How to Choose the Right Video Game for You

How to Choose the Right Video Game for You

With thousands of video games available on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and mobile platforms, choosing what to play can sometimes be surprisingly difficult. A highly popular game is not automatically the right game for every player. Someone who enjoys a relaxing farming experience may have little interest in a competitive shooter, while a player who loves challenging combat may quickly become bored with a slow narrative adventure.

The best way to choose a video game is to look beyond popularity and consider what you actually enjoy. Your preferred genres, available time, platform, difficulty tolerance, budget, and interest in multiplayer all play an important role.

Start With Your Favorite Type of Gameplay

The first question should be simple: What do you want to do in the game?

Different genres provide very different experiences.

If you enjoy exploration and large environments, open-world games can be a good choice. Red Dead Redemption 2, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and Cyberpunk 2077 offer different interpretations of exploration, from wilderness and towns to futuristic cities.

Players who prefer fast combat may enjoy action games such as DOOM Eternal, Devil May Cry 5, or Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon.

If you prefer strategic decision-making, games such as Civilization VII, XCOM 2, Frostpunk 2, or Manor Lords provide very different forms of tactical and strategic gameplay.

Understanding the activity you want from a game is often more useful than simply searching for the "best game."

Decide Between Single-Player and Multiplayer

Another important consideration is whether you want to play alone or with other people.

Single-player games are generally suitable for players who want to control the pace of their experience. Story-driven games such as God of War Ragnarök, Baldur's Gate 3, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, and Metaphor: ReFantazio can provide long campaigns where players make decisions, explore environments, and develop characters.

Multiplayer games offer a different experience. If you enjoy competition, games such as Counter-Strike 2, Valorant, and Rocket League emphasize player skill and online matches.

For cooperative gaming, titles such as Deep Rock Galactic, It Takes Two, and Helldivers 2 can be more appropriate because teamwork is central to the experience.

Think about whether you want your gaming session to be a personal experience or a social activity before making a purchase.

Consider How Much Time You Have

Game length is often overlooked when choosing a new title.

A massive RPG can require dozens or even hundreds of hours. If you have plenty of free time and enjoy long-term progression, this can be a major advantage.

However, players with limited gaming time may prefer shorter experiences or games that can be played in small sessions.

For example, Hades works well for players who enjoy repeated runs that gradually develop the character and story. Balatro is another example of a game that can provide relatively compact sessions while still offering considerable depth.

Meanwhile, an enormous open-world RPG may require a much larger time commitment.

Before buying a game, check not only its estimated campaign length but also whether its structure fits your schedule.

Think About Difficulty

Difficulty can completely change your experience.

Some players enjoy games that constantly challenge them. Others want to relax after work or school and prefer forgiving mechanics.

Games such as Elden Ring, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and Lies of P are known for demanding combat and require players to learn enemy patterns, timing, and positioning.

On the other hand, games such as Animal Crossing: New Horizons focus much more on creativity, customization, collecting, and relaxed progression.

Neither approach is universally better. The important thing is finding the difficulty level that makes gaming enjoyable for you.

Choose the Right Platform

Your available hardware significantly affects your options.

PC gaming provides access to a huge library and allows players to adjust graphics settings, use different peripherals, and sometimes install mods. Consoles provide a more standardized experience and make it easy to play games designed specifically for their hardware.

Nintendo platforms also have exclusive experiences that appeal to particular audiences, including franchises such as Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and Metroid.

Before purchasing a game, always check its supported platforms. A game may be available on PC and Xbox but not PlayStation, or it may initially launch exclusively on one platform.

Look at Gameplay Before Graphics

Beautiful graphics can make a game attractive, but visuals alone do not guarantee an enjoyable experience.

For example, two games can both have realistic graphics while offering completely different gameplay. One might focus on exploration and storytelling, while another could be built around competitive combat.

When researching a game, look at actual gameplay footage rather than relying only on cinematic trailers. Pay attention to movement, combat, menus, progression systems, mission structure, and exploration.

Ask yourself whether you would enjoy performing those activities for several hours.

Check the Reviews Carefully

Reviews can help, but reading them correctly is important.

Instead of looking only at the final score, read what reviewers actually liked and disliked. A criticism that matters to one player may be irrelevant to another.

For example, someone might criticize an RPG for having a very long story, while another player could consider that its biggest advantage.

Player reviews can also reveal practical issues such as performance problems, repetitive missions, confusing progression systems, or multiplayer matchmaking difficulties.

Try to identify why people like or dislike a game rather than simply counting positive and negative reviews.

Consider Your Interest in Storytelling

Some players see story as one of the most important parts of gaming, while others care much more about gameplay mechanics.

If narrative is important to you, consider story-focused games such as The Last of Us Part II, Alan Wake 2, Disco Elysium, or Life Is Strange.

If story is secondary, competitive games, simulation games, racing games, and strategy titles may provide a better experience.

There is also a large middle ground. Games such as Red Dead Redemption 2 and Baldur's Gate 3 combine substantial storytelling with extensive gameplay systems.

Decide Whether You Like Progression Systems

Some games are built around progression. You begin with limited abilities and gradually unlock equipment, skills, characters, vehicles, or other features.

RPGs naturally use this structure, but progression can also be central to shooters, sports games, survival games, and strategy titles.

If you enjoy constantly improving your character, games with skill trees, equipment systems, crafting, or character customization may be particularly appealing.

If you prefer immediate access to most of the game's mechanics, a simpler design may be more suitable.

Think About Replayability

Some games are designed primarily around one campaign, while others can be played repeatedly for months or years.

Stardew Valley, for example, can encourage repeated play through different farm layouts, relationships, activities, and long-term goals.

Roguelike games such as Hades and Balatro are specifically designed around repeated runs. Competitive games such as Street Fighter 6 can also provide enormous replayability because improvement comes from repeatedly playing against other people.

If you want one game to occupy your time for a long period, replayability should be an important part of your decision.

Don't Ignore the Price

Price should also influence your choice.

A full-price AAA game may provide a large campaign and extensive production values, but an inexpensive indie game can sometimes offer just as much entertainment.

Games such as Vampire Survivors, Celeste, Terraria, and Slay the Spire demonstrate how smaller productions can provide hundreds of hours of gameplay for players who enjoy their particular mechanics.

Subscription services can also affect purchasing decisions, especially when you want to try several games rather than commit to one title.

Match the Game to Your Personality

Your gaming habits can provide useful clues.

If you enjoy:

• Exploration: Try open-world adventures and exploration-focused games.
• Competition: Consider fighting games, tactical shooters, racing games, or sports games.
• Creativity: Look at sandbox and building games.
• Storytelling: Explore narrative-driven RPGs and adventure games.
• Strategy: Consider turn-based strategy, city builders, and tactical games.
• Relaxation: Try life simulations, farming games, or cozy games.
• Challenge: Look at soulslike games, roguelikes, and difficult action titles.
• Social experiences: Explore cooperative and multiplayer games.

You do not need to fit into one category. Many of the best games combine several of these elements.

Try Before You Commit

Whenever possible, use demos, free trials, subscription libraries, or free-to-play versions before purchasing.

A trailer might make a game look perfect, but actually playing it for 20 or 30 minutes can tell you much more. You can discover whether the controls feel comfortable, whether the pacing suits you, and whether the core gameplay is enjoyable.

This is particularly useful when trying a genre that you have not played before.