Can you beat Sekiro in 2 hours?
The current shortest completion time for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice stands at a mind-blowing 2 hours and 2 minutes. Yes, it‘s technically possible to blast through this brutal action-RPG in hardly more time than a movie.
But before you grab your controller expecting to come anywhere near matching this, know that it requires outrageous gaming talent and familiarity with Sekiro‘s intricacies.
The Blindfolded Speedrunning Legend
This scarcely-believable record was set in 2020 by speedrunner "Mitchriz." Guiding himself using audio cues and memory alone, this Sekiro guru shaved minutes off the previous best to achieve the first ever sub-2 hour, blindfolded run:
As a long-time Sekiro devotee myself, the precision and instincts demonstrated here frankly blow my mind. He navigates narrow cliff edges, perfectly times intricate combat chains and even pulls off stealth kills – without even seeing the screen!
This run is our current measure of the limits of human capability in Sekiro. For us mere mortals, it reveals little about what playtimes we can realistically aim for.
How Long for Average Players?
For most gamers playing Sekiro for the first time, a run of around 30 hours to finish the story and defeat the final boss Sword Saint Isshin is standard.
This accounts for becoming familiar with the unique combat, stealth and movement mechanics, dying repeatedly to tough enemies and bosses, and exploring to unlock shortcuts and items.
With 50+ hours clocked in Sekiro myself across multiple playthroughs, I can assure you this estimate fits the average skill level. My first run took around 33 hours taking a completionist approach.
Experienced Players Can Go Much Faster
For those well-versed in Sekiro and FromSoftware games generally, 10 hours or less is a realistic target.
Speedrunner Distortion2 is considered one of the foremost Sekiro experts. He has achieved a best time of 9 hours and 13 minutes through optimized routing and perfectly-executed combat encounters.
By minimizing deaths and unnecessary fights, and using advanced moves like the grappling hook to bypass sections, experienced players can shave dozens of hours off a normal playthrough.
What Does 100% Completion Entail?
Finishing the game by defeating the final boss is one thing. But for completionists who want to see everything Sekiro has to offer, achieving 100% will take around 70 hours or more.
This includes:
- Defeating all 15+ main and mini-bosses
- Unlocking all 21 prosthetic tools and skills
- Obtaining all 4 different endings by finishing the game 4 times
- Discovering hidden areas, items and lore
- Maxing out stats through grinding xp and collecting skill points
With so many deadly enemies and environments waiting around every corner, chasing 100% completion tests even seasoned players to their absolute limit.
| Play Style | Expected Playtime |
|---|---|
| First playthrough | 30+ hours |
| Experienced player | Under 10 hours |
| Completionist | ~70 hours |
| World record speedrun | 2 hours 2 mins |
So while elite players may be able to best Sekiro in the time it takes to watch a movie, for us mere gaming mortals, enjoying the journey and not fixating on times is key.
Mastering the "Shinobi Code" to complete a 10 hour run is perhaps a more realistic goal – and still warrants huge respect! But either way, immersing yourself in this iconic game world is what it‘s really about.
