PlayThis

We've all been there. The Steam Summer Sale notification pops up, a siren song for our wallets. A few clicks, a dozen new “must-play” titles, and the digital pile of shame grows ever larger. You stare at your library, a monument to aspirational gaming, with hundreds of titles. And yet, the classic phrase escapes your lips: “I have nothing to play.”

It’s a strange kind of paralysis, isn't it? The sheer volume of choice is overwhelming. For years, my approach was… chaotic. I’d scroll endlessly, maybe launch a game for 10 minutes, get distracted, and then go watch YouTube videos of other people having fun playing games. It was a vicious cycle.

I’ve always felt that what I needed wasn’t more games, but a guide. A sherpa for the Mount Everest of my unplayed library. And I think I might have just found it. It’s called PlayThis, and it bills itself as a personal gaming coach. Skeptical? I was too. But stick with me.

So, What Exactly is PlayThis?

In simple terms, PlayThis is a smart assistant that connects to your Steam account. It sucks in your entire library, achievements, and playtime, and then does something magical with all that data. It doesn't just show you a list of your games; it analyzes them. It helps you sort through the noise to find the games you’ll actually love and, more importantly, actually finish.

Think of it as a friend who’s played everything, knows your tastes perfectly, and can instantly tell you, “Okay, you have an hour to kill? Play this. You want an epic 80-hour adventure? Play that one instead.” It’s designed to end the endless scrolling and get you right into the action.

Visit PlayThis

My Favorite PlayThis Features (The Real Game-Changers)

I’ve tinkered with a lot of organization apps and spreadsheets over the years (yes, I was that desperate), but PlayThis has a few tricks up its sleeve that genuinely impressed me. It's not just about making a list; it’s about providing context.

Seamless Steam Integration That Just Works

This is table stakes, but they get it right. You log in with your Steam account, and that's pretty much it. I saw one testimonial that said it imported over 300 games in seconds, and my own experience was similar. There’s no manual entry, no fiddling with CSV files. It just… works. It pulls in your games, your playtime, and even your achievement progress. A smooth start is always a good sign.

AI-Powered Recommendations That Feel Eerily Personal

Okay, here’s the secret sauce. The AI recommendation engine. This isn't just a “people who bought X also bought Y” kind of thing. It seems to look at the genres you actually sink time into, not just the ones you buy on a whim. The first time I used it, it surfaced an indie gem, Mark of the Ninja, that I'd bought years ago and completely forgotten about. It was exactly the kind of tight, satisfying experience I was craving. It was a little spooky, in the best way possible.

Diving into the Data: QPH and Other Cool Metrics

Now we get to the nerdy part I absolutely love. PlayThis introduces a few unique metrics to help you decide what to play. The two biggest ones are:

• Quality Per Hour (QPH): This is genius. It essentially helps you find the highest-rated games that you can beat in a reasonable amount of time. As someone with a job and a family, my gaming time is precious. The QPH metric is like a cheat code to avoid sinking 20 hours into a mediocre game. It points you directly to the certified bangers that respect your time.
• Extended Play Ratio (EPR): On the flip side, this metric is for when you want a game to become your next obsession. It helps identify those huge RPGs or strategy games that are actually worth the massive time investment. It helps you find your next Witcher 3 or Stardew Valley, not the bloated open-world game that's all filler.

It also gives you estimated completion times based on data from sites like HowLongToBeat, which is invaluable for planning. Finally, you can see if that RPG is a 30-hour romp or a 150-hour life commitment before you start.

The Price of Organization: A Look at the Plans

So, what's this going to cost you? PlayThis uses a freemium model, which I appreciate. You can actually get a feel for the service without opening your wallet.

My take? The Free plan is perfect for getting a handle on just how big your problem is. Seeing your whole library with playtime and ratings is an eye-opener. But the real magic, the AI recommendations and custom sorting, is in the Pro plan. Is it worth about seven bucks a month? If you’re a serious gamer who values their time and feels genuine stress from their backlog, I’d say it is. It's less than one fancy coffee, and it could lead you to hundreds of hours of curated fun.

The Final Verdict: Is PlayThis Right for You?

Look, PlayThis isn't going to magically add more hours to your day. What it does is make the hours you do have for gaming more efficient and enjoyable. It removes the friction of choice.

The good stuff is really good. It’s fantastic for managing a huge Steam library, the metrics are genuinely useful, and it has a knack for helping you rediscover forgotten games you already own. It’s perfect for the “patient gamer” who wants to work through their collection instead of buying the next new thing.

But it's not perfect. The biggest drawback is its laser focus on Steam. If you’re a console main or spread your PC gaming across GOG, Epic, and Game Pass, you won’t be able to get a holistic view here. Also, remember that completion time estimates are just that—estimates. Your mileage may vary. And of course, the most powerful features are locked behind that Pro subscription.

For me, it’s a keeper. It has successfully transformed my gaming backlog from a source of anxiety into a well-organized library of future adventures. It finally feels manageable, and I'm actually finishing games again. And that feels pretty darn good.

Frequently Asked Questions About PlayThis

I had a few questions myself, and these seem to be the most common ones people ask.

How exactly does the Steam integration work?

It’s very straightforward. You use a secure Steam API login to grant PlayThis read-only access to your game library, playtime, and achievements. It doesn't get any personal info or have the ability to make purchases or change your account settings. It just looks at your games.

What are the Quality Per Hour and Extended Play Ratio metrics?

These are unique metrics created by PlayThis. Quality Per Hour (QPH) combines game ratings with average completion time to find high-quality games that are shorter. Extended Play Ratio (EPR) helps find massive games that are highly rated and truly worth a huge time sink.

Can I track games from other platforms besides Steam?

Unfortunately, no. As of now, PlayThis is designed exclusively for the Steam platform. It’s a specialist tool, so if your library is spread out, you’ll only get part of the picture here.

How accurate are the completion time estimates?

They are generally quite accurate, as they pull data from large, crowdsourced databases like HowLongToBeat. However, they are averages. Your personal playstyle (are you a completionist or do you just mainline the story?) will affect your actual time.

Is the Pro subscription really worth it?

In my opinion, if you're just curious, the Free plan is enough. If you are genuinely committed to conquering your backlog and want the best-in-class tools to do it (like the AI recommendations), then yes, the Pro plan provides a ton of value for a pretty small monthly cost.

References and Sources

• PlayThis Official Website
• PlayThis Pricing Page
• HowLongToBeat - A common source for game completion data.