You're planning a binge. I get it. James Dashner’s world is addictive, but before you dive into the Glade, you need to know if you’re looking at a weekend project or a month-long obsession. People ask how long is Maze Runner because the answer changes wildly depending on whether you’re grabbing a bucket of popcorn or cracking a spine.
Let's be real. It's a commitment.
If you're watching the movies, you can knock it out in a rainy afternoon. If you're reading? Clear your schedule. The Maze isn't just a place; it's a massive investment of hours, pages, and emotional energy.
The Stopwatch Version: Movie Runtime Breakdown
If you just want the flicks, you’re looking at roughly 6.5 hours of total runtime.
The first film, The Maze Runner (2014), clocks in at exactly 113 minutes. It’s tight. It’s fast. Director Wes Ball didn't waste much time getting Thomas into the elevator. Then things get a bit more bloated. The Scorch Trials (2015) stretches to 132 minutes, mostly because they had to do a lot of heavy lifting to explain the world outside the walls. Finally, The Death Cure (2018) is the long haul at 143 minutes.
It's a lot of running. Seriously, Dylan O'Brien deserves a marathon medal for these three movies.
When you add it all up, the trilogy takes about 388 minutes. That’s 6 hours and 28 minutes. Honestly, if you start at noon, you’re done by dinner, even with a couple of bathroom breaks. But that’s just the surface level. The movies cut a massive amount of the lore that makes the books feel so much "longer" in your head.
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Why the third movie feels the longest
It isn't just the minutes. The Death Cure had a notoriously difficult production. Production actually halted for nearly a year because Dylan O’Brien was seriously injured on set. When they finally came back to finish it, the scope felt massive—the Last City, the heist elements, the grand finale. It’s a heavy 2 hours and 23 minutes. You’ll feel every bit of that time because the stakes are so high.
The Paper Trail: Word Counts and Page Totals
Reading is a different beast entirely. To answer how long is Maze Runner in literary terms, we have to look at the "core" trilogy versus the entire five-book (and growing) saga.
The original trilogy—The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, and The Death Cure—is about 1,100 pages long in standard paperback. For an average reader moving at 250 words per minute, you’re looking at roughly 15 to 20 hours of pure reading time.
- The Maze Runner: ~370 pages (approx. 101,000 words).
- The Scorch Trials: ~360 pages (approx. 93,000 words).
- The Death Cure: ~330 pages (approx. 89,000 words).
James Dashner’s writing style is punchy. Short chapters. Cliffhangers. It’s designed to make you say "just one more" until it's 3:00 AM and you've got work in four hours. But if you include the prequels—The Kill Order and The Fever Code—you’re adding another 700+ pages to the pile. That pushes your total time spent in WICKED’s clutches to nearly 40 hours.
The Audio Experience
Maybe you don’t want to read. Maybe you want Mark Deakins to read to you. The audiobooks are actually a great way to gauge the "true" length of the story. The first book's audio version is 10 hours and 50 minutes. The second is about 10 hours. The third is roughly 9 hours. If you’re a commuter, that’s a solid month of driving time.
Why the Length Matters: Pacing vs. Plot
Some people complain that the middle of the saga drags. Honestly? They’re kinda right. The Scorch Trials (the book) feels much longer than its page count because the characters are literally just wandering through a desert for a huge chunk of it. It’s meant to feel exhausting. Dashner wants you to feel as tired as Thomas and Minho.
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In contrast, the movies move at breakneck speed. They changed so much of the plot—telepathy is gone, the "Variables" are simplified—that the time commitment feels lighter. You aren't bogged down in the internal monologues or the confusing logistics of how WICKED actually funds all this madness.
- Movies: 6.5 hours.
- Original Trilogy (Reading): 18 hours.
- Full Saga (5 Books): 35-40 hours.
- Audiobooks: 30 hours for the main three.
The Secret Length: The Prequels and Beyond
If you’re a completionist, the answer to how long is Maze Runner gets even more complicated. You can't just stop at The Death Cure. Most fans argue you haven't actually finished the story until you read The Fever Code.
The Fever Code is essential because it shows how the Maze was built. It’s 347 pages. Then there's The Kill Order, which is a prequel set way before Thomas was even born. It deals with the sun flares and the initial outbreak of the Flare virus. It’s gritty and dark, and it adds another 329 pages to your shelf.
And let's not forget The Maze Cutter. Set 73 years after the original trilogy, it’s the start of a whole new series. If you include the spin-offs, this "short" YA series suddenly turns into a multi-week project.
Comparison: How it stacks up to other YA hits
Compared to The Hunger Games, Maze Runner is slightly longer in terms of word count. Compared to Harry Potter? It's a tiny fraction. You can finish the entire Maze Runner series in the time it takes to get halfway through Order of the Phoenix. That makes it a great "bridge" series for people who want something substantial but don't want to commit to a 4,000-page epic.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Runtime
A lot of people think they can just watch the movies and "know" the story. You can't. The movies are an adaptation in the loosest sense of the word. Entire characters are different. The ending of the movie trilogy is fundamentally different from the ending of the books.
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If you're asking how long is Maze Runner because you're trying to prep for a trivia night or a deep-dive discussion, you have to do both. You have to spend the 6.5 hours on the films and the 20 hours on the books. They are two different timelines.
The books focus heavily on the psychological manipulation of the boys. It takes time to build that dread. The movies focus on the kinetic energy of the escape. One is a slow burn; the other is a sprint.
Making the Most of Your Time in the Glade
If you want the most efficient way to experience this story, here is how you should handle the time commitment.
Start with the first movie. It’s a masterpiece of pacing and set design. If the mystery of the walls doesn't grab you in those 113 minutes, the books won't either. If you’re hooked, switch to the books immediately. Don’t watch the second movie yet.
Reading the trilogy first gives you the "internal" version of the story. You understand the "Grievers" and the "Serum" much better. Then, watch the last two movies as a "what if" scenario. It’s the best way to spend your 30+ hours without feeling like you’re repeating the same story twice.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans
- Budget your time: Allot at least 2 hours per movie and about 5-6 hours per book if you're a fast reader.
- Prioritize the Prequels: If you only have time for one extra book, make it The Fever Code. It recontextualizes everything Thomas did in the first book.
- Watch the Deleted Scenes: If you really want the "full" movie experience, the deleted scenes for the first film add about 18 minutes of crucial character building that was cut for pacing.
- Check the Word Count: If you’re a student or a data nerd, the total word count for the original trilogy is roughly 283,000 words.
Whether you’re in it for the sprinting Cranks or the mystery of WICKED, the Maze is a journey. It’s long enough to get lost in, but short enough that you’ll actually finish it. Grab a snack, find a comfortable chair, and remember: WICKED is good. Mostly.