side quest

A side quest is a detour from your main plans, usually an unplanned errand, a random adventure or a small project you get pulled into. The term comes from video games, where side quests are optional missions outside the main story.

What does side quest mean?

In role-playing games, the main quest moves the story forward and side quests are the extras: help a farmer find his goat, deliver a letter, explore a cave. People started borrowing the idea for real life, treating everyday detours as if they were game missions. It makes ordinary chaos sound fun.

How to use it

• “Went out for milk and ended up on a side quest to find a lost dog’s owner.”
• “Today’s side quest: return a package, get lost, eat at a random taco truck.”
• “Sorry I’m late, my mom sent me on three side quests.”
• “Sourdough was a fun side quest, but I’m back on the main quest: finishing my thesis.”

It can describe one small detour or a bigger hobby that takes over for a while. It’s almost always playful.

Side quest vs. main quest

The main quest is the thing you are supposed to be doing: your job, your degree, your big goal. Side quests are everything that pulls you away from it, good or bad. Saying you are “doing side quests” can be a cheerful way of admitting you are procrastinating.

Related terms

• main quest: your main goal or priority
• main character: acting like the star of your own story
• NPC: someone who seems like a background character
• level up: to improve or reach a new stage
• touch grass: go outside and get off the internet

See more terms like this in our gaming slang dictionary.