How long is GTA 5: about 32 hours for the story and 90 for 100%

Rockstar has never given an official length, so we use HowLongToBeat, where players log their own times. The snapshot was taken on November 7, 2026. The entry covers every platform, from PS3 and Xbox 360 to PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.

Other outlets give similar figures. In 2021 TheGamer, citing HowLongToBeat, wrote about 31.5 hours for the story and about 79 for 100%. In 2024 Sportskeeda gave about 32 hours for the story, about 54 with extras and about 84 for 100%. The story holds at 31-32 hours, while the 100% estimate keeps rising.

Average and median. The median is the time of the player in the middle of the list; the average is pulled up by those who spent much longer. That is why 100% has a median of 80 hours and an average of about 89.5. If you play with a guide, go by the median.

Sample size. More than three thousand people logged the story and story plus extras, so those figures are stable. There are 980 entries for 100%, which is also enough. The speedrun figure rests on 24 entries: a guideline, not a norm. A separate «100% speedrun» category has only 2 entries and a shorter time than Any%, so we leave it out.

«Main + Extras» is the broadest category: everyone decides how much side content to do. If you like cruising the city, playing golf and tennis or doing Strangers and Freaks, expect about 50 hours rather than the bare story.

HowLongToBeat also splits the data by the platform people played on:

For the story the gap is under two hours. For 100% it is wider: from about 80 hours on PS3 to about 127 on PS5. The reason is the sample rather than the hardware: older consoles have older entries, newer ones have fewer (390 completions on PS5). How the versions differ is explained on the GTA 5 platforms page.

The same HowLongToBeat categories for neighbouring games (snapshot from 8 November 2026, averages):

The GTA 5 story is about 5 hours longer than GTA IV and 19 hours shorter than Red Dead Redemption 2. At 100% the gap is even wider: RDR2 takes twice as long. For details see how long to beat RDR2, and for the new game see how long GTA 6 will be.

The game’s stats and Social Club count 69 story missions. Because of heist approaches and three endings there are more missions in the game: player wikis count 79, but you cannot see them all in one playthrough. Among them are five big heists, from the jewelry store to The Big Score.

The full list by stage is on the GTA 5 missions page, and how the final choice plays out is covered in GTA 5 endings.

Between about 32 hours for the story and about 90 for 100% lie almost 60 hours of side content. 100% requires:

• 69 story missions, including Lester’s five assassinations;
• 20 of Franklin’s Strangers and Freaks, including the finale of the letter scraps mystery;
• 42 hobbies and pastimes: golf, tennis, races, flight school, the shooting range;
• 14 random events and 16 miscellaneous tasks, including all 50 spaceship parts and 50 letter scraps, plus half the stunt jumps and bridges.

The full checklist with progress tracking is on the GTA 5 100% page. The platinum takes even longer: PowerPyx estimates 150+ hours, because it includes GTA Online achievements (see GTA 5 achievements).

• Collect along the way. Letter scraps and stunt jumps are available from the start, so grab them between missions.
• Skip the optional stuff. Nuclear waste, submarine pieces, Epsilon tracts and peyote do not affect 100%. Which of them are worth doing is in the GTA 5 collectibles section.
• Plan by area. Most of the 100% time goes on travel, so group tasks by district with the GTA 5 map.
• New players. Basic tips that save time early on are in our GTA 5 beginner tips.

• Make a separate save before choosing the ending. Endings A and B take away one character along with his missions, so any unfinished Michael or Trevor strands are lost. Only C (Deathwish) keeps all three alive. See GTA 5 endings.
• Lester’s contracts come after the finale. Guides recommend doing four of the five assassinations once The Big Score money is in the bank, because the stock market profit is bigger that way.
• The longest wait is the Epsilon strand. Michael has to wear the robes for 10 in-game days. Sleeping moves the clock much faster than normal play (GamesRadar, GTA Fandom). Every step of the strand is on the Epsilon Tracts page.
• Nuclear waste barrels pay off fast. After The Merryweather Heist, the $250,000 Sonar Collections Dock returns $940,000 for 1.5-2 hours of collecting (GTA Fandom, GTABoss). They are not needed for 100%, but the money helps with Epsilon donations and the stock market. The route is on the nuclear waste page.