Is Guardians of the Galaxy Game Good? Length, Sales & Guide

Unlike most live-service Marvel games, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (2021) delivers a linear story-driven experience that proved to be its biggest strength. This guide covers how long it takes, how to replay missions, and how it compares to other Guardians games.

Release year: 2021 (Gamepressure – game guide database) ·
Chapters: 16 (PowerPyx – walkthrough specialist) ·
Main story: ~20 hours (Steam Community user guide) ·
100% completion: ~50 hours (PowerPyx, medium confidence)

The key statistics for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy are outlined below.

Is Guardians of the Galaxy a Good Game?

What do critics say?

• Reviewers consistently highlight the game’s sharp writing, character banter, and soundtrack. IGN described it as “a linear journey through a dazzling Marvel galaxy.”
• The game won Best Narrative at The Game Awards 2021, a strong indicator of its story quality.
• Player reception: Steam reviews are 91% positive, according to the Steam Community achievement guide (user guide) (tier 3 source, medium confidence).

What this means: the game earns its praise on storytelling, not on gameplay innovation. The trade-off is that combat may feel less dynamic than other third-person shooters.

Pros and cons

The trade-off is clear: players who value story over gameplay innovation will find this game rewarding, while those seeking deep mechanics may be disappointed.

Did the Guardians of the Galaxy Game Do Well?

Sales performance

Square Enix reported over 2 million units by March 2022, but the company considered that a commercial disappointment relative to expectations. No official sales updates have been published since.

The pattern: strong unit numbers but high development costs meant the game didn’t meet Square Enix’s internal targets. This is a common fate for single-player titles in the live-service era.

Critical reception

The game holds generally favorable reviews. GamesRadar (gaming magazine) praised its length and story, and it won Best Narrative at The Game Awards 2021. Most outlets rated it 7–9 out of 10.

Player reception

On Steam, user reviews are “Very Positive” (over 90% positive) according to the Steam Community achievement guide (user guide) (tier 3, medium confidence). Players consistently mention the story and characters as highlights.

The implication is that commercial success does not always align with critical praise, but for players, this often means discounted prices.

How Many Guardians of the Galaxy Games Are There?

Two major video game adaptations of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy exist: the 2021 action-adventure by Eidos-Montréal and the 2017 episodic series by Telltale. Two games, one key difference: one is a third-person linear game, the other a narrative adventure with branching choices.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (2021)

• Developed by Eidos-Montréal, published by Square Enix.
• Single-player, linear levels with team-based combat.
• You play as Star-Lord, issuing commands to Rocket, Groot, Drax, and Gamora.

Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series (2017)

• Five episodes released monthly from April to November 2017.
• Focus on dialogue choices that affect the story.
• No real-time combat; relies on quick-time events.

The takeaway: if you want gameplay and a complete story, choose the 2021 game. If you prefer interactive storytelling, the Telltale series is worth a play.

How Many Hours to Complete the Guardians of the Galaxy Game?

Main story length

• Rushed playthrough (skipping dialogues/cutscenes): ~15 hours (PowerPyx)
• Normal playthrough with some exploration: ~20 hours (PowerPyx – walkthrough specialist)
• Standard estimate from multiple guides: 20–25 hours

Completionist run

• All trophies/achievements (single playthrough possible): ~20–25 hours (Steam Community user guide)
• Full 100% (all collectibles, compendium): ~50 hours with careful guide use (PowerPyx, medium confidence)
• Steam Community estimates all achievements in 20–25 hours (Steam Community, tier 3)

Replayability

• New Game Plus carries over abilities and upgrades.
• Chapter Select lets you revisit specific chapters, but some collectibles (like the Chapter 6 vending-machine item) do not persist through Chapter Select, requiring a full new playthrough (PowerPyx – walkthrough specialist).
• Minimal branching story — mostly same outcome regardless of choices, but dialogue variations offer some replay value.

For most players, the game fits into a weekend, making it an accessible single-player experience.

How to Use Save Rollback and Replay Missions

What is save rollback?

Save rollback is a feature that allows you to replay any completed chapter from the main menu, overwriting your current progress from that point. It’s useful for missed collectibles or trying different dialogue choices.

Steps to replay missions

1. Complete the game at least once (Chapter Select unlocks after finishing the story).
2. From the main menu, select “Chapter Select”.
3. Choose the chapter you want to replay. A warning will appear that your save will be rolled back to the start of that chapter.
4. After replaying, your progress will be saved from that chapter onward.

Note: Some collectible items may not persist if they are tied to a single-action event (e.g., the vending-machine item in Chapter 6) — they require a full New Game Plus playthrough (PowerPyx – walkthrough specialist).

Importance for achievements

• Most achievements can be obtained in a single playthrough if you use a guide.
• Use Chapter Select to clean up any missed collectibles before the final chapter.
• For the “Compendium” achievement, you may need multiple playthroughs due to items that don’t carry over via Chapter Select.

Using save rollback wisely can save time, but careful planning is needed to avoid multiple playthroughs.

“The game is a linear journey through a dazzling Marvel galaxy.”

— IGN

“We all agreed that the game lasts about 25–30 hours, with very small variation between playstyles.”

— GamesRadar editors

The implication: Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy proves that a focused, linear single-player experience can still win hearts even when the industry chases live-service models. For anyone who misses the era of story-driven games without microtransactions, this is one of the best recent examples. For collectors, the three-playthrough commitment is a meaningful trade-off. The decision is clear: if you value narrative and character over endless content, pick it up on sale and enjoy 20–25 hours of pure Marvel fun.