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[Ghost of Caelid]

I am a notorious non completionist. I will happily play a game till I am content with the experience up to that point or if I'm simply not enjoying the game. Games like Hades, Hollow Knight, Persona 5, MGS 5, Devil May Cry 5, Octopath Traveler and quite a few other games I love are games I never completed and have no rush to. For me if a game is too long, or I feel the story is going in the wrong direction I have no problem dropping it. I do complete games, and have completed roughly 8 last year but that more so when it falls in a reasonable completion time for the story. But others who have no qualms about dropping a game, what is your criteria from dropping a game you enjoy.

 

[k_trout]

I usually bail when I feel that run up to the final boss kick in

 

[ckaneo]

I will generally drop a game the second the end credits roll unless the game is really fun to goof around in or im really close to the platinum/100% anyways so might as well finish it.

I beat Spiderman and Miles Morales 100% and those are the only modern games Ive beaten 100% because goofing around is fun and they are short.

There are some games, like newer mario platformers where they have final courses after the end credits. I will generally beat these but not get all the random stars/moons

 

[Rodolink]

after credits roll I start feeling some anxiety to pop in the next game in line, so usually if I really like the game I try to complete as much as I can before starting final mission.

 

[adamsapple]

Most games I play, I at least try to beat the story.

100%, platinum or 1000G only for games that have really caught my attention, definitely not something I try to do for every game I play.

 

[Shai-Tan]

I don't decide to stop. I just don't come back to a lot of games. May finish DMC 5 eventually. The main reason I didn't is it's not quite as fun when you forget all the combos. And then the first session back feels like work

 

[Alx]

When I realize I have more fun in another activity (gaming or not)
When I hit a difficult part and consider the rest of the game isn't worth the effort (see MGS Revengeance, I stopped after one of the final boss transformations)
When I realize I'm being hooked by artificial game design tricks and am going to spend an infinite time on it (Hades, Diablo, ...)

 

[anthony2690]

Damn, DMC5 is like a 5 hour game, you must've not liked it that much
That being said the best level, was the one included in the demo imo.

I'm bit off a completionist, I will usually only drop a game if I'm just not enjoying it or it feels like a chore.

Life is too short too force myself through something I am not enjoying.

I think the last game I dropped was octopath traveller, I think I put about 10+ hours in, but the battle encounter rate, is so damn high.

 

[reksveks]

I sadly don't think I have completed any games to 100% so just after end credits typically. If there is a hard mode, I might go through that once to complete it and then will move on.

I can't deal with doing stupid fetch quests or setting up some weird encounters to get some trophy/achievement.

 

[22•22]

When I get bored with the gameplay. Happens constantly. Then again I routinely go back to them. I have to be in a certain mood for certain games. If those dont sync then it's off to another game knowing I'll get back at it on a later date. Don't care about story at all. Also, when i notice I'm nearing the end and the game just drags on and on I'm fine with dropping it.

 

[6502]

Yes, just giving halo infinite a rest as got stuck on the main banished boss - hammer section. After about 40 attempts and google showing there is not much more left I just can't be bothered getting frustrated, I had already done most of the openworld objectives anyway.

 

[Tschumi]

I don't really know what completionism means, i mean, absolutely sweeping out the furthest corners of a game's content strikes me as, unless the game deserves it, more like self employment than gaming.

Witcher 3 might be the most completed a game I've played in the last 10 years, but I've got nowhere near finishing it. I've probably cleared the main map, but once i got my favourite suit of armour to masterwork, or legendary or whatever's highest i was happy and didn't farm any more gear. Once i got a gwent deck that always won with my favourite faction i was happy and didn't search for many more gwent cards.

So yeah I'm a non completionist. If the game is good enough it'll grab me enough for me to complete most of it, but that's a totally organic development.

To more fully answer your question, i drop games when i finish their main story or another game pushes then aside.

 

[GymWolf]

When i end the campaign and i have no interesting loot\sidequest left.

If the combat is good i may play a couple of hourse more just to be god on earth and fuck up previously hard-to-beat mofos.

 

[jufonuk]

If I can see the end credits I try to go for that. If not when the game just doesn’t become fun anymore and feels like a slog.

If I can get the credits that’s fine. I don’t try and 100% a game.

As I’m getting older and have less time to spare. 5-12 hours to beat the game is a sweet spot for me. Depending on the game that is.

But 100% nah bruv

 

[Stuart360]

It depends how much i'm liking the game, and if i'm getting burnt out (you can still get burnt out on a game you love, if you are playing it multiple times a week.
Usually though if its a game i'm really loving then i'll 100% it, or at least do as much as i can.

 

[DevilMayFlyForAWhiteGuy]

I just play until I get bored of the game. I played DMC5 like 3 times at launch and then another 4 with the Special Edition on the SeX. Some games I only playthrough once. Some games I really only get part way through. Like I played Control recently and just dropped it about 1/3 of the way through. The gameplay loop of it feels like it peaked already.

 

[Bonfires Down]

I don't decide. I just naturally stop playing it. A lot of the time I even intend to keep playing but then I just... don't.

 

[RPS37]

So there’s this gauntlet at the end of Jedi fallen order….

 

[TintoConCasera]

I just play until I stop having fun.

 

[Sygma]

When I think I already know how the game looks like until the end and if I'm not having fun with whats offered. Its strange, for example I really couldn't get through Persona 5 but enjoyed Royal immensely for the subtle yet excellent changes it brought

 

[Giallo Corsa]

It happened to me recently with AC Creed odyssey (gold edition) : I FINALLY completed the main quest after 1 year and140 hours and i still have left various quests (cultists, Artemis quest line etc) PLUS the smaller DLC quests AND the whole Atlantis DLC expansion, needless to say, i just can't, i'm already burnt out and i see absolutely no reason to continue playing, it's a shame 'cause i've heard that the Atlantis one is actually good but...i'm done with it.

 

[Zephir]

I change game very often because sometimes I just want to play something else, even if it's a worse game.

I was playing Deathloop and only that for a while, doing the "find codes in the vaults" quest... Then I thought "let's try that mortal shell game I got for free" and played that for a bit... Then I bought monster hunter stories 2 and played that... Then I bought Shin Megami tensei V...

I have a lot of games that I've started and not finished, because I enjoy playing different things... Even if that'll end up biting me in the back when I get back to a game I've abandoned at the endgame... I'm scared to go back to astral chain and nioh <_<

 

[AV]

I generally don't like not finishing games. If I set out to beat a game I very rarely drop it before I reach the ending, and 99% of games have a pretty identifiable one.

Last year I actually dropped quite a few. It Takes Two, Returnal, Forza Horizon 5 (although I played a good chunk), Kena, Halo Infinite's campaign. All of those are good games to varying degrees, they just didn't entirely click with me for one reason or another, but I played all of them for at least 4 hours a piece.

 

[Hendrick's]

I stop playing games when they are no longer enjoyable to play.

 

[The artful mincer]

If I'm enjoying it usually when all meaningfully content is done i.e. hidden bosses side mission etc. If I really like it I will replay again often on a higher difficulty if available.

I don't ever platinum games because trophies often have a bunch of boring meaningless fluff gameplay like collectibles or silly trophies like "head shot 10 dudes while taking a shit" etc. E.g. I've beaten Sigrun in God of War 2018 but never collected all the Ravens

The only game I've platinumed is Spiderman PS4 because I just needed an excuse to web sling around the city.

I enjoy a good challenge but have my limits e.g. I beat the Radiance on Hollow Knight but fuck doing that Hidden Boss rush mode lol

 

[Ridaxan]

Whenever I'm not enjoying it. It happens a lot. I'm beyond the point where I feel like I need to maximise the value of the money I spent on a game. Time is a lot more valuable at the end of the day, I'm not going to force myself to play through a game just because I spent $70 or whatever on it.

 

[Punished Miku]

I have multiple changing factors in my life that lead me to bail on games a little more than I used to.

• I can afford all games that I want, and have GP, and 4 systems.
• I have less free time as I get older.
• I've been gaming for over 30 years, and can tell when a game isn't going to do anything new after a while.

It's really just a mix of all those things. If a new game comes up I can't wait on, I may drop an older one that's not doing a ton. If I go through long periods of having to work, then I may get distracted, etc. If a game is just too repetitive to hold my interest without feeling excessively grindy with little pay-off, I'll move on.

Has nothing to do with difficulty though. I regularly play difficult games, and just did another run on Ninja Gaiden 2 on Very Hard recently, and will replay games many times if they hold up. But so many modern games just have puddle-deep shallow gameplay stretched out over dozens of hours.

Games with poor pacing grow dull as well and can sometimes get dropped. Best game I've played recently was Metroid Dread. Pacing was near flawless, and I didn't put it down until it was completed. Then I felt like playing it again immediately after.

 

[fart town usa]

Once it starts to feel like a slog.

It's why I generally stick with games that can be finished in 10-12 hours.

I finish maybe 1 out of 10 games I start. Wish I would finish more but I just hate the feeling of forcing myself to play a game. If I'm not actively enjoying it, I just turn it off and pop in something else. It's also why I mostly play the same dozen or so games, I don't really explore games too much these days.

 

[Fbh]

I don't usually drop games I like, unless they stop being fun (which is usually when they are too bloated and start getting monotonous and repetitive).
But I do have this rather weird thing where my interest in almost any given game goes way down after the main story is over and the credits roll. I'll almost never go back to the game to finish side content or do endgame stuff. If there's like this secret optional dungeon that can be accessed before I finish the game you can bet I'll go there, if it only becomes available after finishing the main story I'll probably be like "meh, I'd rather start playing some new game"

 

[Cyberpunkd]

This is very relevant with Game Pass games - you didn't spend $60 on a game, you have many other games to play, if you are not having fun you should stop. Over the years I have gravitated towards shorter games and the ones rich in gameplay, not cutscenes. I got XSX last week and went again through probably 30 GP games. Here are a few highlights:

Aliens: Fireteam Elite - fun AF. You know the universe, you know the IP. The game doesn't try to build lore or the world. You know what to do - you are a Space Marine, go kill xenos. Still on the HDD.

Outriders - the opposite of the above. Production values are way higher, controls are TIGHT. So what, if every few minutes you get a cutscene. I'm skipping them, then I feel like I'm missing something. Also, instead of jumping into the mission with randoms when you matchmake it ports you to a hub before the mission you want to do in co-op, so you end up running to the mission marker again. Then I got kicked. Deleted.

Lost Words: Beyond the Page - now this was supposed to be a game for kids, so I decided to play with my daughter. First - there is no French dub, and she cannot read yet, so pointless. Second - kid's game decides to be artsy and tell a STORY. Compare that with Mario where you immediately jump into action. Kids don't ask why are there walking mushrooms, why Mario has a red hat, and Luigi is green, etc. They are having fun. Deleted.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Extraction - I would have tried that, but servers are down all the time + Ubisoft login is required. Deleted.

Day by Daylight - this one gets me. I understand this is probably the charm of the game, but the controls are clunky AF. Started the tutorial, walked a bit, then I got grabbed by the murderer and supposed to break free. I mash the stick left-right and the bar fills SLOWLY. Deleted.

Phoenix Point - looked great, but I do not have the time and energy for something that looks like a carbon copy of XCOM, already played XCOM 1 and 2. I can see this becoming a grind later in the game. Deleted.

Dark Alliance - the graphics are INSANE, but I cannot find a game online, and I do not want to do it solo. Also the tank character is clunky. Deleted, maybe I should reinstall?


So yeah, discovered I do not have the time and mental bandwidth for shit games. Also discovered I love co-op PvE games.

 

[Graciaus]

When I stop having fun I uninstall the game. If I really enjoy something I'll try to get all the achievements. I do not enjoy time wasting grinding for something irrelevant. I also have no problem playing something for 5 minutes and quiting if I'm not feeling it. I've more than enough games to last a lifetime.

 

[jigglet]

I once stopped playing Jungle Beat cause I thought: this is so good, I don't want to blow it all at once. I want to savor it.

I never went back.

Fucking idiot I am.

From that point onwards, I've taken the position: if I enjoy it, sink your teeth into it. Who cares if you finish it in 2 hours and it's all over and done with. None of this "saving it for later" bullshit.

Never again.

PLEASE re-release it on Switch Nintendo

 

[Cupbeam]

If I don't feel a game is nice at the beginning, I will drop it.
Will drop a game if the gameplay is not enjoyable at any time, like dropping P5r cause the dungeons were a drag, the story and game was fine, but hated the dungeons, I was like 40hours into the game.

 

[PropellerEar]

When I feel game wants to waste my time intentionally e.g collect quests etc...

Want me to collect 10 foreskins of rare desert fox for a Nugget Pouch of Nonsense.

 

[WhamBamThankYouMaam]

When I no longer start it.

 

[Y0ssarian]

After credits roll

 

[Inviusx]

I never purposefully drop games I'm enjoying. 99% of the time life/adult shit gets in the way and by the time I get back to it I've lost the original hype I had and forgotten where and what I was doing. So I go back to my evergreen games like Trackmania Nations until the next game comes out, then I do it all again.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

When I feel game wants to waste my time intentionally e.g collect quests etc...

Want me to collect 10 foreskins of rare desert fox for a Nugget Pouch of Nonsense.

A variation of that: hey, we can make a great game for 15 hours but let's stretch it to 60-70 so that people can get a sense of 'getting their money's worth'. BS excuse.

 

[MadPanda]

Your post is quite different to your title. I hope you realize that.


I never drop games I enjoy, why would I? I drop games when I don't enjoy them and that varies from game to game.

 

[SCB3]

I will generally drop a game the second the end credits roll unless the game is really fun to goof around in or im really close to the platinum/100% anyways so might as well finish it.

I beat Spiderman and Miles Morales 100% and those are the only modern games Ive beaten 100% because goofing around is fun and they are short.

There are some games, like newer mario platformers where they have final courses after the end credits. I will generally beat these but not get all the random stars/moons

Pretty much this, it has be something worth it for 100%, I don't chase trophies or achievements (I usually have them off) Spiderman and the Arkham games are good examples of the rewards being good for 100%, the Suits in Spiderman are fun to find and get (also a huge Spiderman fan since I was like 3 years old, that helps)

A good example for dropping games I love:

Destiny 2, I always go back to it for new seasonal stuff, but I do not chase 100% in it, I do all the content at least once or twice, get to level 100 and do the season story stuff and unless I really enjoying it, I drop off and play other games and I may check it out once or twice a week for new stuff or a chilled play if I feel like it, this however is after over 1000 hours in the game as well

 

[Petopia]

I am a notorious non completionist. I will happily play a game till I am content with the experience up to that point or if I'm simply not enjoying the game. Games like Hades, Hollow Knight, Persona 5, MGS 5, Devil May Cry 5, Octopath Traveler and quite a few other games I love are games I never completed and have no rush to. For me if a game is too long, or I feel the story is going in the wrong direction I have no problem dropping it. I do complete games, and have completed roughly 8 last year but that more so when it falls in a reasonable completion time for the story. But others who have no qualms about dropping a game, what is your criteria from dropping a game you enjoy.

It depends what is your preferred genre then?

 

[xPikYx]

I rarely finish a game, it must be very enjoyable to let me finish it, I probably finish one game a year, the rest of them a play for a little and then drop them for another one, many games are not enjoyable anymore and I end up getting bored with it, last example Death Stranding, I dropped it after the first boss fight. Last game I completed was Mafia remake

 

[Deerock71]

This is a good post. I wouldn't say I'm a non-completionist; if I love a game, I will suck the marrow out of it. However, when I have the MASSIVE backlog that I do, if I hit a particularly rough patch in a game or can't beat a bullet sponge boss...there are HUNDREDS of games calling out to me from my backlog saying PLAY ME! PLAY ME!

It's a balancing act.

 

[DZ_b_EZ]

When I get really stuck, then extremely frustrated and pissed off, and after a handful of tries I just give up and move on to another game. Eventually, I go back and try to pass the road block, but if I still can't overcome it I'll just move on from the game.

I still haven't seen the ending of God of War, but I've already been spoiled so whatever.

 

[Beechos]

I go in a straight line only do main missions no sidequests beat the game and move on to the next. Too many games to play to spend hundreds of hours on 1 game. I will usualy give a game about 30 min before i drop it if its not for me.

 

[synchronicity]

For me it just depends on the level of enjoyment. If I'm enjoying a game but I'm lukewarm on it, and I've given it sufficient hours to show me what it's all about, I have no problems putting it down to try and find something that really energizes me.

I play games to be thrilled, be it mechanically, narratively/philosophically/emotionally, etc. So I won't waste my time with games that have shown an inability to "wow" me on some level. I'll give every game a fair chance, but I won't try to force the fun. Life's too short to waste on mediocrity/ordinary.

 

[EverythingsOverrated]

I stop playing a game when it stops being fun. It doesn't matter if it's 5 or 50 hours in. Life's too short to force yourself to finish games you're not having fun with, it's not like I have to write a detailed review on the game.

 

[chriskun]

I’m pretty in touch with what genre’s I like alot so I pretty much finish all games I play. Genres that tend to be super long like Jrpgs I know I will lose interest in because of the horrible story lines, lack of gameplay depth, and nonsensical character design.