Dark Souls as a series has become a force within the games industry. Players all over the world wait have become fans of developer From Software because of the franchise, while the series is also constantly used as a reference point for comparisons to other titles. It also cemented a new genre in the industry that is defined by the freedom it gives players, its fair but punishing difficulty, and its sprawling deep lore. As such, Dark Souls as a household name for many gamers.
However, fans can sink many hours into learning the Dark Souls maps and stories, with many exploring the wide variety of different build options they can choose from. This has led to fans being extremely excited for the upcoming Elden Ring from From Software. However, many players may want to play through the Dark Souls series ahead of the developer's latest title to see what they should expect from the new game. Players can dedicate quite a few hours to each game, but a full playthrough seems doable before Elden Ring releases early next year.
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Dark Souls
- Main Story: 42.5 Hours
- Completionist: 106 Hours
Dark Souls was a follow-up to the cult-classic Demon's Souls, and its wider availability helped it bring the genre to a larger audience. The first Dark Souls largely established the foundation that the following two games would go on to build from with an interlinked world, PvP invasions, and a world that managed to find beauty in desolation and despair. The game's 42.5 hours sees players exploring the map and defeating the required bosses. However, the estimate does not account for how easily players learn the game's combat mechanics, as well as how many of Dark Souls' shortcuts and secrets players discover.
The completionist time sees players killing all of the game's bosses, unlocking all of its achievements, and completing all of the game's DLC. The DLC's Painted World can be a bit difficult to locate and enter, but it adds an entirely new aspect to the lore of Dark Souls as well as numerous new challenges that will push players even further than the main campaign. Thankfully, Dark Souls was recently remastered, so players who want to see where it began can check it out with some great new visuals on modern platforms.
Dark Souls 2
- Main Story: 44 Hours
- Completionist: 119 Hours
Dark Souls 2 is a slight departure for the trilogy, as it is the only entry not helmed by series creator Hidetaka Miyazaki. Instead, Dark Souls 2 is directed by Tomohiro Shibuya and Yui Tanimura, who brought some new ideas to the series. These included a world map that focused on a wheel and spoke design with a central hub that reacts to the player's actions. Dark Souls 2 also punished players by decreasing their maximum health each time they die. The game received a mixed reception from some fans of the series, but is also beloved amongst many others for being one of the hardest Soulsborne games released.
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The game's main story completion is only slightly longer than the original on average, but players who want to see everything it has to offer will have to spend a bit more time with the title. This also includes Dark Souls 2's three DLC packs, Crown of the Ivory King, Crown of the Old Iron King, and Crown of the Sunken King, which each contribute around 4-10 hours of content to the game. Completing both titles brings the Main Story playtime up to 86.5 hours, while players looking to fully complete both titles will have to play around 225 hours. Thankfully, Dark Souls 2's community hosts a yearly event where they return to the game, so players won't have to face its horrors alone.
Dark Souls 3
- Main Story: 32 Hours
- Completionist: 95 Hours
Dark Souls 3 features the shortest average playtime out of all three Dark Souls games. However, some players spend much more time in the game thanks to its still very active multiplayer community. The game sees Hidetaka Miyazaki returning to the franchise, and it was extremely popular amongst the series' fans when it was released. It expanded the world of Dark Souls even further, with some of the most memorable bosses in the entire series. Dark Souls 3 also introduced many new weapons to the franchise, some of which introduced entirely new ways to approach encounters and boss fights. The game also sped up Dark Souls' combat, which was a wise change following the positive reception of From Software's other title Bloodborne.
The game's shorter runtime has helped encourage players to play through it multiple times to experiment with different builds, and to discover all of Dark Souls 3's numerous secrets without the help of guides. This means that one's experience with Dark Souls 3 may very well run much longer than its averages of 32 hours for the main story and 95 hours for a completionist playthrough that includes DLC. For fans wanting to complete all three games, this brings the playtime to 118.5 hours and a completionist run of all three to 320 hours.
The Dark Souls games have become extremely popular and influential across the games industry, and are well worth a playthrough because of that. For fans who do enjoy the games, From Software's other titles like Sekiro, Bloodborne, and Demon's Souls should be experienced as well, especially leading up to the release of Elden Ring. The games offer a very unique experience within the games industry, and there are some very good reasons that they have become as popular as they have. A completionist run of 320 hours is quite the commitment, but many fans have done it before, and the Dark Souls games have proven to be more than worth it for those players.