The PlayStation 5’s UI brings with it a host of changes that evolve what players experienced on the PS4, and while things like Trophies, Account Avatars photos, and more have made the transition, one notable piece of the PS4 UI has not made the next-gen leap - themes. Themes have played a big role in the life of the PS4 as a way of customizing the console’s UI. Both static and dynamic themes have been available by the hundreds for players to purchase or grab for free, some reskinning the icons to a game-specific look, or adding music from your favorite games to your PS4 hub. Other, more static themes just change the look, but still let players add an additional personal touch. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/ps5s-ui-the-5-biggest-gamechangers"] The PS5, as of our pre-launch experience, has no themes. IGN has reached out to Sony about the decision to not have themes for PS5, and whether it’s a feature the company is considering adding back in. We’ll update this story should they respond, but there’s at least one likely reason we aren’t seeing themes. For the most part, PS5’s UI takes an inverse approach to the PS4’s. Sony’s soon-to-be last-gen system largely put all its icons on display at once and made them the focal point of the UI. A host of games, apps, and settings icons are often shown all prominently on screen simultaneously. The PS5’s UI moves many of those features to the top of the screen, or even more directly in the pop-up Control Center menu, which acts as an overlay to the PS5. Instead, each PS5 game we’ve seen so far comes with its own mini-theme of sorts. Take Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, which showcases a big piece of art for Miles in his Spidey suit while one of the game’s themes plays in the background. But if you switch over to Astro’s Playroom, a new piece of Astro art dominates the screen, with music from that game playing. While not as much of an overhaul to the UI as a dynamic theme could be, it seems each PS5 game will offer a bit of specialization to your PS5 dashboard as you hover over it. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=confirmed-playstation-5-games&captions=true"] And given the PS5’s Control Center now letting you quickly switch between games, check downloads, check in with your friends list, and more all without actually leaving a currently active game, it’s quite possible players will spend much less time in the PS5 dashboard than they did the PS4’s. Of course, should we get any official word from Sony on the decision, we’ll be sure to update this story, but in the meantime, you can check out plenty more on the PS5, including our PS5 console review. We also have news on how the PS5 has 667GB of usable storage space, what its new Activity Cards are for, and how the Create button differs from the PS4 Share button. And if you're interested in the PS5's launch lineup, check out our Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales review and our Astro's Playroom review. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

The PlayStation 5’s UI brings with it a host of changes that evolve what players experienced on the PS4, and while things like Trophies, Account Avatars photos, and more have made the transition, one notable piece of the PS4 UI has not made the next-gen leap - themes. Themes have played a big role in the life of the PS4 as a way of customizing the console’s UI. Both static and dynamic themes have been available by the hundreds for players to purchase or grab for free, some reskinning the icons to a game-specific look, or adding music from your favorite games to your PS4 hub. Other, more static themes just change the look, but still let players add an additional personal touch. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/ps5s-ui-the-5-biggest-gamechangers"] The PS5, as of our pre-launch experience, has no themes. IGN has reached out to Sony about the decision to not have themes for PS5, and whether it’s a feature the company is considering adding back in. We’ll update this story should they respond, but there’s at least one likely reason we aren’t seeing themes. For the most part, PS5’s UI takes an inverse approach to the PS4’s. Sony’s soon-to-be last-gen system largely put all its icons on display at once and made them the focal point of the UI. A host of games, apps, and settings icons are often shown all prominently on screen simultaneously. The PS5’s UI moves many of those features to the top of the screen, or even more directly in the pop-up Control Center menu, which acts as an overlay to the PS5. Instead, each PS5 game we’ve seen so far comes with its own mini-theme of sorts. Take Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, which showcases a big piece of art for Miles in his Spidey suit while one of the game’s themes plays in the background. But if you switch over to Astro’s Playroom, a new piece of Astro art dominates the screen, with music from that game playing. While not as much of an overhaul to the UI as a dynamic theme could be, it seems each PS5 game will offer a bit of specialization to your PS5 dashboard as you hover over it. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=confirmed-playstation-5-games&captions=true"] And given the PS5’s Control Center now letting you quickly switch between games, check downloads, check in with your friends list, and more all without actually leaving a currently active game, it’s quite possible players will spend much less time in the PS5 dashboard than they did the PS4’s. Of course, should we get any official word from Sony on the decision, we’ll be sure to update this story, but in the meantime, you can check out plenty more on the PS5, including our PS5 console review. We also have news on how the PS5 has 667GB of usable storage space, what its new Activity Cards are for, and how the Create button differs from the PS4 Share button. And if you're interested in the PS5's launch lineup, check out our Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales review and our Astro's Playroom review. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

Astro’s Playroom will be a free pack-in for PS5 owners, a chance to test out all the new functionality of the DualSense controller - and have something to play while bigger games and install and download. But given its pack-in nature, and PlayStation not really having as much of a precedent (PS4’s The Playroom was arguably more of a showcase for the additional PS4 camera, and was basically a collection of virtual toys), many may be wondering if Astro’s Playroom is a full game, a minigame suite, or something else. To help answer these questions, here is the experience of some of IGN’s staff about their time with Astro’s Playroom. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/06/astros-playroom-review"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush, Reviewer and Senior News Editor First off, I’m happy to confirm Astro’s Playroom is a full game, particularly because of one notable inclusion - a Platinum trophy. But whether you’re a trophy hunter, Astro’s Playroom is structured very much like a full game, albeit a relatively short one. I’ve 100%’d Astro’s Playroom, collecting everything in its four worlds, including hidden artifacts and more, and the experience took me roughly about 6 - 7 hours. That’s largely due to some challenging-to-find collectibles, and some very obvious ones I got hung up on, and I probably beat all four worlds in 3 - 4 hours. There are some fun opportunities to increase your time with Astro’s, including a host of time trials to try to improve your time on, as well as a literal playroom that acts as an homage to PlayStation history based on what you’ve collected. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=astros-playroom-ps5-screenshots&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Simon Cardy, Video Producer Having completed all 4 of its main worlds in around 3 hours, I had such a good time with Astro’s Playroom that I decided to make it my first PS5 Platinum trophy. So with that in mind I then spent around another 3 hours racing through the speedruns, picking up every collectible and completing the odd level-based challenge to hit that 100%. As far as Platinum trophies go, it’s a very obtainable one without really requiring a higher level of skill than the core of the game demands at all. The new activity cards go a long way to making this as smooth an experience as possible, easily providing checklists for you with the touch of a button. All in all, it took me just north of 6 hours to polish off everything in Astro’s Playroom, with maybe an extra half an hour tacked on due to the amount of time I spent hitting every object on show in the fantastic bubble of nostalgia that is the PlayStation Labo showroom (yes, it does have the same name as Nintendo's cardboard-controlled games and, no, I don't know why). [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=The%20new%20activity%20cards%20go%20a%20long%20way%20to%20making%20trophy%20hunting%20as%20smooth%20an%20experience%20as%20possible."] Lucy O’Brien, Exec Ed of Features I’ve mostly completed Astro’s. I’m not close to the Platinum trophy, but I’ve played through all the worlds and collected around three quarters of its puzzle pieces. I’m still tinkering around in there - while you can technically ‘finish’ Astro’s, so much of the joy to be found comes from all the various secrets lovingly peppered throughout it. As others have said, playing through each world without 100% completion takes roughly 3-4 hours. I didn’t expect that longevity for a game that comes bundled with the machine, nor did I expect Astro’s to be such a clever showcase for the DualSense and a delightful love letter to the history of the PlayStation. [ignvideo url="[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/27/astros-playroom-16-minutes-of-playstation-5-gameplay-in-4k"]"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Janet Garcia, Associate Guides Editor I completed Astro’s Playroom at a leisurely pace, exploring every corner and soaking in every reference that I could find. Completing all 4 of its worlds took me 3-4 hours and by the end I had grabbed about 75% of the collectibles. Astro’s Playroom can definitely be finished a lot faster if you’re beelining for the end, but the joy of this game comes from exploring the sights and sounds each world has to offer. I recommend taking your time with this one, especially since the collectibles turn into rewarding decorations that celebrate PlayStation history. I intend to go back and Platinum Astro’s Playroom and see how well PS5’s game help system can guide a guides writer. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=The%20joy%20of%20this%20game%20comes%20from%20exploring%20the%20sights%20and%20sounds%20each%20world%20has%20to%20offer%20so%20I%20recommend%20taking%20your%20time%20with%20this%20one."] Mitchell Saltzman, Editorial Producer I took my time through Astro’s Playroom and finished up with it in around 4 hours on my first playthrough. While I didn’t collect all of the artifacts and puzzle pieces, my puzzle wall in the PlayStation Labo is looking pretty complete and full of fun toys to play around with. What I found most enjoyable about scouring the levels, however, was finding all of the fun Easter eggs and references strewn throughout each level that pay homage games that helped build the PlayStation’s enduring legacy. I don’t want to spoil any of the games here, but rest assured, if there’s a game you fondly remember playing that could only be found on PlayStation, if you look hard enough you’re almost guaranteed to find some sort of nod to it as you look through every nook and cranny of Astro’s Playroom. I’ll probably go back in and go for the 100%, and I’m even more encouraged to do so thanks to how easy the PS5’s built in tips system makes hunting down those last few collectibles. We awarded Astro's Playroom an 8/10 review, calling it "a great showcase for the varied, impressive ways the DualSense can immerse you in next-gen games." We've also reviewed the PS5 as a whole. [poilib element="accentDivider"]

Astro’s Playroom will be a free pack-in for PS5 owners, a chance to test out all the new functionality of the DualSense controller - and have something to play while bigger games and install and download. But given its pack-in nature, and PlayStation not really having as much of a precedent (PS4’s The Playroom was arguably more of a showcase for the additional PS4 camera, and was basically a collection of virtual toys), many may be wondering if Astro’s Playroom is a full game, a minigame suite, or something else. To help answer these questions, here is the experience of some of IGN’s staff about their time with Astro’s Playroom. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/06/astros-playroom-review"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush, Reviewer and Senior News Editor First off, I’m happy to confirm Astro’s Playroom is a full game, particularly because of one notable inclusion - a Platinum trophy. But whether you’re a trophy hunter, Astro’s Playroom is structured very much like a full game, albeit a relatively short one. I’ve 100%’d Astro’s Playroom, collecting everything in its four worlds, including hidden artifacts and more, and the experience took me roughly about 6 - 7 hours. That’s largely due to some challenging-to-find collectibles, and some very obvious ones I got hung up on, and I probably beat all four worlds in 3 - 4 hours. There are some fun opportunities to increase your time with Astro’s, including a host of time trials to try to improve your time on, as well as a literal playroom that acts as an homage to PlayStation history based on what you’ve collected. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=astros-playroom-ps5-screenshots&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Simon Cardy, Video Producer Having completed all 4 of its main worlds in around 3 hours, I had such a good time with Astro’s Playroom that I decided to make it my first PS5 Platinum trophy. So with that in mind I then spent around another 3 hours racing through the speedruns, picking up every collectible and completing the odd level-based challenge to hit that 100%. As far as Platinum trophies go, it’s a very obtainable one without really requiring a higher level of skill than the core of the game demands at all. The new activity cards go a long way to making this as smooth an experience as possible, easily providing checklists for you with the touch of a button. All in all, it took me just north of 6 hours to polish off everything in Astro’s Playroom, with maybe an extra half an hour tacked on due to the amount of time I spent hitting every object on show in the fantastic bubble of nostalgia that is the PlayStation Labo showroom (yes, it does have the same name as Nintendo's cardboard-controlled games and, no, I don't know why). [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=The%20new%20activity%20cards%20go%20a%20long%20way%20to%20making%20trophy%20hunting%20as%20smooth%20an%20experience%20as%20possible."] Lucy O’Brien, Exec Ed of Features I’ve mostly completed Astro’s. I’m not close to the Platinum trophy, but I’ve played through all the worlds and collected around three quarters of its puzzle pieces. I’m still tinkering around in there - while you can technically ‘finish’ Astro’s, so much of the joy to be found comes from all the various secrets lovingly peppered throughout it. As others have said, playing through each world without 100% completion takes roughly 3-4 hours. I didn’t expect that longevity for a game that comes bundled with the machine, nor did I expect Astro’s to be such a clever showcase for the DualSense and a delightful love letter to the history of the PlayStation. [ignvideo url="[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/27/astros-playroom-16-minutes-of-playstation-5-gameplay-in-4k"]"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Janet Garcia, Associate Guides Editor I completed Astro’s Playroom at a leisurely pace, exploring every corner and soaking in every reference that I could find. Completing all 4 of its worlds took me 3-4 hours and by the end I had grabbed about 75% of the collectibles. Astro’s Playroom can definitely be finished a lot faster if you’re beelining for the end, but the joy of this game comes from exploring the sights and sounds each world has to offer. I recommend taking your time with this one, especially since the collectibles turn into rewarding decorations that celebrate PlayStation history. I intend to go back and Platinum Astro’s Playroom and see how well PS5’s game help system can guide a guides writer. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=The%20joy%20of%20this%20game%20comes%20from%20exploring%20the%20sights%20and%20sounds%20each%20world%20has%20to%20offer%20so%20I%20recommend%20taking%20your%20time%20with%20this%20one."] Mitchell Saltzman, Editorial Producer I took my time through Astro’s Playroom and finished up with it in around 4 hours on my first playthrough. While I didn’t collect all of the artifacts and puzzle pieces, my puzzle wall in the PlayStation Labo is looking pretty complete and full of fun toys to play around with. What I found most enjoyable about scouring the levels, however, was finding all of the fun Easter eggs and references strewn throughout each level that pay homage games that helped build the PlayStation’s enduring legacy. I don’t want to spoil any of the games here, but rest assured, if there’s a game you fondly remember playing that could only be found on PlayStation, if you look hard enough you’re almost guaranteed to find some sort of nod to it as you look through every nook and cranny of Astro’s Playroom. I’ll probably go back in and go for the 100%, and I’m even more encouraged to do so thanks to how easy the PS5’s built in tips system makes hunting down those last few collectibles. We awarded Astro's Playroom an 8/10 review, calling it "a great showcase for the varied, impressive ways the DualSense can immerse you in next-gen games." We've also reviewed the PS5 as a whole. [poilib element="accentDivider"]

PlayStation 5 will allow for 667GB of usable storage space on its 825GB SSD. IGN can confirm that the console, when totally emptied (including having deleted pack-in game Astro's Playroom), offers 667GB, meaning 158GB is reserved for the operating system and essential files. With game sizes continuing to grow, that 667GB may not go too far - as an example, the PS5 version of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War takes up 135GB of SSD space alone (seemingly without installing Warzone). [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/06/playstation-5-review"] You will be able to expand the storage on a PS5 relatively easily by installing off-the-shelf NVMe drives, which can be plugged in by popping off the consoles' removable faceplates. By comparison, Xbox Series X offers 802GB of usable space (from a 1TB drive) and Xbox Series S offers 364GB (from a 512GB drive). By a very small margin, PS5 does offer the most efficient use of a solid state drive out of the next-gen consoles launching next week – 19.1% of its drive is untouchable, as opposed to 19.8% of Xbox Series X and 28.9% of Xbox Series S. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/09/biggest-ps5-teardown-takeaways-next-gen-console-watch"] We also have news on why PS5 doesn't seem to have custom themes, what its new Activity Cards are for, how the Create button differs from the PS4 Share button, and you can read our full PS5 console review. And if you're interested in the PS5's launch lineup, check out our Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales review and our Astro's Playroom review. PlayStation 5 will launch in the US, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea on November 12. It launches in all other territories on November 19. Preorders for the PlayStation 5 are currently sold out, but if more go up they'll be in our PS5 preorder guide right away. For everything you need to know about PlayStation 5, check out our PS5 guide. Here's a guide to all the best PlayStation holiday gifts for 2020. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

PlayStation 5 will allow for 667GB of usable storage space on its 825GB SSD. IGN can confirm that the console, when totally emptied (including having deleted pack-in game Astro's Playroom), offers 667GB, meaning 158GB is reserved for the operating system and essential files. With game sizes continuing to grow, that 667GB may not go too far - as an example, the PS5 version of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War takes up 135GB of SSD space alone (seemingly without installing Warzone). [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/06/playstation-5-review"] You will be able to expand the storage on a PS5 relatively easily by installing off-the-shelf NVMe drives, which can be plugged in by popping off the consoles' removable faceplates. By comparison, Xbox Series X offers 802GB of usable space (from a 1TB drive) and Xbox Series S offers 364GB (from a 512GB drive). By a very small margin, PS5 does offer the most efficient use of a solid state drive out of the next-gen consoles launching next week – 19.1% of its drive is untouchable, as opposed to 19.8% of Xbox Series X and 28.9% of Xbox Series S. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/09/biggest-ps5-teardown-takeaways-next-gen-console-watch"] We also have news on why PS5 doesn't seem to have custom themes, what its new Activity Cards are for, how the Create button differs from the PS4 Share button, and you can read our full PS5 console review. And if you're interested in the PS5's launch lineup, check out our Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales review and our Astro's Playroom review. PlayStation 5 will launch in the US, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea on November 12. It launches in all other territories on November 19. Preorders for the PlayStation 5 are currently sold out, but if more go up they'll be in our PS5 preorder guide right away. For everything you need to know about PlayStation 5, check out our PS5 guide. Here's a guide to all the best PlayStation holiday gifts for 2020. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Lucy O'Brien, Janet Garcia, and Mitchell Salztman to discuss our PS5 review embargo impressions. We talk about the hardware, playing with it and the DualSense over the last few days, and our impressions of Astro's Playroom and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales PS5. We don't spoil any of the game talk, but expect to hear our thoughts on why the DualSense has wowed us, how Spider-Man continues the franchise in fantastic form, and why Astro's Playroom is a joyful free launch pack-in you shouldn't miss. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ps5-console-first-look-size-comparison&captions=true"]

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Podcast Beyond! is live every Wednesday. For more on PS5, check out the PS5 full specs list, why we're excited about PS5's 3D audio focus, and an analysis of what teraflops really mean for the PS5 and Xbox Series X. [poilib element="poll" parameters="id=0b8b1f86-da52-4fef-b0a7-2729ca596785"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Lucy O'Brien, Janet Garcia, and Mitchell Salztman to discuss our PS5 review embargo impressions. We talk about the hardware, playing with it and the DualSense over the last few days, and our impressions of Astro's Playroom and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales PS5. We don't spoil any of the game talk, but expect to hear our thoughts on why the DualSense has wowed us, how Spider-Man continues the franchise in fantastic form, and why Astro's Playroom is a joyful free launch pack-in you shouldn't miss. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ps5-console-first-look-size-comparison&captions=true"]

• Direct Download

• YouTube

•  Apple Podcasts/iTunes

• Spotify

• Stitcher

• PlayerFM

• Podbay

• TuneIn

• Podbean

• Feedburner

Podcast Beyond! is live every Wednesday. For more on PS5, check out the PS5 full specs list, why we're excited about PS5's 3D audio focus, and an analysis of what teraflops really mean for the PS5 and Xbox Series X. [poilib element="poll" parameters="id=0b8b1f86-da52-4fef-b0a7-2729ca596785"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales follows up Insomniac’s beloved PS4 exclusive with a new entry on PS4 and PS5 at launch. Only revealed earlier this year, there’s been some confusion and differing discussion around how big a game Miles Morales would be compared to the original, including comparisons to Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, a shorter spin-off from the mainline Uncharted series.

But how long does it actually take to beat the game? We asked those on the IGN staff that have beaten the game for their experience with how long it took (and don’t worry, there won’t be any story spoilers!). [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/06/marvels-spider-man-miles-morales-review"]

[poilib element="accentDivider"]

Jonathon Dornbush, Miles Morales Reviewer, Senior News Editor I would put my time with Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales’ story somewhere in the 8 - 10 hour range. With an open-world game like this, and especially one that I found improved some of the side objectives that were less engrossing with the original, it’s tough not to easily get sidetracked and dip into a collectible or side mission on the way to a story beat. Like the first game, each district in New York has its own series of objectives to complete, but thankfully stopping X number of crimes in each district is no longer one of them. Each of the side mission requirements feels a lot more in line with the ethos of Spider-Man - being friendly to the neighborhood - while also adding some fun personal touches that bring everything back to Miles’ story and the world at large. There are some clever uses of already established figures in this world. That means I’ve easily spent at least double my story time on a 100% run, and still have some trophies to pick up to achieve the platinum. But the content offers a nice host of varied collectibles, neighborhood help side missions, and a lengthier string of side missions that lets Miles do even more to help out his home in Harlem. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=I%20would%20put%20my%20time%20with%20Marvel%E2%80%99s%20Spider-Man%3A%20Miles%20Morales%E2%80%99%20story%20somewhere%20in%20the%208%20-%2010%20hour%20range."] Janet Garcia, Associate Guides Editor My time in Harlem spanned 9-10 hours across just a few sessions of playtime. I stopped a few extra crimes along the way and dug up some childhood time capsules, if I happened to spot them nearby on my minimap, but for the most part I beelined for the story. The bulk of my time, outside of main missions, was spent obsessively twisting, flipping, and diving off of everything in New Your City: essentially turning Miles Morales into my own version of Tony Hawk whenever a mission was far enough away. I only used fast travel twice during the entire campaign, just to appreciate how refreshingly fast it was. I finished Miles Morales having reached Level 17 with 61% completion. I unlocked most skills but made very few upgrades to Miles’ suit or gadgets. Admittedly, I felt a little underpowered for some of the final areas of the game but I never felt I’d made a horrible mistake with my streamlined build. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=spider-man-miles-morales-playstation-5-screenshots&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Brendan Graeber, Guides Editor Working on a full guide and walkthrough often skews my playtime on the far end of things, given the need to meticulously document each mission, write up puzzle solutions, screenshot the more hidden collectible locations, and record video. If I had to estimate my time fully exploring everything Miles Morales has to offer, I’d probably put it somewhere in the 15-18 hour range. Though the main campaign is fairly short compared to the first game, there’s still plenty to do around Manhattan. While writing the guide, I made sure to track down each type of collectible, get the best scores on all the challenges, complete every enemy base and stop each type of crime and all sub-objectives, and unlock every suit, mod, and gadget along the way. I’m sure I spent plenty of time swinging around just for the fun of it, and never found myself needing to fast travel or make use of the PS5’s card system to teleport to certain activities. The only thing I haven’t fully explored is the game’s New Game Plus mode, which actually has a few upgrades locked away that may just bring me back around to beat the game once more. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=It's%20quite%20a%20bit%20shorter%20than%20Peter%20Parker%E2%80%99s%20outing%20a%20couple%20of%20years%20back%2C%20but%20didn%E2%80%99t%20feel%20too%20short%20at%20all."] Simon Cardy, Video Producer I pretty much mainlined the story missions of Spider-Man: Miles Morales, which took me around 7 hours to complete. That’s quite a bit shorter than Peter Parker’s outing a couple of years back, but didn’t feel too short at all. Fast travel is ludicrously fast, which helps get to mission markers with ease – but, honestly, I didn’t use it too much, mainly due to the joy of swinging around New York. I still have many collectibles, side missions and activities to complete since finishing the campaign, as I did quite well to not get too distracted by the beacons gleaming above the skyscrapers during my initial 7 hours. The only sidetracks for me so far have been a quick scavenger hunt around the city to gain enough tokens and tech to unlock the Spider-Verse suit and my inevitable plunge into photo mode, which returns in all its glory from the 2018 release. I can’t wait to jump back in soon though and see what the side missions entail, although there does seem to be far fewer of them on offer than in the original game. I might even snag that platinum trophy, which looks to be relatively attainable. 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Jesse Gomez, Video Producer and Editor

My very first playthrough of Miles Morales took exactly 6 hours, 33 minutes and 24 seconds to complete. How do I know the exact number, you may ask? Naturally, I recorded my entire playthrough with some capture equipment I’ve got at home. 7 total videos and 413GB later, I breezed through the game whilst also stopping to partake in the bare minimum of side-missions and crimes you need to do in order to progress through the story. By the way, the time I mentioned earlier also includes cutscenes, loading times and the occasional moment messing around in photo mode too. Although I could have scored an even quicker time by making use of the nearly instantaneous fast-travel, I opted to swing to every location within the game instead. Using the 4K/60FPS visual mode whilst playing made swinging through New York is an absolute pleasure, and one I just didn’t want to miss out on. We awarded Spider-Man: Miles Morales a 9/10 review, calling it "a fantastic follow-up, telling a wonderful story while improving upon the fundamentals of the first game." We've also reviewed the PS5 as a whole. [poilib element="accentDivider"] [poilib element="poll" parameters="id=727bcb46-88e9-4b3e-b996-6aedafddf4d8"] [poilib element="accentDivider"]

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales follows up Insomniac’s beloved PS4 exclusive with a new entry on PS4 and PS5 at launch. Only revealed earlier this year, there’s been some confusion and differing discussion around how big a game Miles Morales would be compared to the original, including comparisons to Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, a shorter spin-off from the mainline Uncharted series.

But how long does it actually take to beat the game? We asked those on the IGN staff that have beaten the game for their experience with how long it took (and don’t worry, there won’t be any story spoilers!). [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/06/marvels-spider-man-miles-morales-review"]

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Jonathon Dornbush, Miles Morales Reviewer, Senior News Editor I would put my time with Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales’ story somewhere in the 8 - 10 hour range. With an open-world game like this, and especially one that I found improved some of the side objectives that were less engrossing with the original, it’s tough not to easily get sidetracked and dip into a collectible or side mission on the way to a story beat. Like the first game, each district in New York has its own series of objectives to complete, but thankfully stopping X number of crimes in each district is no longer one of them. Each of the side mission requirements feels a lot more in line with the ethos of Spider-Man - being friendly to the neighborhood - while also adding some fun personal touches that bring everything back to Miles’ story and the world at large. There are some clever uses of already established figures in this world. That means I’ve easily spent at least double my story time on a 100% run, and still have some trophies to pick up to achieve the platinum. But the content offers a nice host of varied collectibles, neighborhood help side missions, and a lengthier string of side missions that lets Miles do even more to help out his home in Harlem. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=I%20would%20put%20my%20time%20with%20Marvel%E2%80%99s%20Spider-Man%3A%20Miles%20Morales%E2%80%99%20story%20somewhere%20in%20the%208%20-%2010%20hour%20range."] Janet Garcia, Associate Guides Editor My time in Harlem spanned 9-10 hours across just a few sessions of playtime. I stopped a few extra crimes along the way and dug up some childhood time capsules, if I happened to spot them nearby on my minimap, but for the most part I beelined for the story. The bulk of my time, outside of main missions, was spent obsessively twisting, flipping, and diving off of everything in New Your City: essentially turning Miles Morales into my own version of Tony Hawk whenever a mission was far enough away. I only used fast travel twice during the entire campaign, just to appreciate how refreshingly fast it was. I finished Miles Morales having reached Level 17 with 61% completion. I unlocked most skills but made very few upgrades to Miles’ suit or gadgets. Admittedly, I felt a little underpowered for some of the final areas of the game but I never felt I’d made a horrible mistake with my streamlined build. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=spider-man-miles-morales-playstation-5-screenshots&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Brendan Graeber, Guides Editor Working on a full guide and walkthrough often skews my playtime on the far end of things, given the need to meticulously document each mission, write up puzzle solutions, screenshot the more hidden collectible locations, and record video. If I had to estimate my time fully exploring everything Miles Morales has to offer, I’d probably put it somewhere in the 15-18 hour range. Though the main campaign is fairly short compared to the first game, there’s still plenty to do around Manhattan. While writing the guide, I made sure to track down each type of collectible, get the best scores on all the challenges, complete every enemy base and stop each type of crime and all sub-objectives, and unlock every suit, mod, and gadget along the way. I’m sure I spent plenty of time swinging around just for the fun of it, and never found myself needing to fast travel or make use of the PS5’s card system to teleport to certain activities. The only thing I haven’t fully explored is the game’s New Game Plus mode, which actually has a few upgrades locked away that may just bring me back around to beat the game once more. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=It's%20quite%20a%20bit%20shorter%20than%20Peter%20Parker%E2%80%99s%20outing%20a%20couple%20of%20years%20back%2C%20but%20didn%E2%80%99t%20feel%20too%20short%20at%20all."] Simon Cardy, Video Producer I pretty much mainlined the story missions of Spider-Man: Miles Morales, which took me around 7 hours to complete. That’s quite a bit shorter than Peter Parker’s outing a couple of years back, but didn’t feel too short at all. Fast travel is ludicrously fast, which helps get to mission markers with ease – but, honestly, I didn’t use it too much, mainly due to the joy of swinging around New York. I still have many collectibles, side missions and activities to complete since finishing the campaign, as I did quite well to not get too distracted by the beacons gleaming above the skyscrapers during my initial 7 hours. The only sidetracks for me so far have been a quick scavenger hunt around the city to gain enough tokens and tech to unlock the Spider-Verse suit and my inevitable plunge into photo mode, which returns in all its glory from the 2018 release. I can’t wait to jump back in soon though and see what the side missions entail, although there does seem to be far fewer of them on offer than in the original game. I might even snag that platinum trophy, which looks to be relatively attainable. 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Jesse Gomez, Video Producer and Editor

My very first playthrough of Miles Morales took exactly 6 hours, 33 minutes and 24 seconds to complete. How do I know the exact number, you may ask? Naturally, I recorded my entire playthrough with some capture equipment I’ve got at home. 7 total videos and 413GB later, I breezed through the game whilst also stopping to partake in the bare minimum of side-missions and crimes you need to do in order to progress through the story. By the way, the time I mentioned earlier also includes cutscenes, loading times and the occasional moment messing around in photo mode too. Although I could have scored an even quicker time by making use of the nearly instantaneous fast-travel, I opted to swing to every location within the game instead. Using the 4K/60FPS visual mode whilst playing made swinging through New York is an absolute pleasure, and one I just didn’t want to miss out on. We awarded Spider-Man: Miles Morales a 9/10 review, calling it "a fantastic follow-up, telling a wonderful story while improving upon the fundamentals of the first game." We've also reviewed the PS5 as a whole. [poilib element="accentDivider"] [poilib element="poll" parameters="id=727bcb46-88e9-4b3e-b996-6aedafddf4d8"] [poilib element="accentDivider"]