Red Dead Redemption 2's release for PS4 and Xbox One has arrived, and as we expected, it's a massive game, both in terms of file size and sheer scope. You can take part in a wide variety of side activities at your leisure from hunting to fishing to old-fashion robbery, all of which can provide you with hours of playtime. But just how long does Red Dead 2 take to beat? Even if you plan to skip the game's more ancillary tasks and focus exclusively on the story, you're going to need to set a lot of time aside.

We've played through Rockstar's western for our Red Dead 2 review, and we now know how long its main campaign is. By our estimates, it takes approximately 45-50 hours to clear the story, if you focus primarily on completing story quests and largely ignore its side activities. Of course, individual playtimes will vary, so you can expect to sink considerably more time into the game if you plan on pursuing its many side missions.

Red Dead Redemption 2 casts players in the role of Arthur Morgan, one of the members of the Van der Linde gang, who are traveling across the American frontier to escape the law. During the journey, Arthur will encounter many new and familiar faces, including the protagonist of the first Red Dead Redemption, John Marston. He'll also be able to wield more than 50 weapons, each of which has a range of customization options that affect their performance and appearance.

On top of that, Arthur will be able to visit many of the same areas featured in the previous game; an image of RDR2's full map leaked ahead of the game's release, showing that the world encompasses a fair chunk of the original Red Dead Redemption's map. As a result, the game will require quite a bit of storage space on your console of choice, as it weighs in at approximately 100 GB.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is out now on PS4 and Xbox One. The game is available in several different editions, many of which come with various bonus items; you can learn more in our Red Dead Redemption 2 buying guide. Those who pick the game up on PS4 will also receive early access to some items 30 days before they arrive on Xbox One. The first batch of timed-exclusive content includes an outfit, horse, and gun.