Best Video Games for load times

load times Decision Dashboard

Safest pick

Ghost of Yōtei

5.0 feature score

Balances feature score, supporting reviews, and overall product strength.

Best overall product

Hades II

4.6 overall score

Strongest overall product among items with scored evidence for this feature.

#1 Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
5.0
1 review

Load times received a rare explicit rave, with one review saying transitions from menu to play were almost instant.

Pros: load times, haptic feedback integration

Cons: online stability, quest design

#2 Mario Kart World Review
5.0
1 review

Load-time evidence is excellent, with seamless transitions and at least one reviewer calling loading lightning fast.

Pros: load times, crash stability

Cons: narrative quality, value for money

#3 Ghost of Yōtei
5.0
4 reviews

Load times are a major strength, with reviewers repeatedly noting near-instant travel, quick booting, and minimal loading screens.

Pros: load times, art direction

Cons: family friendliness, age appropriateness

#4 Donkey Kong Bananza
4.9
1 review

Load times are praised as extremely short in the GamingTrend review.

Pros: load times, movement feel

Cons: enemy variety, platforming precision

#5 Saros
4.9
1 review

Load time evidence is narrow but very positive, with one technical review describing transitions as close to instant.

Pros: load times, visual effects quality

Cons: side character depth, map and navigation design

#6 Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss
4.8
2 reviews

Loading is praised in the reviews that mention it, especially when the game runs smoothly with near-instant loads.

Pros: faithfulness to franchise, load times

Cons: platforming precision, stealth mechanics

#7 Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
4.2
3 reviews

Load-time evidence is positive around seamless docking and reduced loading screens, while SSD requirements may matter for smooth streaming.

Pros: environmental detail, platform-specific feature support

Cons: DLC value, multiplayer design

#8 Street Fighter 6
4.0
3 reviews

Load times are split by platform, ranging from extremely quick rematches and loads to sluggish PS4 World Tour transitions.

Pros: onboarding experience, animation quality

Cons: platforming precision, quest design

#9 Monster Hunter Wilds
4.0
2 reviews

Load times were generally acceptable to good, with one reviewer praising quick travel between connected areas.

Pros: cross-play support, atmosphere

Cons: dialogue quality, mission design

#10 Hades II
3.8
1 review

Load-time evidence is limited to Switch comparison, where Switch 1 was smooth but had longer loading than Switch 2.

Pros: world interactivity, side character depth

Cons: grind level

#11 Crimson Desert
3.4
1 review

Load times are acceptable but not spotless, with one review noting slow initial loads before later improvement.

Pros: environmental detail, soundtrack quality

Cons: stealth mechanics, family friendliness

#12 Split Fiction
2.9
1 review

Load-time evidence is limited to Switch 2 texture pop-in when loading into new areas, so this is a modest technical caveat rather than a core strength.

Pros: cross-play support, platforming precision

Cons: side character depth, matchmaking quality

#13 Forza Horizon 5
2.5
1 review

One PS5 review says frequent loading screens interrupt gameplay flow.

Pros: cross-play support, open-world design

Cons: cross-save support, tutorial quality

#14 Dragon Ball FighterZ
1.9
2 reviews

Load times are a meaningful negative where discussed, especially in lobbies and local or story matches.

Pros: animation quality, frame rate stability

Cons: cross-play support, load times