Zelda Breath of the Wild Guide: Hours, Difficulty & More

Anyone who has spent a weekend with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild knows it doesn’t let go easily, and few games have sparked as much debate. Whether you’re wondering if you should buy it, how long it will take, or whether it’s really as good as everyone says, this guide answers those questions with hard data and a clear-eyed look at the trade-offs.

Release year: 2017 ·
Metacritic score: 97/100 ·
Copies sold: 30.65 million (as of 2023) ·
Main story length: ~50 hours

Here are the key facts about Breath of the Wild.

How many hours is 100% Breath of the Wild?

For players chasing every Korok seed, shrine, and side quest, the time commitment is substantial. Digital Trends (tech/gaming outlet) reports that a full completionist run of Breath of the Wild can take up to 194 hours. That figure includes collecting all 900 Korok seeds, completing all 120 shrines, and finishing every quest.

What Zelda game is the longest?

• Main story only: approximately 50 hours (TheGamer (gaming news site))
• Main + extras: 80–100 hours
• 100% completion: 190–200 hours

Compared to other Zelda titles, Breath of the Wild is among the longest. Its successor, Tears of the Kingdom, pushes even further — TheGamer notes that a completionist run of Tears of the Kingdom clocks in at 224 hours according to HowLongToBeat. The implication: if you’re looking for a game that rewards hundreds of hours, Breath of the Wild delivers, but Tears of the Kingdom demands even more from your calendar.

The implication is clear: Breath of the Wild offers a massive time investment for completionists.

Is Breath of the Wild hard for beginners?

The game opens with Link waking up in a mysterious cave and no direction beyond “defeat Ganon.” That lack of hand-holding is intentional — and it’s the first thing new players hit. VG247 (gaming news site) reported one player who died more times in 10 hours of Tears of the Kingdom than in 400 hours of Breath of the Wild, suggesting the difficulty curve is real but learnable.

What is the hardest Zelda game to play?

• Breath of the Wild has a steep learning curve due to weapon durability and limited tutorials
• It is considered fair once you learn the mechanics (exploration, cooking, stealth)
• Many players find it easier than earlier titles like Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

The catch: Breath of the Wild punishes impatient play. Rushing into combat without preparation will break your weapons and send you back to a save point. But the game gives you enormous freedom to prepare — cook hearty meals, upgrade armor, and avoid enemies until you’re ready. For newcomers willing to adapt, the difficulty curve is manageable.

The pattern: players who adapt to the game’s mechanics find it fair.

Is Breath of the Wild worth it?

By nearly every objective measure, yes. The game holds a Metacritic (review aggregation site) score of 97/100, won multiple Game of the Year awards, and sold over 30 million copies. It offers hundreds of hours of content, a world that rewards exploration, and a physics system that encourages creativity.

What is considered the best Zelda game ever?

• Many critics and fans rank Breath of the Wild as the best or second-best Zelda game
• Common contenders: Ocarina of Time, Breath of the Wild, A Link to the Past
• Its open-world design is considered revolutionary for the series

For players who value freedom and emergent storytelling, Breath of the Wild is an easy recommendation. The trade-off: if you prefer tightly crafted dungeons and a linear narrative, you may find the open-ended structure frustrating. The pattern is clear — Breath of the Wild is a masterpiece for one type of player, and a flawed experiment for another.

Which is better, Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom?

Both games share the same Hyrule, but Tears of the Kingdom adds sky islands and an underground world. It also introduces new abilities like Ultrahand, which lets players build vehicles and contraptions. TheGamer reports that the completionist time for Tears of the Kingdom is 224 hours, compared to Breath of the Wild‘s ~192 hours.

Here’s a quick comparison of key differences:

Which is better? It depends on what you want. Breath of the Wild is the foundation — a purer, more minimalist open-world. Tears of the Kingdom is the expansion: more systems, more content, more complexity. Critics and players are divided. ScreenRant (entertainment news site) notes that many Tears of the Kingdom playthroughs still take 70–100 hours even without 100% completion. The trade-off: you get more game, but you also get more of the same world.

Why do so many people hate Breath of the Wild?

Criticism of Breath of the Wild clusters around a few recurring themes: weapon durability, lack of traditional dungeons, empty landscapes, and repetitive enemy variety. Some longtime fans miss the linear storytelling and puzzle-focused design of earlier entries. The game’s physics and freedom can also lead to frustration — your best weapon breaks mid-battle, or you die from a single fall.

However, these same features are praised by others as the game’s greatest innovations. The confirmation is clear: Breath of the Wild is a polarizing game. It redefined the series, and that means some people were left behind.

“A masterpiece that redefines the series.”

— IGN (gaming review outlet)

“The freedom is incredible, but the weapon durability system ruins the fun. I spent more time in the menu than exploring.”

— Metacritic user review (aggregated user opinion)

For the player in 2025 deciding whether to buy, the implication is clear: if you value exploration and experimentation above all else, Breath of the Wild is a must-play. If you want a more traditional Zelda experience with defined dungeons and a stronger story, you may be better off with Ocarina of Time or Link’s Awakening.

For more entertainment guides, check out our Best Shows on Netflix and Spider-Man: Far From Home – Box Office & Streaming Guide.

For a detailed breakdown of how many hours you can expect to spend in Hyrule, check out this Breath of the Wild playtime guide.

Frequently asked questions