Video games are a convoluted form of media, and it doesn’t help that a single game can contain hundreds of hours of content. Why play multiple games when you can invest your time into one quality one? The incentive to play games with long stories is strong. Intriguing stories can add to their immersion, bringing unprecedented fulfilling experiences.
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Bold developers go the extra mile by adding bonus content to keep the player engaged. Spread acrossvarious genres,the following estimates were compiled fromhowlongtobeat.com.We’ve seen some fantastic lengthy storylines over the years, but this raises the question, which game series has the longest stories?
10Baldur’s Gate
The fantasy role-playing seriesBaldur’s Gateis renowned for its player customization in theDungeons & Dragonssetting. Games in the series can have long main stories or completionist runs. Content is abundant, especially when you take the expansions into account. To put things into perspective,Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amnwill take players at least 136 hours to beat—longer than the average role-playing game.
9The Elder Scrolls
Although the main stories ofThe Elder Scrollsgames are short in comparison to other games listed,The Elder Scrollsis one of the longest series during a completionist run.Quests in a game likeThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrimrespawn,so there is virtually no end to the game. Moreover, expansive lore contained in-game will have players occupied for months on end. The storylines between the games do not connect, but there are recurring themes.
8Xeno
TheXenoseries initially started as a SquareSoft series, but later was developed by Monolith Soft. The first game of the series wasXenogears, released in 1998, butXenoblade Chronicles,released in 2010, was the game that became a massive hit with players. A few generations later,Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Editionreleased for the Nintendo Switch.A pattern seen in theXenoseries is complex stories. Expect to spend a beefy 50.5 hours trying to beatXenobladeChronicles: Definitive Editionwithout doing the extras or playing at a gingerly pace.
7Animal Crossing
Animal Crossingis a series about building communities in remote locations.Completing all of the games' content will take you thousands of hours easily.By interacting with other residents and buying a house, you’ll find the game has a lot offer.
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TheAnimal Crossingseries is one of our favorite Nintendo staples. Completing all of the game’s content is possible, but not required. You may as well enjoyAnimal Crossingfor what it is; an enjoyable simulation game set in a lively world.
6The Legend Of Zelda
While the stories ofThe Legend of Zeldaare long, they are not to the point of being drawn-out.The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildis the series' longest game because of its numerous side quests and extra content. To beat the game entirely, it will take players approximately 186 hours!
This series is one of gaming’s most popular and lengthy. The story is about a boy namedLink and his quest to save Princess Zeldafrom the malevolent Ganon.
5Megami Tensei
TheMegami Tenseifranchise is a JRPG (Japanese role-playing game) that has earned worldwide acclaim. It’s not as popular as other JRPG franchises likeFinal FantasyandDragon Quest,but that could change with therecent success ofPersona 5.
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The “Megami Tensi” name refers to games of the same name and sub-series likePersona.A recurring theme is that the games are long to beat, spanning over 100 hours in some cases.Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3will take players around 121 hours, whilePersona 5 Royalwill take players 143 hours!
4Final Fantasy
ThesurrealFinal Fantasyserieshas accumulated a substantial number of lengthy games. There are exceptions to the notion, but generally speaking,Final Fantasygames are quite long. There are two examples of games spanning over 200 hours (Final Fantasy: Brave ExviusandMobius Final Fantasy). However, the majority of the series' installments are around 40-50 hours, not including extras. Doing a completionist run, players can find over 100 hours of content, on average.
3Dragon Quest
As a series with the “longest-running Japanese RPG series,” according toGuinness World Records,Dragon Questhas revolutionized the industry, it has been an active series since 1986.Dragon Warrior VII, the series' longest game, has an average completionist playtime of 260 hours. We see consistently lengthy games in theDragon Questseries. This JRPG series has unrelated stories, so you canplay them in any order.
2Monster Hunter
Monster Huntergamescan have extraordinarily long completion times.Monster Hunter 3 Ultimatecan be beaten under a completion run in 610 hours! Many of us haven’t played a single game that long.Monster Hunter Freedom Unitehas a main story that is around 122 hours long. The series revolves around slaying monsters as part of quests. There is an abundance of side quests to keep you engaged.
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The most recentMonster Huntergame,Monster: Hunter World,is the best-selling game in the company’s 40-year past. The series is rapidly growing in popularity. Suffice to say,Monster Hunteris a series with one of the longest stories.
1Story Of Seasons
TheHarvest Moonseries was renamedStory of Seasonsin 2014. Comprised of theStory of SeasonsandHarvest Moongames, it has exceptionally lengthy stories. The premise involves starting with a dilapidatedfarm and turning it into a profitable one.Harvest Moonis one of the earliest and most prominent farmingsimulation games.It’s not unheard of to play over 300 hours completing a single game.Story of Seasonsis the series with the longest stories.
