Sometimes you want the enjoyment of spending time on a video game but without having to devote all those hours to it. Quick play games give you maximum enjoyment in minimum time and, in the busy whirlwind that is 21st century life, we’re here for it.
So, whether you’ve got five minutes on the train or a couple of minutes in the grocery queue, we’ve got a game that you’ll be able to fit into your time limit. Not only that, but all of these games are available to play either as apps or in your browser, so even if you’re out and about, you’ll still be able to play.
Casino Games
A whole sector that specializes in quick play games is the casino sector. Whether you want to play a couple of hands of blackjack, a quick round of poker, or spin the reels on some slots, there are generally all of these options at a good online casino.
Some games will take a little longer than others; for example, you can be done with a hand of blackjack or a spin of the roulette wheel in literal seconds, whereas a full game of poker is going to take a good deal longer. Take a look at your time limit and decide accordingly.
Tetris
Looking back at retro games is often a great place to start if you’re pressed for time, as many of them were designed in an era where computers weren’t powerful enough for the mammoth gaming sessions that we take for granted nowadays. Tetris is one of the main titles that everybody thinks of when they think of old school games. Thankfully they’ve finally sorted out their own website where you can play the game, for free, for as little or as long as you’d like.
For anybody who’s not played before, the aim of the game is simple. You need to keep your screen clear enough for new blocks to fall. In order to do this, you’ve got to fit the blocks neatly together so that every time a full line is made across the screen, it disappears.
Chess
So far, the games have been a quick way to enjoy yourself and maybe kill a little time, but if you want something a bit more challenging then chess might be the answer. This game has been around for centuries and centuries, providing the logical thinkers amongst us the perfect place to pit their wits against one another.
Whilst a game of standard chess can last for hours, at sites like chess.com you can choose a timed game. This means that you’ll start part way through a game of chess and have to work out how to win it before the timer runs out. This is a fun way to test your thinking skills quickly and might even help you perform better under pressure in other areas of your life.
Snake
Another retro title that’s a favorite for anyone who grew up in the 90s is Snake. This game is inseparable from the iconic Nokia phones of the decade. Fondly referred to as ‘bricks’, the Nokias were known for being pretty indestructible, but it seems our appetite for Snake is even more long-lasting.
There are dozens of different apps that you can play Snake on, both for Android and iOS, as well as websites online. One of the most interesting variations of Snake was designed by Google though, where you can steer your snake around various cities across the world in Google Maps.
The aim of this game is to eat the dots that appear on screen in order to make your snake longer. However, you need to be careful not to bump into the tail of your snake or into the edges of the screen, otherwise your snake will crumple and it’ll be game over.
