How Long to Beat: Main Story, 100% and Every Estimate

Playtime estimates by source

Scope	Estimate	Basis
Rush to an ending on story difficulty	5–10 hours	Polygon, September 3
Relaxed normal-difficulty run	Around 30 hours	Polygon’s reported experience
Broad exploration	50 hours or more	Polygon’s estimate
Prologue	Around 3 hours	Polygon
Pre-release whole-game estimate	50–70 hours	Wikipedia relaying a developer estimate via Gamereactor
The media and pre-release estimates above retain their September 9 review boundary.

HowLongToBeat player snapshot · September 15, 2026

Category	Headline estimate	Polled	Average	Median
Main Story	19 hours	19	21h 26m	17h
Main + Sides	32 hours	93	32h 19m	32h
Completionist	48 hours	16	50h 45m	45h

These values were transcribed from a reader-supplied screenshot of the linked HLTB page, captured at 21:43 on September 15 (UTC+8, supplied filename). The table combines platforms. HLTB’s headline estimates differ from its Average column; they must not be presented as the same metric. The All PlayStyles row has 128 submissions and a 33h 1m average. These are self-reported samples, with only 16 completionist submissions in this snapshot.

Source: Polygon playtime guide · Wikipedia / Gamereactor citation · HowLongToBeat · checked 2026-09-15

Main story versus a 100% run

A route to an ending and a completionist run measure different things. Polygon’s shorter figure describes deliberately rushing, while its longer figure allows broader exploration. The 50+ estimate is not a verified all-achievements or 100% completion time. The older developer estimate is also not a post-launch player average.

HLTB now provides a completionist aggregate: a 48-hour headline estimate and a 50h 45m average from 16 submissions. Its self-reported category does not guarantee every achievement, branch or ending in a single run. Keep these statistics separate from the media and developer estimates rather than averaging them together.

Source: Polygon playtime guide · Wikipedia / Gamereactor citation · HowLongToBeat · checked 2026-09-15

Does the 30-day limit mean 30 real days?

No. The estimates above describe real playing hours. The story’s deadline is a separate in-game system; see the time-limit explanation for its rules and consequences.

Source: Polygon playtime guide · Wikipedia / Gamereactor citation · HowLongToBeat · checked 2026-09-15