The longest modern console games — and how long they actually take

Hour counts for games are all over the place. A "50 hour RPG" might mean 50 hours if you mainline the story and skip everything else, or it might mean 50 hours just to reach the halfway point. The difference matters if you're deciding what to play next.

These are the modern console games that genuinely take a long time — not because they're padded, but because there's just a lot of game there. All playable on PS4/PS5 or Xbox. Hours listed are approximate and vary depending on how you play.

Monster Hunter: World

Main story: ~50 hrs  ·  Completionist: 300–500 hrs

No game on this list scales quite like Monster Hunter: World. The main campaign is a reasonable 40-50 hours, but the real game starts after you finish it. Hunting the same monsters hundreds of times to chase better gear, unlocking harder variants, working through the Iceborne expansion — players routinely clock 500+ hours without seeing everything. If you like the loop, you'll never run out of game.

Persona 5 Royal

Main story: ~100 hrs  ·  Completionist: 140–160 hrs

Persona 5 Royal is a long game even if you're rushing. The story alone runs around 100 hours, and that's without maxing out social links, exploring Mementos fully, or seeing the Royal-exclusive third semester content. It rewards the time you put in though — the pacing holds up far better than most JRPGs of this length, and the soundtrack will be stuck in your head for months.

Baldur's Gate 3

Main story: ~100 hrs  ·  Completionist: 200+ hrs

Baldur's Gate 3 is the rare game where 100 hours in you're still finding things you missed. Every choice branches the story differently, different companions unlock different quests, and different classes change how you approach the whole thing. A single playthrough is already enormous. If you want to see everything — multiple runs included — you're looking at well over 200 hours. Most people don't mind.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Main story: ~50 hrs  ·  Completionist: 170–200 hrs

The Witcher 3 has an unusually high density of good content for how long it is. The side quests are written as well as the main story — some better, honestly. Add in both expansions (Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine), and you've got another 30+ hours that most games would kill to have as their main campaign. If you only play one long RPG, this is the one most people point to.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Main story: ~50 hrs  ·  Completionist: 160–180 hrs

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a slow game and knows it. The story is deliberately paced, built around atmosphere and character rather than constant action. That puts some people off and hooks others completely. The world is dense with things to find — stranger missions, hunting, fishing, robberies, towns that feel genuinely alive. Completionists will spend close to 180 hours in it and still feel like they missed things.

Elden Ring

Main story: ~50 hrs  ·  Completionist: 120–140 hrs

Elden Ring is a different kind of long. The hour count looks moderate compared to the RPGs above, but those hours are dense. Deaths, retries, exploration in areas that seem optional until they're not, and a final stretch of legacy dungeons that would each be the main event in another game. Add the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion and you're looking at another 30-40 hours on top. It earns every one of them.

The honest answer for all of these: however long it says, add more. People who love a game always play longer than the estimates. If you're picking one to commit to, track it properly so you know where you actually are.