Ah, the backlog. For some, a gaming backlog is a badge of honor—a unique look into your gaming history that spans console generations, genres, and publishers. For others, the gaming backlog is a curse—the reason you sleep at night with an eye open, terrified that the ghosts of your past will haunt you if you don’t roll the credits in your favorite open world before Grand Theft Auto VI comes out.
Regardless of your feelings on the backlog, we’re united by a common purpose: Complete as much of it as humanly possible. Here at The Punished Backlog, we know a thing or two about backlog challenges gone awry. It’s hard to finish a gaming backlog ever, let alone in 12 months… but we’re optimists, dear reader, and we believe it can be done.
So! As we prepare for 2025 and all the backlogged games lying in wait, we wanted to share our personal strategies with you. In this article, you’ll learn how to complete a gaming backlog and feel slightly less guilty about the whole “punished backlog” thing.
Let’s rock and roll.
7 Steps To Complete Your Gaming Backlog
Don’t know where to start in your quest to free your disk drive of abandoned video games? We’ve got you covered.
Follow our tips, and finish your gaming backlog once and for all:
1. Take Inventory of Your Backlog
If you haven’t sized up that massive stack of games yet, now’s the time. Round up that PlayStation 1 or Nintendo 64 collection that’s been gathering dust for years, and put all your games in one convenient place. Take a picture for motivation, if it helps. The idea is to get a general sense of how many titles are in your backlog, so you can figure out how to tackle them.
If you’re particularly detail-oriented, also note each title’s genre, platform, and time to beat. (How Long To Beat is a life-saver for scoping out those massive RPGs you’ve yet to touch.) I like to add this information to a spreadsheet for easy sorting, but YMMV. This isn’t your day job, and I’m not your parent. Do what you want!
2. Cancel Your Gaming Subscription Services
I know, I know. Game Pass is great. That Black Ops 6 campaign is calling to you. But newsflash: If you’re spending the bulk of your time playing a paid subscription, you’re burning dollars you could be saving by playing a completely free subscription known as Your Video Game Backlog.
So, cancel ’em. If you must stick with one, check out our best video game subscription services guide to narrow down the available choices. Otherwise, your goal is to hone in on the games you already own and make a serious dent. (Tip: You can always pick back up with a subscription later.)
3. Set a Realistic Target for the Year
Let’s be real: Unless you just started your backlog this year, odds are you’re not going to complete it anytime soon. For many of us, that’s reason enough not to try at all. Unfortunately, that’s a mental barrier that’ll sink your odds of success—that is, unless you’re willing to embrace a simple mindset shift.
Ask yourself this: What if I could chip away at only 10 games? Five games, even? Would I feel motivated to do so? We’d like to think you would.
If you feel the same, entertain us. Set a realistic target for the games you’d like to complete in 2025. This isn’t a foreign concept; if you’re a reader, perhaps you’ve participated in Goodread’s annual reading challenge. The same philosophy applies here. By committing to a set number of games—and giving yourself a deadline—you dramatically increase your odds of seeing that goal though.
4. Invite an Accountability Buddy (or Group)
Here’s an easy one. If you’re daunted by the scale of your backlog, consider embarking on your quest with a friend. A buddy doesn’t just make the proceedings more fun—they can also help you avoid those impulse purchases you know you’ll make come Black Friday.
At The Punished Backlog, we’re no strangers to group play. From our 2022 summer backlog challenge, in which we played Fire Emblem: Three Houses, to our anniversary playthroughs of EarthBound (25th anniversary) and Signalis (first anniversary), we’ve found power in completing games together.
If nothing else, use your backlog as an excuse to try out that co-op campaign you never had the chance to play. In today’s era of endless live-service games and bloated open worlds, it can be a nice distraction to enjoy something from days past.
5. Try Different Game Lengths and Genres
There’s no right way to complete your gaming backlog—but there’s certainly a “less right” way. If you play five consecutive 100-hour RPGs with nothing in between, you’ll likely get fatigued real quick. Instead, look to break up your challenge with various genres and game lengths.
For my 2024 backlog challenge, I picked a slate of games that would keep me entertained regardless of my gaming mood. I started with Lies of P, a brooding Souls-like with heavy combat and relentless darkness. Still hungry for that experience, I took the opportunity to wrap up an Elden Ring playthrough, only to pivot to Donkey Kong Country and Supergiant’s Pyre as shorter, more upbeat palate cleaners.
Of course, if all you want to play are massive RPGs, by all means, have at it! But if you feel like your gaming sessions are becoming “same old, same old,” don’t be afraid to switch things up.
6. Use the “Two Games Out, One Game In” Rule
This tip’s a personal favorite. If you’re a chronic “sale hunter” like me, you’ve likely built up an impressive backlog of odds and ends. And though it’s easy to gaslight yourself into thinking you’re getting a deal, here’s the reality: You’re probably never playing that $3 copy of Asura’s Wrath anyway. It’s money you’re shooting into space.
To cut down on collector’s editions and console triple-dips, I’ve come up with a policy that’s done me well. Essentially, I can’t buy a game (new, retro, or otherwise) until I clear two others from the backlog. This keeps me from pre-ordering games unless I truly feel it’s a must-have experience.
Of course, I’m not always terrific about following that creed, but it’s a useful north star when navigating busy gaming years like 2024.
7. Hit “Game Over” and Try Again Next Year
This piece is meant to be aspirational—to get you to skip that next Steam sale, boot up that old Metal Gear Solid 2 save, and rest easy knowing you’ve got free entertainment for the foreseeable future. But I’m not 19 anymore (god, I wish); I’ve got a job to work and a dog to walk. We all know beating the video game backlog is an ideal for a reason: It’s hard, dammit!
You likely won’t see success on your first go. If, like me or anyone else on this site, you run into Life’s Issues—a bad breakup, a car that won’t start, a shitty job, (enter Mad Libs here)—it’s okay to punt on your backlog challenge and pick it up next year. The sun will still set. The Game Awards will still air. Nintendo will still Nintendo.
Take solace in the comfort of time, and vow to take that extra life and try again. Your backlog will be there waiting for you.
What Are Your Video Game Backlog Tips?
Let us know in the comments below!
