Games

This actually sounds like depression. Being unable to find joy, and then unsuccessfully searching for it in places where you used to find it. I would consider talking to a professional if you can.

Or try Dragon Age Veilguard.

Sounds like you need a break from video games tbh. If you like the role-playing accepts you might try Dnd or another TTRPG.

Looks like all the games you've listed are games where you can spend hours just to grind to the next level, or are filled with mundane fetch quests to keep you busy. If you don't want to take a break like someone else suggested, you could try to play a single player game with a definite ending. Even if it's a short game that is only a couple of hours long, you might just need something that has a final cutscene/boss fight and then the credits roll.

Not really sure what games might interest you, but look into Turnip Boy Commits Tax Fraud for a short, 4-6 hour long fun adventure. Or TUNIC if you want something similar to a Dark Souls esque experience, without getting all sweaty and try-hard

If we’re being real, there’s a chance you’re just depressed. It’s also worth noting that you don’t actually have to play video games. Sometimes I just find myself without anything good to play. It’s ok to do something else for fun for awhile.

There is always a need for those 3, 5 or 10 hour games. Something short and sweet instead of the mindless grind of a live service game. I recommend looking in your backlog for something different every now and then.

Maybe try something different? A strategy game perhaps?

Or you might actually need a dopamine detox in combination with practicing a more rewarding and sustainable hobby. Read a book or start a project if some sort.

It could also be that you're experiencing a depression.

Sounds like you're over saturated and need a break from gaming. Happens to a lot of us.Try not gaming at all for like 2-3 months. It'll feel fresher afterwards

You’re getting bored from playing the same thing constantly and need to try new genres. Spend some time away from live service / AAA and the fun should return

In my experience this means you're just looking for a dopamine drip, and aren't actually looking to enjoy games. Best to realign for a bit... But YMMV

Play Baldur's Gate 3. It's enormous. It's difficult and the turn based combat is something you'll have to get used to but it's incredibly fun and deep.

I've put 1300 hours into the game because if you get bored you can just start a different character and try the story from their perspective. There are dozens of ways to complete every encounter.

I've been doing this for decades. I just get bored easily. But every now and then I find a game that works for me and I spend 1000s of hours playing it. At this point I probably have a 1000+ games and 70% of them I played 2 to 4 hours..

Sometimes you're just craving something specific or need something a bit smaller scale instead of a massive AAA. After finishing Cyberpunk 2077, I bounced around from God of War to Assassin's Creed Origins to Spiderman, and on and on, all great titles but just stopped after a few hours... the game that finally grabbed me was an indie from a few years ago called Crying Suns.

If you want a small game with killer mechanics and that you won't feel like you're abandoning after a few hours, try Into The Breach

I don't know if they are your vibes but might be something a bit different for you to try.

Cataclysm DDA

Space station 13

I go through phases like this, and its best to try other hobbies for awhile. When you feel that drive to play again, you will know.

Yes I do I won't even make it a few hours most times before jumping to a new game

When I struggle to find a new game to play, I just go through my backlog. The difficult part is to get started, get used to the controls, get settled in the story. Once you're in, it's not too hard to pick it up when you have some spare time.

Try UFO 50, it's got 50 games to bounce around between.

This happens to me when I don't have somebody to share my progress in a game with. It's definitely some sort of failure to achieve dopamine or something.

Having a second person to talk to about the game and your progression may help you to overcome this hurdle.

Alternatively, try some indie stuff? AAA+ games are made by soulless companies who don't actually care about your joy. Have you ever played Stardew Valley? Made by ONE dude with love. Give that a shot.

Along with the suggestions here can also recommend a short hike. There's also a bunch of short, fulfilling games on itch.io and the developers see more of your cash vs steam, worth considering if you're so inclined.

I also go through phases like this, particularly in the winter. You could be suffering from depression or if this is a more recent thing as the days get shorter maybe its SAD. Get some sunshine and a SAD lamp and see if that helps. If not, worth talking to a professional like others have suggested. Godspeed fellow gamer!

I never heard of this. I play wow.

The bouncing around isn't a bad thing.

In fact, if anything, I try to be sensitive to when I start to burn out on a game, and when that happens I avoid playing until the desire is really strong again.

Sometimes looking for something to play means having a LARGE number of false starts before I find the thing, but I make a note of not trying a bunch of similar games whenever something isn't scratching the itch. I make each attempt with something very different.

And coming back to a game can take years.

That's kind why you need a TON of games if you don't want to take breaks from gaming entirely, because otherwise the medium just doesn't have enough variety to keep the human brain engaged.

You should try shorter games, and completely ignore whether something is "big" enough to be worth your time. The big stuff is what's boring you right now, so don't waste time on trying to force the enjoyment.

Plus, if you're restricting yourself to stuff that achieves critical acclaim, you're limiting yourself to games everyone likes. That means you're probably missing some stuff only you and people like you would like.

Not all good things are enjoyed by everyone universally, some things are just for a subset of people.

This was me. I eventually bounced around games and tried Satisfactory, a game type I never thought I'd like. Now it's my new meth and daddy needs his fix.

I used to do that until I started Persona 5 Royal. I've been playing it nonstop with 150 hours in. I'm almost at the end and it will be the first RPG that I will finish (I didn't even finish Chrono Trigger)

I enjoy playing older games I missed out on years ago. Recently I finally played Silent Hill 3 and 4 for instance. Now I plan on doing Resi 1-3 and games like it. Other than that my guilty pleasure is League of Legends. I have accepted that I will play it until they shut it down.

i have a different problem. i cant stop replaying games the second i beat them

Helldivers 2.

Its always fun. It's always big boom. It's always democracy.

In principal, I agree with mixing up your gaming time with other stuff but maybe you're all good with that stuff and just looking for some ideas.

I noticed a lot of your gaming choices are very open ended experiences. Perhaps you could try playing a more "on rails" or story driven experience..

Ideas::
Sony games like Spiderman, Uncharted, God of War.
Psychonauts 2.
Titanfall 2 campaign.
Control. (? Maybe, I haven't played it ).
Modern Warfare (the new cod) or the new Black Ops.
The latest Mortal Kombat.
Hades (1).

Or maybe something where short plays are the go, like rogue lites where you don't feel like you need to play it forever. Good luck!

They're just ideas but you hopefully you see what I mean. Only pick one though.

If you want a Battlefield game that actually revolves around teamwork and communication, I suggest Squad.

The team largely started off modifying BF2 into Project Reality... eventually became their own studio and made their realism / teamwork version of BF2 in UE.

Its not as milsim as the Arma series, but its not as casual as Battlefield.

I like sandbox games where you can jump in any time and build further. If you are looking for a time sink like game, I'd recommend, Subnautica, Satisfactory, Factorio. I'd also recommend shorter games where you can just finish it in an evening without big commitment. Or rougelike, rougelite games where you can just finish a run, like Slay the spire, monster train, DCSS.

Lastly you don't have to play most popular games, it is OK to play old games or lesser known ones. I play time to time HoMM3, might and magic series etc.

this is known as depression

I’ve been doing that here lately, just bouncing from game to game to game. Despite having hundreds of games in my Steam library, just feeling burnt out I think. Trying to move back to my unloved boardgames more to switch it up some. Sometimes you don’t need to force it, take a break and find something else to do for awhile until the interest comes back.