How Long Is Control Game: Playtime Details

The main story of the Control game takes most players around 15-20 hours to complete.

Curious about diving into the bizarre world of the Federal Bureau of Control? Many wonder, “how long is Control game” before they commit to its surreal adventures. It’s a legitimate question, considering the rich detail and captivating narrative the game offers.

The time you’ll spend on Control can vary. A typical playthrough, focusing mainly on the main objectives, can last between 15 and 20 hours. However, this doesn’t include the numerous side quests and hidden areas to explore.

How Long is Control Game? A Deep Dive into Playtime

So, you’re thinking about diving into the world of Control, the spooky and mind-bending game from Remedy Entertainment? That’s awesome! But before you jump in, you’re probably wondering, “How long is Control game, exactly?” It’s a great question, and the answer isn’t as simple as giving you a single number. It really depends on how you like to play games. Let’s explore the different ways you might experience Control and what that means for your playtime. We will look at everything from the main story to side missions and even the optional content.

The Main Story: Your Trip Through the Oldest House

The heart of Control is its main story. It follows Jesse Faden as she searches for her missing brother and becomes the director of the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC). This part of the game usually takes most players about 15 to 20 hours to complete. That’s if you’re focusing mainly on the story missions and not getting too sidetracked. Now, what exactly does the main story involve? It takes you through the creepy and ever-changing Oldest House, a place where the laws of reality seem to bend. You’ll encounter weird creatures, solve puzzles, and uncover the secrets of the FBC. The game’s story is interesting and keeps you wanting more. It’s like a good book that you just can’t put down. The time it takes to finish the main story can change depending on the player’s gaming skill and how much they explore. If you like to carefully look at each room, you might spend a bit longer. But if you focus on just the main objectives, you’ll likely be closer to the 15-hour end of the range.

Side Missions and Exploration: Delving Deeper into the FBC

Control is more than just its main story. The game is filled with side missions, optional areas, and secrets waiting to be found. These side missions provide extra stories and challenges. Also, they often reward you with helpful items and new information about the world of Control. If you decide to do these extra missions and explore the Oldest House thoroughly, you will add a lot of extra playtime. A completionist might spend anywhere from 25 to 30 hours in the game. So, what do these side missions look like? They could involve helping other agents, finding hidden objects, or completing combat challenges. They add a layer of depth to the game and help you feel more involved in the world of the FBC. These side missions also give you a chance to practice your combat skills and get more powerful as you move along. Don’t forget the many collectibles hidden around the game, which add even more hours to the playtime. The side quests are designed to make the world feel larger and more engaging, it also makes you feel like you really have a place in the game’s world.

What Makes Side Missions Worthwhile?

Backstories and Lore: These missions often reveal extra stories and details about the characters and the world of Control.
Helpful Rewards: You will get new abilities, resources, and modification items to make Jesse stronger.
Extra Challenges: These missions will test your skills in combat and problem-solving, keeping the gameplay fun and fresh.

Control DLC: Expanding the Experience

If you’re enjoying your time in Control, there is more to see with the game’s DLC (Downloadable Content). There are two main expansions for Control: “The Foundation” and “AWE”. Each of these expansions adds new story content, areas to explore, and enemies to fight. Adding these expansions to your game will definitely increase playtime.

The Foundation DLC

“The Foundation” takes you deeper into the roots of the Oldest House. It has new areas and puzzles. This DLC focuses on Jesse’s role as Director and explores the weird and mysterious forces at play in the FBC. Expect an added 4 to 6 hours of gameplay with this expansion. The story is well written and feels like a natural extension of the base game. If you enjoy the main game, then you will probably enjoy this expansion as well.

AWE DLC

“AWE” is the second expansion, this DLC is connected to the Alan Wake universe, another game by Remedy Entertainment. Here, you’ll be solving mysteries and dealing with a new threat. The expansion introduces another unique setting. Expect this expansion to add another 4 to 6 hours of gameplay. If you’re a fan of the spooky and surreal style of Remedy games, this DLC is a must-play. Both DLC’s help increase the game’s length and make the game even more rewarding.

Gameplay Style: How You Play Matters

Your personal gameplay style greatly affects how much time you spend with Control. Some players like to move through the story quickly, only doing what is needed to continue forward. These players might finish the main story in about 15 hours or less. On the other hand, other players enjoy taking their time to explore every corner, read all the documents, and try all the side missions. These types of players could easily spend 30 hours or more in the game. Here’s a look at how different styles impact playtime:

The Story Focused Player

If you focus on the main story missions and move quickly through the game, you will have the shortest play time. You might skip some side missions, collectibles, or optional areas. This playing style is fine for players who want to just know the story.

Time: Main story completion around 15 to 20 hours.
Exploration: Limited; focused on key areas.
Side missions: Few or none.

The Explorer Player

This type of player is going to be searching for the hidden locations, solving all the puzzles, and doing side missions. They will usually take a much longer time to complete the game. The main focus is finding all the secrets and enjoying the world that was created by the developers.

Time: Main story and a good number of side missions, around 25 to 30 hours.
Exploration: thorough; looking in all rooms and areas.
Side missions: Many side missions are completed.

The Completionist Player

These players are going to spend the most amount of time in Control. They are going to try and get 100% completion for all tasks and achievements. They will leave no stone unturned. They will spend a lot of time reading every document and collecting every possible item. They will spend more than 30 hours on this game.

Time: 30+ hours to complete everything and find all secrets.
Exploration: Complete; the full game is fully explored.
Side missions: All side missions completed.

Replayability: Is There More to Do After Finishing?

You might be asking yourself if there is a reason to play Control after you finish it. The answer is yes! While the main story is the same, there is still good reason to replay the game. You can try it on a higher difficulty setting, to give yourself more of a challenge. You can focus on collecting items, trying out different builds and skills. Also, there are several hidden secrets that you might have missed in your first play through. There are still many things to do after you’ve seen the end credits.

Reasons to Replay Control:

New Game +: With a new game plus, you can carry over your abilities and upgrades for a harder challenge.
Trophy/Achievement Hunting: Trying to get every trophy is a great goal for players to work toward.
Different Playstyles: Playing again with different skills and tactics will make the game feel fresh.
Finding Secrets: Some hidden secrets and collectibles might be easier to find after your first play through.

Difficulty Settings: How Hard Do You Want the Game to Be?

The difficulty settings in Control can also impact the time it takes you to finish the game. If you choose a higher difficulty setting, enemies hit harder and are more aggressive, which can increase your overall play time. Players on a higher difficulty setting, will need to be more tactical. For the easier settings, players might make it through the game much faster because they don’t die as often. Choosing the right difficulty for you, can make your experience better.

Adjusting Difficulty:

Easy Mode: The game is more forgiving, letting you move through levels quickly, with minimal challenges.
Normal Mode: A balanced challenge, the game is hard enough to make you think, but not too hard to be frustrating.
Hard Mode: This setting will provide a big challenge for even the best players, you might die more often. This setting will make you want to fully explore your powers and abilities.

Average Playtime: A Summary

To give a general idea, here’s a summary of the estimated time it will take you to complete Control.

Play Style	Estimated Playtime (Hours)
Main Story Only	15 – 20
Main Story + Side Missions	25 – 30
Completionist (All Missions + Collectibles)	30+
With “The Foundation” DLC	Add 4 – 6
With “AWE” DLC	Add 4 – 6

Remember, this is just an estimate. Your own play time might be a little different, based on how you play.

So, “How Long is Control Game?” It really depends on you. If you just want to play the main story, you can expect about 15-20 hours of gameplay. If you want to experience all of Control, including all side missions, secrets, and DLC’s, you might be looking at 30+ hours. No matter how you like to play, Control has something to offer everyone, and it’s a fun and interesting world to experience. Whether you spend 20 hours or 40 hours, you’re sure to enjoy your time exploring the Oldest House.