How Long is Directive 8020?

Most games in the Dark Pictures series take 5 to 7 hours to finish, though players usually replay them to explore all possible outcomes and ensure everyone’s fate. Directive 8020 significantly alters this established gameplay pattern.

This game is much longer than before, taking roughly 10 to 13 hours to finish. It also features a new “Turning Points” system that allows you to easily rewind decisions or replay parts of the game, making it easier to achieve 100% completion. While finding all collectibles and experiencing all possible outcomes can still affect the total playtime, this Directive 8020 guide below will cover everything you need.

Main Story – 10 to 13 Hours:

Directive 8020 plays like other games in the Dark Pictures series, telling a story that moves forward in a straight line but with key moments where your choices matter. Almost anyone on the crew can live or die based on what you do, making each game feel different. This is especially true on your first time playing, as you try to save everyone or see what happens if you make different decisions.

Unlike past games, Directive 8020 features a new Explorer Mode that lets you replay any decision without penalty. You have unlimited ‘Turning Points,’ meaning you can change your choices at any time without having to start over. This eliminates the often frustrating trial-and-error gameplay of previous games and makes it much easier to explore different options.

The game lets you adjust the difficulty, changing how alert enemies are and how quickly they react. You won’t earn trophies simply for choosing a harder difficulty, so pick whatever feels most comfortable. However, one specific trophy does require you to finish the game on the Standard difficulty setting, not the easier Explorer Mode.

100% Completion – 25 to 30 Hours At Least:

Finishing Directive 8020 completely takes a long time because of its complex story paths, hidden collectibles, and trophies that depend on different outcomes. Players will likely need to play through the game more than once, particularly if they want to experience both saving all characters and seeing all the possible ways characters can die. Often, completing a full playthrough and then a second, focused run starting from important decision points is necessary.

Throughout the game, you can find lots of collectibles that reward you for exploring every corner of each episode. There are 50 Secrets, 10 recordings from Simms, and 5 Curator Secrets hidden in the story. While most are pretty easy to discover if you look carefully, the game’s Turning Points system lets you rewind to important choices if you happen to miss anything.

All Episodes in Directive 8020

Directive 8020 is divided into 8 episodes, each with a unique style and story. The first few episodes are quicker and focus on introducing the game, while the later episodes are longer because they build suspense, offer more choices that impact the story, and include extra content to find. Here’s a breakdown of the episodes:

Episode 1 – Little Star
Episode 2 – Best Laid Plans
Episode 3 – The Sample
Episode 4 – Dragnet
Episode 5 – Mr. Williams
Episode 6 – Hostile Takeover
Episode 7 – Revelation
Episode 8 – Come True

Each episode should take about 40 minutes to an hour and 30 minutes to complete, depending on how much you explore and the choices you make. As you progress, episodes tend to get longer because the game’s systems become more connected and your decisions have a bigger impact on how the story ends.

If you’re looking for the optimal PC settings for Directive 8020, this guide has you covered.

2026-05-12 18:13