New Year, New Backlog: How to Finally Beat Your Pile of PC Games in 2026

Be honest for a second: how many games in your library show “Played: 0 minutes”? If your Steam, GOG, or Xbox PC app looks anything like mine, the answer is “way too many.”

2026 is a perfect moment to change that. Instead of making another vague resolution like “this year I’ll play more,” let’s treat your backlog like a real quest log and finally clear it in a smart, systematic way.

Below is a practical, gamer-written guide to:

• Audit your backlog without going insane.

• Decide what’s actually worth playing.

• Build a realistic weekly “gaming plan.”

• Still use Steam keys and game deals… without turning the backlog into an even bigger monster.

No fluff, just systems that actually work in real life.

Step 1: Face the Backlog – But Do It Systematically

The worst thing you can do is open your library, scroll mindlessly for 20 minutes, and then launch nothing. So we’ll treat this like sorting inventory in an RPG.

1. Make a single master list

Pick your main platform first (usually Steam for PC players). Export or manually list your games in a simple spreadsheet or note app. You don’t need every DLC and soundtrack, just the games you might realistically play. If you also use other launchers (GOG, Epic, Origin, Ubisoft, Xbox app), add only titles you actually care about or bought recently. Don’t waste energy on stuff you grabbed in a free promo five years ago and never installed.

2. Tag every game with three things

For each title, assign:

• Length:

  • S = Short (0–10 hours)

  • M = Medium (10–30 hours)

  • L = Long (30+ hours)

• Mood / Genre: Use your own words, not “official tags” (e.g., “Chill story,” “Sweaty shooter,” “Heavy RPG,” “Online with friends”).

• Interest level:

  • 3 – Must play (you were genuinely hyped).

  • 2 – Looks cool (you’re curious, but not desperate).

  • 1 – Impulse buy (probably from a sale bundle at 2 a.m.).

This looks like work, but it’s the most important part. In 30–60 minutes you have a full picture: what you own, how long it is, and how much you actually care.

Step 2: Decide What Deserves Your Time (and What Doesn’t)

This is where we stop pretending every game deserves a fair chance.

The Ruthless “Drop” Category

Anything with interest level 1 that is also:

• Long (L), or

• A genre you don’t really play anymore

…goes straight to the Drop list. You are officially allowed to never touch those games. No guilt. They served their purpose already by giving you a hit of dopamine when you grabbed that bundle.

The “Main Quest” and “Side Quest” Lists

From the remaining games:

• Main Quest list: Interest level 3. Max 8–10 titles total. Mix of lengths (don’t make them all 100-hour epics).

• Side Quest list: Interest level 2. Short & medium titles that look fun. Things you can finish in a weekend or two.

Everything else? Park it in a “Maybe later” list. You’re not deleting it, but you’re also not pretending you’ll play all of it in the next 3 months.

Step 3: Create a Realistic Weekly Gaming Budget

Most backlog plans fail because they ignore the boring truth: you have limited time and energy.

1. Calculate your weekly hours

Be honest. Between work, school, and family, how many evenings can you realistically game? For most adults I know, the real number is around 6–10 hours per week, not 25. Write that number down. That’s your XP budget.

2. Build a “Now / Next / Later” lane system

To avoid analysis paralysis, you’ll never “kind of play 7 things at once.” Instead, use three lanes:

• Now: 1 main game + (optionally) 1 side game.

• Next: 2–3 games waiting in line.

• Later: The rest of your Main / Side Quest list.

The Golden Rules:

• You only start a new game when you finish or drop one in the Now lane.

• The Now lane should always match your current mood. If your week is stressful, don’t force yourself into a hardcore strategy campaign – swap in a cozy or action title.

• Revisit the lanes once a month, not every evening.

This sounds almost stupidly simple, but it works because it removes decision fatigue. You sit down, you know what’s “equipped,” you play.

Step 4: Use the Three-Hour Rule

Here’s the harsh reality: not every famous game will click with you, and that’s okay.

How the Three-Hour Rule works:

1. Give a new game 3 hours of focused play.

2. After those 3 hours, ask yourself:

   • Am I genuinely curious what happens next?

   • Does the core gameplay feel satisfying?

   • If I didn’t own this yet, would I still want to buy it today?

3. If the answer is no to at least two of these, you’re allowed to drop the game permanently.

This rule is crucial for long RPGs and open-world titles. It’s better to drop something at hour 3 than to drag yourself miserably to hour 40 just because it’s “a classic.”

Step 5: Make Deals and Steam Keys Work For You

You run a store, you know the trap: cheap keys everywhere, seasonal sales, FOMO, bundles. Backlog heaven… and hell.

1. Switch from “buying randomly” to “wishlist-first”

From now on, every potential purchase must pass this test:

• Is the game already on my written Main / Side Quest wishlist?

• Will I realistically start it within the next 60 days?

If the answer is “no,” you don’t buy – even if the Steam key is insanely cheap.

2. Use collections instead of scrolling chaos

When you browse a store like RushGame.co, go in with intent:

• Looking for PC single-player stuff? Use a curated collection like PC Game Keys and filter by genre + platform, not only price.

• Want to catch bargains? Check a dedicated Game Deals section once or twice a week, not every day. Treat it like a shop visit, not a reflex.

The goal is to replace impulse buying with targeted hunting.

3. Limit “fun purchases”

If you really like browsing deals (I do), set a simple limit:

• Max 1 spontaneous purchase per month that’s not on your list.

• It must be a short or medium-length game, not a 120-hour timesink.

That way you keep the joy of discovering random gems without blowing up your backlog again.

Step 6: Build Rituals, Not Resolutions

Backlog plans die when they clash with real life. So instead of one big “New Year’s Resolution,” we’ll create a few tiny habits.

1. The Weekly Check-in (Sunday evening)

Look at your Now / Next lane. Are you still excited about what’s there? Decide what you’ll play on two specific evenings next week. That’s it.

2. The Finish Line Ritual

When you finally finish a game:

• Write a tiny personal review (3–5 sentences) in your notes or on Steam.

• Mark it as “Completed 2026.”

• Take a screenshot.

Why? Because it gives you a sense of progression. At the end of 2026, you’ll be able to look at a list of finished titles and think, “Okay, I actually played a lot this year.”

Step 7: Co-Op, Live Service and “Forever Games”

Backlogs are extra tricky if you also play multiplayer games that never end. Realistically, you can only give serious attention to 1–2 long-term games at a time (e.g., Apex Legends, Destiny 2, ARC Raiders). Everything beyond that starts eating your single-player time.

Set hard boundaries:

• “Max 2 evenings per week for my forever game(s).”

• “No starting a new seasonal grind if I’m already behind in another.”

Example: A Realistic 2026 Backlog Plan

To make this less abstract, here’s what a sane plan for a busy gamer might look like:

• Weekly gaming time: 8 hours

• Now lane:

  • Main: 1 big RPG (40–60 hours)

  • Side: 1 short indie (6–8 hours)

• Next lane: 2 medium-length action/adventure games.

• Forever game: 1 co-op shooter with friends (max 2 evenings/week).

• Purchases: Only buy from written wishlist. Check Game Deals once a week.

If you stick reasonably close to this, by the end of 2026 you could have:

• 4–6 big games finished,

• 8–12 shorter titles cleared,

• And still regular sessions with your online squad.

Final Thoughts: You Don’t Have to Finish Everything

The most important mindset shift for 2026 is this: Your backlog is not a list of chores. It’s a menu.

You don’t go to a restaurant and feel guilty because you didn’t order every dish. You pick what looks best today, you enjoy it to the fullest, and next time you try something else.

Treat your games the same way. Use the systems above to pick fewer titles, play them more intentionally, and feel good about dropping what doesn’t click. If you combine this with smarter shopping – building your library around PC game keys and hand-picked deals instead of random impulse buys – 2026 can finally be the year you stop feeling overwhelmed by your backlog and start actually enjoying it.

And that’s the whole point, right?