How Long To Beat
Roughly 20 hours — a reviewer reached that mark with puzzles still remaining, plus an ending and post-game content.
Big Walk takes about 11 hours to beat the main story, and around 20 hours for 100% completion, per player-submitted data on HowLongToBeat. Reviewers' estimates frame the same picture from the other side: IGN spent "nearly 20 delightful hours" and still had puzzles left, while faster guides put a smooth main-story co-op run at 7–10 hours. It is a hand-crafted, start-to-finish co-op campaign, not a replayable live-service game, so treat it like a finite experience to savor with one consistent group. Here is the full breakdown of Big Walk's length and what shapes your completion time.
How Long Is Big Walk?
The two numbers that matter:
- Main story: ~11 hours (HowLongToBeat player average). Community and guide estimates bracket this at 7–12 hours: TheGamer's writers finished in 7–10 with a capable crew, TechWiser logged 8–10 for two players, and Insider Gaming needed about 15 for a thorough two-player completion.
- 100% completion: ~20 hours (HowLongToBeat player average). This matches the reviewers' pace — IGN spent "nearly 20 delightful hours" with a core trio and Kotaku's reviewer logged about 20 with a larger crew, both with puzzles remaining and possibly another ending still to find.
So if your group just wants the credits, plan for a weekend or two; if you want every puzzle, every collectible and the post-game content, plan for roughly a month of weekly sessions. Your mileage varies with your crew's pace and how much you wander.
One note on the credits: you do not need to finish literally every puzzle to reach the ending, but you need almost all of them, according to GameSpot's post-completion tips. The difference between a fast finish and a full clear is therefore small — which is why most groups should simply plan for the whole campaign.
Big Walk is not the kind of game you rush, either. Much of the time is spent between puzzles — getting lost, finding your way back, goofing off — and reviewers describe those in-between moments as some of the best parts. IGN's group was lost for nearly an hour at one point, navigating by flare light, and counts it among the trip's highlights. A group that treats the game as a checklist will finish faster but enjoy it less.
A Start-To-Finish Co-op Campaign
Big Walk is explicitly designed as a hand-crafted cooperative adventure meant to be played start-to-finish with a group of friends. That phrasing from the official description matters: this is a finite game with a real ending, not an endless loop. Reviewers who reached the finale describe it as unexpectedly emotional — one spent the final hour happy-crying through a last puzzle gauntlet — and several mention a post-game element beyond the main ending that their groups scheduled a follow-up session for.
Because it is a one-shot campaign, plan to play it with a consistent group over several sessions, not in random pickup groups. The game builds on itself: knowledge and shared language from one session help in the next, and Kotaku's reviewer specifically warns against rotating people in and out because the experience compounds. The game does adjust puzzles for your session size — the host picks a two, three, or four-plus format each time — so a missing friend will not break a night, but the richest run is one steady crew.
The Save Is Tied To The Host
A key factor in your completion time is scheduling, because the save file is tied to the host. The person who starts the campaign owns the save — the game saves automatically, and only the host's copy holds the progress — and the group can only continue that specific save when the host is online and running the session. Reviewers flagged this as a real friction point: if your group wants to play but the host cannot make it, you either skip that night or start a separate save, which is effectively a new big walk.
For a ~20-hour campaign, this means picking a reliable host and setting a regular play night. Kotaku's reviewer put it as a direct prescription: get everyone to give up one night a week for about a month or so and use that time to go on a Big Walk together. The host's availability effectively sets your group's pace, so choose the person whose schedule is steadiest, not whose connection is fastest.
How Sessions Work
Big Walk is played in hosted sessions, and their shape affects your calendar more than your total hours. When the host starts the game, they choose the existing save (or names a new one) and pick a session format — two, three, or four-plus players — which adjusts some puzzles so they are solvable with whoever shows up that night. You can switch formats between sessions without harming the save, so a missing friend shrinks the puzzles rather than cancelling the evening.
Saving itself is invisible: the game saves automatically, and nobody — host included — presses a save button. Progress simply resumes when the host next opens that file.
IGN notes it is easy for people to pop in and out of a session mid-campaign, but the advice across reviews points the same way: do not. The experience builds on itself, and the shared language your group developed last session is the real equipment you bring to the next one. A stable roster is worth more than a large one.
What Drives Your Playtime Up Or Down
Several things stretch or compress Big Walk's length:
- Group size — larger groups generate more chaos and tend to take longer per puzzle, but have more fun doing it. Kotaku suggests five or six players gives the richest experience; IGN's core trio moved quicker.
- Session format — puzzles adjust for two, three, or four-plus players, which slightly changes how long each one takes to coordinate.
- How much you wander — Big Walk rewards exploration; groups that chase every curiosity will run longer.
- Getting lost — the open world has no quest markers, and getting separated is common. Reuniting eats time (enjoyably).
- Movement friction — reviewers note uphill and rocky terrain can snag your character, adding minor delays.
A focused two-player group could finish closer to the lower end; a sprawling, exploratory six-player group could run well past 20 hours.
Big Walk Is Not Replayable In The Same Way
Worth flagging: reviewers describe Big Walk as largely a single-use experience. Its power comes from surprise and discovery, and once your group knows the puzzles, much of the magic is spent. One reviewer said they could not imagine playing it a second time, because "once you know the tricks, you can't be surprised by them again." The trade-off is stated as a compliment — the memory of being surprised that first and only time is the product.
The post-game content reviewers mention is the one exception, and it is best treated as the campaign's encore rather than the start of anything longer. Kotaku's group finished the ending and immediately made time the following week to go back and see what else the island was holding.
So budget your time for one rich playthrough rather than multiple runs. If you want more Big Walk after the credits, the post-game content and your group's own stories are what's on offer — not a fresh run of the same island.
FAQ
How long does it take to beat Big Walk?
About 11 hours for the main story per HowLongToBeat's player average, with faster guide estimates at 7–10 hours for a smooth co-op crew.
How long is 100% completion in Big Walk?
Around 20 hours — every puzzle, the collectibles, the 13 trophies and the post-game content.
Can you finish Big Walk in one sitting?
Not comfortably — and you shouldn't try. The save is tied to the host, reviewers prescribe roughly one night a week for about a month, and the between-puzzle wandering is the point of the game.
Does group size change how long Big Walk takes?
Yes. Larger groups generate more chaos and take longer per puzzle (with more fun doing it); Kotaku suggests five or six players for the richest experience, while a focused duo moves quickest toward the lower end of the range.
Is Big Walk replayable?
Largely no — reviewers describe it as a single-use experience built on surprise. The post-game content is the encore, not a second campaign.
Summary
Big Walk takes about 11 hours to beat the main story and around 20 hours to 100% it, per HowLongToBeat player data and reviewer pace. It is a finite, start-to-finish co-op campaign best played with one consistent group over roughly a month of weekly sessions. The save is tied to the host, so pick a reliable one. It is a one-time experience more than a replayable one — savor the single run.
Sources
- HowLongToBeat — How long is Big Walk? (player-submitted averages: ~11 h main story, ~20 h completion)
- IGN review — "nearly 20 delightful hours" with a core group of three
- Kotaku review — ~20 hours logged with a larger crew; the one-night-a-week prescription
- TheGamer — Big Walk review (7–10 hour estimate with a capable crew)
- games.gg — Big Walk trophy list guide (~8 h main story, ~15 h full completion)
RELATED BIG WALK TOPICS
These related pages complete the picture: