Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are hitting Nintendo Switch, and the newest entries in the mainline series are the first titles to offer truly open-ended possibilities in terms of how players pursue the story. Scarlet and Violet will feature an entirely open-world experience for players, letting them choose the elements of the campaign they wish to tackle first. With the release quickly approaching, many players are probably wondering how long Pokémon Scarlet and Violet take to beat.

The three story campaigns of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet take place at two schools in the Paldea region - Naranja and Uva Academy, respectively - where they have just enrolled. These stories will focus on different goals and take players to many regions of the Paldea area, each with its own difficulty levels and interesting characters. Players can pursue these three paths in whatever order they choose, although they do vary in difficulty and some may be trickier for players just starting out.

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How Long Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's Main Stories Are

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's logo is placed over an image broken into three vertical sections to highlight characters from their three main storylines. From left to right: Arven wearing a yellow vest and backpack; Geeta with her long black hair is partly obscured by the logo; and Mela, with bright red hair and a shirt with a flame motif.

The main stories of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet revolve around three separate - and largely different goals - that once all completed lead to some final end-game content. All total, completing the entire game's story will take players anywhere between approximately 20 to 26 hours depending on play style. Players who are attempting to speedrun the entire Pokémon game will clock in at the lower end, while those who are looking for a more leisurely, completionist style of play will naturally come in on the higher end of things.

The first main campaign of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet revolves around the classic formula of beating Gym Leaders, which for the first time can be tackled in any order. The next path centers on the Herba Mystica, an herb used to heal Pokémon. The search for this herb across Paldea will lead to several encounters with Pokémon Titans who guard the herb, which are giant, extra-powerful versions of the creatures. Lastly, players will take on the evil Team Star, where players will fight waves of Pokémon in Horde Mode in order to challenge various Squad Leaders.

The open-ended possibilities of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will no doubt make players' journeys through the story a much different experience than in past games - although there may technically be an ideal route for players to follow in terms of difficulty scaling, it's up to the individual to decide the way they want to approach each of the game's challenges in the roughly 23-hour main story. Of course, like in past games, players will still be able to enjoy several more hours of building up their Pokédex in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet after beating the main storyline, if they so choose.

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