What game do you find so addicting that you can't even have it installed without neglecting life's responsibilities?

Fallout 4

Cities: Skylines

Satisfactory

Factorio

and most presently: Railroader <--also looks great at 5760x1080 resolution

What’s Railroader? Your list of games makes it sound up my alley.
- it's a railroad sim, kinda cool imo but not really like the others lol

factorio

The factory must grow
- must grow
- i dread the new expansion coming out later this year
I bought this game like a year ago and have been afraid to install it for that very reason. Just haven't had a week in my life that I can completely clear my schedule. I feel like based on what I've heard about it, it's likely to scratch that same sort of itch that Kerbal Space Program does for me...

Warframe for me. They tickled that lizard brain juuust right with their FOMO marketing. Played religiously and exclusively for 3+ years. I managed to dip when they released a strange space ship combat mechanic that didn't relly work. Clocked about 3.5k hours total.

The latest was Elden Ring. Before that, probably Oxygen Not Included. I'm currently fighting the urge to return to Project Zomboid.

I ended up trying to min/max Oxygen not included way too soon and burned myself out very fast. I basically ruined the game for myself.

P. Zomboid is just way too hard for me lol but it's so good

Destiny 2. Yes I know it got bad. I grinded on regardless, swearing next season would get better.

It didn't.

I must be one of the 5 people that still play those games, but Bejeweled. I don't know why, but that game series has something I can't quite put my finger on that I simply love. And oddly enough, it's just bejeweled in specific, I find all other match-3 boring, for some reason.

My husband loves Bejeweled Twisted. I just can't.

I love me some match-3 games though. Doesn't need to be bejeweled.
- I have a soft spot for Twist as well, it's a delightful little gimmick for Bejeweled. The music in that game specifically is surprisingly catchy, too.
my man :D

Absolutely love Bejewelled. Bejewelled 3 is my vice, to be precise.
I can still hear the deep voice from Bejeweled 2...

RimWorld.

I've just started playing again after a few months' break... I played it so much I built up a tolerance 😅
New DLC teased! Get excited!!!
- Fuuuuuck.

City Skylines

Hoooo child I lost some hours to that one.

Fortunately for me, the wife liked it too, so I didn't have to answer too many judgemental questions.

Rocket League on the other hand...

XCOM 2.
XCOM 2' workshop.
Rain World.
Elder Scrolls Online (had to uninstall it. I was losing hours of sleep)

Barring rain world, you're me. Friendly tip, don't try Raft, it's my current obsession
- I've tried for a long time to get into Raft. I have a friend that plays it all the time. But I just can't get anywhere in it.
  
  I'm afraid to reinstall Rainworld lol

Anything in the camp of Civ or Stellaris. I basically let myself play that type of game once a decade, and only with a designated co-player (i.e. I only play them under supervision). Any other type of game I can pick up and drop easily - in fact I frequently drop them before finishing them - but not that Civ type of stuff. I've dabbled in all the drugs with less struggle

World of warcraft and rimworld.

Rimworld fortunately can be paused, so causes less family stress.

Not sure why I keep playing wow, have played it on and off since launch and have enjoyed it, even with all it's flaws. Get sucked in for a few really intensive weeks after every major patch... My wife hates the game with an absolute passion.

Fuck... New rimworld expansion about to drop...

Path of Exile

Definitely Dofus back then (2005-2010), Minecraft Survival Mode after that (2012-2020) and now it's Grim Dawn.

Browser game, so installation is irrelevant, buuuut:

Travian. It ruins my life.

Neocamel, I hear ya on KSP. I started playing that game when it switched from 2D to 3D, up until the astroid capture update. I had a sweet coffee mug with the logo on it too, and even gifted the game to family members.

Then I finally stopped playing, and recently tried it again after a long hiatus... Oh man it was like I never played it at all! The orbital mechanics part stayed with me, but the rocket building knowledge went bye bye. Asparagus became aspara-struggle. I gave up. I think I seriously got dumber as I got older.

You know the sequel is in Early Access right? That's what killed me last weekend...

The first release was so half-baked that I didn't get into it, but they've released updates now that we're enough for me to lose a weekend playing it. I still think the description "early release" is accurate, but it's going to be a phenomenal sequel when they get the features and bugs worked out.
- Dude, they're charging $60 for it. That's ridiculous. I was looking in the forums for it and apparently it doesn't even have all the gameplay mechanics of the first one. I'll be holding out for a few years on that.

Skyrim more specifically modding Skyrim, I up stayed up until 6am and destroyed my sleep schedule when I got into Skyrim modding scene for the first time

Black Desert Online.

The only game I refuse to install, is Football Manager. I only did this mistake once in my life

Used to be rust lost way to many hours of sleep