By There’s something so satisfying and calming about playing games with a grind.
I know most gamers hate the grind, but not me. I’m not sure if it’s because of my ADHD, but I’ve always found myself getting addicted to games that have a grind.
It’s weird that I enjoy grinding repetitive games for hours just to unlock one thing while also failing to finish the main campaign in a single-player game.
The fact that you’re here reading this means you are probably a weirdo like me. Welcome to the club!
This is a list of games that I’ve found to be quite addictive, and they have that good kind of grind that keeps you hooked for hours.
Check out the list and see if you’ve played any of these before.
1. Grim Dawn
One thing that I didn’t like about Path of Exile and Diablo 4 was that they did not have good quests. Sure, the gameplay is addictive, but the grind was not meaningful.
After getting bored with those online games, I went looking for an offline ARPG. I tried Last Epoch, Wolcen, and Van Helsing, but none of those games clicked with me.
And then I found Grim Dawn. This game is a gem that keeps on giving.
Even though it has slightly outdated graphics, Grind Dawn is the best ARPG that has a perfect balance of addictive gameplay, great quests, awesome campaign, cool classes, and a rewarding grind.
Grim Dawn is completely offline and has zero microtransactions. Developed by a small indie studio, Grim Dawn is still being worked on, and a brand new expansion pack is also on the way!
2. Schedule 1
The indie hit that shocked the gaming world in 2025, Schedule 1, quickly became one of my favorites of all time. Selling drugs is not a profession I would even consider pursuing but man this game make it feel so much fun.
Schedule 1 is another indie drug dealer simulator game that features cartoonish graphics and addictive gameplay. The core gameplay loop is focused on creating your own drug-dealing empire.
This involves growing your own farm, making deals with customers and suppliers, setting up your base, processing drugs, hiring people to distribute, and much more.
I know it sounds like a lot of boring work, but the way the game has designed these mechanics makes it so much more fun.
3. Borderlands 3
Borderlands 3 has a terrible story involving some cringy Gen-Z characters that nobody asked for. If you can ignore that and focus on the core gameplay loop, you’ll have so much fun in this game.
Borderlands 3 claimed to have 1 billion guns in the game when it launched. While I can’t really vouch for that, there definitely were a ton of gun variants to choose from.
I played the game for hundreds of hours and enjoyed collecting and upgrading my arsenal with more powerful guns and testing them with different character builds.
It’s an addictive game, and defeating bosses with those overpowered guns will never get boring for me.
4. No Man’s Sky
The game that was highly criticised and dead on arrival, yet it’s still here after 9 long years and with 27 expansion/updates, No Man’s Sky is the greatest redemption story in gaming history.
Every part of this game involves some sort of grind. You need all kinds of materials to upgrade, unlock, and buy components. But here’s the thing, it never feels like a grind.
I’ve played over 400 hours of this game, restarting from scratch many times, and each playthrough, it feels like a new game. And I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.
5. The Witcher 3
Most of you will disagree with me on this one because The Witcher 3, the award-winning RPG, is not considered to be a grinding game. That’s because you’ve only played the main storyline.
For me, it’s a different kind of game. I spent many hours in Witcher 3 doing small side quests, completing every point of interest in the map, earning enough coins to buy new gear, hunting blueprints, and then gathering resources to craft them, hunting the perfect Gwent deck, and much more.
If you think this game doesn’t have a grind, you’re playing it wrong.
6. Enshrouded
Enshrouded has mechanics from two of my favorite genres, base-building and questing. This combination offers a very satisfying and engaging experience that kept me coming back to the game for a long time.
One of the coolest features of the game is how well it rewards exploration. You can discover new locations, find new gear, and work on new builds.
And you get to actually use those builds and new gear in a meaningful way to complete content in the game, unlike most other games, where you continuously get overpowered for no reason.
7. Warframe
With over 500 hours clocked in, Warframe is my longest-running game that I refuse to uninstall from my PC. This game has been with me for many years and I still enjoy it like it was the first time.
Warframe is a massive game and it has tons of content to hook all kinds of players. It has everything from addictive combat to fishing, mining for gems, and flying space ships.
Everything in this game is a grind, and it can get very repetitive at times. But I can guarantee that you’ll enjoy it.
Because you will not be grinding it alone, there will always be other players grinding the same materials, blueprints, and gear as you at all times, and you will have a blast playing with those strangers to achieve the same goals.
8. Elite Dangerous
My second most-played game on Steam is Elite Dangerous. This game is well-known for its grind, and yes, it gets tedious at times. But only if you think of it as a grind.
In Elite Dangerous, you travel around in the Milky Way galaxy in spaceships. You can fight pirates, land on planets, mine asteroids, go trading, and much more.
All of these activities are focused on earning credits. You need to earn credits to buy better ships and then fleet carriers. For most players, this grind for the credits feels tedious. Mainly because they try to rush it.
I played the game very slowly and took my time with it. It took me about a year to earn enough credits to buy a fleet carrier, but I had so much fun chasing that goal, while having the time of my life mining asteroids.
There’s a grind for unlocking the engineers too. They help you upgrade your ships for efficiency. You don’t really have to unlock all of them, and you can definitely play the game without any engineering at all.
9. Fallout 76
Fallout 76 is another game that launched with bad reviews by slowly redeemed itself through years of updates and content drops. The game saw fresh new life after the release of the Fallout TV show.
I was enjoying this game well before the TV show, and it’s still one of the most fun MMOs you can play without having to break the bank.
Fallout 76 has a massive map with lots to explore, along with a great storyline to hook you in. There’s base-building, questing, online events, and dungeons to farm loads of gear and resources.
10. Deep Rock Galactic
Deep Rock Galactic is a very simple game full of life. I have lots of great memories playing this game with my sister and wife. It’s most enjoyable when you play with friends.
But I also played it solo and while teaming up with strangers as well. It’s an addictive and fun experience that never gets boring, thanks to its procedurally generated levels.
You can play Deep Rock Galactic over and over to grind new gear upgrades, level up your characters, unlock cosmetics, and much more.
11. Pacific Drive
Pacific Drive is a supernatural-style sci-fi game where you explore a strange world in your car. You have to deal with strange anomalies, weird encounters, and uncover secrets too.
I mostly loved the grindy part where you have to gather resources and upgrade your car. It’s not as grindy as most other games on the list, but enjoyable nonetheless.
This little indie game was so successful that it’s now being made into a movie.
12. STALKER GAMMA
STALKER GAMMA is one of the most brutal survival games you’ll ever come across. Do not play this game if you’re not familiar with the STALKER games or if you hate survival games where you have to manage every tiny aspect of your life.
Everything in this game is out to get you, and survival is tough. Although once you get the hang of it, you will not be able to stop playing this game.
STALKER GAMMA is a free mod that you can download at no charge. It’s a complicated installation process, so be sure to follow a guide.
Over To You
These are my favorite games with a grind. While most of these may not be super grindy games, like the popular MMOs, I prefer to stick with smaller and mostly offline games.
If you’re looking for games with a heavy grind, I would recommend checking out games like Runescape or World of Warcraft. They are super expensive though.
