How to edit let's play videos for YouTube: series in parts

How do you edit a let's play series for YouTube?

A let's play is a game played across many videos with the creator's commentary on top. A walkthrough is the same idea with the focus on getting through the game. Both live or die on one thing a single gaming video doesn't have to solve: the viewer has to want the next part.

The eight steps behind that:

1. Pick the series shape: edited episodes, full walkthrough or uncut VOD.
2. Set the episode length and the cut points before you edit.
3. End every part on a turn, not on a timer.
4. Open each part with a short recap.
5. Cut the playthrough: keep decisions and reactions, drop the grind.
6. Use one template for the whole series.
7. Chain the parts with end screens, playlists and numbering.
8. Edit in batches, not one part at a time.

Step 1: Pick the series shape

Three shapes share the name, and they need very different edits:

• Edited episodes. 20 to 60 minute parts, cut tight, commentary forward. TmarTn2 runs this shape: on October 18, 2026 his Planet Zoo 2 series read Part 1 at 28:23, Part 2 at 33:30 and Part 3 at 32:26.
• Long walkthrough parts. One to four hour parts that cover big chunks of a story game. theRadBrad's 12 most recent long uploads ran 1:01:40 to 4:11:27, with a median close to two and a half hours, and new games open with a "Walkthrough Gameplay Part 1 - INTRO (FULL GAME)" title.
• Full no commentary walkthroughs. The whole game in one file. In a YouTube search for "full walkthrough no commentary" the same day, results ran from 1:12:30 to 86:58:10. The edit here is mostly technical: clean cuts at loads and deaths, steady audio, chapters.

Pick one and stick to it for the series. Mixing a 20 minute part with a three hour part confuses the viewer about what the series is.

Step 2: Set the episode length and the cut points before you edit

Watch or log the whole session first and mark the natural breaks: a new area, a boss, a chapter screen, the end of a day, a big decision. Those are your candidate cut points. Then choose the episode length that the breaks support. If the game has a big turn every 25 minutes, 25 minute parts will feel natural; forcing 40 minutes means padding or ending in the middle of nothing.

Rex & Alexa's Animal Hospital parts show a steady rhythm: ANIMAL HOSPITAL (CHAOTIC) Part 1 runs 25:06, ANIMAL HOSPITAL (CURSED) PART 2 22:04 and ANIMAL HOSPITAL (CRAZY) PART 3 22:39. Their 99 Nights in the Forest run kept a similar range: Roblox 99 Nights in the Forest with Alexa! (SPECIAL GUESTS) Part 3 at 20:24 and ROBLOX 99 Nights in the Forest with Alexa! Part 4 at 17:19. Similar lengths tell a returning viewer what they are signing up for.

Step 3: End every part on a turn, not on a timer

The last 30 seconds of a part are the trailer for the next one. End on something unresolved: a door opens, a boss appears, a plan is announced, someone says "wait, what is that". A part that ends on a menu or a save screen gives the viewer a clean reason to leave.

If the session's natural turn comes two minutes early or late, move the cut point. A part that is 23 minutes instead of 25 costs nothing. A part that ends flat costs the next view.

Step 4: Open each part with a short recap

Most viewers of Part 4 didn't just finish Part 3. Give them 10 to 20 seconds of "last time": the goal, where the player is, the cliffhanger from the previous part. Then go straight into the new footage. Long recaps are the classic let's play drag; if the recap runs past half a minute, it's competing with the episode.

Part 1 is different. It needs a hook for the whole series, not a recap: why this game, what the run is about, one strong moment from later in the episode. The 30-second rule covers openings that hold.

Step 5: Cut the playthrough: keep decisions and reactions, drop the grind

In a let's play, the viewer came for the person as much as for the game. So the cut keeps what the creator thinks, says and decides, and drops what the game makes them repeat:

• Keep: first reactions, decisions and the reasoning behind them, story beats, deaths that teach something, jokes, the build up to a fight.
• Cut or compress: menus, inventory sorting, loading, backtracking, the third identical attempt at a jump, long silent travel.
• Bridge: when you skip a stretch, cover it with a jump cut plus one line of commentary or a short text note so the viewer isn't lost.

Silent stretches are the easiest place to find cuts. The free silence detector lists every pause in a file, which turns a two hour session into a list of candidates in seconds.

Step 6: Use one template for the whole series

A series should look like a series. Build one project template and reuse it for every part: the same title card with the part number, the same lower thirds and text style, the same music bed, the same audio levels for voice and game. It saves editing time and it tells the viewer at a glance that this is the next part of the thing they liked.

Audio is where long series drift most. Keep the voice on top and the game under it, and check every export with the free loudness checker so Part 7 isn't twice as loud as Part 6.

Step 7: Chain the parts with end screens, playlists and numbering

The series only works if the next part is one tap away. Three tools do that:

• End screens. YouTube's rules, read on October 18, 2026: the video must be at least 25 seconds long, the end screen runs in the last 5 to 20 seconds, and a 16:9 video can show up to four elements (YouTube Help: end screens). Point one at the next part, or at the playlist until the next part exists.
• A playlist per series, in order, so binge viewers keep going.
• Consistent numbering in the title ("Part 3") and a short chapter list in the description for long parts. Manual chapters need a first timestamp at 00:00, at least three timestamps and chapters of at least 10 seconds (YouTube Help: chapters).

Leave the last 20 seconds of the edit calm (a closing line, the cliffhanger replay) so the end screen elements don't sit on top of the most important shot.

Step 8: Edit in batches, not one part at a time

Let's plays are recorded in long sessions, and one session often becomes two or three parts. Log and cut the whole session together, then export the parts. Batch editing keeps the cut points honest (you can see where the real turns are) and keeps the template and audio identical across the batch. It is also the moment to plan the upload rhythm: a series loses viewers when the gap between parts is longer than the viewer's memory of the last cliffhanger.

How long should a let's play episode be? Lengths measured in October 2026

There is no single right length. Edited commentary series sit around 20 to 60 minutes, story walkthroughs with commentary run one to four hours, and full no commentary walkthroughs can be the whole game in one file. The length that fits is the one your cut points support (Step 2).

One honest note: I haven't edited a solo story walkthrough series like theRadBrad's for a client. My series work is Roblox games played across parts, and the steps above are how I would apply the same rules to a long story game.

Common mistakes when editing let's plays

• Cutting on a timer. Ending every part at exactly 30 minutes, wherever the game is. End on a turn.
• Recaps that run a minute. 10 to 20 seconds, then new footage.
• Cutting the commentary to save time. In a let's play the voice is the product. Cut the game's repetition, not the creator.
• A new look every part. One template, one audio preset, one numbering style.
• No path to the next part. End screen, playlist and part number in the title, every time.
• Long gaps between parts. Batch editing makes a steady rhythm possible.

For the full single video workflow see how to edit gaming videos for YouTube. If the series becomes one long story, how to edit gaming full movies covers that format. For channels built on series, let's play YouTube video editor and Minecraft survival let's play editor show how I work.

Let's play editing FAQ

How long should a let's play episode be?

Long enough to reach a natural turn in the game. On October 18, 2026, an edited commentary series like TmarTn2's ran about 28 to 34 minutes per part, theRadBrad's story walkthroughs about one to four hours, and the Roblox series parts I edit for Rex and Alexa 17 to 25 minutes.

Should every let's play part start with a recap?

Yes, but keep it to 10 to 20 seconds: the goal, where the player is and the last cliffhanger. Part 1 is the exception and needs a hook for the whole series instead.

Where should you end a let's play part?

On something unresolved: a new area, a boss appearing, a decision about to be made. Move the cut point a few minutes either way to land on that turn rather than ending on a menu or a save screen.

Is no commentary walkthrough editing different?

Yes. Without a voice, the edit is mostly technical: clean cuts at loading screens and deaths, steady game audio, and chapters so viewers can find a level or boss. Many of these uploads cover the whole game in one file.

How do you get viewers to watch the next part?

End each part on a turn, put an end screen pointing to the next part or the series playlist in the last 5 to 20 seconds, keep numbering consistent in the title, and upload parts on a steady rhythm.

Sources

Lengths read from public channel pages and a YouTube search on October 18, 2026: TmarTn2, theRadBrad, the search "full walkthrough no commentary", and the public pages of the five Rex & Alexa parts linked above (listed on my YT Jobs profile). YouTube rules: end screens and video chapters, read October 18, 2026.