Pokemon Sword and Shield are the first mainline Pokemon games to ever appear on a home console, but just how long is this adventure? Ahead of launch, Pokemon Sword and Shield developers said it would have a “comparable amount of content” to previous games, but now that our extremely thorough Pokemon Sword and Shield review has been completed we can give you the full details from our time in the Galar region. Here are the story completion times of three separate playthroughs.

Janet Garcia, Guides Editor

I took my rightful place as champion of the Galar region after 46 hours of playtime. Most of my time was focused on getting all my gym badges and just progressing the story. But I definitely spent some of that time exploring the Wild Area, experimenting with Curry recipes, checking the Pokemon job boards, and shopping.

At almost every new route and town, I made sure to catch all the Pokemon I could spot in the tall grass that I didn’t already have and I fought every NPC trainer I met along the way. However, I rarely went out of my way to interact with the numerous “surprise encounters” that appeared in the tall grass (i.e exclamation marks that indicate a random Pokemon is near).

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I talked to just about every townsperson I could find to see what factoid they had to share, what trade quest they had for me, and - best of all - what items or new moves they had to share. When it came to training, I had about one-to-three Pokemon that became staples in my party but I often changed my team to give me a type advantage for the next gym. This didn’t cause too much grinding because sometimes I caught an appropriately leveled Pokemon to add to my party. Other times, I adjusted my team for the next gym and had those Pokemon naturally level up (thanks to Exp. share) while I caught new Pokemon.

The only time I ended up intentionally grinding was at the very end of the game and I suspect I wouldn’t have had to do that if I had done more Max Raid Battles - which give you Exp. Candy, among other rewards.

Overall, I went just a little faster than I would’ve if I was playing at my own pace. Everyone plays Pokemon games a bit differently but if you’re someone who doesn’t want to rush but also doesn’t want to spend time getting the best stats and filling out your Dex completely before rolling credits, you’re looking at around 40 hours of playtime.

Casey DeFreitas, Reviewer

I played very similarly to Janet, but I finished Pokemon Sword and Shield's story in about 39 hours. Because I had deadlines to hit, I didn’t spend nearly as much time exploring every nook and cranny of each area like I usually do, or finding every Pokemon. I didn't have time to find perfect specimens for my team, so I took along my favorites without worrying about the stats, confident I could fix them with Sword and Shield’s new Nature-altering Mints later if I wanted to. I guess I would have spent about ten more hours doing this during the story if I had had the time.

I did visit the Wild Area between every Gym, and every day, just to see what it had in store for me. I was pretty enamored with doing Max Raid Battles for cool Pokemon and useful items. Just visiting this area and catching new Pokemon I saw there leveled me up appropriately, and I used plenty of the Exp. Candies I earned through Max Raid Battles to get new Pokemon I caught to the appropriate level instantly, so I never spent time specifically grinding.

Screens - Pokemon Sword / Pokemon Shield 29 IMAGES

Besides the Exp. Candies and the lack of constant random encounters, some of Sword and Shield’s other new streamlined mechanics undoubtedly (thankfully) shortened my playtime as well. I used to agonize - and I mean, agonize - over choosing which moves to keep when my Pokemon leveled up. I would sometimes put my 3DS to sleep and quit in the middle of a battle so I could think about it. Yes, in more recent games, you could use Heart Scales to relearn a move, but those were so rare! In Sword and Shield, you can remember old moves whenever you want, for free, at any Pokemon Center in Galar. What a freaking game changer and nerve saver.

Since rolling credits, I've spent an additional six hours playing, but will most likely play Pokemon Sword and Shield for a total of 90 hours before I consider myself largely "done".

How Pokemon Sword and Shield’s Length Compares to Sun and Moon By Casey DeFreitas and Janet Garcia While Pokemon Sword and Shield took us less time to beat than Pokemon Sun and Moon (approx. 40 hours vs 50 hours) we feel the more streamlined gameplay mechanics are what made things go more quickly. Content-wise, the adventure felt familiar. There are still eight gyms and some “really powerful opponents” to face before the credits roll, but no real dungeons or complicated caves to accidentally get lost. The ability to skip tutorials made it easier to get started, and not being stopped constantly by random encounters, especially in caves, saved us a lot of time. But, the introduction of the Wild Area gave us a new and worthwhile way to spend our time and it’s absolutely something we’ll be going back to.

John Sullivan, Freelancer

When I first saw the credits, I had clocked in at about 55 hours in Pokemon Sword and Shield, which isn’t entirely true. Since I was recording video and taking notes, if I had to guess, around 40 hours would more accurately describe how long it took me to beat.

I didn’t go back to the Wild Area between earning gym badges, but I did catch every new Pokemon I saw, explore every town pretty thoroughly, and go out of my way to fight every trainer as soon as I saw them so they were still relevant to my level. I spent time trying to find one particular Pokemon with a specific Nature, but otherwise, I assembled my team early and used the same Pokemon throughout Sword. I like to use the end game to breed Pokemon and grind, so I didn’t spend a lot of time on that during the campaign. This is generally how I play Pokemon games. I finish quickly so I have all the options open to me for crafting a cool team to challenge my friends with, and I've already spent an additional 20 hours doing just that.

For more, be sure to check out our Pokemon Sword and Shield review. And for answers to all your Pokemon questions be sure to check out our Pokemon Sword and Shield wiki guide.