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15 Video Games You Probably Didn't Finish

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Nazarii Verbitskiy

Gaming - September 3rd 2026, 14:00 GMT+2

15. Starfield (2023)

*Starfield* hides one of its smartest ideas beyond the main ending, which feels almost cruel in a game so determined to distract you. Constellation may be waiting, but so are faction wars, shipbuilding, outposts, romance, contraband and hundreds of planets offering varying amounts of excitement. The central quest is not especially long by Bethesda standards; staying focused is the actual challenge. Plenty of captains spent 70 hours rearranging cargo holds and never discovered what entering the Unity meant. | © Bethesda Softworks

Baldurs Gate 3 — 14. Baldur’s Gate III (2023)

Reaching Act III in *Baldur’s Gate III* already feels like finishing an entire RPG, except the busiest section is still ahead. Baldur’s Gate itself arrives packed with companion resolutions, political conspiracies, murders, side quests and decisions capable of detonating relationships built dozens of hours earlier. Then restart syndrome strikes: perhaps a morally questionable bard would be more fun than that abandoned paladin. Larian created a game with numerous endings, but it also created the world’s most elaborate character-selection loop. | © Larian Studios

Elden ring — 13. Elden Ring (2022)

Limgrave convinces you that *Elden Ring* is enormous; reaching the Altus Plateau reveals that Limgrave was merely the front garden. From there, the journey keeps unfolding through Leyndell, the Mountaintops of the Giants and a punishing run of late bosses with little interest in protecting anyone’s self-esteem. Exploration can postpone many difficult encounters, but it cannot postpone all of them forever. Becoming Elden Lord requires persistence, a decent build and accepting that “one more attempt” may consume the entire evening. | © Bandai Namco Entertainment

Hogwarts legacy — 12. Hogwarts Legacy (2023)

The first hours of *Hogwarts Legacy* deliver exactly what fans spent years requesting: a beautifully detailed castle filled with moving paintings, hidden rooms and staircases that refuse to behave. Then the map expands far beyond Hogwarts, covering the countryside with Merlin Trials, enemy camps, caves, collectibles and enough discarded scarves to outfit every student twice. The magic never entirely disappears, but the checklist can smother it. Many aspiring wizards mastered the Unforgivable Curses before remembering Ranrok was still doing villain business somewhere. | © Warner Bros. Games

Cropped The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt — 11. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015)

Geralt is supposedly searching for Ciri, but every village noticeboard contains another monster, missing person or suspiciously passionate Gwent player demanding attention. *The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt* stretches its journey across Velen, Novigrad and Skellige before adding a lengthy final act that occasionally appears to be the final act several times. Its side quests are often too good to ignore, which is precisely the problem. Plenty of witchers accumulated magnificent armor and never completed the job they were originally hired to do. | © CD Projekt Red

Star Wars Jedi Survivor — 10. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (2023)

Koboh is where many *Star Wars Jedi: Survivor* playthroughs quietly became permanent vacations. What initially looks like another stop on Cal Kestis’ journey keeps opening into settlements, caves, Jedi chambers, bounty hunts and traversal routes that only become accessible with later abilities. Its rough technical launch did not help players maintain momentum, especially on PC. Those who stayed found an increasingly personal story with a strong final act, but the road there was considerably larger—and occasionally less stable—than the adventure in *Fallen Order*. | © Electronic Arts

Super Smash Bros Ultimate — 9. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018)

Everyone was indeed here, although not everyone made it to the end of World of Light. The adventure begins with Kirby as its lone survivor and sprawls across an enormous board filled with Spirit battles, unlockable fighters and rule modifiers apparently designed during a sugar rush. It offers plenty for solo players, but repetition sets in long before the final confrontation with Galeem and Dharkon. Most owners bought *Super Smash Bros. Ultimate* to launch their friends off stages, not escort Kirby through a 25-hour campaign. | © Nintendo

Assassins Creed Valhalla — 8. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (2020)

*Assassin’s Creed Valhalla* turns the conquest of England into a prestige television drama that somehow received six additional seasons while you were watching it. Eivor secures alliances region by region, returning to Ravensthorpe between political disputes, castle assaults and stories that can feel almost self-contained. The structure provides variety, yet it also leaves the central conflict buried beneath a formidable commitment. After enough raids, romances, cairns and drinking contests, retirement from Viking life begins sounding historically reasonable. | © Ubisoft

Cropped tears of the kingdom — 7. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023)

Ganondorf is waiting beneath Hyrule Castle, but Link has invented a flamethrowing tractor and priorities must be respected. *Tears of the Kingdom* surrounds its main quest with sky islands, the Depths, shrines, caves, regional mysteries and an astonishing construction system that rewards curiosity more reliably than urgency. Players can confront the final threat surprisingly early, though many instead spend months preparing for a battle they never initiate. Saving Hyrule becomes secondary once you realize two fans and a steering stick can make almost anything fly. | © Nintendo

Dragon age inquisition — 6. Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014)

The Hinterlands became such an effective player trap that “leave the Hinterlands” turned into unofficial survival advice. *Dragon Age: Inquisition* fills its large regions with Fade rifts, camps, requisitions, shards and minor errands, while the genuinely excellent companion stories wait behind conversations and progression elsewhere. BioWare’s fantasy epic improves dramatically once the Inquisition reaches Skyhold, but completionist instincts can exhaust players before that transformation fully pays off. Corypheus wanted godhood; many Inquisitors just wanted someone else to collect all those herbs. | © Electronic Arts

5. Xenoblade Chronicles X (2015)

*Mira* is not a planet you casually visit. *Xenoblade Chronicles X* expects players to survey continents, complete affinity missions and satisfy level or exploration requirements before certain story chapters become available. Even unlocking the Skells—the giant machines featured all over its marketing—requires patience rather than a quick tutorial. The scale remains breathtaking, especially once flight enters the equation, but that freedom comes attached to a mountain of systems and preparation. Some players colonized half an alien world and still never reached Chapter 12. | © Nintendo

4. Fallout 4 (2015)

The Sole Survivor leaves Vault 111 with an urgent mission to find Shaun, then notices an abandoned house that would look nicer with twenty generators attached to the roof. *Fallout 4* is expertly built to derail its own plot through settlement construction, faction work, companion quests and the endless gravitational pull of unexplored map markers. Eventually, pursuing the Institute forces a major choice between competing powers. For countless players, however, the Commonwealth became a permanent home long before its central conflict received an ending. | © Bethesda Softworks

3. Persona 5 (2016)

*Persona 5* makes 100 hours disappear one carefully scheduled afternoon at a time. The Phantom Thieves must infiltrate elaborate Palaces, explore Mementos, attend school, build friendships, study for exams and occasionally remember that Tokyo is facing a supernatural conspiracy. Its calendar creates constant forward motion, yet the sheer length can turn one missed week into a permanently abandoned save file. Many players stole several corrupt hearts, romanced their preferred confidant and still never witnessed Joker’s final confrontation. | © Atlus

2. Final Fantasy XIII (2009)

The cruel joke surrounding *Final Fantasy XIII* is that many players quit shortly before it finally loosens its grip. Its opening chapters push Lightning and company through highly controlled environments while gradually unlocking the Paradigm combat system and explaining fal’Cie, l’Cie, Focuses and several other capitalized reasons to consult the datalog. Gran Pulse eventually provides a broad area to explore, but reaching it demands a substantial investment. The famous hallway did have an exit; millions simply lost patience before finding the door. | © Square Enix

Dark souls — 1. Dark Souls (2011)

The first *Dark Souls* does not explain why you are in Lordran, where you should go or why a skeleton has just folded you into the pavement. Escaping the Undead Asylum is merely orientation; the real test includes ringing two Bells of Awakening, surviving Sen’s Fortress, crossing Anor Londo and collecting the Lord Souls needed for the Kiln. Ornstein and Smough ended countless journeys, and they are not even the final bosses. Finishing meant learning the game’s language while it repeatedly punished incorrect pronunciation. | © Bandai Namco Entertainment

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Buying a game is easy; reaching the credits is where things get complicated. These titles buried players beneath brutal difficulty spikes, enormous maps, repetitive missions, or stories that demanded the commitment of a second job. A few were even great enough to recommend despite never seeing their endings. From sprawling RPGs to notorious controller-breakers, here are 15 video games countless players started, enjoyed, and quietly abandoned halfway through.

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Buying a game is easy; reaching the credits is where things get complicated. These titles buried players beneath brutal difficulty spikes, enormous maps, repetitive missions, or stories that demanded the commitment of a second job. A few were even great enough to recommend despite never seeing their endings. From sprawling RPGs to notorious controller-breakers, here are 15 video games countless players started, enjoyed, and quietly abandoned halfway through.