Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon is set to bring the series back for the first time since Armored Core: Verdict Day which launched all the way back in 2013. FromSoftware is going all out to revive the series with a bang too, as not only is Armored Core 6 looking like the most visually impressive and approachable game in the franchise, but it seems like it's also going take the longest to complete. It's not even close either.
First revealed by YouTuber Fextralife in their latest video, they explain that FromSoftware told them the game would be around 50 to 60 hours long, which is a far greater runtime than any other Armored Core in the series so far. FextraLife explains that the game's first 11 missions took approximately 3 hours to complete, and suggests that this means Armored Core 6 could potentially have over 100 missions for players to dive into.
Veteran Armored Core fans will know that a typical game in the series usually lasts between 10 to 20 hours depending on the title, meaning Armored Core 6's runtime could be almost triple the majority of its predecessors. That may not be too surprising given that Armored Core 6 is launching on a much more advanced console than the previous games, but you can't help but feel a little concerned that FromSoftware might not be able to come up with enough fresh content to justify that much of a time sink.
It's also possible that FromSoftware could have been simply alluding to the average time it thinks players will spend with the game rather than a set amount hours. It could also be suggesting that 60 hours is the time it takjes for players to complete everything, and simply going through the missions will take significantly less time than 50 hours. The wording wasn't precise, and Fextralife doesn't go into too many specifics about runtime, so between 50 to 60 hours is the best we've got to go on at the minute.
No matter the runtime, Armored Core 6 is shaping up to be an incredible comeback for the series, as more and more footage releases as we draw closer to release. If you want to know what we think of the game so far after a three hours hands-on event, you can read our preview by Eric Switzer here, who describes it as one of the most approachable game in the series.
Armored Core 6 is set to launch in exactly a month's time on August 25 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.