XP Daily Plain comparisons of personal productivity tools

How to sort gameplay guides by duration for gamers in 2026

A plain guide for sorting gameplay guides by duration, with steps, tools to consider, common mistakes and questions to check before choosing.

By XP Daily ยท

XP Daily is published by the makers of DaysAid, QuickDictate and YTSort, which are compared here alongside other tools.

Find the length of each gameplay guide, order the videos from shortest to longest or longest to shortest, then review the order before watching.

OptionHow it orders videosCost
Paper listYou record guide lengths and arrange the titles by hand.Not published
SpreadsheetYou record guide lengths and arrange the list by duration.Not published
YTSortReorders a YouTube playlist you own by video length, shortest or longest first. [1]Free. [1]

What you need before you start

Sorting gameplay guides by duration takes a few things ready before the order is changed.

For gameplay guides, also decide whether short guides are meant for quick reference or whether longer guides should come first when they contain more of the walkthrough. That choice matters because duration alone does not tell you which guide covers the part of a game you need.

Step by step

These steps work with a manual list or a browser tool.

  1. Open the playlist you want to sort. Make sure the playlist is available before changing its order.
  2. List every gameplay guide with its length. Record the title and duration before sorting.
  3. Decide which direction you want. Choose shortest first when quick guides should be easier to reach, or longest first when longer walkthroughs should come first.
  4. Keep guides with related tasks in mind. If one guide depends on another, note that before changing the order.
  5. Rank the guides by duration. Put them in the chosen shortest-first or longest-first order.
  6. Check the new order. Read through the playlist and make sure the duration order still makes sense for how the guides will be used.
  7. Apply the order. Reorder the playlist by hand or use a tool that handles the changes.
  8. Check the playlist again. Confirm that the order shown by the playlist matches the order you intended.
  9. Start with the first guide. Use the new order when looking for the next gameplay guide.
  10. Review the order when your needs change. A duration-based order can be changed when a different way of working through the guides becomes more useful.

Tools that can do it

You can sort gameplay guides without a dedicated tool by recording each video and its duration in a paper list or spreadsheet. Those methods require the durations to be collected and the order to be arranged manually.

YTSort. YTSort is made by the team that publishes this site. YTSort is one option. Reorders a YouTube playlist you own by video length, shortest or longest first. [1]

You can get YTSort through a bookmark, a browser script, or a Chrome Web Store extension. [1] The extension needs Chrome or Edge, and the script version works in any browser, including Firefox, with Tampermonkey, Violentmonkey or Greasemonkey installed. [1]

YTSort can show the before and after order before applying the changes. [1] It can also sort only videos within a chosen length range and move the rest to the end. [1]

Common mistakes to avoid

Sorting before deciding the purpose. Decide whether duration is being used to find quick reference guides or longer walkthroughs before changing the order.

Ignoring guides that depend on each other. A duration order can put a later guide before an earlier one, so check the game sequence before applying the new order.

Skipping the review. Read the proposed order before applying it when the sorting tool provides a preview. YTSort shows the before and after order so you can check it before applying. [1]

Sorting only what is visible. A playlist can contain more videos than the part currently shown on screen. YTSort sorts the full playlist, not just the videos loaded on screen. [1]

Forgetting to verify the result. YTSort reads the playlist back from YouTube after sorting and re-applies moves that did not stick. [1]

Frequently asked questions

How to sort gameplay guides by duration?

Record the duration of each guide, choose shortest first or longest first, and arrange the playlist in that order. YTSort reorders a YouTube playlist you own by video length in either direction. [1] It can also show the proposed before and after order before changes are applied. [1]

Can YTSort sort a full gameplay guide playlist?

Yes. YTSort sorts the full playlist rather than only the videos currently loaded on screen. [1] It reorders a YouTube playlist you own by video length, with either shortest or longest first. [1] After sorting, it reads the playlist back from YouTube and re-applies moves that did not stick. [1]

Can YTSort sort only gameplay guides in a certain length range?

Yes. YTSort can sort only videos within a chosen length range and move the remaining videos to the end. [1] This can be used when the goal is to arrange guides within a particular duration range without changing where the other videos sit relative to the sorted group.

Can YTSort show the order before sorting?

Yes. YTSort shows the before and after order so the proposed playlist arrangement can be checked before it is applied. [1] This is useful when a gameplay guide playlist contains guides that depend on one another, because the duration-based order can be reviewed before the playlist is changed.

Which browsers work with YTSort?

The extension needs Chrome or Edge. The script version works in any browser, including Firefox, with Tampermonkey, Violentmonkey or Greasemonkey installed. [1] YTSort can also be obtained as a bookmark that runs it. [1] The available install options include the same features. [1]

Is YTSort free?

Yes. YTSort is free, and all install options include the same features. [1] It is also free, open-source software under the GPL-2.0-only licence. [1] The available ways to get it are a bookmark, a browser script, or a Chrome Web Store extension. [1]

YTSort is free; all install options include the same features. [1]

Try YTSort

Sources

  1. YTSort's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)

Related comparisons