Is Dark Souls Longer than Elden Ring?
When compared to Elden Ring, Dark Souls is not objectively longer. However, which game is longer is debatable, as it also depends on how you calculate the length of each game. In this article, we will explore the comparisons between the two games.
Main Story Completion vs. 100% Completion
One way to analyze the length of a game is to look at its main story completion and completion of all side content.
- Dark Souls 1: Completing the main story takes around 40-50 hours.
- Dark Souls 2: Completing the main story takes around 60-70 hours.
- Dark Souls 3: Completing the main story takes around 50-60 hours.
Elden Ring: Completing the main story takes around 30-40 hours.
However, Dark Souls has more repeated areas and multiple playthroughs to unlock hidden features, making it harder to achieve 100% completion. On the other hand, Elden Ring has more clear paths and fewer repeated areas, making it easier to achieve 100% completion.
| Game | 100% Completion Hours Estimated |
|---|---|
| Dark Souls | 80-120 hours |
| Dark Souls 2 | 120-150 hours |
| Dark Souls 3 | 80-100 hours |
| Elden Ring | 60-80 hours |
Gameplay Completion Time
Another way to analyze the length of a game is to look at the average time players took to complete the game 100%.
- Dark Souls 1: An average completion time of 50-60 hours, with a median of around 40 hours. (Source: Howard’s Half-Life)
- Dark Souls 2: An average completion time of 30-40 hours, with a median of around 24 hours. (Source: [HowLongToBeat](https://howlongtobeat.com games/dark-souls-ii))
- Dark Souls 3: An average completion time of 30-40 hours, with a median of around 24 hours. (Source: [HowLongToBeat](https://howlongtobeat.com games/dark-souls-iii))
- Elden Ring: An average completion time of 36-50 hours, with a median of around 40 hours. (Source: [HowLongToBeat](https://howlongtobeat.com games/elden-ring))
Conclusion
Despite having more repeated areas, Dark Souls 100% completion estimated by HowLongToBeat is around 120-150 hours which is higher than Elden Ring estimation of 60-80 hours. In both cases, the length varies depending on the game experience and how much exploration takes place.