Game Length — How Long to Beat (Honest Estimates)

Honest answer: there are no verified playtime numbers for The Relic: First Guardian at launch (August 2026). The game released July 31, 2026 — no reliable "hours to beat" data (e.g., from HowLongToBeat or wide community reporting) exists yet. Guides claiming "30-40 hours for the main story" are estimates at best and fabrication at worst.

What this guide does: lay out the confirmed content volume that determines playtime, give a responsible estimate range clearly labeled as such, and explain why you should distrust precise numbers.

Confirmed Content Volume

These facts are confirmed and directly drive playtime:

Content	Confirmed
Boss roster	70-80 Brutals, most optional
World	Semi-open, 6 large regions (burning villages, ruined castles, void swamps, frozen mountains, catacombs, relic temples)
Relic fragments	Over 70 unique passives to collect
Equipment	Every weapon/armor unique — full collection is a long-term goal
Skill trees	12 trees (two per weapon family) to fill
Side content	Events (side quests) from NPCs/environment
Progression	No levels — power comes from collection and adaptation, which adds time

A soulslike with 70-80 bosses is structurally long — even a modest per-boss time budget adds up. But "long" is not the same as a verified number.

Responsible Estimates (Labeled as Estimates)

Based on the confirmed volume and typical soulslike pacing, early community expectations cluster around:

Playstyle	Rough Estimate (NOT verified)
Main story only	25-40 hours
Main + optional bosses	40-60 hours
Completionist (all 70-80 bosses, all relics, all gear)	70-100+ hours

How to read this table: it is an informed guess from content volume, not data. Treat any narrower claim (e.g., "exactly 31 hours") as unverified.

What Makes Playtime Vary

Exploration depth — the semi-open world rewards thorough looting; a thorough player spends far longer per region.
Boss difficulty — deaths and retries dominate time. Reviews note the roster is demanding; expect practice time.
No leveling grind — there is no XP grind to pad or shorten; progression is exploration-driven.
Build experimentation — 12 skill trees and freely swappable relics invite replay; committed players will spend hours per build.
Completionist goals — over 70 relics + every unique item + 70-80 bosses is a long checklist by design.

What Is NOT Confirmed

Claim	Status
"30-40 hour main story"	Unverified — estimate at best
"60-80 hour completionist"	Unverified
New Game Plus content	Unconfirmed — no verified NG+ exists
Post-game superbosses	Unconfirmed
Multiple endings	Unconfirmed — see the Endings guide

Why so many sites publish numbers anyway: pre-launch, guide sites filled pages with plausible estimates. The launch is days old; real data takes weeks to accumulate.

Value Assessment (Honest)

The game is priced around $49.99 (regional pricing varies — the PS5 listing is ~$49.99; exact prices unconfirmed on all stores). Whether that is good value depends on:

You like boss-focused soulslikes — 70-80 bosses is exceptional volume for the genre.
You accept technical issues — reviews (IGN 4/10, GamingBolt "Good") disagree sharply on polish. See the Review Roundup.
You play solo — the game is single-player only; there is no multiplayer value.

A per-hour "value math" claim (e.g., "$1/hour") would be fabricated — the playtime numbers do not exist yet.

Time-Efficient Play Tips (Confirmed Systems)

Explore as you go, not after — backtracking later costs time; clear regions fully while the path is fresh.
Buy HP/stamina nodes early — fewer deaths = less retry time.
Collect Shards of Esser — potion capacity reduces failed-attempt churn.
Swap relics per boss — the game's intended prep loop; adapted builds kill faster than stubborn ones.
Skip the grind mentality — there is no XP to farm; exploration is the only real farming, and it pays.

Common Questions

Q: How long is The Relic: First Guardian?

A: No verified numbers yet. Content volume (70-80 bosses, 6 regions, 70+ relics) implies a long soulslike; early estimates cluster at 25-40 hours for the main path.

Q: Is there New Game Plus?

A: Unconfirmed — no verified source documents NG+.

Q: How many bosses are there?

A: 70-80 (official materials vary).

Q: Is it worth $49.99?

A: Depends on your tolerance for technical issues and love of boss-focused solo soulslikes. See the Review Roundup.

Q: Will this page get real numbers?

A: Yes — once community data (HowLongToBeat-style aggregation) accumulates, this guide will be updated with verified figures.

Walkthrough — The confirmed structure to clear
All Bosses List — The 70-80 boss roster
Beginner Guide — Efficient first hours
Review Roundup — Is it worth your time?