Why do so many PC games lack an 'Exit to Desktop' option?

I just finished playing Resident Evil 2 and 4 Remake, and before that, I was on Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Persona 5R. None of these games had an ‘Exit to Desktop’ option—just ‘Return to Title Screen.’

I’ve noticed this in a lot of newer and older games. It’s not a huge issue, but I feel like every PC game should have a proper exit button. Why do developers leave it out?

The games you listed were designed for consoles first. On PlayStation and Xbox, there’s no concept of ‘exit to desktop’ because players just return to the home screen, leaving the game suspended. On PC, some devs just keep the same menu structure from the console version.

@Dex
Yep, back in the day, you’d just hit the power or reset button if you were done playing a console game. No need for an exit option.

Paxton said:
@Dex
Yep, back in the day, you’d just hit the power or reset button if you were done playing a console game. No need for an exit option.

Yeah, before consoles had hard drives, quitting a game just meant turning the system off.

@Dex
Clears throat Ahem… back when computers didn’t have hard drives…

@Dex
Even on Windows, you can use the Xbox Game Bar or Steam Big Picture mode to exit games with the middle button on a controller.

Just save and press Alt+F4. Problem solved.

Niko said:
Just save and press Alt+F4. Problem solved.

I’ve had to kill some games with Task Manager because Alt+F4 didn’t work. Some indie games just refuse to close properly.

Niko said:
Just save and press Alt+F4. Problem solved.

Some games block Alt+F4, which is extremely annoying. Let me close my damn game when I want to!

Aren’t all these games console ports? That might explain why they don’t have a direct exit to desktop.

Harley said:
Aren’t all these games console ports? That might explain why they don’t have a direct exit to desktop.

It’s not just a console port thing. Some purely PC games do this too, and it’s really frustrating.

Pure PC gamer here. My routine is always: try Alt+F4 first. If that doesn’t work, get mad and post about it online.

Keelan said:
Pure PC gamer here. My routine is always: try Alt+F4 first. If that doesn’t work, get mad and post about it online.

As is your God-given right. :laughing:

This seems to be really common in Japanese console ports to PC. You have to go back to the title screen first, then there’s an exit option. I assume it’s just because the devs don’t bother tweaking the menu for PC users.

@Levi
You’re thinking of Persona, right? And Dark Souls…

I have no idea why, but even some PC-first games do this. Exit to title, then exit to desktop… just let me leave!

I just save and Alt+F4. Fastest way out.

Megaman 11 makes you go through four ‘exit to’ screens before you can fully close the game. It’s ridiculous.

GTA Online is the same way. You have to exit to Story Mode first, then you can quit the game. Why??

In some Yakuza games, the ‘Exit to Desktop’ button is buried inside the settings menu for some reason. Took me forever to find it.