Doki Doki Literature Club is a psychological horror visual novel that will blow your mind if given the chance. With its seemingly cutesy exterior, you may find yourself asking: When will the horrors begin, and how long will it last?
Table Of Contents
Main Story
It takes around 4 hours to finish the Main Story with the Normal Ending, depending on your pace. You can always adjust the Text Speed and Auto-forward Time bars in the Settings to your desired pace. However, it’s not recommended to use any of the available Skip options because you might miss out on some important details, especially on your first playthrough.
Doki Doki Literature Club is Plot-Based and uses the Four Act Structure in telling its story. Here’s a breakdown of how long each Act lasts, along with the other parts of the game:
- Act 1 – 1 hour and 50 minutes
- Poem Composition – up to 2 minutes each
- Poem Sharing – up to 10 minutes each
- The horrors begin by the end of Act I
- Act 2 – 1 hour and 40 minutes
- Act 3 – 15 minutes
- Act 4 – 10 minutes
- Credits + Letter – 5 minutes
Main Story + Extras
It takes around 6 hours to finish the Main Story + Extras, depending on your research and persistence. Doki Doki Literature Club has a lot of Easter Eggs that you can find within the game and even in the game files themselves! That’s why it’s also recommended opening its Game Directory on the side, so you can view the files as soon as they appear.
Here are some of the Easter Eggs you might want to check out:
- Natsuki’s Second Poem in Act II
- Yuri’s Final Poem in Act II
- Monika’s character file
- Yuri’s character file
Just Monika Route
Good news for Monika lovers! It can last for as long as you want. It takes around 3 hours and 30 minutes to reach Act III, where there’s just Monika. You can also make your time with her so much better with the Monika After Story DDLC mod, which allows you to ask her questions, gives you a nickname, and more.
Quick Ending Route
It takes around 12 minutes to complete the Quick Ending. You have to reset Doki Doki Literature Club and delete Monika to get the Quick Ending. Here’s how long each part of it takes:
- Resetting DDLC – up to 1 minute
- Deleting Monika – up to 30 seconds
- Act 1 – 25 seconds
- Act 2 – 10 minutes and 30 seconds
Secret Ending Route
It takes around 5 hours and 40 minutes to finish the Main Story and get the Secret Ending. You can always adjust the Settings and check all the Skip options to quicken your pace. It takes longer because you’ll have to write a poem 10 times in a single playthrough as part of the requirement. With the Normal Ending, you can only write a poem 7 times.
Here’s a breakdown of how long each Act lasts in this route:
- Act 1 – 4 hours and 30 minutes
- 9x Poem Composition – up to 18 minutes in total
- 9x Poem Sharing – up to 1 hour and 30 minutes in total
- Act 2 – up to 45 minutes (Auto-Skipped)
- Act 3 – 10 minutes
- Poem Composition – up to 1 minute
- Act 4 – 10 minutes
- Credits + Letter – 5 minutes
All-Endings Route
It takes more or less 10 hours to get all 3 endings in one sitting. You need to reset Doki Doki Literature Club and delete Monika 3 times in the process. Although by adjusting the Settings, it’s possible to finish it in under 5 hours.
