Is It Okay to Quit a Game? The Right Way to Decide and Swap
Okay to quit a game after 20 hours? Answer three questions, do one line of evenings math, and know whether to shelve it tonight.
Table of Contents
Is it okay to quit a game after 20 hours? Yes
Quitting a single-player game at hour 20 is a choice about your next evenings, not a verdict on you.
The short answer
⚖️ The Verdict: Yes, it’s okay to quit after 20 hours. Answer the three questions below; if two or more are “no,” shelve the game and swap to a short game you can finish in a few evenings.
Single-player games only
This covers single-player games; leaving a live match is a different question. If you get about five hours a week, it’s built for you.
Stuck, bored or out of time? Three different problems
“Stuck” at 20 hours can mean three different things, and only two are quit questions.
Stuck because it’s hard
A wall you can’t pass is a guide problem, and we don’t write walkthroughs here. Solve the fight first, then judge the game.
Stuck because it’s boring
If you dread opening it, take the test below.
Stuck because you’re out of time
If you only get a few evenings a week, the real question is how long the game still needs. The evenings math below answers it.
Why 20 hours in makes it harder to quit
The hours you’ve played are gone whether you stop tonight or next month.
What sunk cost actually is
The sunk cost fallacy is continuing something because of time, money or effort already spent, not because the next step is worth it: the sunk cost effect Arkes and Blumer documented in 1985. In their field study, theatre-goers who paid more for a season subscription attended more plays.
How it shows up at hour 20
It sounds like “I’ve come this far.” The only question that matters is whether the next hour beats your best alternative.
A 3-question test for when to quit a game
Answer three questions, and if two or more are “no,” swap. These are our rule of thumb, not data.
The three questions
- Anticipation: Can you name one thing you’re still looking forward to?
- Fresh start: If it were free and you’d never played it, would you start it tonight?
- Finish line: At your real pace, can you finish within about four weeks?
Reading your score
- Zero “no”: keep going; you’re stuck, not done.
- One “no”: play two more evenings (about two hours each), then ask again.
- Two or three “no”: shelve it and swap.
Not yet 20 hours in? Re-run the test after about three evenings.
How many evenings does your game still need?
Question three needs a number; one line of arithmetic gets it.
Find your hours left
Take the Leisure figure from HowLongToBeat (community-submitted estimates; why they run short at five hours a week). Subtract hours played, then divide by two (an evening is about two hours). The site also marks dropped games “retired.”
What it means at 5 hours a week
| Hours left | Evenings (2-hour) | Evenings (90-minute) | Weeks at 5 hrs/week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 5 | 7 | 2 |
| 25 | 13 | 17 | 5 |
| 40 | 20 | 27 | 8 |
⏱️ Time Check: Our arithmetic on a hypothetical game, not community data. At 25 hours left, that’s 13 evenings: roughly four three-evening games.
If your game has no real length
Open-ended games have no finish line, so skip question three. Try the Realistic Completion Estimator.
Does quitting waste the money you spent?
The money is spent whether you keep playing or not.
Does cost per hour change the answer?
Cost per hour only falls if you keep playing, and it never decides whether the next hour is worth it. A long game beats a short one on price only past its break-even; the break-even hour for short versus long games sets it out.
Can you still get a refund?
At 20 hours you’re outside the standard offer in Steam’s own refund policy: 14 days from purchase and under two hours played. Steam says you can still ask. Other stores differ; check your platform’s terms yourself.
⚠️ Watch Out: Steam doesn’t refund keys bought outside its store.
🔄 Last Verified: October 7, 2026. Refund rules change; check the storefront.
After you quit: swap to a game you can finish
Quitting is half the decision; the other half is what you play tomorrow.
Pick a swap you can finish
Choose a short game you can finish in about three evenings or fewer, with an easy first hour. Pick the opposite of what wore you out, as in palate cleanser games between long RPGs. Then choose tonight’s game from the short games sorted by evenings.
Put the quit game back on the shelf
Shelving isn’t deleting. If you return, re-run the three questions first.
FAQ: quitting a game after 20 hours
1. Is it okay to quit a game after 20 hours?
Yes. Run the three-question test; two or more “no” answers mean shelve it and swap to a short game.
2. How do I know when to quit a game?
Answer the three test questions; two or more “no” answers mean it’s time to quit.
3. Is it okay to quit a game you paid full price for?
Yes. The money is spent either way, so quitting only decides how you spend your next evenings.
4. What is the sunk cost fallacy in gaming?
Continuing a game because of time or money already spent, not because the next hour beats your alternatives.
5. How many evenings to finish a game I’m halfway through?
Subtract hours played from the game’s length, then divide by two for evenings; the table above converts that to weeks.
6. Can I get a refund on a game after 20 hours?
Steam’s standard offer covers 14 days and under two hours played, though you can still ask. Check your platform’s terms.
7. Is it okay to quit a game and come back later?
Yes. Shelve it, and run the three questions again before you commit any more hours.
8. What does “retired” mean on HowLongToBeat?
HowLongToBeat uses it for games players drop before finishing, so quitting a game is a recognised outcome.
9. What if I’m stuck on a boss, not bored?
That’s a guide question, not a quit question. A walkthrough fits better than this test.
10. What should I play after quitting a game?
A short game you can finish in about three evenings or fewer, ideally the opposite of what wore you out.
Quit tonight, swap tomorrow
Yes, it’s okay to quit a game after 20 hours. Answer the three questions tonight, check the evenings left, and if two answers are “no,” shelve it. Then pick your swap from our evening-sorted short game list, where the free This Month’s Evenings planner is waiting.
