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How long to beat The Outer Worlds?

Find out how long it takes to beat The Outer Worlds. It's more complicated than you think.

Bill Lavoy

March 17, 2021 9:00 AM

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The Outer Worlds has received two new pieces of DLC since its release, which means the game has inevitably become longer. If you’re planning on picking up the game again or looking to play through it for the first time, then knowing what you’re getting yourself into is important. In this guide, we’ll discuss how long it will take to beat The Outer Worlds, as well as how long it will take to complete the two DLC that are now available.

How long to beat The Outer Worlds?

The Outer Worlds is likely to take players at least 24 hours to beat, and that’s on the very low end of the estimates. To be done within 24 hours, players would need to skip numerous side quests and likely duck out of quite a few dialogue options as they play. However, 24 hours total play time is doable. Keep in mind, this estimate does not include the additional quest and locations introduced with the Peril on Gorgon or Murder on Eridanos DLCs.

A more realistic estimate for how long it takes to beat The Outer Worlds is 40 hours. This would be enough time to complete most of the side quests and engage in most of the dialogue options. This, however, is still not an estimate for leaving no stone unturned. If you choose to play through both of the DLC questlines, too, then you're looking at another 12 to 14 hours being added on, bringing that total to roughly 55 hours.

If you’re planning to explore every room in every building, I would say that a single play through of The Outer Worlds—including the DLCs—could take up to 60 or even 70 hours. This is for the person who reads all the terminals, accesses all the secret doors, reads through every dialogue option, and completes every side quest.

The catch with The Outer Worlds is that one playthrough isn’t nearly enough. There are simply too many ways to complete the game. Guns blazing is an option, but so is stealth. Maybe you want to use brains over brawn, in which case you could try to talk your way through the various situations you find yourself in. There are alternate endings to consider, meaning that even if you play through guns blazing, you might want to do so again to see things play out differently. I wouldn’t be surprised to see dedicated players get three to four runs out of The Outer Worlds, which could lead to well over 100 hours of total play time.

Now that you have a rough idea of how long it takes to beat The Outer Worlds, be sure to visit The Outer Worlds guide and walkthrough we have going. It should help you make the right calls for your game while navigating Halcyon.

Bill Lavoy

Managing Editor

Bill, who is also known as Rumpo, is a lifelong gamer and Toronto Maple Leafs fan. He made his mark early in his career through guide writing and a deep understanding of editorial SEO. He enjoys putting in the work to create a great content, be it a wild feature or grinding out an in-depth collectible guide. Tweet him @RumpoPlays if you have a question or comment about one of his articles.