The PS4 Game That Takes The Shortest Time To Beat

There's no shortage of great games on the PS4, with new titles still being released. However, many gamers lack time to split between lengthy titles like "Horizon" and "TLOU." Lucky for those looking for a quick gaming fix, there are some short PS4 games, including a petite indie title that takes the cake as the PS4's shortest game of all time.

According to crowdsourced data from HowLongToBeat, the shortest PS4 game on the market is "Spectrewoods." The tiny title has an average playtime of 7 minutes and 50 seconds, according to the results of 13 players, who represented a range of playstyles from rushed to completionist and everything in between.

"Spectrewoods" was developed and published by The Voices Games, which is self-described as an "indie developer of many years currently seeing some success on PS4." The game is a bargain at $0.49 on PS4, which is only fair given its record-setting brevity. PC gamers can download it on itch.io for a dollar, or two dollars as part of a bundle with other The Voices Games titles. There's also a $0.99 bundle on Steam. So, is it worth playing? It depends on who one asks.

According to its creators, "Specrewoods" is "a horror themed 3rd person shooter where you follow the flowers which grow out of the ground when you get near to reach the exit." There's also a midnight woodland wedding involved, at least until spectres get in the way of that – it's clear where the title "Spectrewoods" comes from, and that's about as deep as the game gets. The handful of Metacritic reviews for "Spectrewoods" are polarizing, with some labeling it amongst the worst games ever and others praising it as "the pinnacle of storytelling," perhaps sarcastically given its brevity that only allows for so much in-depth plot.

There are even more negative reviews, with WayTooManyGames noting the game's poor graphic and audio quality, writing that laughing at the game will likely be the only source of joy it offers. Finger Guns was equally brutal in its assessment, seeing the game as not worth its small price of admission.

Given the ultra-affordable price point, gamers may be inspired to try "Spectrewoods," just to see for themselves what the shortest PS4 game is like — if they're not too deterred by the few highly negative reviews out there, that is. Then again, there are a host of other affordable PS4 finds under $5 and other satisfying yet short titles across platforms for those who find "Spectrewoods" leaves them wanting more.