How many levels does Order of the Sinking Star have?
Order of the Sinking Star has roughly 1,500 puzzles, according to the BBC's October 6 interview with Jonathan Blow. You do not need to solve all of them to reach an ending, which matters if you want to experience the story without committing to a complete clear. The figure describes the game's approximate puzzle content, rather than an exact list of 1,500 numbered stages. BBC interview
Several different totals have appeared in coverage. The safest way to read them is to preserve their wording: “over 1,000” establishes a minimum, while “roughly 1,500” is an estimate. Neither provides a precise final checklist.
| Reported total | Where it appears | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|
| 900+ levels | PlayStation Blog's July 2026 preview | An earlier description; the same article also mentions over a thousand puzzles |
| Over 1,000 puzzles | Reveal coverage and Adventure Game Hotspot's review | A broad statement of scale, without an exact total |
| More than 1,400 puzzles | Jonathan Blow's statement summarized on Wikipedia | A higher reported minimum, still not a complete enumeration |
| Roughly 1,500 puzzles | BBC's October 2026 interview | An approximate count reported shortly before release |
The PlayStation Blog preview uses both “levels” and “puzzles,” but does not explain a counting distinction between them. It would therefore be misleading to claim that the difference represents a known number of bonus stages.
An exact release-version level total has not been officially confirmed. For planning your playthrough, roughly 1,500 puzzles across four connected realms is the useful answer, with additional context needed for how those puzzles are organized and how much is required to finish.
How the puzzles are divided across four realms
The game opens with the Queen learning basic movement and object manipulation before reaching the Crossroads. From there, four main realms extend north, east, west, and south. Each introduces its own puzzle rules, giving you several different kinds of problems to learn rather than one mechanic repeated throughout the entire game.
| Realm | Direction from the Crossroads | Main puzzle ideas |
|---|---|---|
| Heroes of Hauling | North | Coordinate characters who push, pull, swap with, or otherwise manipulate objects |
| Mirror Isles | East | Position mirrors and use reflected images to move between islands |
| Vault of the Beamcasters | West | Gather crystals and activate light-based mechanisms throughout cave systems |
| Skipping Stones to Lonely Homes | South | Use stones, waterways, and river redirection to navigate a sailor's surroundings |
These realms are not four equally sized packs. Adventure Game Hotspot describes the western campaign as having fewer individual puzzles but larger, more involved cave systems. A single puzzle there can span multiple scenes, so comparing regions by puzzle count alone does not reliably tell you how much work each contains. Adventure Game Hotspot review
In the Overworld, yellow stars mark individual puzzles. Most challenges take place in a contained, grid-based area viewed from above, although some have a broader layout. The surrounding world also presents obstacles that require you to apply the abilities you have learned.
The structure becomes more complicated when characters and mechanics from different realms begin interacting. For example, abilities introduced separately can later become parts of the same solution. Reaching that stage does not mean you have exhausted the game; the PlayStation preview describes these combinations as arriving relatively early within its much larger progression.
A precise puzzle total for each realm has not been officially confirmed. Avoid dividing the overall estimate by four: that would create an unsupported regional count and overlook the later combinations between worlds.
Reaching an ending versus solving every puzzle
You can reach an ending without completing every puzzle. That makes the total content count a poor measure of the minimum commitment needed to see a story resolution. The game leaves substantial challenges beyond an initial ending, and its progression includes multiple endings.
Adventure Game Hotspot's reviewer reached the first ending in approximately 40 hours, then continued discovering tougher content afterward. Treat that as one documented playthrough, not a guaranteed completion time. Puzzle familiarity, the branches you explore, and how long particular solutions take to discover can all affect your pace. Adventure Game Hotspot review
At the other end of the scale, the BBC reported Blow's estimate of around 500 hours to complete the roughly 1,500-puzzle game. That estimate describes a much larger undertaking than the reviewer's first ending. The two figures should not be presented as competing measurements of the same milestone. BBC interview
Choose a goal that matches what you want from the game:
- Reach an initial ending: Follow available progression and accept that many challenges can remain unfinished when you reach that milestone.
- Explore all four realms: Spend time learning each region's mechanics instead of judging progress entirely by how many puzzle markers you clear.
- Continue beyond the first ending: Expect more demanding content and further discoveries after the first major story payoff.
- Attempt every puzzle: Plan for a substantially longer project, with the approximate total serving as a measure of scope rather than a deadline.
A fixed minimum number of solved puzzles required for the first ending has not been officially confirmed. You should not assume that a particular percentage of the estimated total will trigger it.
The freedom to choose between some available puzzles also helps manage difficult stretches. If one challenge stalls your progress and another route is accessible, changing areas gives you a different problem to consider.
Finding and tracking individual levels
A large puzzle count becomes more manageable when you can identify the specific challenge you are discussing. Community conversations show why simple numbering can be confusing: a label such as “orange 22” depends on a particular map's organization, while an internal level filename can identify a puzzle more specifically.
| Reference type | Example | What it identifies |
|---|---|---|
| In-game puzzle marker | A yellow star in the Overworld | The entrance to an individual puzzle |
| Community map label | Orange 22 | A puzzle within that map's color and numbering scheme |
| Internal level filename | mirror_pals | A specific level that the community map can link to directly |
The creator of the community interactive map explains that its simple numbering restarts in each new area. Those numbers therefore do not form a single sequence running from the first puzzle to the last. A high number in one area also cannot establish how many puzzles exist elsewhere.
The map supports direct links using level identifiers, including mirror_pals. Its creator also added an image gallery to help players match a puzzle's appearance to its location. These features are useful when asking for a hint without needing to describe every object on the board.
For a clearer personal record or help request:
- Record the realm and nearby landmarks alongside any community number.
- Include the level filename or direct map link when one is available.
- Specify whether you want a small hint or a full solution before opening solution material.
The map began with demo content, and its creator was still adding release levels in October 2026. Its marker count should therefore not be treated as a verified total for the finished game. The map discussion documents that ongoing expansion.
FAQ
Why do searches for order of the sinking star number of levels show different totals?
Coverage uses several figures, including 900+ levels, over 1,000 puzzles, more than 1,400 puzzles, and roughly 1,500 puzzles. These are minimums or estimates published in different contexts. The BBC's October interview reports roughly 1,500, but an exact final level count has not been officially confirmed.
Are there exactly 1,500 separate levels?
That exact claim is not established. Roughly 1,500 is an approximate puzzle count. Most puzzles occupy a contained area, while some involve multiple scenes, and the Overworld has challenges of its own. The published figures do not provide a definitive rule for counting every playable space as a separate level.
Do all puzzles have to be completed to reach an ending?
No. The game allows an ending before every puzzle is solved. Adventure Game Hotspot's reviewer reached the first ending after about 40 hours and reported substantial remaining content. A specific required number of completed puzzles has not been officially confirmed.
Does each realm contain the same number of puzzles?
No equal division has been established. The western realm is specifically described as having fewer main campaign puzzles with more extensive layouts. Because puzzles differ in size and complexity, equal puzzle totals would not necessarily mean equal playtime even if regional counts were available.
Can the community map tell me how close I am to completing everything?
It can help you locate and track the puzzles it covers, but it should not be used as a definitive completion denominator. The project started with the demo and subsequently expanded to release content. Its area numbers reset, so neither its highest label nor an individual region's numbering represents the game's overall total.