Summary
- Beating The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom doesn't allow players to continue the game, but they can pick up where they left off before taking on the final boss.
- Players can still participate in side quests and activities after beating the game, making it worth completing.
- While the main story takes 40-50 hours, players can still tie up loose ends and explore Hyrule after defeating the final boss.
With how much there is to do and explore in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, it's only natural that some players may wonder whether it's possible to continue the game after beating it.
The events of the newest Zelda entry are quite dire, and it would make sense for Link to accomplish his mission as fast as possible - but it can be unclear whether doing so poses the risk of having to start from scratch, should he want to return to the Kingdom of Hyrule afterward.
While it's an important question to ask, it's one that players won't need to worry about right away. Beating TOTK's main story takes approximately 40 to 50 hours, and that's not counting all the side quests and extra activities that can lead them off course.
Perhaps the most distracting avenues of all are Link's new powers in Tears of the Kingdom, which give him full creative liberty and encourage him to experiment with all sorts of unique builds and combinations. As such, it may take quite a bit longer for players to reach the game's ending.
What Happens After Beating Tears Of The Kingdom
Just like in Breath of the Wild, there is no post-game in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. After the final boss fight and ending cutscenes, the player will be booted back out to the title screen, meaning that it's not possible to see how the story continues to unfold.
However, there's no need to fret about losing progress and having to start a new game entirely. The player's last save file prior to the boss fight will still be available, now with an additional meter tracking the game's total completion, and they're more than welcome to pick up where they left off.
What To Do After Beating Tears Of The Kingdom
As such, there's no real reason to hold back on beating Tears of the Kingdom. Link is still able to participate in all the game's side quests just the same. In fact, the experience might even be more enjoyable without the constant pressure of trying to figure out the mysterious plot.
Hyrule will still be able to keep the player busy for hours to come, whether they're hopping from village to village, looking for all the Shrines, or - perish the thought - finding all Korok seeds in Tears of the Kingdom.
Even though it's technically not possible to continue past the game's ending, players can still go back to tie up any loose ends after beating the final boss. In other words, there's no real downside to going with the flow and completing the main story of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom as it comes.
