Elden Ring promises to be one of the biggest game releases of 2022, and those lofty expectations can be easily extrapolated to discussions about the game’s highly variable length. In this no-nonsense explainer, we’ll unpack just how long it takes to truly beat Elden Ring based on the assessment of those who played it. We’ll also reveal some of the regions you can expect to encounter on your journey through the Lands Between. FromSoftware’s latest masterpiece is as complex as it is beautiful, so let’s whittle matters down to brass tacks.
How long does it take to beat Elden Ring?
Given that Elden Ring is a substantially challenging and sprawling open-world adventure, it’s no surprise the time it takes players to finish the game can vary quite wildly. If you encounter a particularly tough boss, for example, it’s not unthinkable to assume it could take several hours just to make it past a single daunting section.
In that regard, what we’ve been able to gather in terms of average playtime differs greatly depending on who you ask. Here’s a summary of the known estimates.
- IGN: 87 hours.
- GameSpot: More than 50 hours (review in progress).
- Video Games Chronicle: “Elden Ring is also a ridiculously long game. This will obviously vary if you happen to be the greatest Souls player to ever live, but there’s genuinely so much to do that a player could spend 50 hours in the opening few areas.”
- Game Informer: More than 55 hours.
- VG 24/7: More than 60 hours.
- PC Gamer: 60 Hours.
- Kirk McKeand (GLHF): 62 hours.
- FromSoftware producer Yasuhiro Kitao: 30 hours.
Generally speaking, one can imagine spending anywhere from 60 to 80 hours while working through the Elden Ring campaign. Unfortunately or not, it seems a bit difficult to refine the numbers anywhere beyond that threshold for now. That may change as hungry Souls fans devour every last morsel the game offers, but for now, the experience appears too challenging to definitively pin down.
Even those who reviewed Elden Ring were quick to suggest FromSoftware’s week-long review embargo didn’t provide enough time to truly see what Elden Ring has to offer. “A week was not enough time to review Elden Ring,” tweeted Fanbyte News Editor Imran Khan when the embargo had lifted. “I know it came in hot and most reviewers just cut off at a certain point to put a score on it, but this game needed at least three weeks to really review.”
Speaking to IGN’s aforementioned 87-hour review, Polygon Deputy Editor Maddy Myers agreed, saying the process wasn’t “a workload that I would have tolerated.” As for GameSpot’s incomplete review in progress, reviewer and Managing Editor Tamoor Hussain admitted, “I played and wrote until I physically couldn’t stay upright every day, and I couldn’t make it.” Elden Ring has proven to be a tough haul even for fans of the series, and observing the impact of playing it under an embargoed timeframe proves it.
Elden Ring region list: How many regions does the map have?
In our time with the game, we’ve been able to uncover at least seven different regions on the Elden Ring map with still many more subareas left to explore. Here are the locations we’ve visited thus far.
- Limgrave
- Liurnia of the Lakes
- Altus Plateau
- Caelid
- Leyndell, Royal Capital
- Ainsel River
- Siofra River
- Other subareas in between
In our estimation, we’ve only made our way through about 65 percent of the campaign. The short answer worth knowing, then, is that Elden Ring is an absolutely massive game with an equally expansive map. Those who choose to invest their $59 at launch certainly won’t be starved for content for quite a while.
