How many chapters are there in Borderlands 3?

How many chapters are there in Borderlands 3
(Image credit: Gearbox Software)

Borderlands 3 is a long game. My first playthrough took me a nearly nonstop weekend of shooting, looting, and grimacing through questionable humor. And because the story opens up some interesting questions that I wanted answers to ASAP, I often wondered where I was at in the story throughout. Broken into chapters, Borderlands 3 moves at a chunky pace, kicking off new plotlines and cutting others short via its segmented format. Here's a quick, spoiler-free overview of Borderlands 3's general time to beat and how many chapters you'll need to work through to find the endgame. 

How long is Borderlands 3?

There are 23 chapters in Borderlands 3.

Each chapter accompanies a main quest or two, ranging in length from 30 minutes to 2 hours in length, not accounting for difficulties and distractions along the way. It's a big tour of the local galaxy, spanning several planets and vaults, with good portion of characters new and old helping and harrying you along the way.

How long does it take to beat Borderlands 3?

The campaign takes around 20 hours to finish.

But that's if you're bee-lining it. It'll take around 30 hours or so if you're completing sidequests and finding collectibles along the way. With everything completed, you'll probably end up at 40 to 50 hours of playtime, and that doesn't include tinkering around with Mayhem Mode or another round in True Vault Hunter Mode. The playtime is as long as you'd like, in that regard.

James Davenport

James is stuck in an endless loop, playing the Dark Souls games on repeat until Elden Ring and Silksong set him free. He's a truffle pig for indie horror and weird FPS games too, seeking out games that actively hurt to play. Otherwise he's wandering Austin, identifying mushrooms and doodling grackles.