Which would you choose? It's a question I asked myself quite a while ago and meant to make the thread back then but better late than never.

I'm pretty clear on my answer:

1. Tales of Symphonia (My favorite game. I don't play it often but definitely would want to be able to replay it)
2. Warcraft 3 (I play it every week, probably the game I'm most certain I'll never stop playing)
3. The Witcher 3 (Third favorite of all-time and a huge open world game is a great fit if you play few games. Might as well 100 % it once more)
4. World of Warcraft (You could play only this and still have enough video game to go around, I've felt tempted somestimes to drop most other games to do that)
5. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Brawl is still my favorite, but being portable and on modern hardware earns Ultimate the spot)

As much as I love playing new titles, I think I'd be honestly quite content with this list though there are of course a few games I would eventually miss. If I could fit a few more I think I'd also make room for Tears of the Kingdom (for the same reasons as The Witcher 3) and Baldur's Gate 3 (even though it's not one of my top favorites but it's a nice game to chill with and a great candidate for a game to spend 1000+ hours on).

That's a great question.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023) — I'd love to include both games from the BotW/TotK dualogy, but I feel that would be a waste. While I prefer BotW, Tears simply has more places to explore and more things to do. I can enjoy it for hundreds and hundreds of hours
2. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (2002) — Here's another I can play at my leisure for hundreds of hours. With so many potential builds, classes, decisions, and allegiances to explore and with so much real estate to cover, it's perfect for a future with only five games at my disposal
3. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017) — Here's a racer with an obscene amount of content, thanks to the Booster Course Pass DLC. And it allows me to play competitively online if I get bored playing solo. Plus, I know all my closest friends and family members own it :P
4. Pokémon Pokopia (2026) — A month ago, I would have listed Animal Crossing: New Horizons, in order to secure my cozy life simulation fix. But Pokopia is even more in my wheelhouse. It's more about exploration and adventure, and less about design. Plus, after 700+ hours, I'm unsure what else I can accomplish in New Horizons
5. Super Mario 64 (1996) — I have a bunch of single-player games that will take months to topple; I need one that can be beaten in about a week to serve as a palate cleanser. That game is Super Mario 64, which is joyful, inviting, and infinitely replayable. And it's my favorite game to 100%

These aren't the five best games ever made, but they come from different genres — action-adventure, RPG, racing, simulation, and platformer — and provide a lot of bang for the buck.

It would be like: 3 MMO, 1 FPS and 1 shmup.

1. Punch-Out!! (NES)
2. Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum and Fun! (Switch)
3. Pokémon HeartGold (NDS)
4. Metroid: Zero Mission (GBA)
5. Xenoblade Chronicles DE (Switch)

This is all I need.

Five? Shoot, I could whittle it down to a lean one: SMB 3.

Cities: Skylines 2 and osu! seem like the easy picks for me, because there's probably an endless amount of fun to be had in both. Minecraft is also a likely pick, precisely for the same reason. Grim Dawn is probably my fourth pick, because it seems if you want to try out everything interesting in the game, it'll take thousands of hours. For my last pick, I'm not entirely sure. It's possibly between Crusader Kings III, Left 4 Dead 2 (if good company is assured), and some Total War game (probably Three Kingdoms based on those I've played), but Left 4 Dead 2 is the only one I've played enough to know well enough what I'd be getting into in the long term. I suspect Crusader Kings III would be the least risky pick, so I'll go for that.

As always, I'm sure I've missed some great picks, so my list will probably look a bit different in some years, even if restricted only to games released by the time I'm posting this.

World of Warcraft- endless time to play
Nioh 2- Late game grind and multiple weapons to experiment with, can do solo and multiplayer
League of Legends- Endless multiplayer
Monster Hunter (World)- Lots of time getting all the gear and multiple weapons to experiment with, can do solo or multiplayer
Hearts of Iron IV- At least right now gets tons of content and multiple countries to play with, can do solo or multiplayer

All multiplayer games so endless fun as long as friends play with you.

I could just go on as I have been the last couple years.

Puzzling Places, GT7, Synthriders. Puzzles, racing and music is all I need.

I'll add Everquest I still want to get back to some day to play together again and/or WoW.

Assuming compilations aren't allowed as a get-around. Was tough to cut Resident Evil 4 (original), as I've sunk so many hours into that game.

Tomb Raider II
I love how methodical this game is, and I find it endlessly replayable. There's so many ways to approach it. Pistols only? All kills? All pickups? No health packs? Speedrun? A combination of many approaches? Endless fun for me.

Yoshi's Island
My favourite game, so had to include this.

Super Mario 64
Had to pick between this and Super Mario Sunshine, as I really enjoy playing both. I think the magic of Super Mario 64 and what it means to me in my gaming journey won me over here though.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
As above, had to choose between this and Twilight Princess. And probably picked this for the same reasons as Super Mario 64 (even though I slightly prefer TP).

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1-2 Remake
Not sure if this counts as two games, as they were combined into one for the remake (if it does, then I'd opt for just THPS2). Highly addictive game(s) great for long gaming sessions, or a quick pick up and play.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
2. Super Mario Odyssey (or 64… or Sunshine)
3. MarioKart Wii
4. Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure
5. Pikmin 2