TL;DR
- Speedrun / Story Only: around 15 hours
- Main Story + Some Side Content: 20–35 hours
- Average Full Playthrough: 30–40 hours
- Completionist (All Endings, All Content): 50–70+ hours across multiple runs
- The in-game 30-day timer does NOT run in real time — only major story choices advance the clock
- New Game Plus is available, and the game has 7 different endings
- Roughly 20% of content is locked per run by design — replayability is intentional
How long to beat The Blood of Dawnwalker is one of the first things players want to know before jumping in. The answer is not as simple as one number — because the game is built around choices that directly change how much time you spend in it. Whether you want to rush to the credits or see every corner of Vale Sangora, here is a full breakdown of what to expect.
Before going further, if you want to know what platforms the game is on or how the editions break down, check out our Blood of Dawnwalker release date, platforms, and editions guide. And if your PC needs to be ready before you start, take a look at the Blood of Dawnwalker PC requirements to make sure you can run it without any issues.
How Long Is The Blood of Dawnwalker – Quick Breakdown
Here is a simple overview before we dig into each playstyle:
- Speedrun / Minimum Completion: ~15 hours
- Story Focus (Natural Progression): 20–25 hours
- Main Story + Side Content: 30–35 hours
- Balanced Full Run: 30–40 hours
- Completionist Run (Single Playthrough): 50–70 hours
- True 100% (Multiple Playthroughs): 70+ hours
The wide range exists because of how the game is designed. There is no strict main quest line separate from side quests. Every choice you make — who you help, which leads you follow, who you ally with — shapes how your run plays out.
The Blood of Dawnwalker Speedrun – Can You Finish It in 15 Hours?
Yes, you can. At least one reviewer completed The Blood of Dawnwalker in just 15 hours. They played on Story Mode, finished the game in 20 in-game days (leaving 10 days unused on the clock), and skipped some of the optional content.
There is also an even faster route. You can actually fight the final boss, Knyaz Brencis, right after the prologue ends. That counts as one of the game’s endings. So technically, you could see credits in a very short time if you know exactly what you’re doing.
That said, this is not the experience Rebel Wolves designed the game around. Most players who rush will miss a significant chunk of the world and story.
How Long Is The Main Story in The Blood of Dawnwalker?
If you follow the quest flow naturally and do not try to rush but also do not go deep into every side activity, you are looking at roughly 20 to 25 hours. This is based on following the main objective of stripping Knyaz Brencis of his allies by taking down his court one by one.
The game does not separate main quests from side quests in the traditional way. Some characters you meet will push Coen closer to his goal. Others will waste his time on their own needs. That ambiguity means your personal “main story” time will depend on which paths you choose to follow.
Average Playtime for The Blood of Dawnwalker – 30 to 40 Hours
For most players, 30 to 40 hours is what a solid first playthrough looks like. This covers the major quest lines, most of the side activities, and a good amount of exploration through Vale Sangora.
The creative director of the game confirmed that a typical playthrough will get through roughly 80% of the available content before the 30-day timer runs out. The remaining 20% is deliberately unreachable in a single run. That is not a flaw — it is how the game pushes you to feel the weight of your choices rather than treating everything like a checklist.
At a price of $69.99, a 30 to 40 hour first run gives you good value, especially since a second playthrough will feel very different.
How Long Is a Completionist Run in The Blood of Dawnwalker?
If you want to see all content, unlock all achievements, and experience every story branch, you are looking at 50 to 70+ hours across multiple playthroughs. The game is not designed to allow full 100% completion in a single run.
Because certain quests and outcomes are mutually exclusive, some things can only be unlocked by making different decisions in a different run. That structure drives real replayability rather than just cosmetic differences.
The game also has New Game Plus. When you finish the game for the first time, NG+ unlocks and lets you restart while keeping your Perks, Equipment, and character level. This makes a second run faster but also opens up branches you could not reach before.
Looking for collectibles to fill out your run? Our guide on all Laslea Glen shrine locations in Blood of Dawnwalker will help you find ones that are easy to miss on a first playthrough.
The Blood of Dawnwalker 30-Day Timer – How It Affects Your Playtime
The 30-day timer is the central mechanic of the game, and it is the biggest reason playtime varies so much between players. Here is what you need to understand:
- The timer is not a real-time countdown. It does not tick down while you explore, walk, or talk casually.
- Time only moves when you take major story actions or complete quests.
- The game tells you the time cost of an action before you commit to it.
- Free roaming, scavenging, and passive exploration cost nothing on the clock.
- Each day is divided into 8 segments, giving you a total of 480 segments across the full 30 days.
This means the game is closer to a priority-management RPG than a strict speedrun experience. You can take your time exploring, but when you decide to act on a quest or story event, that decision has weight.
Some quests also time out if you wait too long, and others require you to leave a situation alone for a day or two before they progress. That rhythm of action and patience is core to how the game plays.
Want to understand how the time limit changes the overall experience? Read our Blood of Dawnwalker review on the time limit mechanic and open world for a deeper look at how it holds up in practice.
Does Difficulty Affect How Long The Blood of Dawnwalker Takes?
Yes. The game ships with four difficulty levels, and Rebel Wolves confirmed that difficulty is one of the factors that directly changes how long your run takes. On easier settings, combat moves faster and you spend less time repeating encounters. On harder settings, fights take longer and careful planning becomes more important, which can add hours to your overall time.
If you want to see the story without spending a lot of time on combat, Story Mode is a legitimate option that the developers included for exactly this reason.
How Many Endings Does The Blood of Dawnwalker Have?
The Blood of Dawnwalker has 7 different endings. Four are major endings tied to who stands beside Coen in the final confrontation with Brencis. Two are early endings that can be triggered before the full story plays out. The seventh is the bad ending that happens if the 30-day deadline expires before Coen saves his family.
The good news: you do not need 7 separate full playthroughs to see all of them. With careful manual saves before the final quest, you can reload and unlock different endings from the same run. Most endings also have their own trophy or achievement.
The endings are also shaped by how you played the whole game — not just a single final choice. Whether you leaned into Coen’s human side or embraced his vampiric nature changes which conclusions feel earned.
Is The Blood of Dawnwalker Worth Playing More Than Once?
Absolutely. Second playthroughs in this game are genuinely different — not just dialogue variation or cosmetic changes. Making completely different time investments across a second run opens entirely new combinations of quest branches, story lines, and NPC interactions.
The game tracks your moral balance between Coen’s human soul and his vampire corruption. Shifting that balance in a new run changes how the world responds to you and where the story ends up.
Rebel Wolves has also confirmed they are already planning smaller, free DLC content to release after launch, which will add more reasons to return.
How The Blood of Dawnwalker Compares to Other RPGs in Length
At 30 to 40 hours for a solid first run, The Blood of Dawnwalker sits comfortably in the range of a focused, story-driven RPG. It is not trying to be a 200-hour open world game. Rebel Wolves deliberately kept the map contained so they could fill every part of it with handcrafted content instead of padding it with empty space and repetitive tasks.
The studio described the world as “not that big” — which is a feature, not a weakness. You get a denser, more reactive world rather than a massive one that feels hollow.
For players who bounced off bloated open world games, this is refreshing. For players who want hundreds of hours of content, the built-in replayability and NG+ at least give you strong reasons to keep going after the credits.
Tips for Managing Your Time in The Blood of Dawnwalker
- Explore first, act second. Since exploration does not cost time, scout areas and gather information before committing to story actions.
- Check the time cost before starting a quest. The game shows you how many segments or days an action will use before you confirm it.
- Prioritize family-related objectives first. Some quests are designed to distract Coen from his main goal. Know the difference.
- Do not try to do everything on your first run. The 20% you cannot reach is there by design. Accept it and plan for a second playthrough.
- Use manual saves before major decisions. This lets you explore different endings without starting a brand new game each time.
- Pick a difficulty that matches your goal. If playtime is limited, Story Mode gets you to the narrative content faster.
If you are working through the story and hit a tricky quest early on, like the one involving Coen’s mother, our guide on how to make mother’s medicine in Blood of Dawnwalker (Withering Away) will walk you through it step by step so you do not waste in-game days getting stuck.
Final Answer – How Long To Beat The Blood of Dawnwalker
Here is the honest summary:
- If you rush and skip content: around 15 hours
- If you follow the story naturally: around 20–25 hours
- If you balance story and side content: around 30–35 hours
- If you explore most of what the game offers: 30–40 hours
- If you want full completion and all endings: 50–70+ hours across multiple runs
The Blood of Dawnwalker is available now on PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. No matter how much time you have, there is a way to enjoy this game that fits your schedule — and a strong reason to come back for at least one more run after your first.
