The latest Pokémon game is officially out, and ready to rob gamers of all their free time.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet officially dropped on Nov. 18, just in time for the weekend. An open world and a wealth of Pokémon to track down and catch presents an intimidating challenge for gamers short on free time, however, as they look ahead to the weeks—months even—that it could take to properly explore Paldea.
The latest Pokémon title certainly appears to be a particularly robust game, and fans of the franchise are wondering if its open world setting and multitude of storylines translates to a longer runtime. Even after they polish off the game’s main storylines, many players will stick around to track down each of the rare and elusive Pokémon the world has to offer, stacking additional hours on top of what could already be a long playtime.
There’s plenty to enjoy in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, but even the most time-poor players should be able to find space in their schedules to beat the game eventually. Here’s how long it should take most players to finish the title, complete with all three storylines and their various bosses.
Here’s how long it takes to beat Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
A handy little website, dubbed “How Long to Beat,” takes on the task of measuring out the playtimes of popular video games, so incoming players go into their favorite titles prepared. Some games take some serious commitment—with titles like Elden Ring offering up more than 130 hours of gameplay for completionists—but thankfully Scarlet and Violet is a bit less of an undertaking.
It should take most gamers less than a full day to complete the main story in Scarlet and Violet, according to How Long to Beat. If they’re hoping to take on the extra tasks and side quests riddled throughout the game, that time will shift up by around 10 hours, to an undertaking of about 34 and a half hours in length. There’s no word yet on how long the title will take for completionists, but we may be able to get an idea based on the playtimes of other Pokémon titles.
A number of popular Pokémon releases share a similar overall playtime with Scarlet and Violet. Games like Pokémon Sword and Shield and Pokémon Legends: Arceus both sport complete times similar to Scarlet and Violet, with the former taking around 25 and a half hours and the latter clocking in at a clean 25. For these games, it should take the completionists among us between 77 and 100 hours to polish off.
It seems that the overall runtime for Scarlet and Violet will depend heavily on how many side quests and stray Pokémon are scattered throughout the game. If it sports a similar abundance to Sword and Shield, the game could take several weeks at the minimum to fully complete. If it eases up a bit on the extra additions, the game could only double or triple its base completion time.
