The Mario Game That Takes The Longest To Beat

As a featured character in over 200 different video games, there's plenty of Mario content for fans to sink their time into (via Statista). While many of the Nintendo mascot's titles are on the shorter end of video game playtimes, some, such as "Mario+Rabbids: Sparks of Hope," can take upwards of 30 hours to beat. "Sparks of Hope" specifically could take even longer if one were to do most of the game's side quests.

"Sparks of Hope" serves as a reminder that the world's most beloved plumber often takes a break from platforming, as he ventures into RPG territory. It's games such as the "Mario & Luigi" series where players can spend loads of time simply making the game's end credits roll. Of course, as with most games, their playtimes can increase exponentially if players aim to 100% the game and see everything there is to offer. If that's the case, some Mario games can take over 60 hours, but which game takes the longest?

According to HowLongtoBeat, the average length for the main storyline in one of Mario's 3D platformers — such as "Super Mario 64," "Super Mario Galaxy," or "Super Mario 3D World" — comes out to an average of about 13 hours. In some cases, as it is with "Super Mario Sunshine," aiming to achieve full completion will nearly double one's playtime. When it comes to 2017's "Super Mario Odyssey," however, a completionist run can quadruple the game's playtime, pushing the clock up to a whopping 62 hours. This definitely makes the game the longest Mario 3D platformer, but the RPGs go even further. 

"Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam" and "Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey" each take about 25.5 hours to beat, but they also require an excess of 61 hours to finish everything they have to offer. Then, of course, there's "Mario & Luigi: Dream Team." While the completionist route doesn't take as long as its contemporaries, 56.5 hours is huge. However, the necessary playtime for "Mario & Luigi: Dream Team" dwarfs all other Mario titles at a sizeable 44.5 hours. 

While that may be the winner for the longest Mario game in terms of beating the main game, there is one, obscure Mario title that takes longer than all others when it comes to 100% completion. Released only in Japan for the Game Boy, 1996's "Mario's Picross 2" can take players a staggering 75 hours to fully complete. That's a lot of picross puzzles!