How Long to Beat GTA 6 — Story, Side Content and 100%
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By Alex · Last updated:
| Status | Supposed |
|---|---|
| Rockstar's figure | 80+ hours for a full playthrough — Rob NelsonConfirmed |
| Map | Three times RDR2's, roughly twice GTA V'sConfirmed |
| GTA V, main story | About 32 hours (HowLongToBeat)Confirmed |
| RDR2, main story | About 51 hours (HowLongToBeat)Confirmed |
| GTA 6 times | Filled in on this page after 19 NovemberConfirmed |
Red Dead Redemption 2 had a way of eating evenings. You’d sit down to do one mission, end up hunting a deer, then riding to Valentine for no reason, and the clock would say 2 a.m. with the mission marker still untouched. GTA 6 has every chance of doing the same thing, only with a coastline and a car stereo. So “how long is it” has two answers: how long the story takes if you push it, and how long you’ll actually be in Leonida.
What we know about the length
Rockstar has given one number. Rob Nelson puts a full playthrough past 80 hours, which would make GTA 6 the longest story the studio has made. The world is built to match: a map three times the size of RDR2’s, a story told in chapters, and two playable leads, Jason and Lucia, whose missions you’ll be switching between. Chapters are also a decent sign of pacing. RDR2 was built the same way, and it’s where most players lost track of time.
The 80 hours is a “full” figure, so read it closer to main story plus a good chunk of side content than to a sprint. In both GTA V and RDR2 a pure story run took about 60–65% of the main-plus-extras time. If GTA 6 follows that shape, a focused story run lands somewhere around 50 hours. That’s my guess from the last two games, not a measurement.
GTA V and RDR2 for comparison
These are the HowLongToBeat averages, built from thousands of player-submitted times. The GTA 6 column fills in after launch.
| Playstyle | GTA V | RDR2 | GTA 6 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main story | ~32 h | ~51 h | — |
| Main + extras | ~51 h | ~85 h | — |
| Completionist (100%) | ~90 h | ~196 h | — |
| Our own run | — | — | — |
Two things jump out. RDR2’s main story is about 60% longer than GTA V’s, but its 100% is more than double. That’s what a dense world does: the story grows a bit, the side stuff grows a lot. If you’re planning to go for everything, the 100% checklist shows what Rockstar usually counts.
How we’ll fill the table
We’ll put the first number in the GTA 6 column within 72 hours of the 19 November launch, from the earliest finished story runs, and update the rest as HowLongToBeat data piles up over the first weeks. The “Our own run” row is ours: the hours it takes us to get through the story, written down as we go through the walkthrough. If you’re about to start, our beginner’s guide will save you a few of those hours.
I’m not in a hurry, honestly. The best thing a game like this can do is make you forget to check the clock.
FAQ
How many hours is GTA 6’s story?
Rockstar’s Rob Nelson puts a full playthrough past 80 hours. Real main-story times go into the table on this page after the 19 November launch.
Is GTA 6 longer than RDR2?
By Rockstar’s own figure, yes. RDR2’s main story averages about 51 hours on HowLongToBeat, and GTA 6’s full playthrough is quoted at more than 80, on a map three times the size.
How long does it take to 100% GTA 6?
No one will know for a few weeks after launch. For scale, GTA V’s 100% averages about 90 hours and RDR2’s about 196 hours on HowLongToBeat.
How long is GTA V’s story compared with GTA 6?
GTA V’s main story takes about 32 hours on average. GTA 6 is expected to run well past that: Rockstar’s figure for a full playthrough is 80+ hours.
Everything here comes from official Rockstar materials. Analysis is labeled. We don’t publish leaks.
By Alex · Last updated:
