Finishing a video game can trigger “post-game depression,” study finds

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I’ve noticed this myself, and it’s cool to see researchers are actually studying what happens when you finish a really good game. It’s like, you put all this time and energy into this virtual world, and then suddenly it’s over. It can leave you feeling pretty empty, like you’re missing something, and honestly, a little down. It’s more than just being sad it’s finished, it’s a real emotional thing.

Researchers from SWPS University and the Stefan Batory Academy of Applied Sciences have conducted a study on what players experience after finishing lengthy, absorbing video games. Their work also includes the creation of a new tool to scientifically measure this post-game experience.

Researchers published their results in Current Psychology, hoping to learn more about the effects of video games on mental well-being.

Researchers create first scale to measure post-game depression

Video games have become a hugely popular pastime, enjoyed regularly by 53% of people between the ages of 6 and 64. Only watching television and using social media are more common activities.

However, researchers note that our understanding of how gaming affects the mind is still growing, particularly with the rise of increasingly realistic and emotionally engaging games.

According to psychologist Kamil Janowicz from SWPS University, games are growing more complex and are offering more than just fun. Finishing a challenging and immersive game can be deeply rewarding and even emotionally impactful for players.

To understand how players feel after a game ends, Janowicz and Piotr Klimczyk, a psychologist, created the Post-Game Depression Scale. This scale helps measure the strength of their emotions.

This research explains ‘post-game depression’ as the feeling of emptiness some people experience after finishing a game they’ve really gotten into. While gamers have talked about this for years, it hasn’t been studied much by scientists until now.

A recent study has shown that people can feel sadness after finishing a video game, a phenomenon researchers are calling ‘post-game depression.’ This feeling is especially common after completing role-playing games (RPGs).

— TopMob (@TopMob) March 23, 2026

Study links post-game depression to mental health patterns

Researchers ran two studies with 373 gamers who they found through platforms like social media, Reddit, Discord, and email lists.

People taking part in the study filled out questionnaires about their happiness, mental health, and how they felt after playing games. The majority said they played games either every day or nearly every day.

From this data, researchers identified four key aspects of post-game depression:

  • Game-related ruminations, including intrusive thoughts about the story
  • A difficult emotional “end” to the experience
  • A desire or need to replay the game
  • Media anhedonia, or reduced interest in other entertainment

Thinking a lot about games had the biggest impact, while a lack of enjoyment from media had the smallest.

The research showed a link between feeling down after a game and experiencing more general symptoms of depression, as well as a lower sense of overall happiness. However, the researchers noted they aren’t yet sure which comes first – does feeling down after a game worsen depression, or does existing depression make people feel worse after a game?

RPG players most affected by post-game depression

The research suggests that people who play role-playing games are most prone to feeling down after finishing a game.

According to Janowicz, players of role-playing games, or RPGs, are the most likely to experience feelings of sadness or depression after finishing a game.

Players feel the most connected to their characters and have the biggest impact on how they grow through the choices they make in these games.

The study also showed that people who tend to get stuck on unwanted thoughts or dwell on things are more likely to feel down after a game.

People who felt more sadness after completing a game also tended to focus on negative thoughts and events, indicating a general tendency towards pessimistic thinking.

The research explains that feeling down after a game ends is a type of sadness, much like grieving the loss of a close relationship or finishing a significant period in your life.

Janowicz explained that Prolonged Grief Disorder feels like grieving the loss of someone close, or saying goodbye to a significant chapter in life.

This research suggests game designers could use these insights to create better games, and it also encourages them to think more about how games affect players’ well-being, especially as games become more realistic and engaging.

This isn’t the first gaming study to quickly gain attention online. Just last December, researchers found that brain-training games might help keep your brain younger for longer – potentially by as much as ten years.

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2026-03-23 17:50