Start another run when you’ve finished the optional quests and story outcomes you care about—not when you’ve cleared everything. Remedy designed New Game Plus for further build experimentation and tougher, evolving encounters, and says a first playthrough cannot unlock the entire arsenal. The October 2026 New Game++ update was announced as planned, but its exact release timing and mechanics should be checked in current official patch notes before you decide to begin it.
What should you finish before starting another run?
Use this as a personal checklist, not a 100% completion requirement. Remedy says some content or outcomes may not be found in one run and specifically points players toward revisiting optional activities.
- World Quests: Finish the ones you want to experience on this file.
- Bounties: Complete any you still want to do before moving on.
- Collectibles: Pick up items you care about finding during this run.
- Side stories and conversations: See the outcomes that matter to you; some may differ.
If your goal is to complete particular optional content or see a desired narrative outcome, do that first. If you mainly want to try a different build or face changed encounters, moving on makes sense.
What carries over—and what must be earned again?
In Remedy’s April 30, 2026 overview, Lead Gameplay Designer Sergey Mohov describes New Game Plus as a fresh playthrough that retains much of your progress. The listed carryover includes Aberrant upgrades; health and combat-ability resource improvements; unlocked supernatural combat abilities; talents; and artifacts. Read Remedy’s New Game Plus overview on PlayStation.Blog.
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- STEP INTO A WARPED REALITY: Explore multiple areas of a ravaged Manhattan in an expansive, unfamiliar, and exciting world. Traverse perception-bending locations and grapple with gravity anomalies that distort the vertical and horizontal plane, adding additional dimensions to puzzles and new tactical decisions to combat. Meet faces old and new on a path fraught with risk but rich in opportunity as the cityscape is reshaped and reality is redefined by a godlike force.
- MASTER THE PARANATURAL: Channel the raw experiences of Dylan’s past to help understand his present and dig deeper into the inner workings of the FBC and reveal the horrors threatening humankind. Tap into power he must learn to master and take choices to shape how his abilities manifest and grow. Explore a deep progression system to define how Dylan adapts to emerging dangers. Forge connections crucial to Dylan’s fight to retain his humanity as he journeys from former test subject to paranatural superweapon
- THE FIGHT SHIFTS. YOUR WEAPON SHIFTS WITH IT: Meet constantly evolving threats head-on, utilising the environment, deploying elemental abilities and using the raw force Dylan’s shapeshifting melee weapon, the Aberrant. Wield the Aberrant in its many deadly forms. Deliver bone-crunching blows with a two-handed hammer and flow seamlessly into the swift precision of dual-wielded blades as this paranatural weapon morphs on demand to meet each new challenge.
- SHARED LEGACY. NEW THREAT: FBC Director Jesse Faden's lockdown is no longer holding. A paranatural catastrophe has spilled beyond the Oldest House and onto the streets of Manhattan, and the Bureau's grip on containment is failing. Jesse Faden walked into the Oldest House to confront the threat within. Now Dylan must walk out of it to contain the threat beyond.
Traversal abilities are the stated exception: they do not carry over because they are tied to story progression and how the world unfolds. Expect to regain them as you advance through the story.
Why play New Game Plus?
Remedy presents a return run as more than a repeat with a stronger character. Enemies become more dangerous, encounters can shift, and some bosses may show new behaviors. The mode also adds further talent nodes, allows multiple combat abilities from the same boss to be equipped, and unlocks an extra artifact slot. The first playthrough supports up to three equipped artifacts; the fourth slot unlocks in NG+.
Build completion is not a reason to delay: Remedy says the first playthrough cannot unlock everything in the arsenal, and NG+ is intended to give players room to experiment with combinations that were not possible before. Its clearest fit is for players who want to test ability synergies, expand a build, encounter tougher or altered fights, or revisit optional content.
Should you start now or finish more first?
| Your priority | Better choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| See specific World Quests, bounties, collectibles, or story and conversation outcomes on this file | Finish those first | Remedy says some content or outcomes may not be found in one run. |
| Try a new build, use a broader toolkit, or face evolving encounters | Start another run | Remedy describes NG+ as a way to experiment further, with changed difficulty and encounter behavior. |
| Avoid replaying story-gated traversal progression | Finish anything you want before restarting | Traversal abilities do not carry over and must be regained through story progression. |
| Play the announced New Game++ specifically | Check current official patch notes on your platform first | The available announcement identifies an October plan, but does not establish an exact date, rollout status, or final mechanics. |
How long is the main story?
Remedy Communications Director Thomas Puha estimated the main story at 25 to 35 hours in a PlayStation.Blog feature published September 15, 2026. That is a developer estimate for the main story, not a measured completionist total or the time needed for another run. See the PlayStation.Blog feature.
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- The action RPG sequel to Control, developed and published by Remedy Entertainment.
What is confirmed about New Game++?
A community post published with the title “Our initial post launch plans for CONTROL Resonant: NG++ coming in October, Photo Mode coming in November” links to Remedy’s post-launch plans. It supports describing NG++ as planned for October, but the linked official page was not accessible in the available source record. No exact patch date, build number, platform rollout status, or final NG++ mechanics are established here. Check current official patch notes before starting if those details affect your choice. See the community post linking to Remedy’s plans.
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