WhatCanYouPlay
Best 15-minute games
Short sessions, zero guilt. These games are built to be picked up and put down.
Fifteen minutes is enough for a genuinely great gaming experience — if you pick the right game. The titles here are built around short, complete loops: a single run, a puzzle set, a quick skirmish. Roguelites and arcade-style titles where 15 minutes is the natural session length, so every sitting feels self-contained and satisfying. The list is freshly shuffled on every visit, so there's always something new to discover.

Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2
15 min
Shooter · 2016
The battle for suburbia grows to crazy new heights in Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2! In this hilarious, action-packed shooter, zombie leader Dr. Zomboss has strengthened his horde and rebuilt suburbia as a zombie utopia. But hope remains, because for the first time the plants are taking the offensive in an all-out attack to reclaim their turf. Play as the plants in the all-new 24-player Herbal Assault mode, or choose your side in 4-player co-op or Solo Play!
metacritic85
Nex Machina
15 min
Shooter, Indie, Arcade · 2017
From the collaboration between Housemarque (Resogun, Alienation, Matterfall), and Robotron and Smash TV legendary creator Eugene Jarvis comes Nex Machina, an explosive arcade experience created with competition in mind.
metacritic91
Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics
15 min
Fighting, Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, Arcade · 2024
The legendary crossover hits are back! The action-packed lineup consisting of seven unique titles, is full of heavy hitters like X-MEN VS. STREET FIGHTER, and MARVEL vs. CAPCOM 2 New Age of Heroes. The collection also includes the rare beat 'em up game, THE PUNISHER.
metacritic89
Once Upon a Katamari
15 min
Puzzle, Adventure · 2025
Keep the good times rolling with a new entry in the Katamari Damacy series! In this puzzle action-adventure game, you'll roll your Katamari through time itself. Journey through the Jurassic Period, Ice Age, historic Japan, and more eras to rebuild the starry sky.
metacritic84
Mortal Kombat X
15 min
Fighting · 2015
Mortal Kombat X is the tenth main game in the one-on-one fighting series and a sequel to the 2011 title Mortal Kombat. The game stays close to the visual style and the mechanics of the 2011 reboot. The main controls are still based on two types of punches and kicks, and blocking, to form combos with uppercuts, teleports, special moves that incorporate weapons and fatalities. The three-tiered energy from the previous title returns, making available X-Ray moves, powered up EX moves and combo breakers. As introduced in Injustice: Gods Among Us, characters can use the environment to re-position themselves or optionally use parts as weapons. Each character now has three variations with different moves and weapons. There is once again a sprinting gauge, returning from Mortal Kombat 4.
metacritic84
Dragon Ball FighterZ
15 min
Fighting · 2018
Dragon Ball FighterZ is born from what makes the Dragon Ball series so loved and famous: endless spectacular fights with its all-powerful fighters.
metacritic87
Ape Out
15 min
Fighting, Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, Adventure, Indie, Arcade · 2019
Ape Out is a wildly intense and colorfully stylized smash ‘em up about primal escape, rhythmic violence, and frenetic jazz. Build up nearly unstoppable momentum and use your captors as both weapons and shields to crush everyone on your procedurally generated path to freedom.
metacritic82
Assault Android Cactus
15 min
Shooter, Indie, Arcade · 2015
"Assault Android Cactus is a manic twin stick arena shooter for the PC with screens full of enemies, buckets of bullets and high scoring combo chains! Take on the role of Cactus, an enthusiastic police android, who responds to a stranded space freighter only to discover it under siege by its malfunctioning robot workers. Cut off from the outside and in over her head, Cactus and the androids she recruits along the way battle through the crippled Genki Star to reach the brain of the ship and put things right before it's too late."
metacritic82
Desert Golfing
15 min
Casual · 2014
A minimalist golf game designed for touch screen mobile platforms.
metacritic90
Pinball FX3
15 min
Simulator, Pinball, Arcade · 2017
Pinball FX3 is the biggest, most community focused pinball game ever created. Multiplayer matchups, user generated tournaments and league play create endless opportunity for pinball competition.
FREE backwards compatibility! Bring your previous Pinball FX2 purchases with you to Pinball FX3 at no charge!
metacritic84
Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection
15 min
Fighting, Arcade · 2018
Over 60 characters, 40 million units sold, and 30 years later, we’re celebrating Street Fighter with the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection for PlayStation 4!
The Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection contains 12 iconic titles in the series that each have their place in Street Fighter history.
The Switch release includes an exclusive variant of Super Street Fighter II: Super Street Fighter II: The Tournament Battle.
metacritic80
Linelight
15 min
Platform, Puzzle, Strategy, Adventure, Indie · 2017
Linelight is an elegant puzzle game set in a world of lines.
metacritic90
SoulCalibur VI
15 min
Fighting · 2018
SoulCalibur VI represents the latest entry in the premier weapons-based, head-to-head fighting series and continues the epic struggle of warriors searching for the legendary Soul Swords. Taking place in the 16th century, revisit the events of the original SoulCalibur to uncover hidden truths.
metacritic84
Injustice 2
15 min
Fighting · 2017
Power up and build the ultimate version of your favorite DC legends in INJUSTICE 2. With a massive selection of DC Super Heroes and Super-Villains, INJUSTICE 2 allows you to equip every iconic character with unique and powerful gear earned throughout the game. Experience an unprecedented level of control over how your favorite characters look, how they fight, and how they develop across a huge variety of game modes. This is your super Hero. Your Journey. Your Injustice.
metacritic86
Sayonara Wild Hearts
15 min
Music, Adventure, Indie, Arcade · 2019
Sayonara Wild Hearts is a euphoric music video dream about being awesome, riding motorcycles, skateboarding, dance battling, shooting lasers, wielding swords, and breaking hearts at 200 mph.
metacritic81
Huntdown
15 min
Shooter, Platform, Indie, Arcade · 2020
Challenge yourself in this hard-boiled arcade shooter. Choose from 3 different bounty hunters in this classic arcade setup. Run, jump and take cover in a futuristic city environment. Haul bullets at your enemies with a great variety of guns.
Keep your cool while planning your advancement as objects around you shatter into pieces from explosions and bullets that whistle over your head. Kill the minions, then go after their leaders. Collect your bounty. Make a healthy living — by making living unhealthy.
metacritic82
Guilty Gear: Strive
15 min
Fighting · 2021
Discover the Smell of the Game with Guilty Gear: Strive! Immerse yourself in new gameplay mechanics designed to be simple and welcoming for fighting game newcomers, yet deep and creative for veterans. Ride the Fire into a heavy metal inspired alternate future full of over-the-top action, style and fun!
metacritic83
Hand of Fate
15 min
Role-playing (RPG), Strategy, Turn-based strategy (TBS), Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, Adventure, Indie, Card & Board Game · 2015
Inspired by tarot and fantasy, all bets are off as you create your own journey by building a collection of cards used to deal out a boardgame-like dungeon teeming with enemies, treasure, and adventure. Upon entering combat, the cards come to life as the player is propelled into a beautiful 3D environment to brawl it out with foes. Draw your cards, play your hand, and discover your fate.
metacritic83
Hexagon
15 min
Puzzle · 2012
A browser-based flash game from developer Terry Cavanagh. It is the predecessor to 2012's Super Hexagon.

Islanders
15 min
Casual · 1997
The Curse of Monkey Island is the third installment in the Monkey Island adventure game series. Players control Guybrush Threepwood, a aspiring pirate, as he navigates the Caribbean to save his love Elaine from a curse that turned her into a golden statue. The game features hand-drawn cartoon graphics, voice acting, and the series' trademark humor and puzzle-solving gameplay. Guybrush must outwit a cast of colorful characters, including the ghostly pirate LeChuck, while exploring various islands and engaging in pirate-themed challenges. The point-and-click interface allows players to interact with the environment, collect items, and solve puzzles to progress through the story. With its blend of comedy, swashbuckling adventure, and clever puzzles, The Curse of Monkey Island continues the series' tradition of witty, engaging storytelling in a pirate-themed setting.

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X
15 min
Music · 2016
Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X is a rhythm game in the Project DIVA series of games featuring Crypton Future Media's popular VOCALOID voicebanks. Sega confirmed the concept for the game is both live concerts, and producing. New to the series is the Live Quest story mode, which infuses the series' classic rhythm gameplay with RPG elements.
metacritic83
Street Fighter 6
15 min
Fighting, Arcade · 2023
The evolution of fighting games starts with our traditional Fighting Ground, and then we're turning the genre on its head with World Tour and Battle Hub for a total of three modes where anyone can play to their liking.
No one starts off as a champion. You get there step by step, punch by punch.
Take up the challenge and bring your game to the next level.
metacritic93
Mini Metro
15 min
Puzzle · 2015
Mini Metro is a strategy simulation game about designing a subway map for a growing city. Draw lines between stations and start your trains running. As new stations open, redraw your lines to keep them efficient. Decide where to use your limited resources. How long can you keep the city moving?
metacritic100
Superbeat: Xonic
15 min
Music, Arcade · 2015
SUPERBEAT: XONiC is an upcoming rhythm game developed by Nurijoy, a company formed by former employees of Pentavision. It is considered a spiritual successor to the DJMax music game series and its gameplay is based on the 2014 arcade game Beatcraft Cyclon, also made by Nurijoy. The gameplay of SUPERBEAT: XONiC consists of tapping notes to the beat of a song, either with the PlayStation Vita's face buttons or touchscreen. Modes, in order of difficulty, include 4 TRAX mode, 6 TRAX, and 6 TRAX FX. When selecting any mode, 3 tracks are played in succession and the player's performance is evaluated at the end. Local scores can be uploaded to a global online leaderboard if connected to the internet. SUPERBEAT will feature over 50 different tracks from a variety of genres, including soulful house, RnB, indie pop, progressive metal, and big beat and many more, and will include a collection of original music from producers such as 3rd Coast, ND Lee, Tsukasa and others.
metacritic88Frequently asked questions
What are the best games to play in 15 minutes?
Games like Spelunky 2, Dead Cells, and Luck Be a Landlord are great picks — their run-based structure means each session naturally wraps up in 10–15 minutes, even if you keep coming back for more.
Can you actually finish a proper game in 15 minutes?
Yes — roguelites, puzzle games, and arcade-style titles are specifically designed around short, self-contained sessions. You get a complete arc of challenge and payoff every time you sit down.
Are 15-minute games less deep than longer games?
Not at all. Many of the best 15-minute games have enormous replay depth — each run is short, but the systems underneath reward hundreds of hours of play. The brevity is a design choice, not a compromise.
What types of games work best in 15-minute sessions?
Roguelites, turn-based strategy, puzzle games, and score-attack arcade titles fit perfectly. They're built around loops that feel complete in a single sitting — no save points or stopping mid-level required.