What can be answered now
The current official source set does not publish a universal completion time. It does confirm that the game has a beginning, middle and end, which answers the structure question but not the number of hours. Keep those facts separate so a reader does not mistake “has an ending” for “takes a fixed amount of time.”
What media adds
A PC Gamer analysis describes a group spending several hours in the world while still finding island content to explore. GameSpot pre-release and media background also frames Big Walk as a substantial co-op experience. These observations are useful for pacing, but they are not a standard speedrun, a completion guarantee or a substitute for a controlled playtest.
Why group size changes the answer
A two-player group may make decisions quickly but have fewer people searching at once. A larger party may notice more clues while spending more time regrouping and explaining. The official materials confirm different world variants for party shapes, so a future playtime note must name the group size instead of presenting one number as universal.
Why exploration scope matters
A direct route, puzzle-focused run and wandering session are not the same measurement. Big Walk explicitly allows players to return to the world and roam, so “finished” can mean reaching the ending or continuing to explore after it. A useful field report must state which definition it used.
What a valid test needs
Record the platform, game version, party size, start time, end time, whether the group stopped and whether it followed the main route or explored side content. Repeat the measurement with more than one group before publishing a range. Until that exists, the correct page label is “exact hours pending” rather than a guessed number.
What this page does not claim
It does not turn a media article into a promise that every player will need the same time. It does not copy a community estimate as a standard. It also does not answer the separate question of whether an ending exists; that fact has its own page and is officially confirmed.
The purchase takeaway
Expect a multi-session cooperative exploration experience rather than a precisely timed checklist. If you need a fixed number of hours for a schedule or purchase decision, wait for a dated field test and keep this page marked待确认. The safest confirmed statement today is a defined game structure with open-ended return and exploration.
Field test noteDo not add a fixed hour number until a real run records its route, party size and exploration scope.