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Original thread by <span class="bold">IAmSinistar</span>.

We don't always have the time needed to immerse ourselves on epic RPGs that will devour hours and hours of our time. Some times (or even many times), we just want a short game to have a blast with. The following list/mix should, hopefully, help you find a short game (up to 5 hours) to your liking.

That's not all, however, that you can do. You can also recommend other short games that you know (after all, the list/mix are user-generated) or you can dispute the entry of one of the games in the list/mix. As far as recommendations go, keep in mind the following:

1) Are you sure that the game in question can actually be completed in one day? I mean, Doom and Super Mario Bros can be completed pretty fast once you have gotten the hang of them, but how long did it actually take you till you were good enough to complete them that fast?
2) If the game isn't on GOG, please provide a storepage, so that others will know where to purchase the game. In the case that the game isn't digitally available anywhere, you may substitute it with a retail listing. In the rare case that the game isn't available either on retail or digitally, I will proceed to include it in an isolated list, alone and unloved. :P

The lists/mix can be found below. Games on GOG will get prioritized, since I'm obviously a GOG undercover staff member.

<span class="bold">The GOGmix</span>

The GOG List

PART 1 (below)
<span class="bold">PART 2</span>

99 Levels to Hell
Alan Wake's American Nightmare
Alien Shooter + Expansions
Alien Shooter 2: Reloaded
Alone in the Dark 1 &amp; 2
Amerzone: The Explorer's Legacy
Among the Sleep
Anodyne
Anomaly Warzone Earth
Anomaly 2
Anomaly Warzone Earth Mobile Campaign
Anomaly Korea
Anomaly Defenders
Another World: 20th Anniversary Edition
Aqua Kitty: Milk Mine Defender
The Ballads of Reemus: When the Bed Bites
Beneath a Steel Sky
A Bird Story
Blackwell Bundl
Bloodrayne: Betrayal
Botanicula
Braid
Braveland
Braveland Wizard
Braveland Pirate
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Californium
Chronology
Consortium: The Master Edition
Costume Quest
Crimsonland
Crystal Caves
Dangerous Dave
Deadnaut
DEFCON
Downfall
Dracula 1+2
Dracula 4+5
Dragonsphere
Epistory - Typing Chronicles
Escape Goat
Evoland
Flight of the Amazon Queen
Fractured Soul
Gateways
Gemini Rue
A Golden Wake
Gomo
Gone Home
Her Story
Hocus Pocus
The Incredible Adventures of Dog Mendon&ccedil;a &amp; Pizzaboy
Incredipede
Inside
Ittle Dew
Jack Orlando: A Cinematic Adventure - Director's Cut
Jazzpunk
Journey of a Roach
Kingdom: The Far Reaches
The Last Door: Collector's Edition
Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded
Lifeless Planet Premier Edition
Lilly Looking Through
Limbo
Little Inferno
Lone Survivor: Director's Cut
Lumino City
Post edited January 30, 2017 by Grargar
high rated
PART 2

Machinarium Collector's Edition
Master of Orion Classic
MDK
MIND: Path to Thalamus Enhanced Edition
Mr. Bree+
Mutant Mudds
Neighbours from Hell Compilation
Never Alone Arctic Collection
Neverending Nightmares
Octodad: Dadliest Catch
Order of the Thorne: The King's Challenge
Oxenfree
Pajama Sam Volume 1 and 2
Pan-Pan
Papers, Please
POSTAL: Classic and Uncut
Puzzle Agent
Puzzle Agent 2
Realms of Chaos
Renowned Explorers: The International Society
Return to Mysterious Island
Samorost 2
Secret Agent
Shelter
The Shivah
Spelunky
Stacking
SteamWorld Dig
Stick it to the Man!
Surgeon Simulator 2013
Sword of the Samurai
Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack
Teenagent
Teslagrad
Time Gentlemen, Please!+Ben There, Dan That!
To the Moon
Toren
Trine Enchanted Edition
Unmechanical: Extended
Uplink: Hacker Elite
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
VVVVVV
Waking Mars
Zombie Shooter
Zork: Grand Inquisitor
Post edited January 26, 2017 by Grargar
Games from other sites/stores

12 Labours of Hercules
And Yet it Moves
Anna - Extended Edition
Antichamber
A.R.E.S. Extinction Agenda
Arson &amp; Plunder
Battle Group
Battle Group 2
The Beginner's Guide
The Binding of Isaac + Wrath of the Lamb DLC
Bleed
Blue Libra
Corporate Lifestyle Simulator
Creeper World
Creeper World 2: Redemption
Creeper World 3: Arc Eternal
Da New Guys
Dark Echo
Dear Esther
Delver
DLC Quest
Dominique Pamplemousse
Ducktales Remastered
Dwarf Quest
Dynamite Jack
Eldritch
Emerald City Confidential
Eversion
Evo Explores
FarSky
Finding Teddy
Fortix
Full Throttle (retail) and [url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lucas-Classic-Line-Full-Throttle/dp/B00012CTJW/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1476652550&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=Full+Throttle]UK
Game Dev Tycoon
Gathering Sky
Gun Metal
Gunpoint
Hack, Slash, Loot
Hammerfight
Home
Homefront
Hook
Humongous Games (Putt-Putt, Spy Fox, Freddi Fish)
Iji
Inescapable
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet
Jamestown
Jolly Rover
Karateka
Kraven Manor
Ku: Shroud of the Morrigan
Like a Raisin in the Sun
Lugaru HD
Lume
Lumini
McPixel
Message Quest
Moirai
The Moon Sliver
Morphopolis
Murder in the Hotel Lisbon
Muri
The Music Machine
Nightmares from the Deep: The Cursed Heart
NightSky
NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits
Obludia
Oscura: Lost Light
Papo &amp; Yo
Particle Fleet
Pitiri 1977
Pony Island
Portal
Postal Redux
Prince of Persia 1 & 2 For US residents. For non-US residents, your only online option seems to be ebay.
Puzzle Bots
Really Big Sky
Renegade Ops
Retention
Reveal the Deep
Rochard
Rock of Ages
Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken
The Room
Salt
Samorost 1
Saturday Morning RPG
Shank
Shank 2
Shatter
SickBrick
Skydrift
Soulcaster 1 &amp; 2
Soulless: Ray of Hope
Spate
Spectraball: Extended Edition
Spoiler Alert
The Stanley Parable
Sunset
Superbrothers Sword &amp; Sorcery EP
Tengami
The Tiny Bang Story
They Breathe
Thomas Was Alone
Through Abandoned
Thunder Wolves
Toby: The Secret Mine
Trauma
Tulpa
Type:Rider
The Typing of the Dead: Overkill
Unhack
Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space
A Wizard's Lizartd
Wizorb
A Wolf in Autumn
Wooden Floor
Wooden Sen'SeY
Xeodrifter
You Still Won't Make It
Post edited January 30, 2017 by Grargar
Post reserved.
Post edited September 19, 2016 by Grargar
Post reserved.
Post edited September 19, 2016 by Grargar
You may now post freely.
Many vertical or horizontal scrolling shooters can fall into this category, at least on easier difficulty levels. Raptor: Call of the Shadows isn't that long.

I take it we're not including older console and arcade games, or junk indie games.

Edit: Also, there's Spoiler Alert on Steam, can be finished in an hour or so.
Post edited September 19, 2016 by Bouchart
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Bouchart: Many vertical or horizontal scrolling shooters can fall into this category, at least on easier difficulty levels. Raptor: Call of the Shadows isn't that long.

I take it we're not including older console and arcade games, or junk indie games.
As I said above, I'd rather the list focus on games that you would be able to complete without having to retry time and time again till you gain the memorization/reflexes necessary to do so (and in the process end up playing more than 5 hours). As for Raptor, I don't think it would be a good example for the list, as it requires some good memorization the first time around which will take more than 5 hours to do so (at least on the so-called Medium difficulty).

As for junk indie games, well, the idea is to recommend something that you would like and not something that you wouldn't recommend to your worst enemy. :P
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Bouchart: Edit: Also, there's Spoiler Alert on Steam, can be finished in an hour or so.
Thanks. Added.
Post edited September 19, 2016 by Grargar
low rated
Even though I don't like it when people make posts saying things like "don't post here" or "post reserved", I will mention that ActRaiser (on the Super NES) is pretty short and not that difficult (assuming you don't attempt the secret mode that is unlocked after beating the game).
Most recent one I can think of (not on GOG though):

-</span> (Also on [url=https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/inside/c17gqf31d617]Xbox One and PS4): Made by the studio that made Limbo (Playdead), and can pretty much be completed in around 4-5 hours. Although if you're going to 100% it it'll probably be 1-2 extra hours.
Some games on Steam not on the list:

- A Wolf in Autumn (By jefequeso)
- Hook
- Lume
- Message Quest
- Through Abandoned (Previosuly called Abandoned)
Post edited October 04, 2016 by madth3
Back to the Future: The Game is here on GOG and is an episodic game comprised of 5 episodes. Each episode takes approximately 4-6 hours to solve casually and one episode can be completed in a day with an average time of about 5 hours.
Reigns
Disney Aladdin
Technobabylon
Primordia
Anna's Quest
Ronin
The Fall
Hatoful Boyfriend
Hatoful Boyfriend: Holiday Star
Tetrobot and Co.
Nobody has put Renowned Explorers on the list? That spectacular game isn't here??
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Starmaker: Tetrobot and Co.
I don't consider that a one-day game. Took me at least ten hours to complete it.