete recommendation.
Follow the page instructions in order and check the labels as you go. The first step is: Click a popular game to add it, or use 'Add custom game' to enter your own.. Next, choose your completion mode: Main Story, Main + Extras, or Completionist. Use consistent units and a consistent time period, and avoid replacing an unknown value with zero unless the tool explicitly treats zero as a valid input.
The page's worked example is a reference point, not a forecast for every situation. It shows how the inputs lead to an output: 150–300+ hours — approximately 15–30 weeks Compare the assumptions in that example with your own values, then check the units, rounding, and any optional settings before comparing results. If your scenario differs, describe that difference explicitly rather than expecting the example's answer to transfer unchanged.
Use the result as one part of a decision rather than a substitute for the context around it. If you are comparing alternatives, run each one with the same definitions and change only the factor you want to compare. For repeated tasks, save a short note of the inputs and date; this makes later results easier to reproduce and helps distinguish a real change from a difference in how the values were entered.
A useful final check is to compare the answer with a second route: a hand calculation, a known example, an official reference, or the instructions for the service that will receive the result. One point worth checking on this page is “How is backlog completion time estimated?” A close match on a simple case can confirm the basic method; it does not prove that every complex case is covered.
For low-consequence tasks, a quick spot check may be enough. For anything that affects money, health, safety, access, or a deadline, verify the result against an authoritative source or the system that will use it. The tool can make routine work faster, but you remain responsible for confirming that the inputs and intended use are appropriate.
The estimator combines the games or hours you enter with the completion mode you choose, such as main story, main plus extras, or completionist play. These are averages rather than promises: genre, difficulty, patches, multiplayer availability, and your own pace can move the actual total substantially.
Include any title you genuinely want to plan, then mark uncertain or abandoned games separately if the tool allows it. A backlog is useful when it reflects your real choices, not when it becomes a guilt list. Removing games you no longer want can make the remaining estimate more actionable and easier to review.
Choose a realistic weekly play-time budget and divide the estimated hours by that number. Add space for new releases, breaks, multiplayer sessions, and games that take longer than average. Prioritise one next game and a small shortlist rather than scheduling the entire backlog rigidly; enjoyment matters more than reaching zero.
Completion estimates are averages and may exclude retries, exploration, updates, accessibility settings, side activities, or time spent learning controls. Compare your own completed hours with the selected completion mode, then use that personal pace for future planning. Update the estimate rather than treating the difference as a failure of the tool.