Now that players are starting to play Returnal, people are starting to wonder just how long the game lasts. With the now Sony exclusive-standard price of $70, the biggest question is whether or not it's worth the cost.
How long it will take players to finish Returnal is actually a bit of an open question. The levels and biomes are all procedurally generated. That's to keep the game offering original runs every time Selene tries another run. The game is, after all, designed to kill the players and therefore start all the way over. The unforgiving nature of Returnal makes it hard to predict exactly how long it takes, from start to finish.
That doesn't mean there's no way to determine how long the story in Returnal runs. What has led to some in the gaming community to question whether or not the game is worth the price tag are rumors that it's quite short. Due to the nature of Returnal, how long it takes to beat will largely depend on the skill of the player, even more-so than other triple-A games. The consensus seems to be that it will take an average of around 20 hours to beat Returnal, but that playtime can double for someone struggling.
One reason why it's hard to guess exactly how long Returnal lasts is that there is so much to see and do in the PS5 exclusive title. That doesn't mean players are expected to spend their entire time wandering aimlessly. In fact, there is an end to the story. Users will be asked to try and figure out a way for Selene to find a way off the rather odd and hostile planet. It's just that things don't have to end when the story reaches its conclusion.
Because the levels change and players will run into different creatures and enemies in Returnal on a rotating basis, there's the ability to play the game quite a bit more once the story is done. There are also daily challenges that allow even more content for players to run through. That has moved some estimates for total playtime up to 40 hours.
The bottom line is that it's hard to put a precise number of hours on Returnal. If someone wanted to play through as quickly as possible, there's a chance that they could make it through in 10 hours or less. If users want to take their time and work through every nook and cranny of the map, there is the ability to put dozens of hours into the game.
Returnal is available now exclusively for the PlayStation 5.