End of Abyss is a short descent: about 10-13 hours for the story, and considerably more to fill the Logbook, every Vault and every weapon to max.
End of Abyss How Long to Beat: Main Story vs 100% Logbook
Plan on 10 to 13 hours for the story and 15 to 20 hours to finish everything. Both are individual playthroughs and published estimates rather than a measured average: Section 9 has never released a length figure, and neither the developers' launch post nor the official store copy contains one. This page attributes every hour instead of quoting an average nobody has published.
The numbers, with their sources attached
| Figure | What it actually measures | Source | How much to trust it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roughly 10 hours | One reviewer's campaign length | IGN review | One person's run, not an average |
| 12 to 15 hours | The reviewer's description of the story's scope | GameSpot review | Descriptive, not a stopwatch |
| 13 hours | GameSpot's own logged time | GameSpot review | Most concrete figure published |
| 15 to 20 hours | Estimate to platinum, one playthrough | 100% Guides roadmap | An estimate, not a finished run |
| None | Developer and storefront playtime | Launch post and store copy | Absent, so treat the rest as unofficial |
The 15 to 20 hour row lands below GameSpot's 12 to 15 hour description of the story alone. That is not a contradiction, it is two different players: one following a route, one exploring blind.
The developers' launch post, the official store listings and the trophy roadmap all carry no completion average, and no completions-database figure was available to us. The hours on this page belong to the people who logged them.
Why one review calls it tight and another calls it disjointed
The disagreement is about what the length is spent on, not the length. Shacknews scored it 8, called it "a tight and well-paced adventure" that "doesn't overstay its welcome," and quoted no hour figure at all. GameSpot scored the same build 6, logged 13 hours, and described "long stretches of excitement broken up by regular beats of annoyance," ending on an "inconsistent patchwork instead of an inspired amalgamation." IGN's objection was placement: the plot only gained momentum in the back third of the campaign.
Both predate the day-one patch that fixed most of the map problems GameSpot cited. On your build the map should cost less time than these reviews imply; the invisible wall and map bug guide covers what survived.
What the extra hours for 100% are actually spent on
There is no second campaign hidden behind the ending. GamingTrend's Richard Allen, in a 90/100 review, put it plainly: reaching 100% means players "will need to be willing to backtrack and scour nearly every area again after unlocking Cel's full arsenal."
The Grappling Hook, Explosive Charges, the Incinerator, each keycard and Vault key are what open sealed rooms. Until you hold them the collectibles are not merely unfound, they are unreachable, so completion time is the same facility walked again with a full keyring. Three taxes explain most of the gap:
- The starting area is a late errand. The optional Support Gun sits in the Outer Sector, the first area you see, and 100% Guides is explicit that you cannot fetch it until you reach the Lower Levels. The obvious route back does not work either.
- Two optional bosses sit off the critical path. Brood Keeper needs a fan switch plus a Restricted Access Keycard; Morgue Dweller needs the Infirmary Key burned out of the Lower Levels. The boss guide has the order.
- Walking is slower than the map suggests. IGN measured invisible walls costing 10 to 15 minutes per forced checkpoint rewind, and the seven shuttle stations do not reach every zone, which is why the shuttle reference matters more during the sweep.
What actually counts as 100%
Completionist is not the whole checklist, which is where most completion estimates go wrong.
| Group | Scope |
|---|---|
| Logbook | Creatures, Notes, Data Shards, Codes. The Guides tab is excluded |
| Secrets | 8 Vaults and their mods, 6 Energy Cells for max Suit Power. Vault keys come from 5 story bosses and 3 optional ones |
| Mastery | All 6 weapons and upgrades to max, every room visited |
The four Logbook tabs are covered in the Logbook guide, and each trophy's rarity, including the notes sweep in the lowest unlock band, is ranked in the trophies breakdown. Nothing is missable, which is why one playthrough suffices. Vault mods sit outside the Logbook entirely, in the Suit Power guide.
Bosses register themselves in the Logbook the moment you kill them, and every collectible is available after the credits. Scanning each room as you enter it puts you at the low end of that estimate. Running straight to the credits instead commits you to a full second traversal of a facility with overlapping floors and no fast travel to every wing.
No New Game+, and what a second run is worth
GamingTrend states it outright and pairs it with the honest consolation: "replaying with the knowledge of where to go and how to survive is still rewarding on its own."
That decides how you read the replay value. A second run carries no arsenal, keys or Suit Power forward, so it is neither a power fantasy nor an easier clear. What it carries is information. Route knowledge that turns a 13 hour fumble into a directed run is the whole reward, so a repeat run costs the full 15 to 20 hours only if you go off-route for the checklist, and much less if you sprint.
If your first run is slow because you keep missing levers, that is a routing problem rather than a length problem, and the stuck and cannot progress guide targets exactly that symptom.
What your personal number will probably be
Four things move you off the published figures, in order of impact:
- Wandering. A first-timer who scans continuously beats the estimate; one who does not can spend the whole 13 hours without reaching the credits. The beginner guide exists to prevent that.
- Deaths. Per GamingTrend there is no death penalty as such, but consumables spent before dying do not return, so a mistake costs re-crafting rather than re-walking. The difficulty and death page covers what death actually costs.
- Optional content. Two optional bosses, eight Vaults and a full Logbook are deliberate detours. Skipping them is the fastest legitimate route to the credits.
- Map comfort. Reviews describe a facility whose maps lie and whose dark rooms hide levers. The sector and floor reference is the gap between a 10 hour run and a 15 hour one.
Is 10 to 13 hours worth $29.99?
Dividing the $29.99 launch price by these figures gives roughly $3.00 an hour at 10 hours, $2.31 at 13, and $1.50 at 20. That is our arithmetic on a published price and a published estimate, not a developer value judgement, but it frames the question honestly: a short game at indie prices, not a 40 hour backlog.
Two ways to de-risk it. A trial exists on every platform, so you can measure your own rate first. And if you want the wider picture before paying, the review roundup collects the scores and disagreements in one place. PC players should note the game is Epic Games Store only, with no Steam version to look for; the PC on Epic guide covers install, settings and co-op status.
Official source: End of Abyss launch post on Xbox Wire — co-founder Marcus Ottvall on the shift from prototype to release: "What started as an action-based top-down shooter, developed into a slower, more dynamic and atmospheric experience as we became more interested in exploration and creating a stronger sense of tension." The official store copy adds that "Pathways open as you grow stronger, allowing you to return to forgotten corridors and secrets once sealed away," which is the mechanic that puts completion time above story time.
FAQ
How long does it take to beat the main story? Between 10 and 13 hours, from IGN's roughly 10-hour campaign and GameSpot's 13 logged hours. Both are one reviewer's run on pre-release or day-one code.
How long does 100% take? 100% Guides estimates 15 to 20 hours to the platinum in one playthrough. Nothing is missable, so no second run is required.
Is there a New Game+? No. A repeat playthrough inherits no power or keys. Its value is route knowledge, which is why it can be faster than a first run without being easier.
Why do reviews disagree about the length? Shacknews called it tight and well-paced without quoting an hour; GameSpot logged 13 hours and called the structure a patchwork. Both reviewed builds from before or around the day-one patch.
Can I try it before buying? Yes. A standalone demo on Epic Games Store, a Free Trial on Xbox, and a one-hour trial for PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers.
Is End of Abyss on Steam? No. The PC release is Epic Games Store exclusive, and there is no Steam version.
Related Guides
- End of Abyss Logbook: Notes, Data Shards, Codes, Creatures
- End of Abyss Trophies and Achievements: The Rarest Ones Ranked
- End of Abyss Review Roundup: Is It Worth $29.99?
- End of Abyss Fast Travel Shuttle Stations: All 7 Locations
- End of Abyss Map and Areas: Every Sector and Floor, Listed
- End of Abyss Bosses: All 7 Named Bosses, Where and What to Bring
More End of Abyss Guides
Where all 7 End of Abyss shuttle stations are, which sectors each one links, and why the shuttle network still cannot reach every area in the facility.
Every End of Abyss area and floor in one table: Outer Sector, Habitation, Factory East and West, Waterworks, Containment Sector, Lower Levels.
End of Abyss PC is Epic Games Store only. How to install and run it, which settings actually exist, and the answer on co-op and Steam.
End of Abyss scored 8, 90 and 6 across Shacknews, GamingTrend, GameSpot and IGN. What they all agree on, where they split, and who should skip it.
The End of Abyss scanner is on the d-pad and it gates progression: it reveals Energy Nodes that open locked doors, hidden paths, and the map itself.
The exact End of Abyss progression chain: three power cores, three SCU overrides, the Central Elevator to Lower Levels, and every keycard on the way.
End of Abyss never explains itself. Who Cel is, why she was sent underground, and what the parasite, the crew and the notes actually tell you.
Missing a lever you already walked past? End of Abyss buries progression in dark multi-floor rooms. A symptom-to-fix table for the common softlocks.