I Did The Math: My Gaming Backlog Is 1,880 Hours Long

Back when I was a kid, getting a new game was a rare event—usually reserved for a birthday or Christmas. Digital stores didn’t exist, so you either saved up for a physical copy or borrowed one from a friend. We played fewer games, but we played them until they were worn thin. Today, that experience is a memory, replaced by a digital library that feels less like a collection and more like a burden.

With Steam seeing over 20,000 new releases last year, being spoiled for choice has become a genuine problem for both my wallet and my free time. I still have Xbox 360 games sealed in cellophane that I bought years ago, and my backlog is only growing. I decided to stop guessing how bad it was and actually do the math.

Crunching The Numbers

To get a realistic estimate, I accounted for every game I own—both physical and digital—that I could feasibly play right now. I included older handhelds like my PSP and 3DS, along with my PS3 and Xbox 360, as these consoles are still set up and ready to go. I excluded consoles I don't currently have connected, such as the Wii, Wii U, and PS2, to keep the list grounded in reality. Once I gathered the list, I used howlongtobeat.com to find the average playtime for each title.

The result? I am staring down 1,880 hours of unplayed content. And that is a conservative estimate.

To keep the numbers honest, I excluded any games I had already started, even if I had only put a few hours into them. I also focused strictly on the average playtime, ignoring the massive amount of extra time I could sink into side content. I also avoided counting games I don't own yet, as I’ve learned that buying games at launch when they will just sit in the queue is a losing strategy.

Is A Year-Long Backlog Even Clearable?

If I were incredibly optimistic about my free time, I could theoretically commit 27 hours a week to gaming: three hours every weekday evening and six hours on both Saturday and Sunday. At that aggressive pace, it would take me over a year to finish my current backlog.

Of course, that is entirely unrealistic. Between work, family commitments, and events, that kind of schedule is impossible to maintain. Plus, it doesn’t account for the new games I’ll inevitably pick up for work or fun, which will only add to the pile. I don’t even remember the last time I consciously picked a game from my backlog to finish.

The reality is that my time is always going to be divided. Final Fantasy 14 remains a constant in my life, and some evenings I just want to do nothing at all. However, doing the math did offer one positive realization: a surprising number of the games I own are actually quite short. While the "meat" of my backlog might remain untouched for the foreseeable future, there are plenty of smaller titles I could clear out with just a little bit of focus. As for the rest? I suppose if there’s ever an apocalypse, I’ll be well-covered for entertainment, provided the power stays on.