6 Games That Take Up a Whole Month to Play

The Witcher 3 is releasing next week, and there will be so much to explore in its massive open world that you could play for weeks and not find everything. The game is bound to become even more expansive when its first DLC releases in the fall, which could add another 20 hours to an already gigantic game. But who has the time to dedicate to a game that big?

Imagine if you did have the time to do nothing but play video games. If you could dedicate an entire month to playing games, which ones would best fill the time? Take a 31 day month, subtract 8 hours out of the day for necessities like sleeping, eating, and bathroom breaks, and you have 496 hours to fill with digital entertainment. Here are the games that, when combined, will fill out your gaming binge and give you the most bang for your buck.

The games listed here have a plot, and are not MMOs nor simulation games.

Note: All completion times are based on the combined main story, extras, and completionist average on Howlongtobeat.com. All times are rounded up to the nearest hour. We also in no way advocate trying this experiment.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Legendary Edition

Average time: 153 hours

Let's start with the biggest time eater of them all: Skyrim. This game is so big that it almost could have been an online game. Practically every corner of the content has places to explore, which include deep caves, long lost ruins, and high mountain peaks. There's a quest to be had around every corner, including a multitude of objectives that can be picked up while working on something else. If doing deeds for others isn't enough, there's plenty of self-improvement to be had, between picking up additional skill points, crafting gear, joining guilds, or fighting dragons.

To be honest, you could probably get lost with only Skyrim for the entire month.

Time remaining: 343 hours.

Fallout New Vegas Ultimate Edition

Average time: 91 hours

We go from high fantasy to retro sci-fi with Fallout: New Vegas. There's a ton to explore between the Vegas strip and the dangers found in the Nevada desert. Rad roaches, giant scorpions, and super mutants are just the start of your problems. You start with little more than a hole in your head, and work your way up to becoming the top dog around town. The game also features a non-judgmental morality system, so you can be as saintly or sinister as you want. Make everyone's lives better, or betray them all. It's up to you. The important thing is to have a blast while getting your revenge on.

Plus, there's no better way to prepare for the inevitable announcement of Fallout 4 than to head over to New Vegas.

Time remaining: 252 hours

Dragon Age: Inquisition (and Jaws of Hakkon)

Average time: 96 hours

On average, it takes about 86 hours for heroes to take the Inquisitor's journey through the land of Thedas, given all the side and collection quests that are available. The Jaws of Hakkon DLC adds another 10 hours. In that time, there are vast regions to explore, caves to delve into, along with Darkspawn, angry mages, Red Templars, and demons to combat. Let's not forget that the world is being torn apart by both political turmoil an actual rifts in the sky leading to the Fade. Inquisitors have a lot of work ahead of them, and there's bound to be more to come, so get to it.

Time remaining: 156

Divinity: Original Sin

Average time: 82 hours

This top-down, turn-based, role-playing game certainly did a lot with its crowdfunded money. It's gigantic. Players take the role of Source Hunters, charged with eradicating a dangerous type of magic (called the Source) and its practitioners from the world. This old-school RPG emphasizes a sense of freedom in its gameplay. Players aren't lead by the nose to specific goals. Instead, they must figure out what to do, pick a direction, and do it. The rest is for you to discover. Original Sin also supports two-player cooperative multiplayer, so you can bring a friend along for the ride. However, we're not sure how that impacts the completion time.

Time remaining: 74 hours.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Average time: 32 hours

There is no better way to prepare for The Witcher 3 than to play through the incredible action in The Witcher 2. Framed for a crime he didn't commit, Geralt of Rivia, a Witcher (monster hunter), sets off to clear his name. But things are never easy in this dark fantasy world. He has to explore the beautiful landscape, confront dangerous creatures and people, and work his way through a mystery wrapped up in intrigue. The game features sophisticated graphics that are still impressive today, along with a deep plot to drive the mature themed role-playing game forward.

Time remaining: 42 hours.

Grand Theft Auto V

Average time: 41 hours.

Not every time-consuming game needs to be a fantasy role-playing game. Grand Theft Auto V steals both cars and your time, and you'll have a great time watching it happen. Players can practically spend all their time exploring the large open world, committing crimes, or just doing whatever they want. The plot involves three different perspectives: a street hustler named Trevor; Michael, a retired bank robber, and a pyschopath named Franklin. All of them end up being entangled in each others' lives along with terrifying aspects of the criminal underworld, the US government and the entertainment industry.

The average completion time does not take into account the recently implemented heist multiplayer mode, which would surely add more hours sacrificed to the game.

Remaining time: 1 hour.

Even after playing six of some of the most expansive open world games around, you still end up with an extra hour for your video game marathon. You could easily use up the time by jumping back into any of these games and running around for an hour. Or you could do something more mundane, like take a break. Go outside. Explore the real world for a little while.

Other games to consider: