How Long Does It Actually Take to Beat Pokémon Legends: Arceus?

The much-anticipated Pokémon game has finally arrived, and while it isn’t perfect, it brings loads of new ideas to an already fun series. You can read our full Pokémon Legends: Arceus review for more details about gameplay and more. If you’re just wondering how much time you’ll end up sinking into the game itself, we can help break that down.

How Long to Beat Pokemon Legends: Arceus

So how long does it take to beat Pokémon Legends: Arceus? If you focus mostly on reaching the first credits without going out of your way to catch new Pokémon or take on side quests, our experts say you can likely beat the game with about 25 – 30 hours of playtime.

That being said, there is a lot more to do in Pokémon Legends: Arceus than just finishing the main missions.

How Much Time It Takes to Fully Complete the Game

According to our resident Pokémon Legends: Arceus experts, it takes quite a bit more time to reach the true end of the game and complete your Pokédex .

“The first ‘act,’ which takes you through Hisui’s five regions and culminates in a boss battle showdown, took me about 30 hours to finish, albeit with considerable distracted wandering off the main path to do side quests and catch Pokémon. But the main story quest continues after the credits roll, and the lengthy collect-a-thon required to finish the absolute final tasks you’re given can be a time-consuming one. In total, I took 64 hours to reach Legends: Arceus’ actual conclusion, which included the requirement of catching every Pokémon and happened to coincide with (but did not require) finishing all side quests.”

– Rebekah Valentine, Reviewer

“I’m not actually done yet, and definitely not close at all to reaching the true ending of Pokémon Legends: Arceus, but I currently have spent about 35 hours playing. I have reached every area, unlocked every rideable Pokémon, caught 106 Pokémon, and am on the last stretch of story missions before hitting the credits. I’m a Sixth Star Member, a title earned by completing Pokédex Research Tasks, which is higher than it needs to be to finish the first stretch of story. I’d definitely be done with the first act by now if I had focused on main missions considering they really are generally quite short if you race past wild Pokémon and on Wyrdeer and don’t explore larger areas.”

– Casey Defreitas, Guides Team

Like any game where exploration is encouraged, the amount of time it will take you to actually finish playing is entirely up to how you decide to play.

There is a lot to explore in Pokémon Legends: Arceus if you choose to stop to smell the Roselias and let yourself get distracted. While you may be able to finish the main story quickly, you’d have to miss out on many of the finer details to do so.