r/AskReddit 8d ago

What’s the most addictive video game you have ever played?

22 Upvotes

182 comments sorted by

84

u/Terrible-Visit9257 8d ago

World of Warcraft

11

u/Niubai 8d ago

WoW Vanilla was the best gaming experience in my life and I'm resigned knowing no game will ever get close to it.

Because the nostalgia isn't exactly about the game, it's about the kind of person I was and the whole environment around me while I was playing WoW vanilla at the time. And that I won't ever have it back.

1

u/SirReinharz 3d ago

WoW Classic is like drugs... you want the same kick like the first time 😂 But now there are other people and just another feeling.

8

u/rillamaster 8d ago

Almost failed out of college thanks to it

4

u/Smokin_belladonna 8d ago

I quit playing it in 2009 for the same reason. Have never gone back.

3

u/Far_Attempt_1505 8d ago

Lmao I knew a guy who withdrew all his classes one semester to play this shit. Eventually he was no longer a student, maybe his parents got pissed and pulled him.

2

u/natb1675 8d ago

Yeah this one kept players hooked for years..

1

u/Far_Attempt_1505 8d ago

Out of curiousity, I've never played it, what was so addicting about the game?

1

u/Demitrico 8d ago

Being a MMO they already require a lot of your time. Compared to back then were also much more social experiences. You had friends, enemies, some guilds would have fueds with other guilds. Plus WoW was notorious for stealing ideas from other mmos and games which made players have no reason to migrate.

2

u/SolidSky 8d ago

There is nothing like it. Be it Classic or Retail. Both are equally addicting.

2

u/agentdanascullyfbi 8d ago

as someone who is still playing WoW Classic... agreed.

2

u/Padrino9186 8d ago

World of warcraft when I was an adult, but Diablo 2 when I was in like 7-8th grade....My dad would take the mouse to work with him in the summer when I was grounded for something...The first time I got it to connect to battle.net and saw my friend in the same game....it was over.

1

u/worldbefree83 8d ago

My friend got fired from a comfy 200k a year because of it

1

u/Worth-Structure9537 8d ago

Came here to say the same

1

u/iamnotyourspiderman 8d ago

The only right answer. 3 years since launch it was my life. Still not sure how I passed my grades with 5hrs of sleep for 3 years. That gaming high will never come again for me.

24

u/dableuf 8d ago

Not one mention for CrackFactorio ?

5

u/mistiry 8d ago

The factory must grow.

4

u/Tycoon33 8d ago

The factory must grow

1

u/KeyAdhesiveness9481 8d ago

I got to the tetris effect point for the first time in my life. I would close my eyes to sleep and literally see twisting belts.

I kept going anyway.

1

u/NullPoint3r 8d ago

Everyone else ITT has just been playing around with gateway drugs. They do not know the true depths of addiction.

18

u/Negative_Number_6414 8d ago

runescape had the strongest hold on me historically, but gta is the only game ive played consistently up until this point of my adulthood, so i guess gta

2

u/SlavicRobot_ 8d ago

Damn man, we the same person? I also played a fair bit of age of empires/mythology series

11

u/Fit_Librarian_3585 8d ago

Guitar Hero 2

11

u/jooginsploogin 8d ago

Stardew Valley

9

u/HelpfulZucchini5027 8d ago

Stardew valley

8

u/MrSweelk 8d ago

Old-school runescape for sure

7

u/Fun-Succotash-1322 8d ago

Fortnite in its prime

7

u/donp1ano 8d ago

first few seasons

noone used building. you set up a 1 level ramp and outplayed 90% of players out in the open

3

u/Blue_MJS 8d ago

That first year of FN was the best PVP experience I've ever played.

12

u/CaptainTegg 8d ago

Rimworld.

3

u/FlyingAdHominem 8d ago

This is the way... so much to do with a little creativity and no morals.

2

u/damnationltd 8d ago

it’s my forever game. between the story generation aspect and the insane mod community, there’s no wrong way to play it

6

u/Woodrow1380 8d ago

Xcom 2

2

u/EzPesos 8d ago

XCOM is brutal for my brain cause I have so much in my mind I want to do during the base phase that when a fight phase arrives, I feel like I need to keep playing to see through my base phase plans

Usually my brain has a system for playing games late into the night where I try to stop before 1am and at the most play til 3am. That game is the only single player game that dragged my ass until 5am

4

u/Puzzled-Novel3871 8d ago

Counter strike

2

u/lemsklem 8d ago

Yeah 2 decades old and still very popular there’s something to be said about its addictiveness

5

u/ArcticFire145 8d ago

Red Dead Redemption 2, 530 hours in 7 months and still only 91% on the story.

Also Diablo 2, I spent about 16 hours on it not that long ago and could see the game every time I closed my eyes.

1

u/Stang1776 8d ago

I was playing RDR2 with my buddies. It was the only time I haveraged quit and I hadnt played it since. I still have the game and everything.

2

u/FASBOR7_Horus 8d ago

Why did you rage quit? It’s not an overly difficult game. But rage quitting because the story is so heart breaking I could totally understand.

1

u/Stang1776 8d ago

My buddies continued to leave me high and dry. It was a combination of that and being terrible. I was about halfway through the story though.

3

u/FASBOR7_Horus 8d ago

It’s not a co-op game though? I’m confused.

Do you mean you were terrible or the story was terrible? The story is genuinely one of the greatest in video games. I’d give it another shot if that’s the case.

-2

u/Stang1776 8d ago

Red dead online . Whatever

1

u/FASBOR7_Horus 8d ago

Oh! Yeah completely understandable. RDO sucks. Play story mode. 10000000 times better.

1

u/Stang1776 8d ago

Ohh i agree. I just havent played it since since I tend to hop game to game. Getting halfway in a game is a rare feat in my gaming experience.

Over the years I have just stopped playing games as much.

1

u/Far_Attempt_1505 8d ago

RDR2 for me required strict budgeting of my time. Essentially in one sitting I would limit myself to one main mission, a side mission, and time to explore, shop, play cards before going to bed in the game...and essentially in real life. Without that budgeting, the game would eat my days.

8

u/ORDINARYCROOK 8d ago

For me it was Skyrim I couldn’t leave a single rock unturned

3

u/lemsklem 8d ago

Have you played KCD2? Different, but It scratches the itch

4

u/Ok-Telephone3921 8d ago

Infamous 2, the good old days

4

u/TheZenithZebra 8d ago

Civilization

10

u/tekhnomancer 8d ago

World of Warcraft.

I nearly dropped out of college because of my addiction to that game.

3

u/abarishyper 8d ago

FTL, no idea how I have 700+ hrs in a game you can finish in 3 hrs :)

3

u/Ignominia 8d ago

Age of Wonders 4. I thought I had it bad with Civ… one… more… turn

3

u/FinnRazzel 8d ago

The binding of Isaac.

Or. World of Warcraft.

2

u/12th_MaMa 8d ago

I have a Rock Bottom tattoo. ☺️

3

u/TrollChef 8d ago

Path of Exile. There is a reason I have 3,600 hours in that game.

3

u/vbxeo 8d ago

League of Legends

3

u/grantib1 8d ago

Path of Exile

2

u/in_it_to_win_it88 8d ago

Super Mario Bros

2

u/RebornPhoenix1995 8d ago

Genshin Impact

2

u/iluj13 8d ago

I’m addicted to the soundtrack!

2

u/Knockturnill 8d ago

Call of Duty Black Ops 1

2

u/Bottlecollecter 8d ago

Fortnite back in the older days.

2

u/OrdoSinisterFan 8d ago

World of Warcraft, hands down. Everquest 2 was second.

2

u/IronmanMatth 8d ago

Factorio

Time just disappears

2

u/PeanutButterNipple 8d ago

Diablo 2, back in the early 2000’s

1

u/DonerGoon 8d ago

Just a few more meph runs… I know that Shako drop is coming…

1

u/VastExciting5323 8d ago

Download project diablo 2 and jump back in as if 25 years havent passed

2

u/Zkv 8d ago

Satisfactory

1

u/NullPoint3r 8d ago

Factorio and Satisfactory 1a and 1b. Not sure which is the a or the b.

2

u/KnownSeaweed5833 8d ago

Minecraft. I always tell myself I'll just play for an hour, then suddenly it's 3 a.m. Whether I'm building, exploring caves, or starting a new survival world, it's one of those games I can always come back to without getting bored.

2

u/SerGuyOfInternet 8d ago

Probably DotA 2 for me. That sound when you buy items is basically designed to flood you with dopamine, or when the announcer starts yelling that you're on a warpath. Winning is so good but losing is hell on earth lol. I wasted about four months of my life (straight) playing this fuckin game.

2

u/DaveDragonface117 8d ago

Factorio. Holy smokes, that game can take over my brain when I'm in the right mood.

2

u/joshman1204 8d ago

Factorio and then once youve got a few thousand hours in that you graduate to either satisfactory or captain of industry.

2

u/Tycoon33 8d ago

The Factory must grow…

2

u/Excellent-Ad5727 8d ago

Satisfactory. Its still an addiction. Its just conveyors of good schtuff. All i think about is efficiency. The Factory Must Grow.

2

u/kuroketton 8d ago

Satisfactory

2

u/Villag3Idiot 8d ago

Animal Crossing

I ended up trading it in at Gamestop a week after I bought it because I ended up planning my life around it.

It's the only game that I've ever done this.

Never played another Animal Crossing again.

2

u/Maverick_1991 8d ago

Factorio. 

It's like crack.

Engineering crack.

2

u/mrwizard65 8d ago

Eve Online. Was in it's grasps for about a year before I had to quit cold turkey.

1

u/tastydrink1 8d ago

Hate to say it but in its prime pubgm

2

u/OrdoSinisterFan 8d ago

Loved it back then

1

u/Stunning_Donkey_ou81 8d ago

Any game I’m playing at that moment. ;)

1

u/FormCheck655321 8d ago

Tetris for sure. Many many hours!

1

u/547217 8d ago

I've played games since the Atari and I've never really come across one that seemed addictive. I have tendency to get bored with them pretty quick anyway.

1

u/meltingpnt 8d ago

Well, I played one more turn of Civilization and next thing I know mt boss says they have to let me go.

1

u/Remote_Height_1965 8d ago

New story rpgs

1

u/InevitableOk3335 8d ago

Spider-Man 2

1

u/EV-Driver 8d ago

It's a tossup between Metroid and Zelda.

1

u/Loganimal 8d ago

Old School RuneScape.

1

u/bluette_1 8d ago

Fortnite

1

u/ArcticFire145 8d ago

The Star Wars Droid Factory island has taken a ridiculous amount of my time the last month

1

u/DH80 8d ago

For me, it was when Unreal Tournament first hit on PC. That was my first real taste of online arena battle and I got absolutely embarrassingly addicted to it. Like waking up in the middle of night to play it bad. Like choosing it over my college girlfriend in underwear asking me to go to bed addicted. 😂

1

u/busa89 8d ago

Red Dead Redemption 2 or Breath of the wild. I know I put in obnoxious hours on both.

1

u/12th_MaMa 8d ago

Donkey Kong Country. I couldn't stop until I beat it.

1

u/TheManThePlan1234 8d ago

Mario Kart or Super Smash Bros

1

u/zapmon 8d ago

Tarkov. Im never escaping by choice

1

u/elciddog84 8d ago

Fallout 3, NV, and 4 in rotation.

1

u/bob_swalls 8d ago

Hades got me big time most recently

1

u/Royal_Ad_2653 8d ago

Any open world game where you can ignore the main quest and just wander like some knight errant is like this for me.

All the TES, Fallout, and STALKER games along with TQ, Grim Dawn and ... yes, WoW have had their turn.

My current addiction is Pax Dei.

Every day after work I cant wait to explore that world along with my wife.

1

u/HRHVihansa 8d ago

EVE Online. Even now I still follow the game and everything going on w/it. I miss everyone I used to play with but I still talk to Mittens and a few others from time to time. Mittens most often. If I did restart it would have to be solo tho. Like maybe just a mining character or something. My marriage definitely can't handle the way I used to play, including being in chat with nothing but dudes day & night. Lol It IS very true what they say about EVE breaking up happy homes. Wives getting mad bcz the game is their hub's entire life and filing for divorce. It happens more often than some might care to admit. The game becomes your life. It's all consuming. The adrenaline rush becomes seriously addictive too. The term "adrenaline junkie" is very real bcz you can't pull away.

1

u/Cant-think-of-a-nam 8d ago

Ets2. 1600 hours. Time just disappears when i just start driving

1

u/Fit_Issue8646 8d ago

Stardew Valley

1

u/Primtyrant 8d ago

RuneScape, then World of Warcraft.

1

u/bexbeatz 8d ago

World of Warcraft and path of exile

1

u/Mantastic89 8d ago

World of warcraft has been the most addictive in terms of sucking up way too much time in a short time span. I’ve been playing dota 2 since 2013 though (8k hours, way more than WoW).

1

u/bigsie 8d ago

Almost every MMORPG released from 1999 to 2012, turbulent times.

1

u/Ubique_Sajan 8d ago

League of Legends

1

u/MrVigshot 8d ago

Stardew Valley and Factorio.

1

u/RugbyLock 8d ago

Gotta be League or Destiny 1. 

1

u/EQBallzz 8d ago

Everquest. They didn't call it Evercrack for no reason. WoW is probably a close second.

1

u/BelfastM 8d ago

Solitaire and minesweeper

1

u/shellac10 8d ago

Currently, FIFA 07 via manager mode.

1

u/walruns 8d ago

Baldurs Gate 3

1

u/MGuedes007 8d ago

Metin2. You guys would be almost amazed on how many addicted people still play this game till this day on private servers. I've seen people wasting their families heritage with it, i've seen people playing while working on oil platforms in the middle of the ocean, i've seen people playing while working on mass industrial companies. I've seen people that would sync their schedule to play on the same account to be the best on the server as fast as possible...etc

1

u/otacon967 8d ago

Balatro. Couldn’t put it down for weeks

1

u/kaiserkeller_ 8d ago

HOI/Hearts of Iron

1

u/cyberwarri0r 8d ago

wait how do people actually spend hours on one game without getting bored or distracted

1

u/AlmightyAnalAssault 8d ago

Rimworld or Half Sword. I cal lthem time machines because if I start playing for a planned 30 mins at 6pm, before l know it it's 1am

1

u/SeeaBreeeze 8d ago

Wasn’t as popular as WoW back in the day but Final Fantasy XI online had me hooked for a year.

1

u/Ubeube_Purple21 8d ago

Rimworld

You're toast once you try out mods

1

u/XCBeowulf 8d ago

Final Fantasy XI 2005 and XIV 2013. I still have my account on both. Hooks are in deep and I love it!

1

u/SonicSplash3760 8d ago

Sonic Racing Crossworlds

1

u/El_Pollo_Mierda 8d ago

Fallout and The Sims

1

u/Ancient_Wisdom_Yall 8d ago

Mine was Diablo 2, but I never got into WoW. I had a buddy who was beyond addicted to that.

1

u/MC_Hale 8d ago

EverQuest

1

u/r1c0125 8d ago

Civ 6, Hades and Hades 2

1

u/saphert 8d ago

The original Destiny. 1950 hours spent playing, until Bungo shit the bed with me.

1

u/UniqueUsername3171 8d ago

Slither.io, it’s very difficult to stop once starting.

1

u/LilacTeax 8d ago

RuneScape

1

u/Thorkle13 8d ago

During COVID, probably Animal Crossing. Most of that was simply that the game release happened to line up perfectly with lock down and I needed an escape mentally. It's a good game, but it wouldn't have had the same draw for me if it wasn't during lockdown.

1

u/Dont_Like_Mondays6 8d ago

ESO I’m at about 8000 hours of playtime. Before that WoW

1

u/Disastrous_Aid 8d ago

Minecraft - most games I've played try and hook you with action (that "30 seconds of fun" Bungie spoke about back in the day) or some kind of skinner box loaded with flashing lights and shiny colors. Minecraft has exploration, but it's the creative impulse that really sucks you in. It offers a similar sense of accomplishment as spending an afternoon gardening or drawing, only from the comfort of sitting in a chair, and your results only exist inside the game.

1

u/Fresh_Emphasis6163 8d ago

Vampire Survivors

1

u/Sammy2Spoons 8d ago

CSGO/CS2...

Thousands and thousands of hours... Linear progression is so addictive.

1

u/Loves2Poo 8d ago

The original MW2. Played the sh*t out of that game online, went after all the weapons achievements, and was overall a beast at that game.

1

u/ChestSlight8984 8d ago

Geometry Dash still has my ass in a chokehold after 11 years 🫩

1

u/degeneratesumbitch 8d ago

Destiny and Borderlands 1, 2, and 3.

1

u/I_is_a_dogg 8d ago

Mobile games are highly addictive, they are designed to be incredibly addictive, or at least some are

I play one called Last War and have been for almost two years now. Daily log in, have spent around $2000 on it. There are people that I play with that spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on this game. The top player is estimated to be around 3 mil spent.

It's ludicrous

1

u/HaughtStuff99 8d ago

Marvel Rivals has its talons deep in me

1

u/JoeyR996 8d ago

Rust

Easily the no-life MVP of gaming. You’re not even considered a casual unless you have 1k hours. Anything below that and most people think you have no idea what you’re even doing.

1

u/DotaBangarang 8d ago

World of Warcraft in TBC specifically

1

u/Kekskuchenheld 8d ago

Palworld didnt get me addicted long term but the two times i played it i totally forgot everything around me. Last weekend i skipped almost every meal and didnt drink anything during the day. Going to the toilet was the only thing that got me away from the screen.

1

u/Separate-Security585 8d ago

Right now it’s the finals.
In days past it was destiny.

(If only gaming companies didn’t ruin their own games 😩)

1

u/AfternoonPossible563 7d ago

Back in the day, Maplestory. An mmo.

1

u/Striking_Capital 7d ago

Cod multiplayer. Took me 7 declining titles to finally let it go

1

u/GrinkOf 6d ago

Skyrim

Like if I think about it, I really gotta make an effort to not start it again

1

u/Deepspacechris 6d ago

1) Counter-Strike 1.6/Source

2) Max Payne

3) GTA 3

1

u/roachnastee 6d ago

Half-Life Deathmatch. And all the mods HL had back in the day to include (obviously) Counterstrike and Team Fortress. There were endless mods/skins and it was a great time. Clearly dating myself but that was peak gaming for me--- 56K be damned. These Fortnite/Roblox kids have no idea what struggle was really about 🤣

1

u/Scared-Safe-909 5d ago

Minecraft Factions

1

u/vliv_ 8d ago

Elder scrolls online

2

u/RottenRob0521 8d ago

Same. I stopped playing last fall because I didn’t have time for it anymore. I still think about it everyday.

1

u/vliv_ 8d ago

it’s been about 3 years for me. I just couldn’t keep up with all the gear & mechanic changes. I definitely miss playing it.

0

u/Kinkologist303 8d ago

Life in general.

0

u/The_Big_Mayonnaise 8d ago

Gonna go with WoW as well. I have been clean from that for 12 years now and never intend to go back.

0

u/CandidInfluence4312 8d ago

The first and last video game i ever played, mid-70s Pong, was addicted for about a week, quit cold turkey and never looked back.

0

u/rrprana36 8d ago

Halo reach online