My Switch tells me I've sunk 105 hours into The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. And honestly? That number feels both massive and tiny at the same time. For someone like me who almost exclusively plays single-player games, 105 hours is a commitment. The last game that held me this long was Hitman 3, and before that, Breath of the Wild back in 2017. Four full days of my life, gone — but I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
Over the weekend, I finally rolled credits on Tears of the Kingdom. Normally, that's my cue to delete the game and move on — I write about games for a living, and new releases pay the bills. But something's different this time. The credits rolled, and my desire to keep exploring Hyrule didn't even flicker. If anything, it grew. The game has sunk its hooks into me, and I'm not asking it to let go.
I've already started Pikmin 4 (which is delightful) and I'm still chipping away at Marvel's Midnight Suns (my favorite Marvel thing in years). But as much as I enjoy those games, I know I'll have zero trouble yeeting them out of my storage the moment I hit their endings. Tears of the Kingdom, though? It's a different beast.
Why? Because the game's structure makes it almost impossible to feel like you've seen enough. Even at 105 hours in, I feel like I've only scratched the surface — or more precisely, three surfaces. Let me break it down:
| Layer | What I've Done | What's Left |
|---|---|---|
| The Depths | Dozens of hours, but the map is still foggy | Entire regions I've never lit up |
| The Surface | Crossed near countless green plains | Swaths of Hyrule I've only skirted |
| The Sky | Used my Zonai gauge plenty | Sky islands I still can't reach because it's not fully upgraded |
See what I mean? The game just keeps giving. Late in my playthrough, I started spending more time in villages like Tarrey Town and Hateno, tracking down side quests. But there are still dozens of NPCs I haven't talked to, quests I haven't even received, let alone completed. That's standard for my open-world habits — I'm a "Main + Sides" player, not a completionist. I've never earned a platinum trophy in my life, and I don't care to start now. There are always new games to play or old ones gathering dust on the pile of shame.
But Tears of the Kingdom is the rare game where just about everything feels worth doing. The side quests are worth tracking down. The central story is as good as any Zelda narrative has ever been. There are still shrines to find, which means there are still weird contraptions to jerry-rig together with Ultrahand. The game is so good, and there's so much of it, that I may just never move on. (Who am I kidding? I know I'll move on eventually. But if Nintendo convinces me to get my first 100 percent completion, that'll be a miracle in itself.)
It's 2026 now, and three years after release, Tears of the Kingdom still whispers my name. I boot it up on lazy Sunday mornings, and suddenly it's midnight. The game doesn't demand my attention — it invites it, gently, like an old friend who knows you'll stay for one more cup of tea. And you know what? I always do.
So here I am, still not ready to move on. Maybe I'll never 100 percent it. Maybe that's okay. But for now, Hyrule still has corners I haven't seen, and I'm not in any rush to say goodbye. Sometimes a game just holds you, and you let it...
And that's the thing. I'm not ready. And I don't think I want to be.