How long should a devlog be?
2 min read
By Eduardo Orellana ·
As long as one problem takes to tell, and no longer. Most video devlogs land between three and ten minutes; the ones that run longer are usually several devlogs glued together. A vertical cut for Shorts or TikTok is under a minute, built around the single best moment. A written devlog is a few hundred words with a GIF per point. Viewers leave when the story stalls, not at a particular minute.
Length follows the story, not a target
A fifteen-minute devlog about one fascinating problem holds viewers; a five-minute devlog about nothing loses them in thirty seconds. The useful question is not how long, but what is the one thing this video is about, and when has it been said.
By format
- Video devlog: commonly three to ten minutes. Under three often skips the why; over ten usually covers two problems.
- Vertical clip: under a minute, one moment, the hook in the first two seconds.
- Written devlog: a few hundred words, one GIF per point, a wishlist link at the end.
- Milestone video (demo out, launch): can run longer, with chapters.
How to cut a long one down
- Cut the recap at the start; open on the problem.
- Cut every tangent into its own future devlog.
- Show, then tell: let gameplay replace a sentence where it can.
- Add chapters so viewers can jump.
Where Flockbay fits
Flockbay's Video studio renders narrated devlogs of two to six minutes, with chapters, and up to three vertical shorts from the same game. Free in beta until 1 December 2026.