Conquer your gaming backlog with the most effective tips in this guide. Here’s how to manage your collection of games waiting to be played.
The gaming landscape gets more and more ambitious each year. With hundreds of games arriving every couple of months, it’s nearly impossible to keep up with every one of them. The situation gets even messier when we take the games from previous years into the equation.
That’s what we call a gaming backlog, a common challenge in which many players find themselves. With the best upcoming games across different platforms, a gaming backlog can even trigger guilt and frustration as it gets longer. Without further ado, let’s have a look at the best tips to tackle the backlog.
7. Prioritise the Games You Want to Play
The world of gaming changes trends pretty quickly. That’s why it’s impossible to keep up with the next big thing all the time. As we naturally fail to do that, the feeling of missing out becomes an intrusive thought.
That thought especially gets stronger when games like Palworld enter the scene. That’s why we suggest prioritizing the games you want to play. Instead of diving right into every big release, try to finish the ones you’ve always wanted to play. This way, you’ll be slowly but surely climbing through your gaming backlog.
6. Don’t Dive Into Big Series First
Playing every possible entry in a video game series is no easy task. But it can be much more rewarding until finally completing all those stories and bidding farewell to its characters. While it’s a great feeling that enhances your gaming sessions, it’s usually better to finish small games first.
If you are eyeing a time to dive into big franchises, consider beating smaller, single games first that you can only play once. You can add the games with shorter playtimes between the instalments of the series you’re playing.
5. Fight to Impulse to Buy New Games
It’s always a great idea to stop turning your hard-earned cash into video games that you’ll probably never play. While it’s a solid tip, you likely have a good argument against it, and that’s the possibility of “Playing it one day”.
Unfortunately, the current casual gaming landscape is incredibly greedy to let you play all those indie games you bought four Steam sales ago. That’s why it’s best to stick with the ones you have first before making your gaming backlog bigger.
4. Play the Must-Play Titles First
Consider prioritising the critically acclaimed titles first. This way, you are much more likely to enjoy the game and feel like it’s worth your time. Playing a game with rather mixed reception, on the other hand, might discourage you from proceeding with your gaming backlog.
That’s why we suggest playing games with some of the best video game stories. That way, you can both add some of the best games into your finished games column and set sail for new ones.
3. Don’t Push Yourself to Finish a Game
You don’t have to finish every game. For instance, if we had to finish every new and exciting game coming to Game Pass, the burnout would be immeasurable.
Sometimes, the game’s story, characters, or gameplay mechanics don’t really click with you. Even if it’s a classic and acclaimed title, it doesn’t have to cater to your tastes. When that happens, simply proceed with another game and consider returning to it later on.
2. List Your Games Based on Their Playtime
It’s a good idea to know how many hours you’ll be sinking into a single game. Listing them based on their playtime should make it much easier to navigate your way through your gaming backlog. It’s up to you whether you start with short games or take down longer games like Baldur’s Gate 3 first, though.
1. Add Different Genres of Games to Your Gaming Backlog
You can also switch things up to make the process less exhausting. Playing games from different genres while conquering your gaming backlog should also save you from being burnt out on games.
For example, start playing some of the best free single-player PC games, then start playing some games like Palworld.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is a Gaming Backlog?
A gaming backlog is a collection of titles that are waiting for you to play. This invokes a sense of guilt in many players, feeling that they will never play the games they own.
Is It Normal to Have a Backlog of Games?
Having a gaming backlog is perfectly normal. We all have games waiting for us to play, let alone complete them. When the backlog gets even bigger, you might want to try the steps above to make sure you still enjoy gaming while slowly finishing the ones waiting aside.
How to Manage a Gaming Backlog?
While there are many steps to manage a backlog of games, it’s important to find the one that suits you best. For instance, you can list the games based on their release year. Try beating the best games of 2023, and aim for the previous year next. You can also switch that order.
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- My journey into the world of video games began at four, when I was first introduced to arcade machines in 1996. Over the past decades, I've been fortunate enough to witness the incredible evolution of gaming, as it has grown from a niche hobby to a thriving art. Today, I'm dedicated to creating content that celebrates all genres of games. We will talk about them at Player.me.
