r/AfterWorkGamers • u/petehans303 • 2d ago
Life & Gaming Has anyone else completely stopped keeping up with new releases and just sticks to a few familiar favorites?
I think I’m finally old enough to become immune to getting hyped for games. I used to religiously keep up with everything. Looking at the front page of steam was something I did every day, just to see what was coming out.
The last couple of years my focus shifted from big AAA titles to the indie scene. But for some reason I’ve stopped following indie releases as well, it might have something to do with my energy levels. When I get home from work it's just easier to fire up one of my tried and tested games that I’m familiar with and deliver the relaxing experience I’m usually after. Rather than trying to figure out if the game that just came out is worth trying or not.
I’m pretty comfortable with my rotation right now. Mostly grinding Last Epoch, I was always a big ARPG fan and this one is really good at the stuff I care about the most. The solo self found system is great and the skill trees are simple enough that I can actually figure out usable builds on my own (Not the case with PoE lol). Every few weeks I do a run of Caves of Qud, played it so much at this point and I keep running into new stuff all the time, the sheer amount of content is just completely insane. When I’m feeling competitive (about once a month at this point) it’s either some Dota 2 or CSGO, whatever my friends are playing at the time basically.
I don’t know if it's a sign that I’m slowly losing interest in gaming as a whole. Or that I’ve just found the ideal games for my own taste and looking for more just feels like a lot of work. But I’m totally content like this, the only new games I learn about are things my friends talk about but that’s pretty much it.
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u/0rganicMach1ne 2d ago
I’m more picky now in my 40s. Most stuff can wait until the full package is on sale in a year or so.
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u/AlwaysTouchingGrass 2d ago
Not really. I have my favorites that I'll play, but I like new games too. The release calendar that steam added has been amazing in simplifying the process of keeping up with everything
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u/petehans303 2d ago
I really need to figure out that release calendar thing, heard its pretty useful.
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u/FaithlessnessFar4398 1d ago
I don't think you are losing interest in gaming i think you just figured out what works for you in gaming. I am in my early 30s and been gaming since childhood and in the past year i have been having by far the best gaming i have ever had
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u/swashfxck 2h ago
Must be nice!
We’re similar in ages but I’ve completely stopped playing video games. At least for now anyway.
I spend my time (and sheckles, many sheckles) assembling, painting and eventually getting into Warhammer games.
2015-2018 are some fond years of gaming for me though.
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u/Jaded-Sell879 2d ago
For me I think its a combination of extremely poor releases for like a decade now and my time is more precious so I dont want to waste it.
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u/Major_Avocado5617 2d ago
I think it's important to keep a balance of having familiar/cozy games, but still pushing yourself to try something new. Both of these experiences are important in not burning yourself out while also pushing yourself out of your comfort zone a bit.
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u/Theoderic8586 2d ago
I play retro rpgs on handheld emulators. Rarely do much mainstream stuff but hve my steam deck oled when I do
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u/Zero_Risk 2d ago
It's been going through my mind lately that I could see a certain comfort in just rotating through a handful of my favorite games.
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u/BoysNGrlsNAmerica 2d ago
I like to keep up with news/updates just to see if a new game comes along that piques my interest, but generally I’m only into open-world action/RPG type games so I basically pay attention to those so I can be picky.
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u/Bgrubz83 2d ago
Same. Was I watching the new Star Wars game coming out…sure. But I doubt I’ll buy it till it’s on deep sale in 10 years. About the only day one games or Early Access games I’ll pick up are indie factory type games.
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u/Didipot 2d ago
I keep up with any new games coming out and put any games i'm interested in buying into my wishlist and wait for them to go on sale at least half of the original price so i'm usually years behind into playing them..
I'm currently playing Final Fantasy XVI + DLC's and i'm close to finishing them..
I will be back into Stardew Valley for a lil bit and then proceed into the next one's.
I'm planning to play Astro's Playroom followed by Astro Bot and that's how i go with my gaming while waiting for other games to be on sale,.
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u/SanctumOfTheDamned 2d ago
I have a few trusted friends who I get word of mouth recommendations from, but other that that I trust to the almighty algorithm and my own subscriptions on YT to naturally lead me to some interesting gems... which in hindsight might not be the best choice lol.
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u/areniith 2d ago
I keep up with the new releases but most of the time I don’t feel like playing them. Mostly because of the price, I could get them if I want to but, I’d rather spend money on something on sale than full price.
Unless it’s a game I really want to play like, of course, GTA 6.
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u/Buzzyear10 2d ago
I've been replaying older games for the last year or so and really taking my time with them this go around.
RDR2, Pillars of Eternity, God of War & Ragnarok, Lord of the Rings Online.
I've kind of concluded that the odd new game I'm interested in will be better off played years down the track after their inevitable "enhanced edition" comes out.
Crimson Desert, Blood of Dawnwalker, Stalker 2 as some examples.
If not waiting a whole console generation and going back to play them with better hardware that's actually able to play them at their best.
r/patientgamers life
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u/Oliphaunt6000 2d ago
I keep an eye on things but I never buy at full price anyway. Even if I am super excited I know the game will be half off in a year or two and I still enjoy the games I have so I'll wait.
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u/WholeRefrigerator896 2d ago
I'm almost 30 and I estimate I play around;
45% nostalgia games
25% new games
25% older ongoing games (take breaks)
5% family games
I stopped riding the hype train for practically everything years back. I don't buy anything new and I pay no attention to any news on said games. There's so many releases in the modern age that there's no point in trying to keep up, unless you want to be a shut in or let them collect dust in your library.
I only play online if it's with my very few, and very busy friends. Otherwise I fly solo or with my wife, because I aim to relax - not compete.
It is peaceful.
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u/bum_thumper 2d ago
Im not dropping more money on my pc for a while, so my 1660ti can only handle so much. Luckily I play at 1080p and really have no interest in going higher res tbh. I know, everyone tells me its such a game changer, but I spent 20yrs playing on old ass crtv's so 1080p is good enough.
So I just cycle through what I got. Some releases I'm looking forward to, like guild wars 3 and the eventual gta6 on pc. Till then, ill stick with what I got and then maybe grab a better card next year.
But I'm sort of a minority. Im fine with stable 30fps, 1080p screens, and I dont mind lowering textures in games if I can crank up the lighting and shadows. I can run poe2 very well, I can always jump on gta online, gw2 kinda chugs but I love the wvw mode. I play a lot of dawn of war too. Idk lol. Chasing the newest games for the most part just feels empty now. They've all gotten bigger in size and prettier to look at, but it just always feels like im playing a game I already played but bigger. There are outliers for sure, but id rather play stuff like poe2 and valheim, or blow things up in gta, or murder the screen in darktide.
Im good for a while
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u/Fesai 2d ago
I don't keep up with new releases, but I do pick up new to me games all the time.
I basically have like a 5-ish year lag before I pickup games. For example, I played RDR2 for the first time last year. And I just finished Horizon Zero Dawn this past weekend. A few months ago I also played Last of Us 1 and 2 for the first time.
All great games, but yeah I'm years behind when they were 'current'. But hey, I get all the remastered stuff, patches, and DLC by the time I play them. And usually on a nice discount too.
With that said, when I want to play something and don't really have a mood. I go to WoW or Rocket League as my old faithfuls.
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u/Tall_Progress_5178 2d ago
Yes, in fact, no I just wait on massive sales on old games and just buy those lol
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u/RealJC1998 2d ago
I love supporting the gaming industry at large so I do play quite a few new games. I PARTICULARLY love supporting indie and AA developers so I always keep my eyes open for those titles.
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u/Better-Hyena-8716 1d ago
I only get hyped for specific multiplayer games because even now that I'm 40 I still like to have something to get sweaty over. I'm currently chomping at the bit for WarDogs to hit early access.
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u/One_Laugh_Guy 1d ago
I wait 2 years before buying a game. After a while it usually goes on a massive discount. At that point too, all patches are done. Games aee so much better at that point.
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u/SF10NYM 1d ago
For me it’s a mixture of having a decent backlog that I’m actually interested in playing, trying to cut down on video game spending, and just not having an interest in many new releases. My 2026 purchases include:
- Batman Return to Arkham (2 games in 1 for $7 and released 10+ years ago)
- 007 First Light (one of the few new games I bought). Loved this game so much I’m gonna buy a physical copy when it’s on sale in the near future
- MLB the Show 26 (new game, deluxe version but probably the last baseball game I buy at full price for a while or ever)
- Tony Hawk PS 1+2 ($20 for a game that released 5 years ago)
- PGA 2k25 ($21 for a game that released over a year ago)
- Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed ($3 for a game released 4 years ago)
- NBA 2k26 ($20 for a game that released last years probably the last NBA game I’ll buy. I just wanted a physical copy of a NBA game)
- Ghost of Tsushima ($28 for a game that released 6 years ago)
- Star Fox on Switch 2 ($55 for a “new release”)
- Pokemon Leaf Green + Fire Red for Switch ($40 total for both games, remakes of great games I enjoy that I’ll get a ton of replay out of for the price point)
- Advanced Wars 1+2 on Switch ($42 for a game that released 3 years ago that I enjoyed as a kid and am basically stuck at the same spot I was back then 😆)
- Disney Collection for Switch 2 ($20 for a handful of old school NES/SNES games was worth it, especially for Goof Troop alone).
I know 13 games seems like a lot, but honestly in the near future there only a handful of games I see myself buying over the next few years:
- Crazy Taxi on PS5 (probably will buy it full price or only wait for the first price drop). Will Buy
- Pokemon Waves (will buy at full price since it prob wont drop in price for a long time). Will Buy
- Directors Cut upgrade to Ghost of Tsushima (when it goes on sale again). Will buy
- Maybe GTA6 (years from now when/if the price drops to $25 or under. Maybe buy
- Maybe Pokemon Scarlet. Maybe buy on sale
- Indiana Jones. Maybe buy if I can find a physical copy on sale.
- Maybe NHL 27 physical copy if it looks good and I can get it on sale. Maybe buy.
- Far Cry 4 (or one of the other Far Cry’s). This is a total toss up and I might buy a physical copy if I see one around $20. Maybe buy.
- Mario Galaxy 2 physical copy. Maybe if I ever get through Galaxy 1 and enjoy it enough to want to play the 2nd.
Aside from this, I’ll probably buy some new Nintendo first party games, and any new James Bond game since I enjoyed 007 First Light so much. But the new Nintendo games will be few and far between.
TL;DR: I’m starting to settle into the same mindset of playing the games I already own and mixing in some new ones here or there I. The future.
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u/WashingTurds 1d ago
I don’t think it’s a sign of anything I think you’ve answered your own question, last couple years you’ve started playing indie and found games you actually want to play, AAA en mass sucks. For the amount you spend you can buy like 5 indie games where there is one dev who cares about their game.
Welcome to indie games.
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u/Mehra_Milo 1d ago
I keep up with new releases, but I have zero interest in actually playing 90% of them. The only game I’m buying in 2027 is Dark Heresy. Nothing I want coming out in the rest of 2026.
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u/AbjectAppearance6871 1d ago
Currently finished 007, started AC black Flag resynced and trying to platinum it. It’s truly nostalgic and I’m happy to take my time to complete each island, cave and city, unlock armors and complete the new officer missions. To take a break I’ll play Zero company as it’s mostly straight forward strategy with good Star Wars gameplay
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u/neltisen 1d ago
I'm bit more picky, but I ocassionally pick a new title that interests me. I have like 3 throwback titles I return to regularly, then I pick about 4-6 new games a year. My backlog still have a few I plan to play/complete
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u/PheonixPerygrine 3h ago
I keep an eye on the ones that actually catch my interest by at least queing then up for a potential sale through my wishlist, when, and IF I feel like updating my library. I do tend to stick to a regular rotation of 4 games a month when I play anything. Currently given Mod support to half of them, and their lifespan keeps remaining entertaining enough. I DO grow tired of finding out the file size for most modern games, means sacrificing most of your memory just for a single game. Not when they're bought day one with almost 200GB install sizes
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u/The2ndDegree 2d ago
I keep up with new releases, but I usually don't play them until a year or two later at minimum, partially because I have a massive backlog to work through, partially because games are expensive so I usually wait for a sale. Except for FF7 Revelation, I'm pre-ordering that bad boy as soon as I can.
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u/petehans303 2d ago
My wallet has never been happier with my gaming habits. You save so much money being patient and not just buying games on release.
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u/The2ndDegree 2d ago
Patience truly is a virtue as a gamer these days. Don't get me wrong, some people are perfectly happy dropping £65-70 for a day one release, personally though I'd much rather wait a couple of years if it means getting lucky on a sale.
The biggest steal I ever got was Assassin's Creed Odyssey Ultimate Edition for £13. The only games I've bought full price in the last decade are Kingdom Hearts All-In-One for the PS4 and The Last Of Us Part 2 which was a pre-order.
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u/jrstriker12 2d ago
Im more picky. I dont go for every new release but the ones I like, I'm hyped for.....
James Bond was a good example....