Plan for about 25–30 hours to reach Hollow Knight: Silksong’s Normal Ending if you stay close to the main route and do little optional exploring. That is Nintendo Life’s September 13, 2025 estimate for an average player, not a guaranteed completion time.
What counts as the main path?
Here, “main path” means following the route toward the Normal Ending while doing little exploration and only a handful of side quests. Nintendo Life’s Alana Hagues estimated that this takes the average player about 25–30 hours. The estimate describes a particular play style; it is not a fixed runtime that applies to every player.
The distinction matters because optional areas and Wishes can add substantial time. Team Cherry describes the game as a vast, interconnected world and says that “Over 200 ferocious foes stand between Hornet and the shining citadel crowning the kingdom.” That gives a sense of the game’s scope, but does not establish how long a playthrough will take.
How exploration changes the time
| Playthrough type | Reported time | What the figure means |
|---|---|---|
| Main route to the Normal Ending | About 25–30 hours | Nintendo Life’s 2025 estimate for an average player with little exploration and few side quests. |
| Relaxed route to the credits | More than 35 hours | Nintendo Life’s estimate for a less direct run. |
| Extensive detours and nearly every Wish | 40 hours | Nintendo Life’s own credits run, not a main-path benchmark. |
The 40-hour example shows why a single number can mislead: it includes extensive detours and almost every Wish, rather than a restrained trip to the Normal Ending. The ranges above are editorial estimates from Alana Hagues’s Nintendo Life guide, published September 13, 2025.
#1 Best Overall
![Hollow Knight: Silksong Standard - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51mOgOC8xEL._SL160_.jpg)
- Discover the fallen insect kingdom of Pharloom! Explore mossy grottos, gilded cities and misted moors as you ascend to the shining citadel at the top of the world.
- Engage in lethal acrobatic action! Wield a huge suite of deadly moves as you dance between foes in swift, beautiful combat.
- Craft powerful tools! Master an ever-expanding arsenal of weapons, traps, and mechanisms to vanquish your enemies and explore new heights.
- Solve shocking quests! Hunt down rare beasts and solve ancient mysteries to grant the wishes of the downtrodden and restore the kingdom’s hope.
- Face over 200 ferocious foes! Beasts and hunters, monsters and knights. Defeat them all with bravery and skill!
How long for 100% completion?
Nintendo Life tentatively put a first-timer’s 100% run at 50+ hours, while noting that it was still working toward a definitive answer. Treat that as a provisional estimate, not a measured or final benchmark. Completionist play also answers a different question from how long it takes to beat the main path.
Third-party figures offer additional context, but their categories and methods should not be conflated with Nintendo Life’s main-route estimate. Acclaimed Video Games reproduced HowLongToBeat figures of about 28 hours for the main story, 47 hours for main plus extra, and 66 hours for 100%. GOG search results displayed about 28 hours for the main story and 65 hours for completionist play. These are snapshots accessed in 2026; the underlying submissions and methodology were not verified here, and “main plus extra,” “100%,” and “completionist” are not necessarily equivalent categories.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
![Hollow Knight - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51nXCF+sf5L._SL160_.jpg)
- Classic side-scrolling action, with all the modern trimmings.
- Forge your own path! The world of Hallownest is expansive and open. Choose which paths you take, which enemies you face and find your own way forward.
- Evolve with powerful new skills and abilities! Gain spells, strength and speed. Leap to new heights on ethereal wings. Dash forward in a blazing flash. Blast foes with fiery Soul!
- Equip Charms! Ancient relics that offer bizarre new powers and abilities. Choose your favorites and make your journey unique!
- An enormous cast of cute and creepy characters all brought to life with traditional 2D frame-by-frame animation.
Rank #3
- Classic side-scrolling action, with all the modern trimmings.
- Tightly tuned 2D controls. Dodge, dash and slash your way through even the most deadly adversaries.
- Explore a vast interconnected world of forgotten highways, overgrown wilds and ruined cities.
- Forge your own path! The world of Hallownest is expansive and open. Choose which paths you take, which enemies you face and find your own way forward.
- Evolve with powerful new skills and abilities! Gain spells, strength and speed. Leap to new heights on ethereal wings. Dash forward in a blazing flash. Blast foes with fiery Soul!.Equip Charms! Ancient relics that offer bizarre new powers and abilities. Choose your favourites and make your journey unique!.An enormous cast of cute and creepy characters all brought to life with traditional 2D frame-by-frame animation..
Rank #2
- Hollow Knight: Silksong is the epic sequel to Hollow Knight, the award winning action-adventure.
- Journey to all-new lands, discover new powers, battle vast hordes of bugs and beasts and uncover secrets tied to your nature and your past.
How to use these estimates
- Want the Normal Ending with minimal detours? Use 25–30 hours as a planning estimate.
- Expect to explore and take side quests? Allow more time; Nintendo Life says a relaxed credits run can exceed 35 hours.
- Aiming for completion? Treat 50+ hours as a tentative Nintendo Life estimate, not a promise.
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