Clans of the Forest takes about four hours per clan story, plus long den-building timers. Here is the honest playtime breakdown.
How Long to Beat Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest
Expect roughly four hours for one clan's main story. That figure comes from the first published reviews, not from the developer — Trailmark Games has not announced an official playtime. Because the game ships with four separate clan campaigns, plus a boss rush mode and an asynchronous multiplayer mode, your total depends heavily on how many routes you replay.
The short answer:
| Playstyle | Estimated time | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| One clan, main story | ~4 hours | Reviewer completion reports |
| All four clan campaigns | ~12–16 hours | Four routes of similar length |
| 100% / all den decoration | 40+ hours | Decoration timers run up to 40 hours |
| Boss rush and async multiplayer | Extra, open-ended | Separate modes |
Official source: Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest on Steam and the official game page
Official Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest screenshot via Steam.
Why one campaign is short
Clans of the Forest is structured as an apprentice-to-warrior story. You create a cat, join one of the four Clans, and complete quests that build your standing while a prophecy storyline unfolds. Checkpoint Gaming's review notes that each Clan has "its own prophecy-based storyline", and that the game assumes you already know the books — the plot moves quickly because it does not stop to explain the world.
That pace is why the main route lands around four hours. Gaming Trend's published review puts it bluntly: the game needs "four hours necessary for completion", while its den decoration system runs on timers "lasting up to forty hours". Those two numbers describe very different activities. The story is a weekend game; the decoration grind is a long-tail system for players who want to keep building.
What adds playtime
The other three Clans
Each Clan campaign is a separate route through the Lake Territories with its own prophecy plot. Checkpoint Gaming's review describes the routes as sharing structure and early quest types, so a second playthrough is faster and more repetitive than the first. If you only care about story, one route is enough. If you want to see all four prophecies, budget three more sessions of roughly the same length.
Boss rush
A boss rush mode sits alongside the campaign. It reuses the turn-based combat system against a sequence of tougher opponents, so its length depends on how much you want to master stances and moves rather than on story content.
Asynchronous multiplayer
The async multiplayer mode lets you interact with other players' cats without a live session. It is a side activity, not a co-op campaign, so treat any time spent there as optional.
Den decoration and crafting
This is the long tail. Crafting and den decoration are core to the loop — you gather materials, craft items, and place them in your den. The timer-based decoration system is what pushes completionist play past the 40-hour mark, and it is the main reason two players can report wildly different playtimes.
It does not include decoration timers, which run in real time and can stretch far beyond the campaign. Do not plan a completionist run around the four-hour number.
How to play faster
- Skip side gathering early. Story quests give you enough to progress; hoarding materials before you understand the crafting system wastes time.
- Pick one Clan and finish it. The routes repeat structure, so alternating between them makes the middle hours feel slower.
- Fight with a plan. Combat is turn-based and stance-driven, so a fight you understand is much faster than one you brute-force.
- Do not chase decorations during the story. Timers run in real time; start them and come back later.
If you have not started, the beginner's guide covers the first hour, and the Clan and territory breakdown helps you pick a route.
Is four hours too short for $29.99?
It depends on what you want from the game. Four hours is short for a $29.99 RPG if you play one route and stop. It is reasonable if you treat the four Clan campaigns as the content and the decoration system as a sandbox. Reviews are split on exactly this point: the combat and customization are praised, while repeated quest structure and the short main story are the common criticisms.
The honest framing is that Clans of the Forest is a book-fan game first. If you grew up with the series and want to inhabit the Lake Territories, the length is not the issue. If you are buying it as a standalone RPG, four hours of story is what you are paying for.
FAQ
How long is Clans of the Forest?
About four hours for one Clan's main story according to early reviews. There is no official figure from the developer.
How many hours to finish all four Clans?
Roughly 12–16 hours if the routes are similar in length, though repeated quest structures speed up later runs.
Is there a New Game Plus?
No New Game Plus has been announced. Replay value comes from the four separate Clan campaigns — check the game modes page for the full mode list.
Does the decoration timer really take 40 hours?
Gaming Trend reported decoration timers of up to 40 hours. That is a real-time gate on completionist play, not on the main story.
Is the game longer on Switch or PC?
Playtime is the same across platforms. Performance and load times differ — see the Switch and Switch 2 page.
Related Guides
More Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest Guides
Clan ranks in Clans of the Forest: starting as an apprentice, the ranks you can reach, medicine cats, and why the game has no classes to choose.
Where to download and play Clans of the Forest now that it is out: every official storefront, the PC install size, and how to spot fake free-download pages.
Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest is a licensed turn-based RPG from Bamtang Games and Trailmark Games, launching 23 October 2026 with four Clan campaigns.
Clans of the Forest age rating for parents: the ESRB Everyone 10+ label, how much violence there is, the scar toggle, and what younger fans should expect.
Start of Clans of the Forest: create and name your Warrior Cat, pick one of four Clans, rise from apprentice to warrior while foraging, crafting and hunting.
The Clans of the Forest cat creator offers millions of combinations: fur, patterns, colours, tails, whiskers, ears, eyes and markings, on a cat that ages.
Clans of the Forest combat is turn-based 3v3 with 75 unlockable moves and no spells - depth comes from shifting combat Stances that every move changes.
Clans of the Forest costs $29.99 standard or $39.99 Feral Edition on console and $39.58 as a Steam bundle. The Feral Edition is the game plus the Prophecy Pack.