It Takes Two How Long to Beat? Story and Co-Op Times

How Long Does It Takes Two Take to Beat?

Set aside more than a single evening for Cody and May’s adventure. If you’re searching “It Takes Two how long,” plan on roughly 14 hours of co-op play so you and your partner can coordinate your schedules. The useful answer to “It Takes Two how long” also depends on whether you’re heading straight through the story or stopping for minigames and optional discoveries.

The campaign combines platforming, puzzles, action sequences, and frequent changes in character abilities. You’re moving through a substantial adventure together, with both players responsible for making progress.

Here are the main playtime figures to keep in mind:

Playtime measure	Duration	What it tells you
Story-focused estimate	10–12 hours	A shorter estimate for reaching the ending
Co-op median	14 hours	A useful starting point for scheduling
Co-op average	14½ hours	Another reference point for the shared adventure

Budget around 14 hours for your initial playthrough, then leave room for breaks and optional activities. The shorter 10–12-hour estimate is useful context, but building your entire schedule around its lower end leaves little breathing room.

These hours describe the adventure you play together. Each person needs to set aside that shared time; you don’t divide the campaign length between Cody and May.

The game’s changing mechanics also matter. Learning one set of tools doesn’t mean you’ve learned everything the campaign will ask of you. New situations keep both players involved, whether you’re coordinating a puzzle solution or adjusting to another style of action.

Story Length, Extras, and Full Completion

For an “It Takes Two how long” estimate that matches your plans, decide what finishing means to you. Reaching the credits, exploring optional distractions, and pursuing full completion are different commitments.

Image: Steam / Hazelight Studios

A story-focused run concentrates on the main adventure. A more leisurely playthrough leaves room to investigate the environments and challenge your partner to minigames. Full completion adds another reason to revisit areas and track down activities you passed earlier.

The platform breakdown below shows main-story and full-completion times:

Platform	Main story	Full completion
PC	12h 44m	17h 25m
PlayStation 4	12h 58m	16h 26m
PlayStation 5	13h 6m	15h 48m
Xbox One	13h 39m	18h 47m
Xbox Series X/S	13h 47m	17h 42m
Nintendo Switch	14h 21m	15h 49m

Use these figures to understand the difference between play styles. They aren’t evidence that choosing a particular console will make your team solve puzzles faster.

For example, the PC figures move from 12h 44m for the main story to 17h 25m for full completion. That gives you a concrete sense of how optional pursuits can extend the overall commitment.

There’s also a middle ground. Main-story-plus-extras times include 14h 12m on PC and 14h 3m on PlayStation 5. You can explore beyond the direct route without turning the adventure into a full-completion project.

The “It Takes Two how long” question becomes easier once you and your partner agree on your goal:

• For the ending: Keep your attention on the campaign.
• For exploration: Leave room for optional interactions and minigames.
• For full completion: Expect additional time beyond the main-story figures.
• For another perspective: Consider a replay with your character roles reversed.

Choose that goal together before scheduling your sessions. If your preferences differ on exploring versus reaching the ending quickly, discuss it before every detour becomes a negotiation.

Why Your Co-Op Playtime Can Change

Your “It Takes Two how long” estimate needs to account for the teamwork at the center of the game. Cody and May receive different abilities, and those abilities must work together to overcome obstacles.

Both characters have active roles. Neither player can simply handle every challenge while the other watches, because progress depends on what each character contributes.

Different Abilities Mean Different Responsibilities

Early on, Cody uses a nail gun while May carries a hammerhead. Elsewhere, Cody can manipulate time while May can create a copy of herself. These changes give you new ways to interact with the environment and new reasons to explain your part of a puzzle.

Gameplay element	What it involves	Tip for your team
Separate character tools	Cody and May handle different parts of a challenge	Explain what your tool can affect before attempting the solution
Connected abilities	Progress requires contributions from both characters	Agree on who acts first
Platforming and action	Both players must handle their own character’s movement	Give your partner time to understand the task
Optional minigames	Competitive diversions interrupt the cooperative journey	Decide together whether to stop and play

Treat communication as part of playing. Describe the obstacle you’re facing, especially when your partner is interacting with something different on their side of the screen.

New Mechanics Keep Arriving

The campaign changes its gameplay throughout the adventure. You’ll encounter different tools and situations instead of carrying one fixed set of abilities from beginning to end.

Pause to understand each new combination. Ask what Cody can do, what May can do, and how those actions connect. That keeps your attention on the actual puzzle rather than repeating an action without a shared plan.

Both local and online co-op use split-screen presentation, so you can see your partner’s actions as well as your own. Glance at their view when you need to understand what they’re describing.

Optional Competition Adds Time

Minigames give you a chance to compete with the person you’re otherwise helping. If you stop for rematches, include that time in your plans.

Decide whether you want a campaign-focused evening or a more relaxed session with room for side activities. Either choice fits the game; agreeing on it keeps your expectations aligned.

How to Plan Your Sessions With a Partner

Turn your “It Takes Two how long” search into a shared schedule: allow roughly 14 hours for the adventure, then choose times when both players can participate.

There is no single-player mode. Whether you play locally or online, the campaign requires two people working together. Scheduling your partner’s availability matters just as much as choosing your own free time.

Choose Local or Online Co-Op

Couch co-op puts both players together for local split-screen play. Online co-op lets you play from separate locations while still seeing both characters’ perspectives.

Friend’s Pass allows someone who owns the full game to invite a partner to join the full adventure without purchasing another copy. The joining player needs Friend’s Pass installed and an applicable platform account. Online play requires a friend on the same platform.

Setup	How you play	What to arrange beforehand
Couch co-op	Local split-screen with two players	Shared availability for the campaign
Online co-op	Two players cooperate online	Compatible same-platform access
Online through Friend’s Pass	A full-game owner invites a partner	Friend’s Pass installation and the required account

For purchase and Friend’s Pass information, visit the official It Takes Two website.

Agree on the Pace

Before starting, discuss whether you want to pursue the story, explore thoroughly, or chase full completion. Use the main-story and completion figures to set expectations.

Keep the shorter 10–12-hour estimate in perspective. Planning around 14 hours gives you more room for the cooperative problem-solving that defines the adventure.

Leave flexibility around the end of a session, too. Chapters contain different gameplay sequences, so dividing the total runtime into equal portions won’t tell you exactly where you’ll be when it’s time to stop.

Keep the First Run Focused on Playing Together

Explain your abilities when they change. Listen when your partner describes a problem you can help solve. Agree before spending an extended stretch competing in a minigame.

Those habits follow directly from the game’s structure: separate roles, connected mechanics, and optional distractions. Use them to make your shared time enjoyable rather than treating the runtime as a deadline.

What Can You Do After Finishing?

The “It Takes Two how long” answer can extend beyond the credits if you want more time with its mechanics. You can revisit chapters, seek out minigames, and replay the campaign as the other character.

Minigames offer a focused reason to return. They’re scattered throughout the adventure, and discovered minigames can be played through the main menu. Revisit chapters to find ones you missed, or return to a favorite for another competition.

Swapping characters gives a campaign replay a different appeal. If you originally controlled Cody, playing May puts her tools and responsibilities in your hands. Your partner gets the same change in perspective by taking Cody’s role.

The opening nail-and-hammer pairing makes that difference clear: operating Cody’s tool and using May’s hammerhead involve different actions. Later ability changes continue that division of responsibilities.

Choose your next activity based on what you enjoyed:

• Return to minigames for competitive matches.
• Revisit chapters to look for missed activities.
• Switch characters to experience the other role.
• Pursue remaining achievements or trophies if full completion is your goal.

Keep a second campaign run separate from your initial completion estimate. The roughly 14-hour co-op figure is a planning reference for one shared adventure, rather than a combined total for experiencing both characters across separate playthroughs.

FAQ

It Takes Two how long does the main story take?

Plan on approximately 14 hours of co-op play. A shorter story estimate puts the adventure at 10–12 hours, while the co-op median is 14 hours and the average is 14½ hours. Leave additional time if you intend to explore or replay minigames.

Can you finish It Takes Two in one sitting?

Finishing in one sitting means allowing for roughly 14 hours of gameplay, plus your breaks. Split the adventure across multiple sessions if that commitment doesn’t suit both players. The campaign requires a partner throughout, whether you choose local or online co-op.

How long does full completion take?

Full-completion figures include 15h 48m on PlayStation 5, 17h 25m on PC, and 18h 47m on Xbox One. Use them as planning estimates for a run that goes beyond reaching the ending.

Do both players need to buy It Takes Two?

For online play through Friend’s Pass, someone must own the full game. The invited partner can join the full adventure through Friend’s Pass without buying another copy. They need the pass installed, the applicable platform account, and same-platform compatibility.