Which Borderlands Game is the Longest? An In-Depth Analysis

As a huge fan of the Borderlands series who has played through every game multiple times, I often get asked – which game is the longest? At first glance Borderlands 3 seems to take the crown with the longest main story campaign. But when you factor in side content, endgame activities, replayability and pacing, the picture gets more complicated. Here‘s my in-depth analysis comparing the length and breadth of content across the Borderlands series:

Main Story Length

Looking strictly at the critical path main story missions, Borderlands 3 does indeed have the longest playtime:

• Borderlands 1: 22.5 hours
• Borderlands 2: 30.5 hours
• The Pre-Sequel: 17.5 hours
• Borderlands 3: 35-40 hours

But this doesn‘t tell the whole story. Though BL3 has the most chapters and core story content, some players complain that it feels overly padded and bloated compared to the tighter pacing of BL2 or the original.

Based on my experience, I agree the BL3 main quest can drag in parts. For example, many chapters on Eden-6 seem to overstay their welcome, while new mechanics like Space Travel feel underutilized, mainly serving to make planet transitions take longer.

So while BL3 technically has the most main story content on paper, the pacing and bloat keep it from feeling like the longest or most substantial campaign.

Side Content & Endgame

Once you factor in all the optional side missions, endgame activities and replayability, the picture gets more complicated:

Here we can see BL2 has a clear advantage in amount of side content and endgame longevity through multiple playthroughs. I‘d argue BL2‘s side missions like Clan War and Hyperion Contracts are far more memorable than most of BL3‘s repetitive and forgettable side objectives.

Though BL3 technically has more endgame activities like Proving Grounds, fans argue BL2‘s True Vault Hunter mode and raid bosses like Terramorphous provided better replay value. BL2 also benefitted from excellent DLC additions like Tiny Tina‘s Assault on Dragon Keep.

Overall, while BL3 offers the most raw amount of stuff to do, the variety, quality and replayability of BL2‘s side content makes it feel longer and more substantial for many fans.

Completionist Playtime

This is where things get really close. Looking at estimated times to 100% complete all content:

• BL1: ~63 hours
• BL2: ~80+ hours
• TPS: ~32 hours
• BL3: ~72+ hours

By this metric, BL2 edges out BL3 by providing the most total playtime for completionists. However, BL3‘s larger world spaces and more time-consuming "checklist" style side objectives (collectables, crew challenges, etc) inflate its completion time a bit artificially.

Based on my experience exploring every nook and cranny, I‘d say BL2 feels like the larger and more dense game, even if BL3 technically takes a few more hours to finish everything.

Verdict: BL2 is the Longest Overall Experience

While Borderlands 3 has the longest main story campaign and offers the most total playtime on paper, Borderlands 2 remains the entry that feels the biggest and most substantive overall.

Factors like tighter pacing, memorable side quests, insane replayability and phenomenal DLC allow BL2 to edge out BL3 as the longest and most complete Borderlands experience for my money.

But I‘d love to hear your thoughts – which Borderlands game felt the biggest and longest to you? Let me know in the comments!