shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use HowLongToBeat?

Not disclosed - howlongtobeat.com

Worth it. If you play games, this free crowdsourced time-tracker is an easy yes for pacing purchases and finishing backlogs. Skip it if you need guaranteed-accurate times, an official API, or anything business-grade.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~20 public sources; most user feedback comes from Reddit threads and third-party integration repos.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security postureNo vulnerability data in reviewed sources

Pricing

$0

Free

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • Gamers pacing a purchase or backlog
  • Completionists logging hours
  • Busy players deciding what's worth finishing
  • Researchers using playtime data

Not for

  • Non-gamers — a game-length site has no work use
  • Teams wanting an official API or SLA
  • Anyone expecting guaranteed-accurate times
  • Deal hunters — it tracks hours, not prices

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

No official API — third-party tools scrape the site and break when it changes

medium

Spam and lookalike sites reuse the brand name; verify you're on

low

Times are user-submitted medians; casual vs. completionist pace differs wildly

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Crowdsourced completion times across a huge game catalog
  • Free, with personal lists, stats, reviews, and forums
  • Many players find the estimates accurate
  • Third-party integrations exist: Playnite plugin, Steam Chrome extension
  • Cited in peer-reviewed games research

Cons

  • Estimates often don't match personal play pace
  • No official API; scraper-based integrations break
  • Some users say checking times sours the fun

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/27/2026 - 13 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x4review x6security x1news x2

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 13

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free, no paywall found
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Simple look-up; casually recommended for years
  • Feature depth: 3/5. Times, lists, stats, forums; no official API
  • Support quality: 2/5. Community forum only, no formal channel
  • Security posture. No vulnerability data in reviewed sources
  • $0 Price Free, ad-supported community site
  • None Official API Community-built unofficial wrappers fill the gap
  • 3+ studies Academic use Cited in published games research

Pricing

Free

$0

  • Crowdsourced playtimes
  • Lists, stats, reviews, forums
  • Ad-supported website

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

Full analysis

Based on ~20 public sources; most user feedback comes from Reddit threads and third-party integration repos.

Free crowdsourced game-length tracker. Handy for pacing a backlog; times vary by player and there's no official API.

Methodology

Based on ~20 public sources; most user feedback comes from Reddit threads and third-party integration repos.

Sources

  1. How accurate is How Long To Beat for you? — r/pcgamingreddit.com
    review
  2. Do you find the times relatable? — r/playstationreddit.com
    review
  3. How accurate is howlongtobeat? — r/JRPGreddit.com
    review
  4. Why howlongtobeat.com Ruined Games For Meweb.phenixxgaming.com
    review
  5. HowLongToBeat vs Backloggd: Why I Use Bothtwoaveragegamers.com
    review
  6. HowLongToBeat game page (example)howlongtobeat.com
    official
  7. HLTB product security pagehowlongtobeat.com
    official
  8. Playnite plugin — HLTB data not downloading (issue)github.com
    review
  9. Unofficial community API for howlongtobeatgithub.com
    official
  10. API Pricing Plans — HowLongToBeatapis.io
    official
  11. HTTPS/SSL report for howlongtobeat.comhttpsornot.com
    security
  12. Flawless victory: game success study using HLTB datadl.acm.org
    news
  13. HowLongtoBeat — Crunchbase profilecrunchbase.com
    news

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