Last updated: 5 September 2026
Onimusha: Way of the Sword How Long to Beat
Way of the Sword is built as a mostly linear campaign with an explorable Kyoto hub layered on top, so how long it takes you depends heavily on whether you're rushing the story, mopping up side content, or going for full completion across two difficulty modes.
Capcom put the main story at about 20 hours, which lines up with independent estimates. Add side content and exploration and a typical playthrough runs closer to 25 hours. A single completionist-style run, mopping up collectibles and side objectives without repeating the game, lands around 33 hours. Full completion — including a Carnage difficulty replay, since some rewards require it — pushes total time beyond 60 hours.
01Main Story: About 20 Hours
Capcom itself confirmed the main story runs approximately 20 hours, describing the campaign's progression as linear. That figure matches independent estimates for a player focused purely on advancing the plot without detouring for side content or collectibles.
02Main Story Plus Side Content: About 25 Hours
A more typical playthrough — one that stops for side objectives and explores Kyoto's hub areas along the way rather than beelining the critical path — runs closer to 25 hours. That's the number to plan around if you want to see most of what the game offers without deliberately chasing full completion.
03Completionist Run: About 33 Hours
A single completionist-style playthrough, where you're deliberately tracking down collectibles and side content on top of the main story, lands around 33 hours. This is still a single playthrough on your first difficulty — it doesn't require repeating the campaign.
04Full Completion: 60+ Hours
Total playtime climbs past 60 hours once you factor in everything post-game requires. Some unlockables and rewards specifically need a Carnage difficulty playthrough, which only becomes available after finishing the game once — so full completion effectively means two runs through the campaign rather than one, on top of whatever collectible hunting you do along the way. See our difficulty settings guide for how Carnage mode works and how it unlocks.
FAQ
How long is Onimusha: Way of the Sword's main story?
About 20 hours, per Capcom's own figure for the main campaign, which the developer describes as a linear progression.
How long does it take to 100% Onimusha: Way of the Sword?
Full completion runs past 60 hours in total, mainly because some rewards require a full Carnage difficulty replay on top of your first playthrough. A single completionist run without repeating the game — collectibles and side content included — lands closer to 33 hours.
Is Onimusha: Way of the Sword a long game?
It's a mid-length action game by modern standards — roughly 20 hours for just the story, or 25 hours if you take your time with side content along the way. It's substantially shorter than an open-world game but longer than most linear action titles.
Do I need to replay the whole game for full completion?
Effectively, yes. Some unlockables require finishing a playthrough on Carnage difficulty, which only unlocks after you've already beaten the game once, so 100% completion means going through the campaign twice rather than once.
Sources
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