How Many Hours is Red Dead Redemption 1?

According to HowLongToBeat, Red Dead Redemption‘s main story takes roughly 22 1⁄2 hours to complete, while completionist players aiming for 100% game completion are looking at around 46 hours in total.

How does Red Dead Redemption‘s gameplay length compare though? Is 22 hours average for a Rockstar game? Too long? Too short? Let‘s dive deeper into the data and analysis.

Benchmarking Red Dead 1‘s Story Length

First, it‘s important to note that RDR1‘s narrative playtime falls right in line with other iconic Rockstar single player experiences:

As demonstrated above, RDR1 matches GTA V for longest main story in a Rockstar game. Both deliver highly cinematic, lengthy campaigns filled with cutscenes, memorable missions, and dramatic moments.

They clock in at nearly 25% longer than Bully and almost double Max Payne 3‘s tighter runtimes.

So judged solely among Rockstar‘s hallmark story-driven titles, Red Dead Redemption‘s 22 hour arc lands squarely in range of expectations. Open world Rockstar narratives average around 20 hours, and RDR1 fulfills that pedigree.

And How‘s 22 Hours Against Other AAA Games?

More broadly compared to action/adventure games in the PS3/Xbox 360 era, Red Dead Redemption also holds up well length-wise:

Here we see RDR outpacing these other landmark single player experiences by 5+ hours on average. Rockstar has always emphasized story and substance over brevity – and Red Dead Redemption is no exception.

Given games cost $60 regardless of length, who‘s complaining about having 50%+ more content than the competition?

Completing Red Dead 1 100%

Now what about players striving for full completion – all side missions, activities, collectibles and 100% game completion?

Here‘s how long RDR1 takes to truly beat with a completionist run:

So total runtime doubles when pursuing that prestigious 100% completion benchmark. An incremental 24 extra hours on top of the main story acts as a hefty padding.

Worth noting though – RDR1‘s 46 hour 100% duration is almost 3.5X shorter than Red Dead Redemption 2‘s complete playtime. The prequel‘s gigantic open world features vastly more side content by comparison.

Still, 46 hours nothing to scoff at, offering dozens upon dozens of memorable side adventures beyond pressing credits.

In Summary: Exactly How Long is Red Dead 1?

Let‘s recap the key stats provided above:

• 22 1⁄2 main story hours: Perfectly aligned with flagship Rockstar games
• 46 hours for 100%: Robust side content for completionists
• Over 25 hours on average: Expectations for a typical playthrough

So in the end, while exact playtimes vary by player, Red Dead Redemption 1 offers between 22 and 46 hours of epic open world gameplay – putting it firmly in line with Rockstar‘s lengthy, content-rich pedigree.

I‘d love to hear your completion times in the comments below! Did you just power through the story? Strive for 100%? And how did it compare to Red Dead 2 for you? Let me know!