Ten PC games I could have played, in full, during the time I spent failing to connect to Elden Ring: Nightreign on PS5

...Well not backmost to back, but still

In an yet failed effort astatine cobbling immoderate Elden Ring: Nightreign impressions together, I spent a small implicit 3 hours of my Valentine’s Day fruitlessly trying to get a lucifer going successful the roguelike spinoff’s doomed PS5 web test. I anticipation said trial provided FromSoft with immoderate adjuvant data, considering Nightreign releases successful May, though it would person been a batch easier for everyone if I could’ve conscionable sent Hidetaka Miyazaki an email saying "Sir, your server infrastructure is made of biscuits."

In the interests of a much productive outcome, present are immoderate lovely/interesting/terrifying small PC games that I could person started and finished portion waiting for the closed beta to benignant itself out, and that you mightiness bask careless of whether you’ve conscionable spaffed distant a perfectly bully afternoon.

Jazzpunk: Director’s Cut

Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Necrophone Games

One of my all-time favourites, Jazzpunk is an out-and-out drama crippled (in intentionally ill-fitting 60’s spy thriller clothing) that manages to prolong its Naked Gun-level gag density each the mode crossed its two-and-a-bit hours.

Mouthwashing

Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Critical Reflex

Ed described Mouthwashing arsenic "compact horror", which is apt: it has fewer resources with which to physique up the scares, amounting to conscionable a fewer corridors of stranded spaceship and its progressively strung-out skeleton crew. Yet it expertly plays with chronology and position to rotation a profoundly unsettling sci-fi tragedy, implicit with possibly the astir revolting cake-cutting country committed to fiction.

Thirty Flights of Loving

Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Blendo Games

Like Mouthwashing, Thirty Flights of Loving tells its gone-horribly-wrong communicative retired of order, and is astir gleeful successful yanking you betwixt relaxed flashbacks and a bloodily failed heist. At hardly 15 minutes long, this is simply a existent bite-sizer, but you’ll beryllium chewing implicit the fates and motivations of your chap crims for much, overmuch longer.

Bernband

Image credit: Tom van den Boogaart

Practiced Bernband advocator Alice0 (RPS successful peace) would haunt maine to bits if this wasn’t connected here. It’s a low-res walking sim that has you pottering astir a bustling alien city, and is yet different fantabulous illustration of doing much with less: for each the deficiency of ocular detail, Bernband is powerfully atmospheric, successful its quiescent corridors arsenic overmuch arsenic its packed alien nightclubs.

Dr. Langeskov, The Tiger, and The Terribly Cursed Emerald: A Whirlwind Heist

Image credit: Crows Crows Crows

I thought astir putting The Stanley Parable successful this list, but you truly request much than 3 hours to sufficiently untangle it. Instead, here’s a followup (and successful galore ways, a response) from the workplace of Stanley co-creator William Pugh, a escaped mini-adventure that’s amended played than described. Except I volition accidental that it heavy features Simon Amstell spitting retired gags astatine you. Good ones, mostly.

Exo One

Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Exbleative/Future Friends Games

Ignore Graham, Exo One’s intensely satisfying momentum-based traversal and gorgeously realised planetscapes are worthy the fewer hours it takes to spot through. Still not definite wherefore its successor is simply a rally game, though.

Stray

Image credit: Annapurna Interactive

Stray remains the finest feline crippled successful an expanding field, by virtuousness of its fur-smooth platforming, sumptuous satellite design, and the information that the weird laser-shooting spot doesn’t really spell connected for that long. Take your clip for a archetypal playthrough, though by giving it the zoomies you tin blast done again successful 2 hours oregon less.

Scanner Sombre

Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Introversion Software

A mercifully abbreviated spot of techno-horror that’s played wholly wrong the pitch-black of an underground cave, forcing the usage of a visualised LiDAR scanner to representation retired the way ahead. Some of Scanner Sombre’s attempts astatine heartstring-tugging didn’t rather onshore for me, but its dotted aesthetic is wonderfully unique, and nary magnitude of rainbow hues saved maine from being frightened to my bones astatine immoderate points.

Minit

Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Devolver Digital

"Minit is simply a peculiar small escapade played sixty seconds astatine a time", reads its Steam page. That’s a cute mode of saying your small blobperson keels implicit astatine the extremity of each minute-long life, specified imminent mortality driving you to stitchery tools and lick puzzles astatine breakneck velocity earlier dropping dormant and respawning backmost astatine home. It’s a lightly roguelite-flavoured small fig that does necessitate immoderate patience successful spite of the clip pressure, but the thought is fun, and I admit however playful Minit tin beryllium astir it – similar making you beryllium done the dilatory drawl of an aged codger for progression hints, watching your beingness tick down arsenic helium crawls towards a point.

Portal

Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Valve

Ahh, you cognize what Portal is.