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So many great games to play and so little time – we’ve all been there, especially when the holiday shopping spree is over. If the growing list of must-play games in your library stresses you out, we’re here to help. Just read our list of 6 useful tips to reduce your gaming backlog in the upcoming months!

1. Slow down
Like an ancient wise man said once (and all life coaches since) – a big journey consists of small steps. It may sound a bit strange, but maybe you’re trying too hard to finish all the cool titles you own. Instead of rushing into games, and being frustrated by the lack of progress, try a more systematic approach. Shortening your gaming sessions may help them become more satisfying. There’s really nothing chasing you here. For example, if you spend an hour a day with one title that needs 10 hours to finish, you can beat it in just 2 weeks.



2. Start with shorter games
Another popular saying states that you should always tackle obstacles from their easier side. If your gaming backlog keeps growing, start chipping away at it by choosing to play the shorter, easier titles first. Just visit sites like HowLongToBeat and make a list of owned games in order of their length. After beating shorter titles, you can take on the longer, more elaborate ones without having to dwell on the other games you still haven’t finished.

3. Find a co-op friend
One of the popular bits of advice to all gym-avoiders is to take a friend with you. Many activities are more fun when enjoyed in bigger groups, so check if the game you’ve been avoiding for some time has a co-op mode. Even if you invite your friend for a gaming session just once a week, it will still help you take down overdue titles in a social and very enjoyable way.



4. Use tools to keep order
Make your gaming life easier by creating a convenient, easy-to-access list of games to finish. Apps like GOG GALAXY let you add bookmarks to your game collection across all platforms. Just create a bookmark titled “The Pile of Shame”… just kidding – “Games to Play” (let’s remember to stay positive), and watch as it gets smaller with each day.

5. Give your favorites a break
We all have them – games that are evergreen, ones that we love to return to from time to time. Well, if we want to make that game to-do list disappear, those darlings will have to sit in the back row for a bit. It’s time to open up to new experiences and, let’s be honest, those golden oldies aren’t going anywhere, right?



6. Take it easy
Ask yourself, do you want to beat a specific game quickly or do you just want to explore its lore and story. If the second answer is the correct one, you can just as easily choose “easy” or “story mode” in the difficulty section and simply have fun. If the game really draws you in, you can always revisit it in “nightmare mode” in the future.

How about you? Do you have any games that you wish to finally play and finish in the upcoming months? Write about them in the comment section below, and remember – fresh or overdue, the main goal of playing every game is to have fun!
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Dogmaus: If you play a GOG game through Galaxy you will get the Galaxy achievements. Yes, of course Galaxy has it, as you can notice when I complain that a game that has achievements on Steam doesn't have them on Galaxy XD
In every game card on the right on the game storepage you can see if there are achievements.
If you mean to ask if Galaxy can track your Steam achievements, yes, but you need to launch the Steam version.
My question was more if I complete achievements through GOG Galaxy for a GOG game will achievements on Steam be completed as well even if I don't own the game? That brings me to another question. How are achievements handled if I own the game on GOG and Steam?
Another famous GOG news item!
Blah blah, galaxy blah blah.
1: Set a price limit. I go by the Monkey Island Limit "Never Spend more than 20 bucks for a computer game", with rare exceptions. (Yes, this means games like Factorio are impossible to suggest to new players thanks to evergreen pricing.)

2: Make it a slight challenge to play what you want by installing an operating system non-native to the game. That way, if you want it running, you want it running.

3: Some games don't have defined ends, or no absolute stop state. As others have said, make sure you know the difference between fun, obligation, and passing time.

4: Don't mod the game the first time you play it, and don't let the modded experience sway how you feel on it. Skyrim sucks vanilla. Why not try something new instead of installing it again?

5: Don't let the size of a game intimidate you into keeping it around. I just got rid of Tome4 even though it's slightly heft an install. But I realized I hadn't actually ever enjoyed it, nor had I played it seriously in a while.

6: Completion is not an absolute. Play to your fill, and depending on the game, let it lie or finish it in video form.
Post edited January 23, 2021 by Darvond
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pferreira1983: My question was more if I complete achievements through GOG Galaxy for a GOG game will achievements on Steam be completed as well even if I don't own the game? That brings me to another question. How are achievements handled if I own the game on GOG and Steam?
If you don't own a game you can't have achievements. I don't understand your question, sorry.
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Dogmaus: If you play a GOG game through Galaxy you will get the Galaxy achievements. Yes, of course Galaxy has it, as you can notice when I complain that a game that has achievements on Steam doesn't have them on Galaxy XD
In every game card on the right on the game storepage you can see if there are achievements.
If you mean to ask if Galaxy can track your Steam achievements, yes, but you need to launch the Steam version.
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pferreira1983: My question was more if I complete achievements through GOG Galaxy for a GOG game will achievements on Steam be completed as well even if I don't own the game? That brings me to another question. How are achievements handled if I own the game on GOG and Steam?
Double ... only applying to the game you own... but i did see instances of how rarity can be treated differently on galaxy and steam
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Zimerius: Double ... only applying to the game you own... but i did see instances of how rarity can be treated differently on galaxy and steam
A shame it doesn't work both ways. It would be great to have a GOG game where I completed achievements and then they were completed on Steam's version of the game as well.
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Zimerius: Double ... only applying to the game you own... but i did see instances of how rarity can be treated differently on galaxy and steam
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pferreira1983: A shame it doesn't work both ways. It would be great to have a GOG game where I completed achievements and then they were completed on Steam's version of the game as well.
Yea.. well think of the cost of buying all those games double ... sometimes it is tempting to buy the definitive version of a game which discounted is cheaper then the game you have payed for. I almost did this with control. On Epic buying both DLC was almost for the same price as the price for the control one year edition release on both gog and steam
Don't wait for sales. Don't stock on games. Buy what you want to play right before playing it.

(Note that I'm not saying buy full price.)

Wrong:
"I want to play this game, but it's too expensive right now. I'll put it on the wishlist and wait for a sale."

Correct:
"I want to play something new, I wonder if there's anything interesting on discount at GOG / Steam / Gamestop."
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Zimerius: Yea.. well think of the cost of buying all those games double ...
Well I was thinking more you didn't need to own the game but Steam achievements would still be listed as completed.
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Zimerius: Yea.. well think of the cost of buying all those games double ...
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pferreira1983: Well I was thinking more you didn't need to own the game but Steam achievements would still be listed as completed.
No sadly, if steam would have had a similar initiative as gog does it would indeed be feasible..... Sadly, as with origin, the only thing you can do atm, is add a non steam game to your library to use it as a shortcut, without the importing of any information such as playtime and achievements
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Zimerius: No sadly, if steam would have had a similar initiative as gog does it would indeed be feasible..... Sadly, as with origin, the only thing you can do atm, is add a non steam game to your library to use it as a shortcut, without the importing of any information such as playtime and achievements
That's a real shame. Would be useful to keep track of completions across platforms.
Post edited February 06, 2021 by pferreira1983