Control Resonant is a far bigger commitment than the game it follows. As Dylan Faden, you explore a paranaturally warped Manhattan split into open zones, with a fast, melee-focused combat system that leans on RPG progression. Both changes stretch the runtime well past the original, so it helps to know what you are signing up for before you start.
Quick answer: Expect roughly 30 hours for the main story, about 35 hours with light exploration, and 40 to 50 hours to fully complete the game.
Control Resonant length by playstyle
Expect roughly 30 hours for the central path, based on lead gameplay designer Sergey Mohov’s estimate; a thorough completionist playthrough is nearer 50. Thomas Puha, who handles communications, reached the credits in about 35 hours, reflecting the main story with a moderate amount of exploration.
| Playstyle | Estimated time |
|---|---|
| Main story only | ~25–30 hours |
| Main story with mild exploration | ~30–35 hours |
| Completionist (100%) | 40–50 hours |
If you stick to the campaign and skip most side content, you can land near 25 hours, though most players finish closer to 30 to 35 once the difficulty nudges them toward optional missions. Boss fights are the biggest variable, so a slow clear on a tough encounter can add an hour or more.
The world grows more dangerous as you kill the key bosses known as Resonants. You will often need to grind materials, unlock skill points, and upgrade Dylan’s kit to raise his Aberrant Strength, which directly controls how much damage you deal in late-game zones.
Mission count: 23 main missions and 18 side stories
The campaign is built from 23 main missions, sorted into six categories. Two of them, Search for Jesse and Defeating Resonants, run across most of the playthrough, while the others act as the story’s acts and unfold in order: Wake Up, Contain the Crisis, Protect the Dimension, Defeat the Hedron, and the Epilogue.
Alongside the main campaign are 18 side stories, the name the game gives its side missions. Most can be skipped, but one late-game entry is closely tied to progression, making it worth completing as soon as it becomes available. Leaving it unfinished can block your progress.
The structure means your exact order can shift depending on which zones you enter first and when you take on the Fault missions that dig into Dylan and Jesse’s relationship. None of the Search for Jesse or Resonant missions are missable, but their sequence is flexible.
What a 100% run involves
Full completion pushes you into every corner of Manhattan. Alongside the side stories, there are audio, written, and video files scattered across the map, plus Health and Power Upgrades hidden in chests that you collect in sets of three to raise Dylan’s stats. Many of these are tied to secrets or completing other parts of the game, so you naturally find most of them as you play.
- Complete every side story and hidden puzzle found in the city’s shops.
- Level up each zone, some of which unlock new outfits.
- Find all collectibles and Upgrade Points, and clear arcade combat or traversal challenges.
- Improve the six weapons and six combo-finisher skill trees.
There are 43 achievements, and difficulty choice blocks none of them. A careful player can collect the entire set in one run. A full clear generally takes about 37 hours at minimum and 50 or more at the upper end, with boss speed and map coverage affecting the total.
How it compares to the first Control
| Playstyle | Control (original) | Control Resonant |
|---|---|---|
| Main story | ~11–15 hours | ~30 hours |
| Completionist | ~29 hours | ~50 hours |
The original Control was a much tighter game, with a main story around 11 to 15 hours and a completionist run under 30. Resonant essentially doubles the campaign and pushes full completion toward 50. Two design shifts explain the jump: the setting has expanded into large districts and open-ended Zones with far more optional content, and the combat has moved to hack-and-slash action with multiple weapon types and skills to master. Dylan’s loadout is much more varied than Jesse’s Service Weapon, and learning it takes time.
New Game Plus adds more time after the credits
Once you beat the story, a New Game Plus mode unlocks. Starting a fresh run carries over your Form Upgrades, unlocked Artifacts, an extra Artifact slot, cosmetics, skill upgrades, combat abilities, and zone levels. Difficulty scales up across the board, with even starter zones sitting around five levels higher than before.
Quest progress, key items, security clearance, and traversal abilities all reset in New Game Plus, so you will not have Gravity Anomaly powers until you finish the mission that grants them again.
Resonant remains understandable without first playing Control, although prior experience adds to its story. Selecting the official recap at the top of the main menu lets newcomers catch up without replaying the entire game. Control Resonant is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC through Steam and the Epic Games Store. PlayStation players can also choose a 48-hour early access period, which changes the start time rather than the game’s completion length.
