Highlights
- Xenoblade Chronicles X takes an average of 108 hours to beat, offering a massive game world and plenty of content to explore.
- Baldur's Gate 3 boasts an average completion time of 111 hours, making it a commercial and critical favorite among RPG fans.
- The Witcher 3: Game Of The Year Edition reigns as one of the longest RPGs, requiring around 125 hours to complete its epic open-world adventure.
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.
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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 to not 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.
10 Xenoblade Chronicles X
Time To Beat: 108 Hours
![The 10 Longest RPGs Ever Made (2) The 10 Longest RPGs Ever Made (2)](https://i0.wp.com/static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/xcx-shield.jpg)
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.
9 Baldur's Gate 3
Time To Beat: 111 Hours
![The 10 Longest RPGs Ever Made (3) The 10 Longest RPGs Ever Made (3)](https://i0.wp.com/static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/wm/2024/06/baldurs-gate-3-astarion.jpg)
Baldur's Gate 3
- Platform(s)
- PC , macOS , PS5 , Xbox Series X
- Released
- August 3, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
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.
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In short: Baldur's Gate 3 is probably one of the best games ever made. It takes the inherent fun at the core of 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.
8 Skyrim: Special Edition
Time To Beat: 114 Hours
![The 10 Longest RPGs Ever Made (5) The 10 Longest RPGs Ever Made (5)](https://i0.wp.com/static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/roaming-and-interacting-with-npcs-in-the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim.jpg)
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Platform(s)
- PC , PlayStation 3 , PlayStation 4 , PlayStation 5 , Nintendo Switch , Xbox 360 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S
- Released
- November 11, 2011
- Developer(s)
- Bethesda Game Studios
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.
7 The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
Time To Beat: 116 Hours
![The 10 Longest RPGs Ever Made (6) The 10 Longest RPGs Ever Made (6)](https://i0.wp.com/static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-nintendo-switch-lite.jpg)
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Platform(s)
- Switch
- Released
- May 12, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo
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.
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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.
6 Persona 5: Royal
Time To Beat: 123 Hours
![The 10 Longest RPGs Ever Made (8) The 10 Longest RPGs Ever Made (8)](https://i0.wp.com/static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/persona-5-royal-best-single-player-games-nintendo-switch.jpg)
Persona 5 Royal
- Platform(s)
- PS4 , PS5 , Switch , PC , Xbox One , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S
- Released
- March 31, 2020
- Developer(s)
- Atlus , P-Studio
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.
5 The Witcher 3: Game Of The Year Edition
Time To Beat: 125 Hours
![The 10 Longest RPGs Ever Made (9) The 10 Longest RPGs Ever Made (9)](https://i0.wp.com/static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/geralt-fighting-enemies-in-the-witcher-3-wild-hunt.jpg)
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Platform(s)
- PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , Switch , PC
- Released
- May 19, 2015
- Developer(s)
- CD Projekt Red
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.
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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.
4 Pathfinder: Kingmaker
Time To Beat: 126 Hours
![The 10 Longest RPGs Ever Made (11) The 10 Longest RPGs Ever Made (11)](https://i0.wp.com/static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/pathfinder-kingmaker-companion-portraits-for-amiri-jaethal-linzi-and-tristian.jpg)
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.
3 Fire Emblem Fates: Special Edition
Time To Beat: 152 Hours
![The 10 Longest RPGs Ever Made (12) The 10 Longest RPGs Ever Made (12)](https://i0.wp.com/static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/screenshot-2024-03-26-133626.jpg)
Fire Emblem Fates
- Platform(s)
- 3DS
- Released
- February 19, 2016
- Developer(s)
- Intelligent Systems
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.
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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
![The 10 Longest RPGs Ever Made (14) The 10 Longest RPGs Ever Made (14)](https://i0.wp.com/static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/monster-hunter-freedom-unite-knight-and-monster.jpg)
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
![The 10 Longest RPGs Ever Made (15) The 10 Longest RPGs Ever Made (15)](https://i0.wp.com/static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/dragalia-lost-game.jpg)
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.
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