Somewhere between the second kid and the third job title, the controller went into a drawer. Not forever — just “for now.” And now it’s been a few years and you don’t know what you missed, where to start, or whether any of it still feels like it used to.
Here’s the honest answer: it does. But not every game is built for someone with 90 minutes on a good night and a low tolerance for learning six new mechanics before being allowed to play. This list is organized so you can match the game to the time you actually have.
Single Player — New Releases
The safest re-entry point. No teammates waiting on you, no schedule, no catch-up. Just sit down and play.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Platform: PS5 | Read the IGN Review →
You already know Peter Parker. You don’t need to read a wiki or watch a recap video. Spider-Man 2 is a PS5 showcase — one of the best-looking, best-playing games made for the console — and it’s built like a prestige TV series you can put down and pick back up without losing the thread.
Sessions are flexible. The traversal alone (web-swinging through New York) is enjoyable enough that a 30-minute window feels worthwhile. If you have a full evening, the story will hold you there. If you’ve been ignoring your PS5, this is the reason to plug it back in.
Donkey Kong Bananza
Platform: Nintendo Switch 2 | Read the IGN Review →
The first major Donkey Kong game in over a decade — and it’s exactly what the franchise needed. If your gaming memory includes the SNES and NES days, DK coming back in a full-scale platformer hits different. The Switch 2’s hardware was made for this.
It plays with the same energy the series always had: physical, loud, satisfying. The kind of game you hand to your kid for five minutes and then spend an hour taking back.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Platform: Nintendo Switch | Read the IGN Review →
If you played Breath of the Wild — this is the game BotW was building toward. If you missed BotW, start there first (it’s still worth every hour), then come straight to Tears of the Kingdom.
The open world is the same Hyrule, but expanded vertically — sky islands above, underground caverns below, and a new building mechanic that makes the world feel genuinely limitless. It’s a long game, but it’s designed to be played at your pace. You can spend 20 minutes on one puzzle and call it a night. Nothing expires. Hyrule waits.
Hades II
Platform: PC | Read the IGN Review →
The original Hades was already considered one of the best games ever made. The sequel is more of it — more story, more weapons, more runs, more reasons to stay up past midnight.
The roguelite structure is perfect for limited-time gaming: every session is one complete run. You start, you die or you win, you come back stronger. You can quit at literally any point without losing progress — the story unfolds across dozens of runs, drip-fed in a way that works beautifully for people who can only play a few nights a week. This is the rare game that gets better the less time you have for it.
Single Player — Series You May Have Missed
You stepped away from the hobby. These are the franchises that moved forward while you were gone. Each one is worth starting from the beginning — not because you have to, but because they earned it.
The Last of Us
Platform: PS4, PS5, PC | Read the IGN Review →
Parts 1 and 2. In order. No skipping.
If you watched the HBO show and thought it was great television — the games are better. Not a knock on the show; the games are just that good. Part 1 is a 15-hour story about a man crossing a post-outbreak America with a kid who can’t be infected. Part 2 is one of the most ambitious, divisive, emotionally brutal sequels in gaming history.
This is the series that changed what people thought games could be as storytelling.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Platform: PS4, PS5, Xbox, PC | Read the IGN Review →
The entire original Mass Effect trilogy — remastered — in one package. You play as Commander Shepard across three games, and the choices you make in game one carry into games two and three. Characters you save or lose stay saved or lost. It is the closest gaming has come to a choose-your-own-adventure trilogy where the choices actually matter.
The first game is a slow burn, especially the combat. Stay with it. By Mass Effect 2 you’ll understand why this is considered one of the best game series ever made.
Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition
Platform: PS4, PC (Horizon Forbidden West on PS5) | Read the IGN Review →
A world where robotic dinosaurs roam the wilderness and nobody knows why. You play as Aloy, trying to find out. The premise sounds ridiculous and plays beautifully — open world exploration, archery-based combat, and one of the better video game mysteries of the last decade.
The Complete Edition includes the DLC. Once you finish it, Horizon Forbidden West (PS5) continues the story in an even larger world. Start here.
Uncharted
Platform: PS4, PS5 (Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection on PC) | Read the IGN Review →
If Indiana Jones had a gaming franchise, it would be Uncharted. Nathan Drake, treasure hunter, constant sarcasm, and set pieces that rival anything in theaters. The Nathan Drake Collection (games 1–3) is the entry point. Uncharted 4 is the conclusion, and it’s one of the best endings in gaming.
The Legacy of Thieves Collection (Uncharted 4 + The Lost Legacy) is also available on PC if you’re not on PlayStation. Pick it up wherever you can.
Tomb Raider — The Survivor Trilogy
Platform: All platforms | Read the IGN Review →
Lara Croft came back in 2013 and the reboot was a hit for a reason. The new trilogy — Tomb Raider (2013), Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider — is a survival origin story before the iconic Lara you remember. It has the nostalgia pull without requiring you to have played the originals.
All three are widely available, regularly on sale, and each one runs 12–15 hours. Good value, good pacing, good re-entry game.
Multiplayer — Get Back In the Game
This is where it gets social. These three picks cover every style of re-entry — classic nostalgia, franchise comfort, and modern squad gaming.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 — Black Ops Classics Playlist
Platform: PS5, Xbox, PC | Read the IGN Review →
The Black Ops Classics playlist is why older CoD players are coming back. No wall running. No sliding across the map. No futuristic nonsense. Just boots-on-the-ground, 6v6, map control multiplayer the way it was during the era you remember best.
If your gaming golden age was Black Ops 1 or 2, this playlist was built specifically to bring you back. The maps feel familiar, the pacing is right, and the skill gap rewards game sense over reflexes — which is exactly what 35-year-old dads need it to do.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection
Platform: Xbox, PC | Read the IGN Review →
Every mainline Halo game from Combat Evolved through Halo 4, remastered, in one package. Every classic map. Every playlist. Whatever game in the series you remember most — it’s in here.
The Master Chief Collection is the definitive nostalgia pick for the Xbox generation. The multiplayer community is still active, the classic playlists are curated, and the matchmaking will find you a game. If Halo was your game in college, this is your way back in.
Fortnite
Platform: PC, PS5, Xbox, Switch, Mobile — free to play | Read the IGN Review →
If you haven’t touched Fortnite since the early days, it’s worth another look. The building mechanic that put everyone off now has a dedicated Zero Build mode — just shooting, looting, and playing the map. No architecture degree required.
More importantly: it’s where a lot of people already are. If your group of friends needs one game everyone owns, on every platform, that they can play together tonight for free — this is it. The game keeps evolving, the seasonal content stays fresh, and it’s legitimately fun with a squad.
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