Ghost of Tsushima Playtime: How Long Is the PS4 Game?

Wondering how much time you'll have to invest in Ghost of Tsushima in order to beat it? This is how long it took us.

Ghost of Tsushima Playtime
Photo: Sony Interactive Entertainment

Ghost of Tsushima, the new action-adventure title from Sucker Punch Productions, marks the end of an era for Sony as the last major first-party PlayStation 4 exclusive. Fortunately, it’s an excellent send-off for the console’s lineup of exclusives, not only giving fans an excellent new open-world game but a proper homage to classic samurai stories and Japanese culture.

“The story is incredibly well written and profound in its messaging and imagery, so much so that I believe it’s one of the best modern entries in the samurai genre, regardless of medium,” our own reviewer, Bernard Boo, said of the game. “All of the characters you meet and the little tales that unfold across Tsushima are filtered through Jin’s inner struggle with what honor really means and whether or not it’s worth dying for, which gives the story an incredibly strong narrative backbone. Despite the game’s epic scope, Jin’s journey actually feels quite intimate and personal. The same could be said of Kurosawa’s best work, and that’s just about the highest compliment I can give.”

Those preparing to jump into Ghost of Tsushima when the game unlocks at 12 am ET on July 17 might be wondering just how much time it’ll take to beat Sucker Punch’s latest. Well, this is an open-world game, which means that players should expect to spend a considerable amount of time with Ghost of Tsushima before rolling credits on the game.

Chock full of main quests, side missions, and other open-world activities, Ghost of Tsushima took our reviewer 45 hours to complete. That includes completing the main and side quests as well as in-game activities such as shrines and duels and spending a considerable amount of time with photo mode. (If you haven’t heard already, Ghost of Tsushima is absolutely gorgeous and will likely be the subject of many excellent screenshots. The photo mode itself is also excellent.)

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Of course, your mileage may vary in terms of how long it takes you to finish Ghost of Tsushima. it all depends on how you approach the game. GameSpot reports that you can beat Ghost of Tsushima in “roughly 20 hours” if you only focus on the main story missions but agrees that it’ll take 30 hours to finish if you also tackle the side quests and other activities.

Ghost of Tsushima creative director Nate Fox confirmed to Voxel (via VG24/7) that the game will last around 30 to 50 hours, depending on whether you tackle the side quests. Fox encouraged players to spend time on the side content, though.

“I would highly recommend that everyone get off the main route and get lost on Tsushima Island, there is a lot to discover there,” Fox told IGN, describing the world map as “huge.” We can confirm this is the case.

“Tsushima Island covers the biomes you can find on mainland Japan, from snowy mountains to bamboo forests, to waterfalls and rolling grasslands, it’s all there,” Fox explained in the IGN interview. “We want to give enough stuff to keep it electrifying for the player.”

We’ll keep you posted as we learn more about Ghost of Tsushima.