In a series as beloved as Zelda, you’re no doubt wondering how long the next major game in the series, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, will take to finish. Fans of this truly legendary series will find the old familiarity of a Zelda game mixed up with the wacky creativity and out-of-the-box thinking that’ll propel the series forward in the newest mainline entry.
But how long Tears of the Kingdom is depends entirely on you – how much of Hyrule, the Skies, and the Depths do you want to see? Let us help you plan out your journey.
How Long Does It Take To Beat Tears Of The Kingdom?
If you're someone who tends to stick to the main story when you're playing a game, then according to HowLongToBeat.com, your Tears of the Kingdom playthrough will clock in around 48 hours.
For comparison to help you estimate your time sink with TOTK, Breath of the Wild takes about 50 hours to finish in this same mode. If you've beaten the game's legendary prequel, get ready for the same kind of time commitment this time around.
This metric is for folks who are playing the game by going from plot point to plot point, with minimal optional exploration taking place between.
Of course, if you're going for a speedrun, you've already got some stiff competition: on launch day, someone beat the game in just over an hour and a half. Technically, you're once again able to leave the tutorial area and head straight for the final battle just like last time, too, but this time, doing so contains some major plot spoilers, so run ahead at your own risk!
What About Side Adventures And Quests?
It's not a Zelda game if you don't also have a wide selection of things to do outside the main story, and Tears of the Kingdom is definitely no exception there.
If you're trying to run errands, work for the Lucky Clover Gazette, or any manner of possible Side Adventures quests in Tears of the Kingdom, it'll add about 20 hours of playtime to the main story's runtime, clocking in at around 68 hours total.
How Long Is A Complete Run Of Tears Of The Kingdom?
While we're positive that Zelda fans will get more than their money's worth on Tears of the Kingdom, anyone hoping to find and do absolutely everything the game has to offer will be waiting quite some time.
That said, following a survey of fans after launch weekend for Tears of the Kingdom, HowLongToBeat's site has a completionist run of Tears of the Kingdom listed at 96 hours.
Beware that you'll almost certainly spend more time than this trying to find absolutely everything there is to find - all the various shrines, hidden Koroks in need of help, Side Adventures, and so much more. After all, people are still discovering things about Breath of the Wild years after its 2017 launch
Iconic Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma has already played it 20 times already, and he confirms that all the little things along the way make the game what it truly was meant to be. So if the producer of the Tears of the Kingdom believes it's worth venturing off the beaten path, strap in for the long haul on this iteration of Hyrule.