This is a sizeable commitment, but not a life-devouring one. Finishing the main story with a healthy chunk of side content will likely take you 30–50 hours, spread across several weeks if you play a few nights a week. The world is full of medium-sized activities—side quests, camps, facilities—that fit neatly into 20–40 minute chunks inside a longer session. That makes it friendly to 60–90 minute play windows, as long as you’re okay with some larger story missions stretching over multiple evenings. Autosaves are frequent and you can pause anywhere in single-player, so kids, roommates, or work messages are rarely a disaster. Coming back after time away involves a brief ramp-up to remember your builds and questlines, but clear logs and map icons help. Co-op can be a fun extra with friends, yet the campaign is completely playable solo, with no raids or scheduled events demanding fixed play times.

This is not a background podcast kind of game. To enjoy it, you’ll want both hands on the controller and your eyes on the screen most of the time. Rooftop runs ask you to judge distances, read ledges and ziplines, and watch your stamina bar, while fights demand that you notice enemy windups, status effects, and environmental hazards you can kick foes into. That said, it’s not mentally exhausting strategy; the thinking is mostly short-term and physical rather than long-term and numerical. Between intense moments you get space to breathe while looting apartments, browsing menus, or chatting in safe zones. Those segments can handle a bit of distraction or quick real-life side conversations. For a busy adult, it lands in a nice middle ground: you do need to be present and engaged, but you’re rarely stuck in thirty straight minutes of unbroken white-knuckle focus.

You’ll get the basics down quickly. Running, jumping, climbing ledges, and swinging a weapon feel natural within the first couple of sessions, even if you’re not an action-game expert. From there, the curve is about refinement rather than survival. As you learn better rooftop lines, manage stamina smartly, and weave in advanced moves like dropkicks and slide attacks, the city gradually shifts from threatening to playground. That improvement feels great but isn’t mandatory to see credits; you can finish the story while still playing a little clumsily. There’s no ranked ladder or score-chasing structure asking you to perfect every mechanic, so the pressure to “git good” is low. For a time-limited adult, the balance is kind: you reach comfort fast, and any extra practice you put in makes chases smoother, night runs safer, and big fights more cinematic.

Moment to moment, this game lives in the “exciting but not punishing” zone, as long as you stay on normal difficulty. Regular encounters are manageable if you dodge and block, and death usually just means a quick respawn rather than losing hard-earned gear. The real intensity comes from the atmosphere and pacing: nighttime explorations, howling infected, and sudden chases can seriously raise your heart rate, especially early on when the streets feel deadly. Graphic dismemberment and loud audio design add to the sensory punch, which can be thrilling or draining depending on your mood. Over time, as you grow stronger and learn the city, that fear shifts more toward action-movie tension than helpless horror. For a busy adult, it’s a game you probably don’t want to boot up when you’re already frazzled or trying to unwind completely, but it’s fantastic when you’re in the mood for a controlled rush.