Time Flies

About

Time Flies is a single player open world simulation game with romance and comedy themes. It was developed by Playables and was released on July 31, 2025. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

This whimsical game is part open world and part flight simulator – and you play it as a fly! You are provided with a bucket list that you can complete before you die. But the life of a fly is short – and the list is long! Go ahead and learn an instrument, become rich, read a book, go on tour, find yourself, get drunk, make someone laugh or enter the art world! And if you don’t feel like pursuing y…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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97%

Audience ScoreBased on 176 reviews

humor30 positive mentions

Charming and unique concept focused on experiencing life as a fly with a witty and existential twist.
Engaging and clever gameplay with simple controls, involving exploring, puzzle-solving, and completing a bucket list within a short lifespan.
Artistic presentation with hand-drawn visuals, fitting sound design, and humor that creates a memorable and emotional experience.

Short duration of about 1.5 to 3 hours to complete, which may feel insufficient to some players.
Price perceived as high relative to the game's length and content, causing some to hesitate on full-price purchase.
Some players find the puzzles and interactions a bit simplistic or lacking depth, with occasional frustrations on time constraints.

humor
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in this game is widely praised for being charming, clever, and consistently funny with a mix of goofiness and dark, existential wit. Players enjoy its quirky, pun-filled moments and amusing interactions, which balance lightheartedness with deeper reflections on life’s brevity. Overall, the humor enhances the engaging, unique experience, often eliciting genuine laughter alongside thoughtful contemplation.
- “Time Flies takes the simple premise of a fly’s life and stretches it out into 4 hilarious chapters that will frustrate you, make you laugh, and appreciate the smaller things in life.”
- “The game also has a humorous slant, from the pun-based goals to the cute ways the world changes and reacts to the fly to even the way the fly walks as it's pushing heavy objects around, that all leads to a surprisingly bittersweet ending.”
- “Funny, clever, tragic, sometimes frustrating but always surprising, Time Flies has the brilliance and audacity to make you care about the life of a fly, trying to have a good time while navigating modern society.”
gameplay
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
50%
17%
The gameplay is praised for its unique, simple yet engaging puzzle-adventure mechanics that blend speedrunning elements with a charming time-bound challenge. Players appreciate the satisfying controls, clever interactions, and humor that make exploration and retrying enjoyable despite occasional frustrations. Overall, it offers a meaningful and distinctive experience that stands out for its thoughtful design and playful tone.
- “Also just really impressed with how much this game does with such a simple gameplay loop/mechanic.”
- “The futility of dying mid-challenge or in odd places, paired with the automatic urge to retry, makes for an excellent gameplay dynamic.”
- “In terms of gameplay, I really enjoyed discovering all the little interactions with the environment and there is a real attention to detail that makes exploration fun.”
- “The gameplay for all 4 checklists took me roughly 2.5 hours, with that last one taking about an hour because I kept accidentally dying.”
- “There are both artistically and gameplay-wise better games to be found on Steam.”
- “Is the gameplay the joke, or are you the joke for playing along?”
graphics
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
38%
The game features a charming hand-drawn, minimalist art style that perfectly complements its simple gameplay and unique concept. Its visuals, combined with fluid controls and synchronized sound effects, create an immersive and calming atmosphere that enhances player engagement. Overall, the graphics are praised for their charm, cohesiveness, and ability to evoke empathy and humor within a distinctive aesthetic.
- “Moreover, the hand-drawn art style adds a unique charm to the game.”
- “By controlling the fly directly with the analog stick, players can easily immerse themselves in the game—synchronized sound effects and hand-drawn visuals create a cohesive experience.”
- “The design and graphics are super pretty, so as the general experience.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the game emotionally impactful, evoking a mix of wholesome existential reflection, gentle heartbreak, and life-affirming feelings that ultimately leave them feeling better.
- “This game made me feel things.”
- “Wholesomely existential in the most lovely way possible.”
- “A little heart-breaking and a lot life-affirming.”
story
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The story is praised for its sweet, sentimental approach conveyed through subtext rather than traditional dialogue, focusing on a unique concept of completing a bucket list within a limited lifespan. Its thoughtful elements and simple gameplay create an enjoyable narrative experience without taking itself too seriously.
- “There was something so sweet and sentimental about this game even with no dialogue or traditional 'storytelling' to it.”
- “There was a lot of thought about the elements and how to make it all come together to story the subtext.”
- “Though all flies are destined to die, this game’s mission is to complete a pre-made bucket list within their given lifespan.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music is praised for its calming, timeless, and cozy style, perfectly complementing the game's polished and lovingly crafted atmosphere. Players appreciate its restrained yet captivating soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
- “The art style and the music give a calm environment to play.”
- “A lot of love went into minutiae, the soundtrack is timeless, the game is polished on release and it's also satisfyingly gamified.”
- “Well made game, very like the music, restrained and cozy style and vibe.”