side quest
noun
 an activity that is secondary to one's main endeavor
What does side quest mean?
A side quest is a secondary pursuit, career, or activity. Side quests may vary from the exceptionally minor (going to the bathroom on the way to get another drink at a bar) to the relatively consequential (a second job, or avocation).
Examples of side quest:
Factions might be a necessary evil of student politics, but in Gen Z parlance, the experience of political involvement is a "side quest" that fits between study, friends and family, says Yang.
— Sydney Morning Herald, 12 Aug. 2025Our conversation is joyously soundtracked by the bar’s penchant for Noughties classics. Identifying them—which music fan and trivia—master Spittle can do within seconds–becomes her occasional side-quest as she tries to explain how she feels.
— Irish Times, 9 Aug. 2025Being tall, I was fairly easy to find when I went on a side quest to the bathroom alone.
— Reddit, 18 May 2025
Where does side quest come from?
Side quest comes from video games, in which it is a separate (often shorter) option to play through in a game, one that is independent of the main quest in a game.
Archon quest is the main quest in which you progress through nations, and story quests are just side quests that also let you try characters
— (comment on Genshin Impact Discord channel), 11 Feb. 2023
How is side quest used?
Side quest is often used in a jocular or light-hearted manner. It is decidedly informal language.
