How long a game takes to beat is important for those of us who need to budget our time. Not everyone wants to jump into an adventure they have to invest 30 hours playing in order to enjoy. The following list will help those who are ingrained into Sony's ecosystem find a couple of shorter games to play on their PS5, or any of the older Sony consoles.
Remember, value in a video game is not determined by how many hours you played, but by the quality of those hours — no matter how many or how few there were. Besides, you can always beat these games multiple times.
8 The Order: 1886
Ready at Dawn's The Order: 1886 kicked off a whole debate about length in games and the value you get from a purchase. It was a full-priced PS4 game, and only took about four hours to beat. This wasn't helped by the lack of bonus features to add to replay value.
All the same, The Order: 1886 is a uniquely cinematic gaming experience, taking place in a unique steampunk world. These days it should be easy to play for a reduced price. The graphics are also jaw-droppingly gorgeous.
7 Killzone: Mercenary
The Killzone games on consoles are a little too big of a handful to put on this list. However, Killzone: Mercenary on the PS Vita is just small enough to fit into a late-night gaming session. Being on a portable console, you could also beat it in a relatively long bus ride.
The game was a technical powerhouse for Sony's doomed handheld, and played pretty well too. First-person shooters had a reputation for failing on handhelds, but the addition of a second analog stick meant the genre could finally work similarly to how it did with modern controllers.
6 Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
The first Uncharted game is Nathan Drake's smallest adventure, but this remains one of its strengths more than a decade after its release. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune wastes no time in getting down to business and moves from chapter to chapter swiftly.
Despite the fast pace of the story, it still does a great job introducing us to characters we would come to know better over three more games (four, if you include the Vita game Golden Abyss). The shooting is not as tight as its sequels, but it is still perfectly adequate for what it sets out to.
5 The Bouncer
It might be surprising to see a Square game on here, considering the developer is most famous for epic RPGs like Final Fantasy. The Bouncer is a brawler that only takes a couple of hours to beat.
However, replaying the game is encouraged, because the story plays out differently depending on which of the three protagonists you pick for each fight. The combat is a little unbalanced, especially in the competitive multiplayer modes, but it is technically impressive for the early days of the PS2. It also included ragdoll physics long before it was common.
4 Ico
This PS2 puzzle platformer is still touted today as one of the greatest games of all time. Though it did not sell well upon release, it was a huge influence on many other popular titles later down the line..
The way it tells the story and reinforces its themes through gameplay is a staple of the developer, who would also go on to make Shadow of the Colossus. Most of the game is an escort mission, but it plays into the puzzles and doesn't fall into the traps and inconveniences other games with escort missions do.
3 Jumping Flash
Developers experimented a lot in the early days of 3D gaming. Platformers in particular tried some interesting things and went through some growing pains, not all of which were pretty.
Jumping Flash is unique because of the era in which it was made. It is a 3D platformer where players control the protagonist through a first-person perspective. It was impressive to jump through these environments early in the PS1's lifespan. Even if you don't like the way it plays, it is at least a short adventure.
2 Um Jammer Lammy
Rhythm games existed long before the likes of Guitar Hero and Rock Band. The PS1 had a slew of notable and unique titles in the genre, including Vib-Ribbon and Parappa the Rapper. The developer of the latter also made Um Jammer Lammy. Where Parappa the Rapper involves rapping and vocalizing, Um Jammer Lammy has you playing guitar.
In addition to the fun gameplay and unique art style, the original songs featured in the game are earworms you'll be humming long after turning the game off. It doesn't take long to go through the story, but you will likely replay the songs to net higher scores.
1 TimeSplitters
The PS1 had some good first-person shooters, but nothing that could compete with GoldenEye or Perfect Dark on the N64. Sony's second console came raring out the gate with TimeSplitters, which many consider the spiritual successor of the aforementioned games. The time-hopping shooter features environments modeled after various historical settings and the future.
It also includes a slew of customizable multiplayer options. The campaign is extremely short and simple, a far cry from GoldenEye and Perfect Dark's more complex objectives. Each mission simply requires you to find an item and bring it to the goal. You can easily zoom through each level in a few minutes, beating the game in just a couple of hours.