Skip to main content

How Long Is Ghost of Tsushima? Complete Story and 100% Guide

Updated on

G

Guilherme Fabri

11 min read

How Long Is Ghost of Tsushima is one of the first questions players ask before jumping into Jin Sakai’s journey across the island of Tsushima. The game offers a large open world, cinematic missions, optional stories, collectibles, exploration, and extra content that can significantly change your total playtime.

The answer to How Long Is Ghost of Tsushima depends mostly on how you play. A player focused only on the main campaign can reach the ending much faster than someone who stops for Tales of Tsushima, Mythic Tales, shrines, upgrades, collectibles, and other activities scattered across the map.

So, what is How Long Is Ghost of Tsushima in actual hours? Most players can expect around 20 to 30 hours for the main story, approximately 40 to 60 hours for a playthrough with major side activities, and considerably longer if they want to see almost everything. This guide explains each scenario so you can decide how much time to set aside for the adventure.

How Long Is Ghost of Tsushima for the Main Story?

When people search for How Long Is Ghost of Tsushima, they are often interested in the campaign first. Fortunately, the game gives players plenty of freedom, which means you can focus heavily on story missions without being forced to complete every optional activity.

Your exact time will still depend on combat difficulty, exploration, upgrades, and how often you move away from the main objective.

Ghost of Tsushima main story length

The Ghost of Tsushima main story length is generally around 20 to 30 hours for a first playthrough. Players who move directly from one major mission to another may finish closer to the lower end of that range.

However, many players naturally get distracted by exploration. You may see a fox leading somewhere interesting, encounter a side quest, discover an enemy camp, or decide to upgrade Jin before continuing the story.

Therefore, even a story-focused playthrough can easily become longer.

How many acts are in Ghost of Tsushima?

The main campaign is divided into three major acts. Each act opens new areas, characters, challenges, and story developments.

The general structure includes:

  • Act 1, which introduces Jin’s struggle and the invasion;
  • Act 2, where the world and conflict expand significantly;
  • Act 3, which leads toward the conclusion of the main story.

The first two acts usually contain much of the game’s exploration and character development. Meanwhile, the final act is more focused on bringing Jin’s journey toward its conclusion.

How Long to Beat Ghost of Tsushima With Side Quests?

If you are wondering how long to beat Ghost of Tsushima without rushing, the answer changes considerably. Side content is a major part of the experience, and much of it connects directly to characters, equipment, abilities, and the world around Jin.

A balanced playthrough is often the best representation of what most players experience because it combines the main story with exploration and selected optional missions.

Playing the story and major side content

Players who complete the campaign while regularly exploring can expect roughly 40 to 60 hours of gameplay.

This type of playthrough usually includes:

  • Main story missions;
  • Tales of Tsushima;
  • Mythic Tales;
  • Enemy camps;
  • Character quests;
  • Shrines and exploration;
  • Equipment and ability upgrades.

That means the answer to How Long Is Ghost of Tsushima can almost double compared with a campaign-only run.

However, these extra hours are not simply about filling a map with icons. Many optional quests expand important characters and provide useful rewards.

Why Tales of Tsushima increase playtime

Tales of Tsushima are optional stories found throughout the island. Some are short encounters, while others develop into longer quest chains.

These missions can introduce new characters, expand existing relationships, and give additional context to the Mongol invasion.

In addition, several Tales reward the player with useful resources, equipment, charms, or opportunities to improve Jin.

As a result, players interested in the world will often find themselves completing these missions even if they originally planned to concentrate on the campaign.

Ghost of Tsushima Game Length by Playstyle

The Ghost of Tsushima game length is easier to understand when different playstyles are compared directly. There is no single correct number because players approach open-world games differently.

The following table gives a practical overview of how much time you may spend in Tsushima.

Estimated Ghost of Tsushima playtime

The estimates below should be treated as ranges rather than fixed completion times.

Playstyle

Estimated Time

What You Will Usually Complete

Main Story Only

20–30 hours

Main campaign with limited exploration

Story + Side Content

40–60 hours

Campaign, major Tales, Mythic Tales and exploration

Base Game Completionist

60–80 hours

Most quests, collectibles and activities

Director’s Cut + Iki Island

50–70+ hours

Main game plus significant expansion content

Extensive 100% Run

70–100+ hours

Nearly everything across the base game and expansion

The biggest difference comes from optional exploration. Players who constantly follow points of interest will naturally spend far more time in the game.

Therefore, when asking How Long Is Ghost of Tsushima, think about how you normally approach open-world games rather than looking only at one fixed number.

How many hours is Ghost of Tsushima for casual players?

Another common search is how many hours is Ghost of Tsushima for someone who simply wants to enjoy the game without rushing or completing everything.

In that case, around 35 to 50 hours is a realistic target for many players.

This gives you enough time to experience the campaign, explore the world, complete several memorable side stories, and upgrade Jin without turning the playthrough into a full completionist run.

Of course, taking screenshots, experimenting with combat, changing builds, or exploring without fast travel can increase that number.

Ghost of Tsushima 100% Completion Time

The Ghost of Tsushima 100% completion time is much higher than the campaign length because the island contains many optional objectives. Completionist players may spend around 70 to 100 hours or more depending on exactly what they consider full completion.

That time can also increase if you include the Director’s Cut content, trophies, New Game Plus, and extensive exploration.

What do you need to complete?

A completionist playthrough involves much more than finishing Jin’s main journey. You may want to complete activities such as:

  1. Finish every main story mission.
  2. Complete all major Tales of Tsushima.
  3. Finish the Mythic Tales.
  4. Liberate occupied locations.
  5. Discover important collectibles.
  6. Complete exploration activities.
  7. Upgrade weapons, armor, and abilities.
  8. Explore Iki Island if playing Director’s Cut.

This is why How Long Is Ghost of Tsushima has such a wide range of answers.

A player who sees the credits after the main campaign has completed the story, but a player trying to clear the map still has many additional hours ahead.

Collectibles and exploration

Exploration can become one of the biggest contributors to total playtime.

Throughout Tsushima, players can discover activities such as Fox Dens, Hot Springs, Bamboo Strikes, Shinto Shrines, Haiku locations, Pillars of Honor, and other points of interest.

Many of these activities are short individually. However, completing them across the entire map adds significant time.

The good news is that Ghost of Tsushima encourages exploration naturally. Instead of relying only on traditional waypoint systems, environmental elements such as the Guiding Wind help lead players toward objectives.

Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut and Iki Island Playtime

The Director’s Cut adds another important factor when answering How Long Is Ghost of Tsushima. It includes the Iki Island expansion, which brings a new location, additional story content, enemies, activities, and exploration.

Therefore, players starting with the Director’s Cut should expect a longer overall experience than someone playing only the original base campaign.

How long is Iki Island?

The main Iki Island storyline can take roughly 5 to 10 hours depending on your pace.

However, players who explore the island and complete additional activities can easily spend around 10 to 15 hours or more there.

Iki Island includes:

  • A new story;
  • Additional side missions;
  • New enemies;
  • Exploration activities;
  • Collectibles;
  • Extra challenges and rewards.

For that reason, the expansion is substantial enough to noticeably increase the total Ghost of Tsushima game length.

When should you play Iki Island?

Although the expansion becomes accessible during the main game, many players prefer to approach it after becoming comfortable with Jin’s combat abilities and upgrades.

Iki Island introduces tougher encounters and assumes that players already understand many of the game’s systems.

From a story perspective, your preferred timing may depend on whether you want to explore the expansion during the campaign or treat it as an additional adventure after progressing further through Tsushima.

Either way, the extra island can significantly change your answer to How Long Is Ghost of Tsushima.

What Can Change Your Ghost of Tsushima Playtime?

Two players can follow similar paths and still finish at very different times. Difficulty, combat style, exploration, fast travel, and optional activities all influence the total.

Therefore, estimates should always be treated as general guidance rather than a countdown to the credits.

Difficulty and combat

Players comfortable with parrying, dodging, stance switching, and stealth may progress through enemy encounters more quickly.

Meanwhile, higher difficulty levels can extend battles, especially while learning enemy patterns.

Combat style matters as well. A player who frequently uses stealth may approach camps slowly and carefully, while another may challenge enemies directly and finish encounters faster.

So, how long to beat Ghost of Tsushima also depends on how efficiently you handle combat.

Exploration and fast travel

Ghost of Tsushima is designed to encourage wandering. You might begin traveling toward a story mission and suddenly notice smoke in the distance, follow a bird, encounter a fox, discover a shrine, or find another activity.

These moments can turn a short journey into a much longer exploration session.

Fast travel can reduce that time considerably. However, players who prefer riding through the landscape will naturally increase their total playtime.

FAQ

There are several related questions players commonly ask before starting the game. Here are quick answers to some of the most important ones.

How long does Ghost of Tsushima take to beat?

For most players, the main story takes approximately 20 to 30 hours. A more complete playthrough with side content can take around 40 to 60 hours.

Is Ghost of Tsushima a long game?

Yes, although it is not unusually long compared with some large open-world RPGs. The campaign offers dozens of hours of content, while exploration and completionist activities can push the total much higher.

How many hours is Ghost of Tsushima with side quests?

A player completing the story alongside major side quests and exploration can expect around 40 to 60 hours.

How long is Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut?

The total varies depending on how much content you complete. Adding Iki Island can contribute roughly another 5 to 15 hours or more, depending on exploration and side activities.

How long does it take to 100% Ghost of Tsushima?

The Ghost of Tsushima 100% completion time can reach roughly 70 to 100 hours or more, especially when additional Director’s Cut content and extensive exploration are included.

Can you keep playing Ghost of Tsushima after finishing the story?

Yes. Players can continue exploring and completing remaining activities after finishing the main story. This makes it possible to focus on the campaign first and return to optional content later.

Does Ghost of Tsushima have New Game Plus?

Yes. New Game Plus gives players another reason to return after completing the campaign. It allows you to replay the adventure while retaining progression and accessing additional rewards.

How Long Is Ghost of Tsushima? Play Smoother With ExitLag

Ultimately, How Long Is Ghost of Tsushima depends on what you want from Jin Sakai’s adventure. Story-focused players can finish the campaign in around 20 to 30 hours, while players exploring side content may spend 40 to 60 hours. Completionists can easily reach 70 to 100 hours or more.

The Ghost of Tsushima main story length gives you a substantial campaign by itself. However, much of the game’s appeal comes from discovering optional stories, exploring the island, improving Jin’s abilities, and deciding which activities are worth your time.

PC players may also encounter connection issues when using supported online features or other online games. 

ExitLag is designed to optimize game connection routes by automatically selecting faster and more stable paths between your device and supported game servers. It focuses on reducing problems such as high ping, lag, and packet loss without functioning as a VPN or changing your location.

ExitLag supports compatible PC and mobile games, but it does not work on PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo Switch consoles.

So, whether your answer to How Long Is Ghost of Tsushima is 25 hours or more than 100, enjoy the journey at your own pace, and when you play supported online games on PC or mobile, try ExitLag to help optimize your connection and keep your gaming sessions more stable.

TAKE YOUR CONNECTION
TO THE NEXT LEVEL!