Returnal is one of the PlayStation 5's biggest game releases of 2021 and is often brought up by PlayStation fans as a potential Game of the Year contender. The action-shooter offers up a unique rogue-like experience where players restart after each death, with few examples of persistent progression. Returnal's difficulty, however, is part of why it's so often recommended; the reward is worth the difficulty. It begs the question, however, as to how many Returnal players actually complete the game.
To start, the definition of what amounts to a "completion" of Returnal is actually a bit unclear. Some say that it's the completion of Act 2 while others believe that it's a completion of Returnal Act 3, which is essentially like going through the game again to unlock a secret ending. Going by the numbers provided by PSN Profiles, the results are actually quite surprising. 23% of Returnal players have completed the game's second Act. The number drops significantly for Act 3, with just 10% of Returnal players unlocking the secret ending.
For comparison's sake, a narrative-based game with a beginning and end like God of War has a completion rate of nearly 45%. The Last of Us 2, which is more linear than God of War, has a 59% completion rate. With that in mind, Returnal is inarguably living up to its notoriety as a challenging game. Even its "easier" ending of Act 2 is only being finished at half the rate of other games.
A nearly 10% completion rate for Act 3 is very impressive. Returnal is undoubtedly challenging, so that's relatively few PS5 owners who did the work and earned a worthy accomplishment. The latest numbers also line up with trophy completion rates measured earlier this year, too. In July, around a month and a half after launch, Act 2 completion was at 21% and Act 3 completion was at 9%. Returnal players don't appear to be sticking with the game and finishing it later.
Based on its completion rates, Returnal is definitely one of the most difficult games of the year. Other challenging games have similar completion rates, like Cyber Shadow at 20%, Biomutant at 18%, and Cris Tales at 15%. A 10% completion rate is something unique, however, even among challenging games.
It's not necessarily clear if developer Housemarque wanted Returnal to be as challenging as it turned out to be. Obviously, no developer sets a goal of only having 23% of its playerbase completing the game, or one in ten unlocking a secret ending. After all, developers want players to play their game. At the same time, making a challenging game comes with a clear understanding that the harder it is, the fewer will complete it. Housemarque decided this was the right choice for Returnal, and at least 10% of players embraced it.
Returnal is available now on PS5.