The last times we published this article were during COVID restrictions — these restrictions have changed or else come and gone in the time since, but life remains as busy as ever, so we thought it a good time to refresh this list with new additions and updates. We’ve gone through and added a few here or there, making a list of some of our own choices for some great games to pick up and play if you’re short on time. All of these titles are in Xbox Game Pass, or are free to play, and several have co-op capabilities, if you’re also looking for a game to play with your family. Hopefully, this should save you some time looking, (which you can spend gaming instead) — these are also just a few of our personal picks; if you’ve got your own suggestions, let us know down in the comments!Omno Omno is ideal for picking up and playing when you have a spare few minutes. You’re rewarded for exploring and trying things out, and each puzzle feels like a natural progression of the last. It’s a gorgeous game that’ll leave you feeling more relaxed than when you first picked up the controller, and you don’t need to worry about keeping up with a convoluted story — Omno’s story, such as it is, exists more as a background to your own exploration and journey. Omno’s world is beautiful, with a wonderful soundtrack throughout, and while each puzzle can be completed relatively quickly — meaning you can make progress even if you’ve only got a few minutes — there’s no urgency to them, so you can leave Omno and come back to it whenever you have time.Overcooked! 2The succession of short levels in Overcooked! 2 make it perfect for if you’re just as short on time, and if you’re looking for a game to play with your kids or other family members. The increasing difficulty of each level makes it one of those easy to learn, difficult to master games, and the progression through new areas, learning new recipes and coming up against new obstacles, keep the game from becoming even a tiny bit stale. It’s one of those dangerous games you promise you’re only picking up “just for two minutes” before you look up after cooking your fifteenth pizza and realise hours have passed. Even so, having less time to play this wouldn’t necessarily be a drawback: despite its cutesy appearance, Overcooked! 2 has probably caused more arguments than a lot of other games out there, and it’s probably best for your all-round family happiness to put this game down from time to time. After all, it’s all fun and games until there’s nine seconds left on the clock, no clean plates, the hot air balloon you are, for some reason, cooking on is now falling through the sky, and you and your partner are both trapped on the same side of the kitchen. Children of MortaThis rouguelite action RPG is another perfect one to dip in and out of, as you progress through the game with successive dungeon runs. Its beautiful story is simply told, meaning even if you can’t pick it up for a few weeks at a time, it’s still pretty easy to remember what’s going on. Plus, each dungeon run is wrapped up neatly with a little summary of how well you did and what items you found, while your house — the hub you return to inbetween — is gradually filled up with the souvenirs you find, acting as a nice reminder of what’s been achieved so far. Children of Morta is, at its heart, a story about family. The Bergsons family are the last defence against the Corruption which is gradually spreading across their world. The story is presented in neat, clear little chunks, all narrated in a gentle, storylike manner, but there’s a wealth of lore behind it. The game’s happy to let you explore as much of that lore as you’d like via manuscripts and journals buried in the dungeons. To emphasise that family theme, you don’t play as just one character, but as most of the members of the Bergsons family. The game encourages you to try other characters, by implementing a “corruption fatigue” system, which limits the health of a family member if you play as them for too long. It’s easy to pick it up and get straight back into it — a couple of seconds is all it takes to start you out on a new dungeon run. It’s a lot harder to put the controller back down; the “just one more run” temptation only gets stronger the more you play. Rain on Your ParadeWhen you’re in the mood for something that’s just fun to play for a few minutes, Rain on Your Parade might be the answer. It’s a light-hearted game all about raining over everybody’s day, and inconveniencing as many people as possible, which, let’s face it, can be pretty cathartic. You unlock new abilities as you progress, until you’re happily raining down thunder, lightning, tornadoes, and meteors on anyone and anything in reach. It’s all the petty chaos of Untitled Goose Game with the quick and easy gameplay of an Overcooked! game and is a great choice for when you’ve only got a few spare minutes.Rocket League Rocket League has to be mentioned on this list. It’s endlessly fun, no matter how good or bad you might be at it, and the ideal game to pick up and play with your family and friends. There’s a variety of arenas and modes to keep the game feeling fresh, and the sheer ridiculousness of your tiny car zooming to the goal, wearing a fez and trailing sparkles, only to be pushed back and sent sailing through the air by the explosion as someone scores a goal, is intensely addictive. Rocket League has single-player, local and online multiplayer, an endless array of customisation options, and a number of different modes. It’s pretty much always in the top ten of our Xbox Gameplay Chart, and is all-round a perfect contender for the best game to pick up when you’ve only got a few minutes to play. Tetris Effect: Connected Tetris Effect Connected may be one of the best suggestions on this list for games that you can only pick up for a few minutes, or whenever you have the time; the trouble will be putting the controller back down again. You know how to play Tetris, just as you know how satisfying it is when you’ve sorted the blocks so that a whole chunk of them disappear when you complete a full line. That gameplay is the same as ever; what’s different is the wonderful way each game is presented to you, with the images and music changing and adapting as you play through, perfectly tying together gameplay, visuals, and sound. You can quickly start a game up even if you only have a few minutes, and you’ll be just as quickly engrossed — no worries about remembering a story or the controls, just pure unadulterated Tetris fun. That’s just a few suggestions of some great games to pick up if you’re short on time, especially if you’re finding yourself busier than ever and without much time for your hobbies. There are also so many more options to choose from, including a lot of Xbox Game Pass titles. If you’ve got your own suggestions, let us know in the comments!
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