What to play: how to choose a game that will really engage you

A familiar situation: you sit in the evening, with 340 games in your Steam library, and there's nothing to play. Like, really nothing. You open one — it's boring, the second — not the right mood, the third you installed and forgot. I've been through this hundreds of times, and honestly, the question 'what to play' is almost never about the lack of games. It's about the fact that we don't know how to choose them for ourselves. Let's figure out how to find that one game that will keep you hooked until three in the morning and 'just one more turn'.

First, honestly ask yourself: what do you feel like playing based on your mood?

The main mistake is looking for a 'good game in general'. There is no such thing as a good game in general. There is a game for a specific evening and a specific state of mind. I seriously categorize choices by mood, and it works better than any Metacritic rating.

• My brain is boiling after work, I want to switch off — something meditative and stress-free: Stardew Valley, Dorfromantik, House Flipper. Cozy simulators and puzzles fit here too.
• I want adrenaline and to 'shoot' — shooters and action games: DOOM Eternal, Titanfall 2, from online — Deep Rock Galactic (co-op with friends is pure gold).
• I have the energy for a big story — narrative RPGs: The Witcher 3, Disco Elysium, Baldur's Gate 3. Get ready to get lost for 60+ hours.
• Want to think and build — strategy and management: Civilization VI, Frostpunk, Factorio (beware, it steals weeks of life).

As soon as you define not the genre, but the mood, the list shrinks from infinity to five or six candidates. Mood-based games are the number one filter, and they save a ton of nerves.

Which game to choose for your platform and 'power'

It's trivial, but this is where many stumble. Before getting excited about a trailer, check — what are you actually playing on and can it handle it.

PC, console, or phone — each has its own logic

On PC — the biggest selection and sales on Steam, but check the system requirements, otherwise a beautiful RPG will turn into a slideshow. On PlayStation and Xbox, it's simpler: just insert the disc and play, plus exclusives like God of War or Forza. Phone — for quick sessions in queues and the subway: here roguelikes and puzzles rule, not attempts to launch a 'real' AAA.

Separately about money. It's not necessary to buy at release for the full price. Game Pass and PS Plus offer dozens of games by subscription — the perfect way to try them out without regret. And if the game has been out for a while, wait for the seasonal sale, discounts of 70% are normal there.

Proven criteria to avoid wasting an evening

When there are only a few candidates left, I run them through a short checklist. It takes five minutes and saves hours.

• Average completion time. Check out HowLongToBeat. If you have one evening free, don't start an 80-hour epic — you'll quit halfway through and regret it.
• Reviews, but wisely. Read not the rating, but what they praise and criticize. 'Too difficult' for someone can be a plus for you.
• Gameplay in video. Not a trailer (that's marketing), but 10 minutes of live gameplay on YouTube. You can immediately tell if it's for you or not.
• Refund in Steam. If you didn't like it within 2 hours — get your money back within 14 days. Use it, it's your right.

And here's a life hack: if you really can't decide whether to buy or not, we have a funny, but surprisingly effective thing on our portal — the 'yes/no' fortune-telling. Think about 'should I buy this game' and press. Sometimes the brain just waits for someone to make the decision for it.

What to play on the weekend: when there's plenty of time

Weekends are a separate genre. Here you can allow yourself what you don't have the energy for during the week. I usually resolve the question of 'what to play on the weekend' in favor of games that require ramp-up and immersion.

• Long RPGs and open worlds — Elden Ring, Red Dead Redemption 2, Cyberpunk 2077 (in 2026 it will be completely different than at release).
• Co-op with friends — It Takes Two, Lethal Company, Helldivers 2. Nothing brings people together and causes arguments like playing together.
• Game marathons — strategies and colonizers, where one sitting easily turns into 'oh, it's already morning'.

A tip from experience: don't start three new games on the weekend right away. Choose one big game and one 'light for dessert'. Spreading yourself too thin is a sure way to not really play anything and feel cheated by Sunday evening.

I'll separately mention demos. A couple of times a year, Steam holds Next Fest — hundreds of free demos that you can play to your heart's content and understand in advance whether to buy the full version or not. Before every major purchase, I try to check out the demo: half an hour of live gameplay is more honest than any review or trailer. This way, you also discover small indie games that aren't advertised anywhere, and they unexpectedly turn out to be the best game of the month.

Where to look for ideas when everything is boring

Sometimes the block is not in the choice, but in the fact that your eye has become dull. Then it helps to change the source of inspiration. I follow a couple of curators on Steam, occasionally checking out themed collections and reviews — for example, in our section 'Games', where they analyze new releases and suggest things you wouldn't find yourself.

Keep in mind that the industry is changing rapidly in terms of technology. Procedural generation, smart NPCs, upscaled images — these are driven by the same algorithms we discussed in the article about what neural networks can do. If the topic of hardware and technology interests you, our Hi-Tech section is right there — it's useful to understand where everything is heading and why games look cooler and cooler.

And if after a day with the gamepad you just want to lean back on the couch without pressing a single button — your eyes are tired, your hands are worn out — then that's not about games, but about our article on what to watch in the evening. Sometimes the best gaming is to hit 'stop' at the right time and watch a good movie.

A brief summary: how not to get stuck in choice instead of playing

Put it all together: determine your mood, filter by platform and budget, run the finalists through a checklist, and just start. Don't look for the perfect game — look for the right one for today. A library of hundreds of titles is useless if you stand at the store door every evening and don't go in. Choose boldly, making mistakes is not scary — returns and subscriptions will cover you. The main thing is that the question 'what to play' becomes anticipation again, not torment.