Bayonetta is a fun, action-packed single player game that doesn’t take too long to beat and encourages multiple playthroughs.
Overall, beating Bayonetta on Normal difficulty requires an average of 11 to 13 hours, but it will take approximately 15 hours plus if trying to collect everything. Lastly, beating the game on each of the four difficulties will take about 45 hours.
A single playthrough only takes about a dozen hours or so. I beat the game multiple times, with playtimes averaging 13 hours each.
And I had so much fun doing so!
In this guide, I’ll tell you the playtime of each chapter, along with more information about the length of the bucket list game that is Bayonetta.
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How Long Does It Take To Beat Bayonetta?
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Bayonetta is roughly 12 hours in length on the standard difficulty setting, give or take a few hours depending on your skill level.
Of course, harder difficulties will make Bayonetta longer to beat.
A single playthrough of the game will also take longer if you are a completionist–someone trying to collect and unlock everything in the game.
How Long Does It Take To Collect Everything In Bayonetta?
Completionist playthroughs of Bayonetta can take about 15 hours or more to finish. Collecting enough in-game currency to purchase everything in the shop and finding all secrets will take a few extra hours or more to complete.
Collectibles that’ll add more time to a playthrough to collect in Bayonetta include
- over twenty dozens and accessories to purchase
- multiple weapons to find and unlock
- health and magic upgrade artifacts to find
- lore, hidden trials, and more
Guides may have to be used to find everything in order to get closer to this completion time, as hidden items can be hard to find.
How Long Does It Take To Beat Bayonetta At A Leisure Pace?
Playing Bayonetta from beginning to end at a leisure pace may take upwards of 18 hours to finish. This should be expected from a slower, more methodical playstyle that encourages thorough explorations of each level.
I encourage leisure players to explore each level in order to find hidden health and magic upgrades along with game lore notebook pages, extra money, and other secrets.
Additionally, leisure players should replay levels to better understand the combat system as well as Bayonetta’s breadth of abilities she learns throughout the game.
Tips For First-Time Bayonetta Players
If this is your first time playing Bayonetta, please understand that the playtimes in this guide are approximate values.
Bayonetta was made to be challenging and hard to master while encouraging multiple attempts at each chapter.
Therefore, I encourage allocating extra time (maybe a few hours more) to your playthrough to compensate for
- unexpected deaths
- retries
- difficult boss battles
- and mastering Bayponetta’s plentiful techniques and overall gameplay mechanics
Allocating extra time for these matters will help you obtain the most fun from each chapter in the game.
But att the end of the day, play Bayonetta at your own pace and just enjoy the ride!
NOTE: Bayonetta playtime info compiled from my multiple playthroughs of the Nintendo Switch version, along with playtime data from over 5,000 players from How Long To Beat.
How Many Chapters Are In Bayonetta 1?
In total, Bayonetta includes 16 chapters plus a prologue and an epilogue, bringing the total number of chapters in the game to 18. Each chapter lasts different lengths, with some as short as 6 minutes while others being as long as 26 minutes.
Of course, completion times on each chapter will vary (more or less) depending on if you’re speeding through a stage or trying to find every secret. Difficulty and skill level also affects how long a level takes to be completed.
Therefore, the following Bayonetta chapter playtime are based on a standard playthrough at Normal difficulty.
These are my personal playtimes at a moderate pace, so use these as baselines to help you allocate time for your Bayonetta playthrough.
Bayonetta Chapter Playtimes
- Prologue: 6m 05s
- Chapter 1: 12m 05s
- Chapter 2: 16m 46s
- Chapter 3: 17m 15s
- Chapter 4: 10m 34s
- Chapter 5: 26m 32s
- Chapter 6: 22m 45s
- Chapter 7: 6m 37s
- Chapter 8: 12m 38s
- Chapter 9: 23m 21s
- Chapter 10: 19m 41s
- Chapter 11: 6m 33s
- Chapter 12: 8m 39s
- Chapter 13: 10m 53s
- Chapter 14: 19m 41s
- Chapter 15: 25m 48s
- Chapter 16: 7m 44s
- Epilogue: 13m 46s
Every chapter in Bayonetta can be completed in less than half an hour and about half can be completed in less than 15 minutes, making it a great game to play if you’re limited for time.
Of course, these playtimes don’t account for multiple attempts at a level, playing the end-of-chapter mini-game, visiting the shop, or taking time to collect the in-game currency to buy stuff at said shop.
Just keep this in mind with your first (or next) Bayonetta playthrough.
Ready To Start Bayonetta? Check Out These Pro Tips First!
Now that you know how long Bayonetta takes to complete, you’re ready to start the critically acclaimed action title.
But, wait! There’s WAY more you should know before booting up the game. Trust me.
I’ve beaten the game multiple times and died one hundred deaths only to come out with pro-tips, strategies, and stellar advice for you.
Pro-tips that have helped my Bayonetta playthroughs become more fun while providing fewer headaches along the way.
Check out the guide: Bayonetta Pro Tips Everybody Needs To Know
Read More Great Articles
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Screenshots taken by me. Images sourced from product pages, websites, or social media and are credited appropriately. Logos, images, etc. belong to their respective owners. All information current at time of publication.)
SOURCE: Bayonetta | Nintendo, SEGA
