Atomfall story length and time to beat

Comparing Atomfall with Fallout and Stalker is easy, but not entirely accurate. They certainly share similarities like survival mechanics and a post-nuclear setting but there are major differences like the way you tackle quests and the game’s length.

Developed by Rebellion, who make the Sniper Elite franchise, Atomfall takes you to the quaint English countryside after a nuclear disaster. It’s your job to investigate what happened and without quest markers telling you where to go, it’s more of a detective game than the open-world RPG you might expect.

Ahead of its March 27 launch, a dev has revealed it’s much shorter than we’ve come to expect from similar games, so here’s what we know so far.

Atomfall time to beat

Atomfall will take around 25 hours to beat. Rebellion’s art director, Ryan Greene, revealed the rough time to beat in an interview with IGN.

He said an average playthrough is “probably 25-ish hours,” but that depends on your playstyle. Completionists will be able to get a lot more out of the game, but we imagine that if you blast through the important objectives, that number will come down.

Rebellion

However, it doesn’t have the traditional main and side quest structure. Instead, it’s more of a non-linear detective game where you’re dropped into the quarantine zone and it’s up to you to solve the mystery in any order you choose.

Greene described it as a “spider web of connected story” where “even if you sever one thread, you can usually find another thread that leads you back to the overall mystery.”

Atomfall length compared

Atomfall is pretty short compared to other open-world games but don’t be too surprised since it’s very much its own thing. Still, it’s Rebellion’s longest game so far, with Sniper Elite 5 taking players roughly 20 hours.

According to howlongtobeat.com, here’s how it compares to recent releases and games in similar genres:

• Sniper Elite: Resistance: 12 hours
• Atomfall: 25 hours
• Atomic Heart: 25 hours
• Monster Hunter Wilds: 35 hours
• Avowed: 41 hours
• Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl: 63 hours
• Fallout 4: 76 hours
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2: 84 hours

Atomfall arrives on Xbox Game Pass on March 27 but if you upgrade to the Deluxe Edition, you can play on Monday the 24th. In the meantime, check out the best games of 2025 so far alongside the full release calendar.