The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild took the gaming world by storm with its groundbreaking open-world physics-based gameplay, earning widespread acclaim and becoming a defining entry in the series. Now, its highly anticipated sequel, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, released on May 12, seeks to surpass its predecessor in every possible way.
Offering an even grander and more immersive experience, Tears of the Kingdom is not only a bigger game but also a longer one. In this guide, we will dive into the topic of game length, exploring just how much time you can expect to invest in Tears of the Kingdom before reaching the end credits.
Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom – Game Length:
As the first truly open-world entry in the Zelda franchise, Breath of the Wild took nearly twice as long to beat compared to other games in the series. According to HowLongToBeat.com, completing the main story alone takes an average of 50 hours, but when you factor in sidequests and other activities, that time quickly extends to 100 hours or more. That’s a playtime equivalent to a Persona game!
Now, for Tears of the Kingdom, even more, time is required to witness the culmination of Link and Zelda’s story. If you follow a direct path and solely focus on the main missions, you can expect to spend approximately 60 hours traversing the vast world of Hyrule. However, if you embrace the game’s natural flow and allow yourself to get lost in its immersive world, you can easily exceed a hundred hours of playtime. For those who want to experience everything the game has to offer, the 200-hour mark might be within reach.
The reason behind this extensive playtime lies in the expanded freedom Tears of the Kingdom offers and the expansive world it presents. While Breath of the Wild was already massive, Tears of the Kingdom introduces the entire Hyrule, along with two entirely new levels of the world to explore.
The first addition is the inclusion of Sky Islands scattered throughout the world, serving as large puzzle areas that challenge players to utilize mechanics to navigate these unique locations. The second addition is the Depths, an underground world rivaling the size of the main overworld. The Depths functions as a challenging hard mode for Tears of the Kingdom, featuring tougher enemies, life-sapping pools of liquid, and a pitch-black landscape that intensifies traversal. These additions effectively double the available space to explore.
Moreover, these diverse areas of Hyrule are brimming with an abundance of activities that can divert players from the main story. Returning from Breath of the Wild are shrines, towers, stables, and Korok seeds, all enticing players with the promise of different upgrades.
Furthermore, the villages scattered throughout Hyrule are more vibrant and populated compared to Breath of the Wild, making them feel alive and bustling with activity. Each town is teeming with NPCs, each with its own side quests and stories to unravel.
All these elements combined make Tears of the Kingdom an absolute beast of a game to tackle. While it’s hypothetically possible to complete the game in around 60 hours, most players will find themselves irresistibly drawn into the vast world, captivated by the sheer amount of discoveries waiting to be made.
So, prepare yourself for an epic adventure in Tears of the Kingdom, where time seems to lose all meaning as you embark on a journey filled with wonder, challenges, and countless stories to uncover.
