How Long Does It Take To Finish Pikmin 4?

How many hours of guiding Pikmin to their perilous fates can you expect to spend in Pikmin 4? Well, find out inside!

With the recent release of Pikmin 4, gamers have been given another chance to pick, grow, and guide an army of odd little plant people. However, while a lot seems familiar here, there is one element of Pikmin 4 that is particularly relevant to this piece: this is by far the most expansive entry in the series. There a tons more enemies, and a seemingly endless trove of treasures to uncover.

Related: Pikmin 4: Beginner Tips

And it isn't just the content that is going to heavily affect the time it takes to complete this Pikmin plucking adventure. The way time works in Pikmin 4 is also bound to juice that clock. For starters, the time limit of yesteryear's Pikmin titles is done and dusted. So, a more lackadaisical approach is almost encouraged. You can just veg out with your garden gang. But not only is there no rush to finish fast, but you can even rewind the clock! How does this all affect your completion time? Well, take a gander down below and we'll lay it all out for you.

If you are less interested in digging around the garden, and you are looking to run your pack of Pikmin like a well-oiled machine, howlongtobeat.com estimates that you should be able to complete the main game in around 16 hours. Looking through the completion times, there is a huge amount of variety in the different clear times you will see—with some people completing the game in 8 and a half hours and others, clearly taking the slow and steady approach, nearly taking 22 hours!

However, if you are looking to dig up those treasures, if you are looking to explore this strange world you have crash-landed on, then you are likely slapping an additional 10 hours onto that playthrough. The average time listed for "Main + Extras" is a pleasantly plump 25 hours. However, as per usual, "plus extras" is a little vague. So, you are going to get a ton of variety in the reported clear times. While the median is 25 hours, some people spent up to 39 hours without the hundred-percenting the game. Others managed to clear most of the content in Pikmin 4 in less than 13 hours. These numbers are pure chaos.

Okay, now let's get to the good stuff. How much time did people take getting that hundo percent clear? Well, the current average listed on the site for a completionist run is 35 hours and 49 minutes. It is interesting to note here that even the speediest run is still a pretty beefy 27 hours and 39 minutes. On the other end of the spectrum, the longest clear time clocked in at 44 hours and 41 minutes. So, if you want to find everything, but everything, and get the platinum prize, then you are going to be investing quite some time.

It is worth noting that there are actually times listed in the completionist section longer than 44 hours and 41 minutes, but in the notes for those times, they didn't actually complete everything. So... clearly that completion time can be even longer than those listed. Mother of god.

So, Pikmin 4 doesn't really have "chapters" per se. There are, however, multiple areas. There are a number of activities you can engage in, but you can choose to deal with them in whatever order you so choose. The base game has four areas. They are...

Completing those four areas will give you the end credits. However, there are two additional areas that will open up to you...

Once you work your way through both of these areas, you will finish the second campaign of the game. However, be warned, the Primordial Thicket is not for ther feint of heart!

Next: Pikmin 4: Tips For Night Expeditions

James is a writer for TheGamer. He typically spends his time playing games, thinking about games, overanalyzing games, and sleeping. While he has an appreciation for all genres, he is especially interested in fighting games and RPGs. He also enjoys reading books and watching movies and will happily overanalyze those as well.