The Longest Cutscenes In Video Games

Storytelling has become a vital part of video games. While simple platformers still exist, you’re far more likely to come across an immersive world full of vivid characters and a plot that will enthrall you.

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Cutscenes are important when it comes to storytelling. They’re an easy way to convey information, often using different forms of animation to make them stand apart from the game. There’s a balance between cutscenes and gameplay that some creators seem to struggle with. Get the popcorn ready because you’re in for a long ride with some of these scenes.

Updated on December 28, 2024, by PJ Molloy: Story-based games are great, but some of them have cutscenes long enough to be an episode of television. We’ve updated the list with some of the very worst offenders.

15

Freedom Planet

Cutscene Length – 13 Minutes

Freedom Planet is a wonderful homage to the Sega Genesis and classic Sonic games, featuring a similar 16-bit art style and high-speed gameplay. The story is an epic sci-fi adventure about a dragon girl named Lilac trying to save her world from an alien invasion. With such an in-depth plot comes some pretty lengthy cutscenes.

The longest cutscene occurs right after the second level. Get ready for 13 minutes of exposition, world-building, meeting characters, and catching up with the villain. Thankfully, the voice acting and excellent story should keep you engaged.

14

Xenoblade Chronicles

Cutscene Length – 17 Minutes

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Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition

Systems

Platform(s)

Switch

Released

May 29, 2020

Developer(s)

Monolith Soft

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Nintendo’s Xenoblade Chronicles is undoubtedly a lengthy RPG, largely thanks to its 10 hours of cutscenes. You control Shulk, who’s tasked with ending a decades-long war with the help of the legendary blade, Monado. Featuring a mix of expansive world-building and intricate lore, Xenoblade Chronicles tells one of the biggest stories in Nintendo’s history.

With such a long story comes a lengthy epilogue to wrap up all plot lines. Xenoblade’s last cutscene is about 17 minutes long, depicting everything from Shulk’s killing blow against the final boss to his introspective, beachside conversation with his friends. If you include the credits, the sequence becomes five minutes longer.

13

Legend Of Heroes: Trails Of Cold Steel 3

Cutscene Length – 20 Minutes

Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 3 is the 16th game in the Legend of Heroes series, the 11th game in the Trails subseries, and the third game in the Trails of Cold Steel arc. It takes place one year after the events of Trails of Cold Steel 2, introducing a completely different cast of characters. This time, you follow the new students of Class 7 at Thors Military Academy, now taught by Rean Schwarzer.

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The cutscenes are tasked with summarizing the Cold Steel arc so far, which is no easy feat by any means. Fitting a concise summary into 20 minutes is a rather impressive accomplishment.

12

Final Fantasy 6

Cutscene Length – 23 Minutes

SNES games aren’t exactly known for long cutscenes, but Final Fantasy 6 manages to pull it off. After defeating the final boss, you can put the controller down and grab a snack while you watch a 23-minute-long cutscene depicting your party escaping from Kefka’s tower.

The lengthy runtime is largely thanks to the credits, which are sprinkled throughout the escape sequence. However, even without the constant interruptions, the final cutscene would still be incredibly long.

11

Yakuza 2

Cutscene Length – 23 Minutes

Action-Adventure

Beat ‘Em Up

Systems

Released

September 9, 2008

Developer(s)

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio

The Yakuza games are famous for being narrative-driven, and the second entry is no exception. You know you’re in for a cinematic experience when the game starts with a whopping 11-minute-long intro cutscene, followed closely by 12 minutes of exposition.

The longest cutscene in the game is a staggering 23 minutes – roughly the length of the average TV show in a half-hour time slot. Luckily, the thrilling drama and excellent characters should keep you thoroughly entertained. Grab some popcorn and buckle in for the ride.

10

Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core

Cutscene Length – 23 Minutes

Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core was a PSP exclusive and served as a prequel to Final Fantasy 7. While long cutscenes are more common in consoles and PC games, handheld titles aren’t exempt from them. Square Enix practically has them down to an art.

After defeating Genesis, you can enjoy 23 minutes of exposition, which leads you right into the original Final Fantasy 7 intro. It’s well done and worth it, especially if you enjoyed Final Fantasy 7.

9

Quantum Break

Cutscene Length – 25 Minutes

Systems

Quantum Break proudly calls itself part game, part live-action show. It’s a third-person shooter that follows Jack Joyce, who receives time-bending powers after participating in a failed time travel experiment. Things quickly get heated when Jack must find a way to prevent the End of Time while facing off against a violent future version of his best friend, Paul.

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The game is split into five acts, each separated by a roughly 25-minute-long live-action cutscene written, directed, and edited like a TV episode. You may even recognize a few cast members, including Shawn Ashmore (X-Men, The Rookie) and Aidan Gillen (Mayor of Kingstown, Bohemian Rhapsody).

8

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Cutscene Length – 24 Minutes

Systems

Platform(s)

Switch

Released

December 1, 2017

Developer(s)

Monolith Soft

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

In a series full of impressively long cutscenes, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 wins by just a few minutes. The 24-minute scene occurs at the end of the game, wrapping up the story you’ve played through.

If you’re someone who watches through the credits, you can add nine minutes to that endgame, totaling 33 minutes. The credits aren’t required watching, however, and you won’t miss much if you skip them.

7

Xenosaga

Cutscene Length – 25 Minutes

This episodic RPG wasn’t afraid to utilize cutscenes to tell its story. Overall, Xenosaga featured roughly 500 cutscenes across three episodes, with the longest occurring toward the end of episode three and lasting a total of 25 minutes.

The complicated story involves fighting both an alien race and humans, trying to find an artifact with god-like energy, so the long cutscene was probably necessary.

Cutscene Length – 27 Minutes

Systems

Released

November 17, 2004

The Metal Gear Solid series is no stranger to lengthy cutscenes, and the third entry starts off with a doozy. Set in 1964, the plot follows Naked Snake (also known as Big Boss) as he infiltrates a Russian military facility to sabotage their superweapon development. Needless to say, Snake needs a lot of information to pull off the mission, and the game wants you to know every single detail.

Right after starting a new file, the adventure greets you with a roughly 27-minute-long cutscene in which Snake is debriefed and deployed into a Russian jungle. Get ready to learn a lot about the Cold War and hear extensive amounts of dialogue.

5

Kingdom Hearts 3

Cutscene Length – 28 Minutes

Kingdom Hearts 3 was the game that kept fans waiting. And waiting. And even when you got the game, you had to wait through a combined total of 12 hours of cutscenes. As the final entry in the Xehanort saga, it had the unfathomable task of ending a story that spanned over nine games and 17 years.

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The final cutscene, clocking in at 28 minutes, takes the top spot for longest in the game. 18 minutes of that was probably warranted, but the ten minutes of continued epilogue while the credits roll might have been a little over the top.

4

Death Stranding

Cutscene Length – 31 Minutes

Hideo Kojima is here with a whopper. Death Stranding is a large game with an even bigger world to explore. It takes about two hours to reach the climax, but you’re not going to get there without sitting through a heaping helping of cutscenes first.

The longest cutscene is 31 minutes. While the game received good reviews, at some point, you’ve got to wonder if you’re playing a video game or just watching TV. The break might be welcome, though. Sometimes, you just need to put down the controller and stretch your fingers.

3

Yakuza 0

Cutscene Length – 42 Minutes

Long-time fans of the Yakuza series will tell you that long cutscenes are a staple that plagues every title. At times, it can feel more like watching an interactive movie than playing a game. But Yakuza 0 ultimately wins for the longest cutscene, with a 42-minute epilogue after the final boss wrapping up various storylines for the game’s characters.

And don’t leave when the credits start rolling, or you’ll miss the four minutes of set up for the next game! This is starting to sound like a Marvel movie…

2

Star Ocean: The Last Hope

Cutscene Length – 46 Minutes

JRPGs are known for being particularly long, and Star Ocean: The Last Hope takes the cake. This mid-2000s video game won’t wow you with amazing graphics, but it will certainly tell you a story. The last cutscene of the game clocks in at 46 minutes, right before the final battle.

Square Enix is another common offender when it comes to long cutscenes. If you’ve ever played another game they’ve made, you already know. Just don’t forget there is still a battle after that cutscene. The game isn’t over yet!

Cutscene Length – 71 Minutes

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Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Systems

Metal Gear Solid 4 is a strong contender for the most amount of dialogue in a video game, which is no surprise given that the final cutscene is a whopping 71 minutes long. The sequence, titled Epilogue, depicts what happens after you’ve finished the game.

The creator of the series, Hideo Kojima, is well known for his epic and lengthy cutscenes. This sequence deserves all the time it’s given, considering how much it has to wrap up. You can definitely put down the controller, though. Maybe get a snack before you settle in to find out the fates of your favorite characters. You’ve got time.

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