How long should a videogame single player campaign last for?

[StevenW]

There seems to be an obsession with the length of videogames these days.

What do you think is the optimal length that a single player campaign should be for you to get "value for money?"

[Kuro]

I personally like my games long. But i think games should be around 15-20 imo thats the sweetspot.

[Flaw3d Genius]

Depends on the game.

FPS/3rdPS - 8-10 Hours
RPG - 40 Hours
Racing Games - 20 Hours +


Of course with FPS/Racing games online increases the time played!

[ash91]

12-15. Anything longer makes the game drag too much. Anything less and it feels like it's ended before you've really got into it.

[Serinous]

around 20 hours is best for me

[Cyn]

Anything under 10 hours I feel ripped off

RPG's: at least 30 hours
Action games / shooters: 15-25 hours
FPS: generally don't care as I buy them for online
RTS: at least 10 hours

This is why I don't buy fighting games any more unless in the bargain bin. You just don't get value for money.

These are my general rules for full retail games, doesn't include small PSN games like Flower or Journey

[PeanutButterMunky]

Depends on the game.

This. I always want my RPG play time very long, though.

[claud3]

20 hours or more for me, if the story is excellent and i connect with all the characters. I would want it to last long as possible

[AaronSOLDIER]

As long as possible - 20+ hours.

[MjW]

I guess I'm in the minority here. Any game that's more than 6 hours is good enough for me. I'm a slow gamer so it'll take me a couple extra hours anyway.

Lately I prefer shorter, action packed and story rich adventures rather long, enormous games with million things to do.

[KillingSpree0]

I guess I'm in the minority here. Any game that's more than 6 hours is good enough for me. I'm a slow gamer so it'll take me a couple extra hours anyway.

Lately I prefer shorter, action packed and story rich adventures rather long, enormous games with million things to do.

No I'm with you. I don't care how long a game is, if its about 6 hours and tells a good story with fun gameplay I'm in

[Cyn]

I guess I'm in the minority here. Any game that's more than 6 hours is good enough for me. I'm a slow gamer so it'll take me a couple extra hours anyway.

Lately I prefer shorter, action packed and story rich adventures rather long, enormous games with million things to do.

I lie somewhere in the middle. Some games are definitely too long the same way some open worlds are just too big. Padded out just for the sake of it. But the short action packed games where you don't have time to catch your breath always ring of a cheap shag to me.

[kflashin]

I put 15-20 because it seems like anything over that and the game really starts to seem repetitive. I hate it when developers seem to throw in rehash levels and objectives just to add some gameplay time.

[ps3freak18]

Genre plays into how long it should be imo. Shooters tend to get kind of boring after the 10 hour mark. Action adventure games are usually too short imo. I think 15 hours should be about the minimum. They all seem to be not much longer than 12 hours or so. Rpgs shouldn't be any less than 30 hours. I think about 40-45 hours is the sweet spot for me. I voted 15-20. Based on an average should be about that.

Multiple other factors should be considered though. If a game just drags out for the sake of being longer tends to kill the story. It has have good pacing for the length of the campaign to work.

[DeadCrow]

12-15 is the perfect length of any campaign. Anything than that is just pushing it. Unless you're Naughty Dog, Quantic Dream, Rocksteady Studios, or Kojima Production.

[MjW]

I lie somewhere in the middle. Some games are definitely too long the same way some open worlds are just too big. Padded out just for the sake of it. But the short action packed games where you don't have time to catch your breath always ring of a cheap shag to me.

I agree. Action packed, short games need also balancing and quality.

I think my ideal length for a game is around ~10 hours. Best example would be Uncharted 2, or even the new TR.

[DreDayDetox]

Close to 80-100 hours at VERY LEAST!!! All genres.

[coolguy]

12-15 hours is good for a single player

[claud3]

shooter are too short, because they focus more on online gaming

RPG do not have a long or short life, because they are free roaming and the story involves everything in the RPG world

these too genres are the one's that can be worked to last longer if the stories are just right and Character, NPC's and other stuff is right and appeals...

Can in my opinion, make a game last beyon 20+ hours

[mooninites]

I would say 15 hours for the main campaign with maybe 5 more hours of side missions that are optional

Sent from my Nexus 4

[LastManDancing]

The game should last as long as the quality holds.

Edit: But I think the absolute minimum length is like eight.

[claud3]

6-10 hours is to short, plus reply value is very important

Because if you enjoyed the game a lot and enjoy going through all the hours again, then reply value is really important

[Alpha2]

I always use this calculation to determine how much value I've gotten out of a game:
a $60 game should never last less than any other piece of entertainment you pay the same amount for. 12 bucks at a move theater will give you about 1.5 hours, 19 bucks for a home video DVD/bluray will get you roughly 1.5 to 3 on some occasions, A DVD box set of a TV show for 30-45 bucks might give you about 22 hours.

12x5=60: so a $60 game should give about 7 and a half hours at LEAST. = standard action/shooting game
19x3=57: roughly a 9 hour game = strategy or sports style game
30x2=60: 44 hour game = RPG

[claud3]

Look at it this way past games like MARIO, SONIC, METROID PRIME, BOMBMAN, METAL SLUG etc....

All these games had one thing in common and that was pure fun and we never cared if they were short like SONIC games or METAL SLUG

They were at a time when fun meant something and made you get excited when you came back to it or you played it all the way through in one night and then you went i want to do that again

Them type of games are rare now and i do not get that, if a game is 6, 10, 20, 30 or even 50 hours long... It does not matter what so ever, if it does not have that kiddy feeling you had yourself then i will not bother

I have posted my views on this.. But if a game does not have fun appeal of when you were a kid, then they are lost in a sea of just money..

I want a game that i can go, Oh my god i just feel the same with this game i did when i played a game when i was 10 years old

[ps3freak18]

6-10 hours is to short, plus reply value is very important

Because if you enjoyed the game a lot and enjoy going through all the hours again, then reply value is really important

Sadly not many games outside of rpgs focus on much replay value these days. They mostly consider MP replay value.