games

Gunpoint's a neat stealth/puzzle game about hacking stuff and jumping through windows (very little actual holding people at gunpoint though). Being of that genre, playtime could vary a lot, especially if you try to be perfectionist, but it should be doable in a day. Great jazzy soundtrack too.

Jazzpunk is a weird comedy game, essentially FPS exploration levels with various comedic gags peppered throughout. Again, playtime can vary depending on how thorough you are about checking every single corner for something, but it probably wouldn't take more than say 3-4 hours. Obviously your enjoyment will depend on your sense of humor, but I found it pretty hilarious

Linear FPS campaigns are a good candidate in general, older games could be decently long but there was a period where 5-6 hours (and sometimes shorter) became a pretty common length.

Transformers: Devastation (Can be found on the Internet Archive's Software Clearance Bin).

3D punchy shooty brawler that takes about 6 hours (maybe) to complete the story mode on the first three difficulty levels, longer if you're trying to find all the "secrets" and get SS rank on each mission.

I enjoyed the game Gris, it was a short and simple experience but enjoyable and very pretty. Played it with my partner who has never played games and they enjoyed the experience too

I’m not sure where you draw the line for “short” but the game Stray is only a few hours and really good. It’s cute, you play as a kitty cat in this post apocalyptic setting where all the humans are gone but the robots they used as servants are still around and living underground. The world building is cool and interesting, the puzzles are fun, and it’s visually appealing too.

Somebody else mentioned the game Jalopy, I think that game is a good time too. You’re just trying to travel across the country in a beat up car and keep it running. I played it years ago but remember it as a calm experience that I could just go full zen mode in. Good for relaxing while listening to a podcast or something

Adding a third suggestion of A Short Hike, really a nice game.

Superbrothers: Swords and Sworcery EP.

Animal Well.

Slay the Princess is short enough. You don't need to do all the endings and each one only takes 20 minutes or so

All of The Guild games for the 3DS. They're made by a murderers row of great game designers.

Attack of the Friday Monsters! by Kaz Ayabe (of Boku no Natsu Yasumi fame) and Crimson Shroud by Yasumi Matsuno (of Final Fantasy Tactics game) are among my favorites.

Both of the Deltarune chapters are pretty short and sweet

Return of the Obra Dinn is maybe 4 hours long if you're a clever cookie. Maybe 2-3 times that if you're not good at/use to deduction games. Genuinely one of the best games ever made.

A short hike is great.

Oneshot is about 4 hours long from memory. Solid experience.

Chants of senarr doesn't overstay it's welcome but is maybe stretching it. Heaven's vault is a vastly more translationy language game that is genuinely jaw dropping if that whets your appetite.

Journey

Sable

Slay the Spire runs are fast if you lose and if you're not trying to be giga optimal can take an hour or so to win one. There's even a mod character where you play as the soviet union.

Bugsnax is great, you catch food creatures like Pokémon. The characters are all amazing and it touches on some serious topics.

A while ago I played a sweet retro-vania style game called Odallus that took 8 hours to beat and I remember fondly to this day

The game I made, Kor, has a usual playtime of 6-8 hours which is relatively short for an RPG

Speaking of short and sweet RPGs, both Costume Quest games are fun and cute

The other day on a holiday I decided to knock off a few of these short games.

Inside: It's pretty entertaining

Abzu: kinda of a meh experience, it's no Journey and the controls are too finicky to give to my parents for them to try out.

What remains of edith finch: been meaning to play this for a while, it was worth it, just a pretty cool game.

A short hike: I kinda sped through this one, didn't do any sidequests, which I'm told is a fair way to play, it was cool

I liked Sticky Business

Night in the woods

I had fun with Thank Goodness Your Here. Jalopy is another one I enjoyed. Guacamelee. The Stanley Parable. Spooky's Jumpscare Mansion. I can probably b-hop through Half Life in about an hour and a half, but i've been playing it since release so that's a different thing.

Orb of Creation

There's also dagon which is free

If on a winters night four travelers is free afaik

Xeodrifter is a very short and fun Metroidvania. It's basic, but it has a few more unique mechanics and I enjoyed it

VA-11 Hall-A is comfy, feel free to use a guide like I do and just soak in the vibes. Bartender cyberpunk game is easy to describe it as.

Here are some very short games

A Short Hike. Its a game about climbing to the top of a mountain. You meet cute lil characters and climb up. Thats it. Thats the game. About 2h

Donut County is a story-based physics puzzle game where you play as an ever-growing hole in the ground. Only a bit over 2h

The entire Frog Detective series is made up of 3 games that are each very short. Like less than 2h each.

These 2 other games are best to go in blind. They arent horror games

First Firewatch is a pretty cool mystery type game that is less than 6h.

Second If you want something slightly longer The Forgotten City is a narrative-driven time loop adventure in ancient Rome. Less than 10h (took me 7h but I didnt go for 100%) Really recommend this one