Returnal How Long Does It Take to Beat Guide PS5 PlayStation 5

How long does it take to beat Returnal on PS5? How much time will you need to finish Returnal? Housemarque's rogue-lite shooter may not look it, but the game is a surprisingly lengthy experience. As part of our Returnal guide, we're going to tell you roughly how long it'll take to reach the end of the game.

Returnal: How Long Does It Take to Beat?

Returnal is a tricky game to define with a run time. It's a game that's very dependent on player skill, and a tolerance for its rogue-lite elements, such as frequent deaths and restarts — not to mention the random maps and distribution of items. As a rough estimate, we would suggest Returnal will take between 20 and 40 hours to beat, but of course this number will vary from one person to another. It's all dependent on your level of skill and how your runs through the game go.

To confuse things even more, the game is highly replayable, and you might not have discovered absolutely everything when you beat it the first time. There may be more story elements, items, and more to find after the credits roll. Depending on how much you want to see and do, this is a game you could be playing for dozens of hours — and that's without accounting for the Daily Challenge mode (see also: Returnal: How to Unlock Daily Challenge Mode).

As you make progress in Returnal, it does make things a little easier for you. A series of permanent upgrades (see also: Returnal: What Do You Lose When You Die?) and optional bosses after beating them the first time (see also: Returnal: Do You Have to Fight the Bosses More Than Once?) mean you can quickly make it through to later areas of the game without too much trouble. The game might seem like a tough nut to crack at first, but it gradually softens up as you improve and unlock new skills and equipment. If you're struggling to make progress, check out our guide — Returnal: How to Not Die.

How long did you take to beat Returnal? What was your completion time? Discuss in the comments section below, and check out our Returnal guide for lots more information on the game.