Want an RPG that will eat your time alive? Start with these
By JugglingNothing on
If you’re looking for RPGs that don’t just last 40–60 hours but can ompletely take over your free time, these are the ones people keep coming back to. Not because they’re padded but because they’re genuinely deep.
Let’s start with the most ridiculous example: The Elder Scrolls series, especially Daggerfall. This game is massive to a point that feels almost unnecessary. The map is huge, the quests are endless, and most players won’t even scratch the surface. Even later titles like Skyrim and Oblivion follow that same design philosophy; you can ignore the main quest for 100+ hours and still feel like you’re progressing.
If you want something that basically never ends, Disgaea PC is on another level. The story is just the beginning. The real game is in New Game Plus, multiple endings, and the Item World system, where you level up your gear inside randomly generated stages. If you’re the type who enjoys grinding and optimizing, this can go on indefinitely.
Then there’s Dungeon Crawl: Stone Soup, which is less about story and more about mastery. It’s a roguelike, so every run is different and permadeath resets everything. You don’t “finish” it in the traditional sense you keep playing because the systems are deep and the challenge stays fresh.
On the narrative side, KOTOR and Planescape: Torment are heavy hitters. These games are long because of how much choice and dialogue they pack in. Planescape especially feels more like playing through a novel where your decisions actually shape the outcome. It’s slower, but if you’re into story-driven RPGs, it’s worth the time investment.
Finally, Fallout (especially the earlier titles) sits right in the middle. You get open-world freedom similar to Elder Scrolls, but with stronger consequences. Different builds and choices can completely change how the game plays out, which makes replaying it just as engaging as the first run.
If you want RPGs that actually last, these aren’t just long; they’re the kind of games where you look up and realize you’ve sunk in way more time than you planned.