Have you often been wondering how long it’s going to take to finish a game on your shelf or even in your digital library? Be it a casual game one might be playing due to time limitations or a game for the hard-core player anxious to jump into a new virtual world, knowing just how much time will be needed can be an important factor.
Welcome To “How Long to Beat”, website
Welcome “How Long to Beat”, a website that has grown into a required tool for gamers around the world.
We are going to cover everything one needs to know about “How Long to Beat,” from understanding its features to leveraging it for better gaming decisions. By the end, you will have all the tips on how to make the most of your gaming time.
Understanding the “How Long to Beat” Website
How Long to Beat launched with one simple, yet powerful idea-help gamers estimate the time required to complete a game. What began as a niche tool has grown into an extensive database powered by user submissions.
In this case, it forces users to input their game completion times for the average that others can refer to. You can find any game there and get an estimate of how long it takes to complete the Main Story, Main Story + Extras, or go full Completionist.
This has made it a go-to resource because it’s driven by data for gamers of all kinds.
Why Knowing Game Length Matters
It’s more than just a matter of curiosity to understand how long a game is going to take to complete; for many gamers, it’s a key factor in decision-making.
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Time Management:
Work and family, put together with gaming, may be what you are trying to juggle, and knowing how long a game is going to last can help you plan your leisure time more effectively.
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Setting Realistic Goals:
Whether you’re looking to complete a game before a new release or simply trying to work your way through your gaming backlog, having an idea of how long a game will take to complete can help in setting realistic goals.
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Purchase Decisions:
Game length could also determine whether the purchase is worth it. Some gamers enjoy shorter, more digestible titles, whereas others enjoy being enveloped in an epic, time-sucking experience.
Categories of Game Completion Times
What makes “How Long to Beat” unique, though, is the way it breaks down how much time a game will take to beat. It goes like this:
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Main Story :
The amount of time it takes to finish the game’s main story.
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Main Story + Extras:
Also includes side quests, collectibles, and other content besides the main story.
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Completionist:
For those who want to see everything a game has to offer, including every side quest, collectible, and hidden secret.
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Multiplayer and Other Variations:
Some games have estimates in multiplayer or other specific game modes.
This categorization helps gamers adjust their expectations based on how they would want to experience the game in question.
How “How Long to Beat” Collects and Displays Data
The power of “How Long to Beat” lies in its user-driven data. Users submit their completion times, and the site aggregates these to provide an average. But how reliable is this data?
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User Submissions:
Anyone can add their game completion time to the already extensive database of the site.
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Data Verification:
While the site relies on the good faith of its users, it uses statistical methods to eliminate outliers and ensure accuracy.
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Statistical Analysis:
Computing averages and showing ranges instead gives a realistic estimate, rather than giving a single number that may mislead.
Longest Completion Times: Top Games
Planning to be occupied for weeks over a game? That’s where “How Long to Beat” will help you find one. Here are some of the top games with the longest completion times:
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Single-Player Epics:
Games like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Red Dead Redemption 2 are known for sprawling narratives and a ton of content.
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Role-Playing Games:
These include titles like Persona 5 and Divinity: Original Sin 2, too, which can easily take hundreds of hours to finish, especially for completionists.
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Open-World Games:
Quite simply, with maps the size of a small country and literally thousands of things to do in them, it can take well over 100 hours to see everything in a game like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
The Shortest Games You Can Beat in One Sitting
Instead, if you want a game that you can finish within a single session, “How Long to Beat” has that covered for you, too.
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Indie Gems:
Games like Journey and Firewatch are brief but powerful. They give you memorable experiences without requiring too much time investment.
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Casual Games:
Games like Donut County and Florence are great to play when one intends to enjoy some quick gaming.
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Episodic games
Like Telltale’s The Walking Dead, are usually much shorter and can be completed in one sitting.
How to Use “How Long to Beat” for Gaming Strategy
For any gamer who wants to plan his/her gaming schedule, “How Long to Beat” can be a strong weapon in his/her armor.
- Also, when you’re planning your gaming schedule, use the site to estimate how much longer it will take to finish the current game before starting another.
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Manage your gaming backlog:
Got a big list of games to get through? Then organize them by how long they take to complete, and knock off the shorter ones to clear your backlog more efficiently.
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Finding Games that Fit Your Lifestyle:
Too busy professional or student, “How Long to Beat” will enable you to find games to fit in with your available gaming time.
How to Contribute to “How Long to Beat”
Want to help other gamers? It’s super easy and quite rewarding to contribute to “How Long to Beat”.
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Steps to submit your own game completion times:
Just sign up on the site, find the game you have completed, and submit your time.
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How to Ensure Accurate Submissions:
Be honest and accurate when submitting your times, so the data stays reliable.
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Community Benefits of Contributing:
Your contribution allows the community to have a more valuable resource.
Comparing How Long To Beat to Other Gaming Time Calculators
“How Long to Beat” is one of the best resources, but it is not the only tool available out there. This is how it can compare with rivals:
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Pros and Cons of “How Long to Beat”:
The power of this site lies in its users, but one must remember that such data will always differ a lot from one play style to another.
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Alternative Tools and Apps:
The rest of the above feature set is available with other tools like GG and Backloggd, but those tend to focus more on tracking and organizing your game library.
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Why “How Long to Beat” is special:
Despite the competition, “How Long to Beat” is still singular due to the extensive database and community-oriented approach.
Some Misconceptions about Game Lengths
Sometimes, game length can be pretty complex. Let’s go through some common misconceptions:
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The Myth of “Average” Playtime:
The truth is, the time it takes someone to play a game actually really depends on their skill level and playstyle, and whether or not they do any side content.
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How Player Skill and Playstyle Affect Completion Time:
Obviously, an experienced player would finish the game more quickly, while another player who looks at everything in as much detail as possible might need more time.
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Deceitful Data-How to Interpret It:
Sometimes, user contributions can be very deceitful. Instead of having blind faith in the average value, it is good to take a closer look at the times.
Case Studies: Popular Games and Their Completion Times
OK, let’s narrow this down and look at some popular games and their completion times according to “How Long to Beat”:
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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt:
With such a huge open world and deep storyline, the time it takes to complete can vary from 50 to 200+ hours depending on your style of play.
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Red Dead Redemption 2:
Another open-world epic, whose main story takes about 50-60 hours, but much longer if you dive into all of the extras.
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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild:
A game that wants you to explore, and times vary widely depending on how much of the world you do decide to see.
How “How Long to Beat” Influences Game Development
Interestingly, it happens that sometimes “How Long to Beat” fuels data used by developers to inform game design decisions.
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Player Data Bringing Insight to Developers:
This helps them make certain decisions in game development with regard to the time that is spent playing their games.
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Designing Games with Length in Mind:
Sometimes game developers want to make their games of specific length to appeal to different kinds of players.
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Balancing Content and Player Engagement:
Developers can use completion data analysis to work out the right balance between offering enough content and holding player interest.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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How accurate is the data on “How Long to Beat”?
While the data is user-submitted, the site uses statistical methods to ensure accuracy.
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Can I trust user submissions on the site?
Generally, yes, but it pays to look at the range of times and consider your own play style.
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How often is the data updated?
The data is updated constantly as more users submit their completion times.
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Does “How Long to Beat” include DLC and expansions?
Yes, but usually listed separately from the main game completion times.
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Can I use “How Long to Beat” for non-gaming activities?
Though for games, the site’s approach towards time tracking could be utilized in many other activities.
Conclusion
“How Long to Beat” is a website that goes beyond just that; it is a resource for the gamer wanting to maximize his time. Be it for planning a marathon of his favorite games or simply to know exactly how long it may take to finish that new game, “How Long to Beat” will have got him covered.
Come and take control of your gaming time today by exploring the site and contributing your own data.
