RPGs That Take The Longest To Beat

One of the biggest draws of the tried and true role-playing game genre is how downright beefy these games tend to be. Hours upon hours long, these epic tales have amazed and astounded us for almost as long as video games have existed.

That only begs the question though: how long can these gaming behemoths actually take to beat? What are the longest RPGs, and how long are they, anyway? Well, if you’re looking for a nice long story to keep you occupied for a while, or even if you’re just curious about how long an RPG can really get, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s take a look at the longest RPGs of all time.

We opted not to include gacha or idle games with RPG elements that are still ongoing, like Genshin Impact, since they haven’t ended, and you can’t actually beat them in the traditional sense just yet. Additionally, our info on how long these games take to beat comes from HowLongToBeat’s averages, so while actual playtime may vary, these are, on average, the longest the genre has to offer.

Updated on March 19, 2025, by Alfredo Robelo: Role-playing games take a long time to beat, but some certainly take longer than others. We’ve updated this article to include even more games that will take you forever to beat, but be mindful that we aren’t including the time to complete them to a full extent, only the main campaign.

13

Legend Of Heroes: Trails Of Cold Steel 4

Time To Beat: 104 Hours

Released in 2018, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 4 is the grand finale of a sprawling saga that spans multiple games and intertwines with the broader Trails series. Completing the main story alone takes around 104 hours, depending on how much time you spend exploring its rich world and engaging in side activities.

This turn-based RPG offers deep character development, intricate political storytelling, and intense tactical combat. With countless cutscenes, detailed lore, and an emotionally charged narrative, Cold Steel 4 is a massive journey that rewards players with a truly unforgettable conclusion to a beloved series.

12

Disgaea 3: Absence Of Justice

Time To Beat: 106 Hours

Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice, originally released in 2008, is renowned for its over-the-top tactical gameplay and hilariously chaotic storytelling. While the game’s extra features and endgame content can push total playtime into over 300 hours, completing just the main story and side quests takes around 106 hours.

The game’s complexity comes from its depth of strategy and unique gameplay mechanics, such as stacking characters and manipulating the battlefield with geo blocks. Even without diving into its insane level-grinding potential, Disgaea 3 is a lengthy and satisfying adventure that challenges players to think outside the box.

11

Xenoblade Chronicles X

Time To Beat: 108 Hours

Monolithsoft’s controversial pseudo-sequel to the cult classic JRPG Xenoblade Chronicles might not have been what fans were expecting, but there’s no denying this behemoth of a game was well worth the asking price in terms of size and content.

While all of the Xenoblade Chronicles games are large enough to keep you satisfied for quite a while, the average time it takes to beat Xenoblade Chronicles X just barely manages to beat out the series’ more recent outings on the Nintendo Switch.

The original version of this game required quite a few updates to address performance issues on Wii U. Now that eShop support for that platform is gone, new players won’t be able to download these patches, so if you never played this title back in the day and want to try it out now, keep in mind that you’re probably going to have to put up with these issues in order to experience the game today.

10

Baldur’s Gate 3

Time To Beat: 111 Hours

A commercial and critical darling, if you haven’t already played Baldur’s Gate 3 thanks to the hefty asking price of a modern full-size game release, rest assured that this is one RPG with enough content to justify the price tag, with an absolutely wild average time to beat of 111 hours.

In short: Baldur’s Gate 3 is probably one of the best games ever made. It takes the inherent fun at the core of Dungeons & Dragons and beautifully converts all of the appeal into a digital masterpiece that we’re confident will go down in history as one of gaming’s all-time greats.

9

Skyrim: Special Edition

Time To Beat: 114 Hours

As newer RPGs come and go, as more and more people join the gaming fandom, one game has consistently sold, been consistently talked about, and been consistently played and beloved by all. That game is none other than Skyrim, and it also happens to be one of gaming’s longest RPGs.

The standard edition of the game already had enough content to satisfy any RPG fan, but the special edition added enough to its offerings to bring this incredible open world adventure to even lengthier heights.

8

The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom

Time To Beat: 116 Hours

The only way to make The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild any better than it already was would be to add some character to the dungeons and give us more things to keep ourselves busy with in the overworld, and luckily for us, that’s exactly what Nintendo did with Tears of the Kingdom.

With enough content to keep even the most efficient players happy for over 115 hours on average, you’ll be playing around in Hyrule’s biggest incarnation yet for a very long time, especially if you decide to try getting all 1000 Korok seeds along the way.

7

Persona 5: Royal

Time To Beat: 123 Hours

Persona 5 has already garnered an infamous reputation for its length, but Persona 5 Royal, which added even more content to an already stuffed experience, has only solidified that reputation, with a massive 123-hour average completion time for the main story and extras.

The game sees you take on the role of Joker of the Phantom Thieves, a vigilante group out to make the world a better place through unconventional, at times even supernatural, means. If you’re a fan of both style and substance, this turn-based treat has got you covered.

6

The Witcher 3: Game Of The Year Edition

Time To Beat: 125 Hours

One of gaming’s biggest open worlds is perhaps unsurprisingly also home to one of its longest RPGs. The Witcher 3 is a landmark in gaming history, and a staple of what open-world games can and should be, so if any game had to take 125 hours to beat, we’re glad it’s this one.

In The Witcher 3, you’ll take on the role of a special kind of monster hunter known as a Witcher, and as you fight your way through this massive open world, the true scale of this incredible adventure only becomes more evident.

5

Pathfinder: Kingmaker

Time To Beat: 126 Hours

Pathfinder: Kingmaker is an isometric RPG in the spirit of games like Baldur’s Gate, and an incredibly long one at that. The game sees you questing and conquering a large world, slowly overtaking everything in your path as you strive to make yourself the ruler of the Stolen Lands.

Though the game’s critical reception is nowhere near that of other lengthy RPGs like Persona 5 or Baldur’s Gate 3, Pathfinders: Kingmaker finds its footing with its engrossing gameplay loop and its sheer size.

4

Elden Ring

Time To Beat: 139 Hours

Elden Ring, the critically acclaimed action RPG by FromSoftware, already boasts an expansive main campaign that takes most players around 100 hours to complete. With the addition of its DLC, which adds new areas, bosses, and lore to uncover, that number climbs closer to about 139 hours.

Set in the vast, interconnected Lands Between, Elden Ring masterfully combines challenging combat with unparalleled world design. The game offers a sense of discovery at every turn, with hidden dungeons, intricate quests, and lore-rich characters. Even without completing every secret, Elden Ring offers one of the most epic RPG experiences ever crafted.

3

Fire Emblem Fates: Special Edition

Time To Beat: 152 Hours

On top of being one of Nintendo’s longest games, thanks to it essentially being three games in one, Fire Emblem Fates: Special Edition is also one of the most expensive games on the Nintendo 3DS, with some listings going as high as 3,000 dollars.

While we’re not sure we’d pay that much for the game, those who do are in for more than their money’s worth with over 150 hours of Fire Emblem content, and that’s just for the main story and extras. For Fire Emblem fans who have a lot of time to kill, Fire Emblem Fates: Special Edition is sure to keep you busy for quite a while.

2

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite

Time To Beat: 195 Hours

Well and truly, Capcom’s Monster Hunter is a series that has always taken a lot of time to get through. Most of the series, in fact, is counted among the longest RPGs of all time, but of all of these 120+ hour experiences, the longest by far is Monster Hunter Freedom Unite for the PSP.

That’s not to say that this incredible length is a bad thing, of course. We love Monster Hunter, and we love how big and fleshed-out each new entry is. But if you’re looking for an RPG to power through in a single setting, you might want to look elsewhere, or at least keep a good stock of energy drinks on hand.

1

Dragalia Lost

Time To Beat: 500 Hours

Dragalia Lost is a now-defunct mobile RPG, which counts according to the rules because it ended, and therefore, for a while at least, you could actually play through the entire thing from start to finish. The only problem with that is that it would take you on average 500 hours to do so.

With a completed runtime like that, and the game’s interesting origins as a collaboration between Nintendo and Cygames, this mobile RPG will surely go down in the record books as one of the longest RPGs ever made worth remembering, and potentially even the longest games ever made, period.