Which 2021 games ended up on the pile of shame in 2021? Which enticed the most people to play all the way to the end? Those are the questions the folks at HowLongtoBeat attempted to answer in a year-end roundup. For those unfamiliar with the site, HowLongtoBeat polls players on how long they take to finish the games they play, assigning an average number of hours you can expect to spend with the each, but in the process they also track some other things.
For example, here is their list of the most-completed games of 2021, topped by Resident Evil Village and Metroid Dread.
Most Completed Games of 2021 pic.twitter.com/Kp1LF91aPN
— HowLongToBeat (@HowLongToBeat) December 17, 2021
RE Village makes sense, as, despite some inconsistencies, it constantly compels you forward. It’s impressive that Metroid Dread managed to come in at #2, considering its difficulty and enigmatic nature, but I guess Metroid fans are a dedicated lot. Meanwhile, here are 2021’s most-retired games – that is to say, the games the most people gave up on without finishing. HowLongtoBeat provides two lists, one ranked by the total number of players who retired and one ranked by the percentage of players who retired.
Most Retired Games of 2021 pic.twitter.com/l0wgNqF6AL
— HowLongToBeat (@HowLongToBeat) December 16, 2021
Most Retired Games (By Rate) 😅 pic.twitter.com/p4vn2cLn6t
— HowLongToBeat (@HowLongToBeat) December 17, 2021
Interesting to see which games defeated people – difficulty doesn’t really seem to be an issue so much as quality, or perhaps games that simply overstayed their welcome/outlasted their premise. Oh, and kudos to 12 Minutes for somehow making both the most completed and topping one of the least completed lists. That right there is the definition of a divisive game.
Finally, here are the most backlogged games that people have played and intend to finish, but haven’t quite wrapped up yet.
Most Backlogged Games of 2021 pic.twitter.com/FcVjDLRHv0
— HowLongToBeat (@HowLongToBeat) December 15, 2021
Of course, these rankings aren’t definitive, but given thousands of people report their gameplay to HowLongtoBeat, it’s a nice little snapshot of gaming habits in 2021. What games have you completed in 2021? Which ones are still on the pile of shame or have you entirely given up on?
