How Long To Complete Game: Time Estimates

The time it takes to complete a game varies widely, depending on the game’s genre, scope, and your playstyle.

Ever wondered how long to complete game? It’s a common question for any gamer about to start a new adventure. Some games offer concise experiences, perfect for a weekend, while others demand a significant time investment. This variability is what makes gaming so dynamic and exciting.

Factors like difficulty settings and whether you pursue side quests also influence the total playtime. Completionist runs, where you aim for 100% completion, will always take considerably more hours. Knowing this helps to manage your expectations and enjoy the experience at your own pace.

How Long to Complete a Game: A Deep Dive

So, you’ve got a new game, or maybe you’re eyeing one, and the big question pops into your head: “How long is it going to take me to finish this thing?” It’s a super common question, and honestly, the answer isn’t always simple. It’s like asking how long it takes to read a book – it really depends on the book, and on you! Let’s explore all the different things that play a part in how much time you’ll spend playing.

Factors Affecting Game Completion Time

Lots of things change how long it takes to complete a game. It’s not just about how big the game world is. Let’s look at the main stuff:

Game Genre

The type of game you’re playing makes a big difference. Some games are built to be short and sweet, while others are designed for epic, long adventures.

Puzzle Games: These can vary widely. Some simple puzzle games can be finished in a few hours, while complex ones might take days or even weeks to completely solve. Think about games like Portal versus a simple logic puzzle app.
Action Games: Action games, like God of War or Devil May Cry, usually have a set story path, but how long they take depends on the player’s skill. If you’re a pro, you might zip through a game quickly, but if you need to redo sections, it will take longer. Side quests and exploration add more time too.
Role-Playing Games (RPGs): These are usually the big time commitments. Games like The Witcher 3 or Final Fantasy series are known for massive worlds, long storylines, and tons of side stuff. Completing an RPG can easily take dozens or even hundreds of hours. Some can be finished in 30 to 50 hours if you focus only on the main story, but it can take 100+ hours if you want to do all the side content.
Sports Games: These have a different kind of “completion.” Games like FIFA or NBA 2K might not have a traditional ending, but you might feel “done” after completing a season or winning a championship, which may take hours, or you might play them for years.
Simulation Games: Similar to sports games, these don’t have a hard end. Animal Crossing and Minecraft, for example, can be played for hundreds or thousands of hours, as players set their own goals and “end points”.

Game Difficulty

How hard a game is really affects how long it takes to finish. A game set to easy will usually take less time, while on hard, you might find yourself replaying parts again and again, adding to the total play time.

Easy Mode: If you’re just wanting to enjoy the story and not get too challenged, you may fly through the game quicker.
Normal Mode: This will usually give a good balance between challenge and gameplay, and is usually the standard benchmark for gameplay completion time.
Hard Mode: This is where the time can really climb, as you’ll probably have to repeat some sections multiple times.

Player Style

Everyone plays games differently, and this impacts how quickly a game is completed.

Speedrunners: These gamers try to complete the game as quickly as possible, finding shortcuts and skipping things. They are usually experienced players and have practiced a lot to perfect their runs.
Completionists: These players want to do everything the game has to offer. They seek out every item, beat every boss, and finish every side quest. It can add lots of hours.
Main Story Players: Some players just stick to the main story, getting from beginning to end without exploring too much. This generally gives the shortest playtime.
Explorers: Other players enjoy looking around, finding secrets and enjoying the game world. They can easily spend more time because of their exploring approach.

Side Quests and Collectibles

Most games offer more than just a main story. Side quests, collectibles, and other extra content can dramatically change the length of time it takes to “complete” the game.

Side Quests: These can add significant playtime. They might have their own little stories and fun challenges.
Collectibles: Finding every single hidden item or collectible can take a ton of extra time.
Optional Bosses: Some games have challenging bosses that aren’t needed to beat the main story, but completionists often seek them out.

Open-World Exploration

Games with open worlds offer a huge map to explore. If you love to go off the beaten path and see everything a game offers, you’ll probably spend a lot longer playing than someone who just goes from point A to point B.

Wandering and Discovery: Simply moving through the world and seeing what you can find can take up lots of time in open-world games.
Hidden Locations: Most of these open-world games have little secrets that require some searching.

Multiplayer Aspects

If a game has a multiplayer mode, you might never really “finish” it. You might play it for months or years with friends. This adds to the overall time you spend in the game.

Competitive Play: Games with leaderboards and ranked play can be very time-consuming as players try to get better and climb the ranks.
Cooperative Play: Playing through a game with friends can be a longer experience, as you work together and maybe explore things you’d have missed on your own.

How to Get a Sense of Game Length

Okay, so there are a lot of variables. How can you get an idea of how long a particular game will take?

Checking Online Resources

The internet is your best friend when it comes to getting a sense of game length. There are several websites that are specifically designed for this purpose. These resources will help you get an idea on the time, but remember these are average playtime.

HowLongToBeat: This is a website where players submit how long it took them to complete games. It’s one of the most popular websites for checking game lengths. You can see average time for the main story, the main story with extras, and completionist runs.
Game Reviews: Check out game reviews. While reviews often focus on gameplay and story, they sometimes mention how long the reviewer spent on the game.
Community Forums: Look at game forums, like those on Steam, Reddit or the official game website. Gamers often talk about how long it took them to finish and what kind of player they were.

Considering Your Playstyle

Think about how you usually play. Are you someone who wants to see everything? Or do you just want to enjoy the story and be done?

Self-Assessment: Be honest with yourself about how much you explore or how many side quests you tend to do. If you know you’re a completionist, add a good amount of extra time to the average playtime you find online.
Previous Game Experience: Think about how long similar games took you in the past. If you finished the previous RPG in 60 hours, you can probably guess the new one will be similar.

Early Game Indicators

Even if you are already playing the game, sometimes you can tell a bit of what the game length will be through some early game indicators.

Tutorial Length: A very long or detailed tutorial can mean that the game has a lot of systems that you will need to learn, and probably means a longer overall playthrough.
World Size: If you see a very big map in the early game, or you are able to walk and see far in the distance, then you can understand the game is probably longer.

The ‘Completion’ Question: What Does It Mean?

Here’s the important thing: “Completion” is not the same for everyone. What “completing” a game means is often personal. Some players feel it’s enough to see the end credits. Others feel they’re only done when they’ve done everything.

Different Definitions of ‘Complete’

Main Story Finish: Some players will only finish the main storyline. They do not concern themselves with side-quests or collectibles. This usually results in the fastest completion time.
Main Story + Some Side Content: This is when the player completes the main story, but also do some of the side content or optional boss battles. This can take 10-30 hours more depending on the game length.
Full Completion: Players want to get every achievement or trophy. They want to discover all the collectibles and secrets. This can add considerable amount of time to the gameplay.

Personal Goals and Satisfaction

Ultimately, what matters most is how you feel when you are done. Did you have fun? Did you accomplish what you set out to do? That’s what truly matters.

Enjoyment over Speed: Some players may prefer a slower experience, finding all the details, and this can mean a longer gameplay length.
Setting Your Own Goals: Perhaps you want to build a base in Minecraft or build a whole team in a sports game, and not actually just finish the game in its standard format.

Why Game Length Matters (or Doesn’t)

Game length can be an important factor when choosing what game to play. Some of us have limited time for gaming, and we want something that we can beat within a reasonable timeframe. But then sometimes the time is not a factor at all and we may play a game indefinitely.

Time Commitment

Knowing how long a game will take helps you plan your time. If you have a busy week, you might not want to start a huge RPG.

Value for Money

Sometimes people look at game length in relation to price. They want to feel that they’re getting the most play time for their money.

Personal Preference

Some players like shorter games that they can finish quickly, while others prefer sprawling epics that last for weeks.

Game completion time isn’t a set thing. It changes depending on the game you’re playing and how you like to play. Knowing what can change this can really make your gaming experience more pleasurable, by aligning expectations with the actual gameplay.

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Final Thoughts

Finishing the game depends on play style and side quests. A casual playthrough might take around 20 hours. Completionists can easily spend double, chasing every collectible and achievement.

Many factors affect how long to complete game. Ultimately, it’s about your engagement with the world. Explore and enjoy at your own pace.