How Long Does It Take To Beat Metroid Dread?

"Metroid Dread" has finally arrived on the Nintendo Switch, marking the first installment of the "Metroid" series to launch on the current generation of consoles. While reviews for the game have been mostly positive (per Metacritic), consumers also want to know if the game can offer enough playtime for them to get their money's worth. In other words, people want to know how long it takes to beat "Metroid Dread."

Most reviewers reported a runtime between 9 and 12 hours for their first playthrough. GameSpot's Chris Pereira reported that two of their team members clocked in just under 9 hours, but another managed to speed through it in only 6 and a half in the first go. Later playthroughs cut that time down even further to only 4 hours. Pereira mentioned that the 9-hour runtimes also accounted for the time it took to find even 49% of the collectible items and upgrades in the game — not close to the full number, but a decent amount for non-completionist players.

Similarly, Digital Trends' Giovanni Colantonio hit 67% completion in 8 and a half hours. He noted that a 100% playthrough would undoubtedly take longer, maybe between 10 to 15 hours. It's possible that other reviewers with longer runtimes went for a higher completion rate. However, item collection isn't the only major factor in the length of "Metroid Dread."

Multiple variables — such as experience with the Metroidvania genre and how many times you die in boss fights — can impact runtime. For example, Andy Robinson at Video Games Chronicle didn't include an overall runtime in his review, but he did mention that the final boss took at least 6 hours of repeated tries before it could be beaten. That means one reviewer took a full 6 hours to defeat one boss, while another (from GameSpot) apparently finished the entire game in the same amount of time.

Nintendo Life, which reported a longer runtime of 12 hours, also cited tough bosses as one of the more difficult (yet exciting) parts of the game. It's unclear how many of those hours were spent on challenging bosses, though the reviewer noted "we never really got annoyed with dying." 

Basically, "Metroid Dread" seems to land in the middle of the spectrum when it comes to the length of other games in the series. Ultimately, your mileage may very, but it's still meaty by "Metroid" standards. As Digital Trends put it, the game seems about as long as 2016's "Metroid: Samus Returns."

"Metroid Dread" launches on Oct. 8, 2021 for the Nintendo Switch. Give it a spin to see if you can beat these reviewers' playtimes.