You’re standing on the bridge of the Tempest, looking out at a swirling cluster of stars that aren’t home, and you’re probably wondering the same thing everyone else did back in 2017: how much of my life is this going to take? Honestly, the answer to how long is Mass Effect Andromeda isn't a single number. It’s more like a sliding scale of how much "busy work" you’re willing to tolerate.
BioWare went big with this one. Kinda too big, if you ask the fans who spent forty hours just driving the Nomad over sand dunes. If you're looking for a quick weekend sprint, you're in for a surprise. But if you’re a completionist? Well, clear your calendar for the next month.
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The Short Version: Beelining the Critical Path
Let’s say you just want the story. You don’t care about the side quests, the "Tasks" that feel like grocery lists, or making every single planet 100% viable. You just want to stop the Archon and see the credits roll.
If you stick strictly to the Main Story, you’re looking at roughly 18 to 22 hours.
That’s it. It’s actually surprisingly lean when you strip away the fluff. You’ll hit the major story beats, do the Priority Ops, and finish the game feeling like you played a standard action-RPG. However, I’ve seen people rush it in 15 hours on lower difficulties, though you’ll be seriously under-leveled and probably miss the emotional weight that comes from actually knowing your crew.
The "Standard" Experience: Story plus Loyalty Missions
Most people don't play Mass Effect just for the "save the galaxy" plot. We play it for the characters. In Andromeda, if you decide to do the Main Story plus the Loyalty Missions and a decent chunk of exploration, your playtime jumps significantly.
Expect to spend about 45 to 65 hours for a balanced run.
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This is the sweet spot. You aren't scanning every single rock on Eos, but you are helping Drack find his missing scouts and assisting Peebee with her tech obsession. Honestly, skipping the loyalty missions in a BioWare game is like going to a steakhouse and only eating the garnish. It’s where the actual heart of the game lives.
Why the playtime varies so much
- Travel Time: The Nomad is fun to drive, but those planets are massive. You'll spend hours just moving between waypoints.
- Sudoku... I mean, Remnant Puzzles: Some people breeze through these. Others (like me) stare at the blue glyphs for twenty minutes before giving up and looking up the solution.
- The Nexus Chore List: Talking to every NPC on the Nexus can add five hours to your save file before you even land on a second planet.
How Long is Mass Effect Andromeda for Completionists?
If you are the type of player who cannot leave a map with a question mark on it, God help you. To 100% this game—meaning every task, every collectible, every planet at 100% viability, and all trophies/achievements—you are looking at 90 to 110 hours.
Some players on forums like HowLongToBeat have clocked in at 120+ hours because they refused to use fast travel or spent a massive amount of time in the crafting menus. The "Task" category in your journal is the real killer here. Many of these are simple fetch quests that take you back and forth across the galaxy.
Pro Tip: Don't do all the "Tasks." Seriously. They were designed to give you something to do while you were already on a planet, not to be hunted down one by one. Burning out on fetch quests is the #1 reason people quit Andromeda halfway through.
Multiplayer and Replayability
We can't talk about length without mentioning the APEX multiplayer. While it’s not part of the "campaign," many players sank hundreds of hours into the wave-based survival mode. Back in the day, it even tied into your single-player progress (though you don't have to touch it now to get the best ending).
As for replaying? It’s a bit different than the original trilogy. Since there’s no Paragon/Renegade system, your "second run" won't feel as fundamentally different in terms of Ryder's personality. However, swapping from Scott to Sara Ryder gives you different dialogue vibes and, of course, different romance options. If you want to see every romance and every minor ending variation, you’re looking at a second 50-hour commitment.
Breakdown of Hours by Activity
- Main Questline Only: 18–20 Hours
- Main Story + Character Missions: 50–60 Hours
- Total Completion (100%): 95+ Hours
- Speedrun (Any%): Under 3 Hours (if you're a pro)
The Reality of the "Open World" Bloat
The reason people still ask how long is Mass Effect Andromeda is because the game is famous for its pacing issues. Unlike Mass Effect 2, which was a tight, mission-based thriller, Andromeda is a sprawling frontier sim.
You will spend a lot of time in menus. You will spend a lot of time watching the "landing" and "takeoff" animations (even if they were patched to be skippable, they still take time).
If you want the best experience, I always recommend the "Golden Path" approach. Focus on the Arks and your companions. If a side quest feels like a chore, skip it. The game doesn't punish you for ignoring the small stuff as much as you'd think.
Factors that might speed up or slow down your run
- Difficulty: Playing on Insanity makes combat a tactical, slow-burn affair. You'll die. A lot. This can easily add 10–15 hours to your total.
- Dialogue: If you read subtitles and skip the voice acting, you'll save hours. But please, don't do that to the voice actors.
- Crafting: The R&D system is deep but clunky. If you get into min-maxing your Valkyrie assault rifle with bio-converter augments, you'll be at the research terminal for a while.
Final Verdict on Time Commitment
Basically, you get out what you put in. If you want a punchy sci-fi story, treat it like a 20-hour game. If you want to live in the Andromeda galaxy and breathe in every bit of lore, prepare for a 100-hour odyssey.
Most people find themselves finishing around the 60-hour mark. It’s long enough to feel epic, but short enough to avoid the soul-crushing grind of the later "Task" missions.
Your Next Steps: * Check your journal and prioritize Priority Ops and Allies and Relationships.
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- Ignore the "Tasks" folder unless you happen to be standing right next to an objective.
- Focus on getting planet viability to 40% to unlock the vaults; don't feel pressured to hit 100% immediately if you're getting bored.
Now, get back to the Pathfinder—those planets aren't going to settle themselves.