Got A Massive Gaming Backlog? Easy Ways To Get Through It

It’s not uncommon for someone’s gaming library to grow rather quickly. Between Steam sales, EA events, and other things, it’s easy to pick things up relatively affordably.

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That doesn’t mean that you’ll get through those games just as easily. Your gaming backlog could skyrocket before you know it.

Trying to find the time to game can often be difficult. When you do, you’ll often find yourself playing the same-old favorites.

Putting some effort into getting through your backlog will be needed. It doesn’t need to be a chore, however. It’s gaming, so you’re supposed to enjoy it.

There are a few ways to get through your gaming backlog that should make it fun. Setting things on ‘easy’ mode could be recommended.

Easy Ways To Get Through Your Gaming Backlog

Use Some Tools

You mightn’t realize that you have multiple tools at your disposal to help manage your backlog. Most of these will be much simpler than you’d think.

If you have a limited amount of time to game, then you’ll need to keep an eye on the clock. You can choose from multiple mobile time clock apps to help with this. These could also help with timed runs.

You’ll have quite a few other tools at your disposal. Many of these are focused primarily on backlog management.

PC gamers will have more options than others. Some of these have been popular for some time and come well-recommended.

They offer various features and benefits, so they’re worth looking into. They’ll also have a few negatives associated with them, so you should take the time to compare options.

Play Any Subscription Access Games First

Getting games through a subscription service is more popular than ever. There’s Origin Access, EA Play, and much more to choose from.

Each offers multiple advantages, such as free access to certain games. The cost advantage is the most notable.

If you bought each of the games individually, it’d cost hundreds of dollars. The cost of one subscription service, however, typically amounts to the cost of one or two new games.

The problem with this, though, is that you can forget to play these games. If that’s the case, then you could waste money on them every month, rather than with a one-off purchase.

If part of your gaming backlog features games accessed through a subscription service, then prioritize these. Once you get through the games you want to play, you can cancel the service.

These are easily renewed, so you can get the subscription again once more games you like are added. You’ll save much more money this way while getting through your gaming backlog.

Prioritize Your Backlog By Interest

Once your gaming backlog gets to a certain size, it’s easy not to know how to get through it. Figuring out where to start will be one of the larger issues.

In some cases, this could be relatively easy; a certain game might just jump out at you. That doesn’t always happen, however.

With the multiple options you’ll have available, picking which order to play them in could feel overwhelming. Arranging them by the interest you have in them is recommended.

You’ll be more interested in some games than others. Ranking them based on your preference will be relatively easy.

Once you have them ranked, you’ll have an order in which to play them. You don’t have to stick rigidly to this; if your interest changes slightly over time, then you can make some changes to the list.

Order Them By Time

Figuring out what way to get through your gaming backlog can be difficult. You’ll need to determine what way to order them.

The time investment needed for each title could be a way of doing so. Some games will naturally take much longer than others. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days both need drastically different time investments, for example.

If you want to get through your gaming backlog as quickly as possible, then it’s worth going with the shorter titles first. You can speed through these before tackling the larger games.

Once you do get to the big titles, you’ll have fewer distractions to take you away from them. Switching games regularly can lead to you forgetting certain plot points. It’s not uncommon to get rusty with a certain game’s controls.

When you only have the larger games left, you’re free to focus on them. You could enjoy them much more because of that.

If you’re unsure how long a particular game will last, a quick search online will help you. You could also look at how much time other players have invested in the title.

Doing so will give you a rough idea of how long the main campaign should last.

Only Buy Games From Your Wishlist On Sale

Gamers have come to love sales. Given that many of these are annual, it’s easy to get ready for them. It’s also easy to pick up games you don’t really want.

It’s tempting to pick up a AAA game because it’s 50% off during a sale. You’ll need to ask yourself if you genuinely want it or if you want it because it’s on sale.

If you want it, then pick it up. If it’s not something you’ll consider playing anytime soon, you might want to give it a skip.

That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t get anything when they’re on sale. Instead, you should put together a wishlist of games that you want.

PC gamers can do this quite easily on Steam and other platforms. If it’s not possible for you, then simply having a list could be helpful.

When any sales come around, check to see if anything from your list is on sale. If not, then you might want to avoid picking anything up.

Don’t Succumb To Sunken Costs

The sunk cost fallacy has been known for quite some time. It’s when someone considers the time and money they’ve already invested into something before deciding on future investments.

In general, there’s nothing wrong with that. It becomes a problem if it means doing something that you no longer enjoy doing.

You could be most of the way through an RPG you don’t like, for example. You could feel tempted to finish it, purely because you’re most of the way done.

Because you don’t like it, however, you could keep putting it off or taking longer than you should. That’ll either prevent you from getting through your gaming backlog or slow you down considerably.

Avoid doing that. If there’s a game you no longer enjoy playing, give it a skip.

Top Tips For Getting Through Your Gaming Backlog

Knowing what ways to get through your gaming backlog is one thing. Actually getting through it is another.

You might need to take advantage of a few tips and tricks. There are multiple ones that you can take advantage of.

Planning out your week and scheduling in some time to game will be the most recommended. That’ll give you a dedicated amount of time to get through your gaming backlog.

You could try a few other things on top of this. Some of the more notable are:

• Keep Distractions Away: It’s easy to get distracted when you’re gaming. Your phone could be one of the more notable. Keeping it off or on silent could be recommended, although you shouldn’t keep it off for too long in case of an emergency. Outside of that, it’s an effective way of keeping distraction-free.
• Stick With One Game: You’ll have quite a few games to get through with your backlog. It’s tempting to switch between several of them at a time. You should avoid that. Sticking with one at a time will let you enjoy each title much more. Being focused on it also means that you’ll finish it quicker. You should leave yourself some options, especially with larger titles. Interspersing a massive RPG with a short FPS could be an option.
• Stop Buying Games: New games are constantly on the horizon. You’ll likely be looking forward to several of them. Don’t buy them when they come out. Focus on your backlog instead. Getting through several of the games you already have opens up the space for a new one. Waiting to pick up these titles until you’ve cut down on your backlog could be a much better alternative to constantly adding to the backlog.

Coupling these with the different ways to get through your gaming backlog should let you get through it quite quickly. Remember to enjoy yourself when you’re doing so.

Games are made to be enjoyed, after all, so there’s no point in playing if you don’t.

Managing Your Gaming Backlog: Wrapping Up

There are quite a few ways to get through your gaming backlog. You shouldn’t look at it as a chore, though.

Gaming is supposed to be fun and relaxing. Taking your time and pacing yourself could be recommended.

You’ll have bought each of those games for a reason. You should enjoy them. Focusing on that should be a priority.

With each of the above, you should be able to do that while getting through your gaming backlog relatively quickly.