How Long Does It Take To Beat Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom?

This article contains mild spoilers for "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom."

The long-awaited sequel to "Breath of the Wild" is here, a direct continuation of "BoW's" complex story. Only this time, classic dungeons are back and better than ever. The opening scene confirms that Link has been drained of all of his power (and most of his life force and stamina) after investigating a mysterious gloom that has covered Hyrule, emanating from beneath the castle itself. Link has to not only save Hyrule, Zelda, and the friends he made in the previous game, but he also has to rebuild his power (and fix his infected arm).

With so much at stake, many fans of the franchise may find themselves wondering just how long it's going to take to complete the title. There is so much to do, so it's understandable that a basic playthrough takes an average of 22 to 25 hours — similar to "Skyward Sword" and "Ocarina of Time." 

It may seem surprising that a title that expands on "Breath of the Wild," the longest "Zelda" game to beat, doesn't have the same runtime, but one needs to note that averages are going to widely vary. Considering that "BoW" was made also for the Wii U (which ended up holding it back significantly), one might think that "Tears of the Kingdom" — made exclusively for the more powerful Switch — would blow "BoW" out of the water, and it absolutely does.

A completionist run of "TotK" averages between 54 and 78.5 hours. Of course, it isn't just the length that makes "Tears of the Kingdom" so impressive. In this sequel, Link traverses above Hyrule into the sky islands, and he heads down underneath Hyrule itself. While Link is able to paraglide in "BoW," the game mechanics are expanded, allowing even more exploration of the open world.