You’re probably eyeing that $70 price tag and wondering if Eve’s adventure is going to fizzle out in a weekend or keep you busy for a month. It’s a fair question. With all the hype around the visuals, the actual "meat" of the game often gets buried. Honestly, the answer to how long is Stellar Blade depends entirely on how much of a digital magpie you are. If you see a shiny "Can" on a distant ledge and feel a physical need to go grab it, you're in for a much longer ride than the guy just trying to see the credits roll.
The Short Answer: Just the Main Story
If you're someone who ignores side quests like they’re spam emails, you can probably wrap up the main campaign in about 20 to 25 hours.
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Some speed-readers and combat gods have claimed to finish in 15, but that’s rushing it. You’d be skipping the scenery and likely getting your teeth kicked in by late-game bosses because you didn't stop to upgrade your gear. Most players find that 22-hour mark to be the "sweet spot" where the story beats feel earned but not dragged out.
It’s a linear path for a good chunk of the start. You'll move through Xion and the initial zones with a clear goal. But then, the game opens up.
The "Standard" Run: Story Plus Side Content
This is how most of us actually play. You’ll do some fishing at the Oasis, help out the citizens of Xion with their weird requests, and hunt down enough Nano Suits to keep Eve looking stylish.
For this middle-ground approach, expect to spend 35 to 40 hours.
The side quests in this game aren't all "go kill five rats." Some of them actually add significant lore or lead to entirely new areas you’d otherwise miss. Plus, the two semi-open world zones—the Wasteland and the Great Desert—are absolute time-sinks. You’ll think you’re just passing through, and suddenly two hours have vanished because you were trying to figure out a pressure plate puzzle.
Breaking Down the Time
- Main Story Only: 20–25 hours.
- Main Story + Most Side Quests: 35–45 hours.
- 100% Completion (Platinum Trophy): 50–70 hours.
- New Game Plus Speedrun: 5–10 hours.
Why 100% Completion Takes Way Longer
If you’re going for the Platinum, buckle up. Stellar Blade has 43 trophies, and they aren't all handed out for just showing up.
The biggest hurdle? The endings. There are three distinct endings, and because the game uses a single auto-save slot, you can't just reload a save at the final boss to see them all (unless you’re savvy with cloud save backups). Most people end up needing at least two, if not three, partial playthroughs to see everything.
Then there are the Cans. There are 49 collectible cans scattered across the world. Finding them all is a rite of passage, but it's also a massive scavenger hunt that can add 5+ hours to your clock if you refuse to use a guide.
The New Game Plus Factor
Shift Up did something cool here. They didn't just give us the same game again with harder enemies. New Game Plus (NG+) adds new skill tiers, "Mk2" versions of gear, and even more outfits.
If you’ve already beaten the game once, you can "mainline" a NG+ run in about 8 hours. You’re basically a god at that point. You know the boss patterns, you have the double jump from the start, and you can breeze through the dialogue. It makes the quest for those final endings much less of a chore.
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Is It Worth the Time?
Length is one thing, but "pacing" is what actually matters. Stellar Blade doesn't feel like a 100-hour Ubisoft map-clearing exercise. It feels more like NieR: Automata or Sekiro. The combat is the main draw, and it stays fresh because the game keeps throwing new enemy types at you.
One thing to watch out for: the "Point of No Return."
There are actually two of them. Once you head to the final areas (Spire 4 is a big one), a lot of side content gets locked off. If you're 30 hours in and haven't finished those side quests in Xion, do them before you say "yes" to the pilot.
Actionable Steps for Your Playthrough
If you want to maximize your time without getting burned out, here is how I’d handle it. Start on Normal difficulty. The combat has a learning curve, and starting on Hard can turn a 25-hour story into a 40-hour frustration fest.
- Don't skip the "Eidos 7" exploration. It’s the first major area, and there are easy upgrades hidden there that make the next 10 hours way smoother.
- Focus on Lily's progress bar. If you want the "best" ending, you need to max out her affinity by collecting data chips and doing side quests. If you ignore her, you're locked out of a secret area at the end.
- Abuse the "Scanner." Pulsing your drone (L3) reveals chests and collectibles through walls. It saves you from wandering in circles in the desert.
- Wait for the PC Version if you want mods. While the PS5 version is gorgeous, the PC port (released in early 2025) allows for faster loading and, frankly, the ability to bypass some of the more tedious grind if you're just here for the story.
The reality is that Stellar Blade is a "Goldilocks" game. It’s not so short that you feel ripped off, but it’s not so long that you never finish it. Most people will walk away after 40 hours feeling like they’ve seen the best of what Earth’s ruins have to offer.