How Long Does It Take to Complete Botw is a question many players ask before jumping into Hyrule’s wide-open world. Whether you want to speed through the main story or soak up every side quest, knowing typical time commitments helps you plan gaming sessions, avoid burnout, and set realistic goals.
In this guide you’ll learn rough playtime ranges, what changes those numbers, how speedruns differ, and a simple method to estimate your own run. Expect clear examples, a few useful stats (like the game’s 120 shrines and nearly 900 Korok puzzles), and practical tips to make your experience fit your schedule.
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Quick Answer: How Long Does It Take to Complete Botw?
On average, a straight run through the main quest takes about 30–50 hours, a typical playthrough with many side quests is around 70–120 hours, and a true completionist run can reach 100–200+ hours depending on goals. These ranges depend on playstyle: explorers, collectathon fans, and challenge runners will all hit very different totals.
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How Long Does It Take to Complete Botw: Breaking Down the Average Playtimes
First, think of playtime in three buckets: main story, extended play (main plus extras), and completionist. Each bucket includes different activities that affect time spent.
| Playstyle | Typical Hours | What’s Included |
|---|---|---|
| Main story | 30–50 | Follow key objectives, few shrines |
| Typical playthrough | 70–120 | Many shrines, divine beasts, side quests |
| Completionist | 100–200+ | All shrines, Korok seeds, quests, armor upgrades |
Notice the wide ranges. Your speed, curiosity, and how much you use guides all matter. Some players like to sprint straight to the final boss, while others spend 100+ hours hunting Korok seeds.
To give perspective, many community surveys show the median player falls into the 60–100 hour bracket when they mix story and exploration. If you want a clean number, treat the ranges as planning guides, not exact rules.
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How Long Does It Take to Complete Botw: Factors That Change Your Playtime
Several factors shift how long your playthrough will take. Simple things like combat comfort and map knowledge make a big difference.
- Experience with open-world games
- Use of guides or walkthroughs
- Combat skill and stealth preference
- Desire to collect everything (Koroks, armor sets)
Another big factor is whether you plan to tackle hard optional content like master mode or challenge trials. Those add time and often require repeat attempts, which inflates total hours.
Finally, hardware and session length matter. Playing long sessions tends to be more efficient than many short sessions because you spend less time reorienting yourself. On average:
- Casual players (1–2 hours/day) may take longer calendar-wise but often hit 70–120 hours in total.
- Regular players (2–4 hours/day) can finish typical playthroughs in a few weeks.
- Hardcore players who focus only on story can cut time significantly.
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How Long Does It Take to Complete Botw: Speedruns and Fast Strategies
Speedrunners treat Botw very differently than casual players. With practice and glitches, some runs finish in under an hour, while glitchless runs still take several hours.
Key speedrun strategies include:
- Sequence breaks using glitches
- Skipping large parts of the map via advanced movement
- Prioritizing boss triggers only
A quick table comparing categories helps:
| Run Type | Typical Time |
|---|---|
| Any% (glitches) | Sub-1 hour (world record-level) |
| Any% (no major glitches) | Several hours |
| True 100% | 100+ hours |
If your goal is a quick play, learn a few routing tips: skip optional objectives, fast-travel often, and ignore collectathons. But remember, these choices trade exploration and discovery for speed.
How Long Does It Take to Complete Botw: Exploration, Shrines, and Korok Seeds
Exploration is the heart of Breath of the Wild, and it’s also the biggest time sink. The game contains 120 shrines and around 900 Korok seeds; both invite long, optional hunts.
A simple list highlights major exploration tasks:
- 120 Shrines (puzzles & combat trials)
- 900 Korok seeds (small puzzles; big collection)
- Side quests scattered across regions
Shrines usually take 5–30 minutes each depending on puzzle difficulty. Korok seeds can be one-minute finds or multi-step riddles, and collecting all 900 will easily add dozens of hours.
Balancing exploration with objectives is key. For example:
| Choice | Estimated Time Added |
|---|---|
| Do only major shrines | +10–20 hours |
| Hunt most Koroks | +50–100 hours |
How Long Does It Take to Complete Botw: Playstyle Tips to Shorten or Extend Your Run
You can tailor your Botw experience to fit a schedule. If you want to shorten the run, focus on essentials; if you want to extend the fun, collect and explore.
Shorten your run with these steps:
- Prioritize main objectives and Divine Beasts
- Avoid Korok hunting until after the credits
- Use fast travel and skip optional shrines
To extend or deepen the experience, try:
- Completing all shrines and side quests
- Hunting for rare armor and weapon sets
- Trying different role-play builds and no-fast-travel runs
Also consider pacing: plan short sessions (30–60 minutes) if you want a relaxed pace, or longer sessions if you want to make fast progress. Statistic: players who play 2–3 hour sessions often reach 70–100 hours faster than those who play 30-minute sessions spread over months.
How Long Does It Take to Complete Botw: Estimating Your Own Time
You can make a simple estimate for your own playtime by breaking the game into parts and assigning hours to each part. This method makes planning realistic and reduces surprises.
Follow these steps:
- Decide your finish goal (main story, typical playthrough, or completionist)
- Estimate hours for each activity (bosses, shrines, Koroks, exploration)
- Add a buffer (20–30%) for learning, reattempts, and breaks
Example calculation:
| Activity | Estimated Hours |
|---|---|
| Main quest | 40 |
| Shrines (50) | 25 |
| Exploration & side quests | 30 |
| Buffer | 20 |
That sample plan totals about 115 hours for a thorough but not obsessive run. Adjust the numbers to match your habits—if you’re a methodical explorer, add more; if you use guides, subtract some time.
In short, the best estimate comes from knowing how you play and then adding realistic buffers for discovery, mistakes, and the joy of wandering.
Wrapping up, How Long Does It Take to Complete Botw depends mostly on your goals: aim for 30–50 hours for a focused run, 70–120 hours for a rich playthrough, or 100–200+ hours if you chase everything. Plan based on these ranges and tailor them with the estimating method above.
If you want help planning your own schedule, try the sample table above and pick a target—then start playing with intention. Share your planned goal and I’ll help you break it down into weekly or daily sessions so it fits your time.