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It has been a little over two weeks since House House released their highly anticipated cooperative walker-talker, Big Walk, across Steam, PlayStation 5, and the Nintendo Switch 2. The leap from the localized, single-screen chaos of their previous hit, Untitled Goose Game, to a massive, cross-platform 12-player open-world adventure set in the Australian bush was a staggering ambition. Yet, looking at the overwhelming community sentiment and the steady influx of new explorers, the developers have struck absolute gold.
However, as the dust begins to settle and groups transition from aimless wandering to focused puzzle-solving, a frequently asked question has dominated forums and community hubs: exactly how long is Big Walk? Because the game relies entirely on unstructured exploration, proximity voice chat, and organic discovery without the hand-holding of traditional quest markers or minimaps, establishing a standard completion time has been incredibly difficult. Now, thanks to dedicated player groups who have charted the vast wilderness inspired by Wilsons Promontory, we are finally getting some concrete numbers.
According to widespread community reports and detailed accounts from veteran trekking groups, completing the core experience of Big Walk takes roughly 17 hours. But as any experienced walker will gladly tell you, simply rushing to the credits misses the entire point of the game. The journey to that ending—which involves getting hopelessly lost in the pitch-black night, falling down treacherous ravines, and frantically trying to establish radio contact—is where the real masterpiece unfolds.
The 17-Hour Benchmark and the Mystery of the “First Ending”
The most robust and highly discussed evidence regarding the game’s length surfaced recently in a highly upvoted community review on the PlayStation subreddit, which was also widely shared across the PS5 community. In this detailed breakdown, a dedicated player recounted their experience running with a consistent crew of six to eight friends. They confirmed that their group managed to complete the game and reach what they specifically described as the “first ending” right around the 17-hour mark.
This community-reported 17-hour timeframe is significant for several reasons. Primarily, it firmly positions Big Walk as a substantial, multi-session cooperative commitment. Unlike shorter, bite-sized party games that can be exhausted in a single evening, a 17-hour campaign demands genuine teamwork. It provides enough time for groups to establish their own internal lore, assign unspoken roles (like the designated map-reader or the flare-gun operator), and develop a unique shorthand for communicating over the radios.
Furthermore, the specific phrasing of a “first ending” has ignited rampant speculation. House House has traditionally been very secretive about their endgame structures. While we know from previous developer updates that no post-launch content is planned, the explicit mention of a first ending heavily implies that the game holds deeper secrets. Community members theorize that certain complex structures scattered across the map might only activate after the initial credits roll, or that a hidden, true ending exists for groups capable of solving the most obscure environmental riddles. While entirely expected for a puzzle game of this pedigree, the exact nature of any post-game content remains unconfirmed.
Large Group Dynamics: The 6-to-8 Player Sweet Spot
While Big Walk seamlessly supports crossplay lobbies ranging from a cozy 2 players all the way up to a chaotic 12, finding the optimal group size has been a major point of discussion. You can absolutely enjoy the serene landscape with just one partner, but based on emerging community feedback, a lobby of six to eight players seems to be the ultimate sweet spot for generating emergent, unscripted gameplay. If you are currently looking to assemble a crew of this size, you can review our tips on how to find co-op partners.
In a group of six to eight, the social dynamics mirror a real-life hiking expedition. As the Reddit user noted, a group of this size naturally and organically splinters off into smaller factions over time. You might begin a session standing together at a scenic overlook, fully intent on tackling a specific puzzle in the distance. But within twenty minutes, someone gets distracted by a strange cave, two others fall down a cliffside trying to take a shortcut, and suddenly your massive group is divided into three isolated squads.
This organic division is where the brilliant design of Big Walk shines. The game does not punish you for separating; instead, it turns the separation into a completely new, immediate puzzle. Figuring out how to locate and reunite with your separated friends—using only the surrounding landmarks, your voice, and your limited inventory—becomes just as thrilling as solving the actual playground-style structures.
The Terrifying Thrill of the Day and Night Cycle
Perhaps the most universally praised, and simultaneously feared, mechanic in the entire game is its uncompromising day and night cycle. In many modern open-world titles, nighttime is little more than a cosmetic shift—a blue filter applied over the environment that barely impacts your ability to navigate. Big Walk outright rejects this modern convenience. When the sun sets over the dense Australian bush, the darkness that envelops the world is absolute and deeply intimidating.
Community members have described the night cycle as completely transformative to the core gameplay loop. As the aforementioned player noted, “One wrong move and you are separated from the group!” The playful, sun-drenched playground of the afternoon quickly morphs into a tense, atmospheric survival scenario. The stunning, colorful sunsets serve as a ticking clock, a beautiful but urgent warning for players to gather their scattered friends, secure their communication lines, and hunker down or prepare for a difficult trek.
Because the game relies so heavily on a realistic proximity voice chat system, straying too far in the dark has immediate consequences. The panic that sets in when you are stumbling through pitch-black brush, calling out a friend’s name, and hearing their voice slowly fade into the ambient noise of the wilderness is an unparalleled multiplayer experience. The silence of the night makes every snapped twig and distant echo feel monumental.
Essential Tools: Walkie Talkies, Flares, and Flashlights
Because the darkness is so oppressive and the map so vast, the physical tools provided by House House transition from fun toys into critical lifelines. Navigating the world isn’t about opening a menu and placing a waypoint; it is about mastering your physical inventory and coordinating with your team.
During the bright daylight hours, players can easily rely on visual landmarks and distant shouting. But at night, or when separated by deep canyons, items like walkie-talkies, flares, and flashlights become absolutely essential. As we detailed in our comprehensive tools overview, your ability to communicate effectively determines your success.
Players have highlighted the sheer joy and relief of using these tools in emergency situations. Imagine falling off a cliff during a night expedition. You survive the tumble, but you are trapped at the bottom of an unseen canyon, completely out of proximity chat range. You pull out your walkie-talkie, frantically hoping your team is tuned to the right frequency, and ask for coordinates. In response, a friend at the top of the cliff fires a red flare high into the night sky, illuminating the rock walls and guiding you back toward a traversable path. These unscripted, cinematic moments happen constantly over the course of a 17-hour playthrough, entirely driven by player choices.
A Massive, Interactive Playground
Beyond the tension of getting lost and the satisfaction of reuniting, the community remains deeply enamored with the overall aesthetic and tactile design philosophy of the world. The character models—which players can customize to their liking, as explained in our appearance customization guide—are intentionally silly. They flail their arms with a physics-based clumsiness that is reminiscent of late 90s cartoons, adding a layer of slapstick comedy to every action.
This lighthearted visual style directly contrasts with the massive, imposing scale of the open world, creating a unique tonal balance. Players frequently compare the environmental structures and collaborative puzzles to a giant school playground. There are no strict instructions to read and no linear paths to follow. You approach a puzzle the same way a child approaches a jungle gym: you poke it, you climb on it, you yell at your friends to come look at what you found, and eventually, through hilarious trial and error, the group figures out the mechanics.
The playground comparison is incredibly apt for Big Walk. The game is not just about walking from point A to point B to roll the credits; it is about the joy of recess, the thrill of untethered exploration, and the inevitable chaos that ensues when half a dozen people try to coordinate a single task using nothing but walkie-talkies and wild arm gestures.
The Journey Continues
The revelation that Big Walk offers a substantial 17-hour campaign to its first ending is fantastic news for fans who feared the game might be a fleeting novelty. House House has successfully crafted a robust, sprawling world that demands time, patience, and impeccable communication from its players.
The early community consensus is crystal clear: the game is a triumph of cooperative design. Whether you are running a tight-knit duo or managing a chaotic, sprawling lobby of eight, the magic of the wilderness, the terror of the night cycle, and the hilarious triumph of a successful flare rescue create an experience unlike anything else currently on the market.
If you haven’t yet gathered your crew, there has never been a better time to step into the bush. And for those veteran groups who have already seen that elusive “first ending,” the wilderness is still calling. Who knows what other mysteries are waiting to be solved out there in the dark?