Is Control worth playing in 2025?

Control was one of the most beloved games of 2019, blending psychological horror with supernatural powers. These elements, combined with a polished narrative about the protagonist searching for her brother, created a title filled with intrigue and mystery.

The game was released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC and was called one of the most visually impressive games of that year. Unfortunately, all types of media tend to get outdated at some point, but does this hold true for Control as well?

The game is definitely still worth playing in 2025, and this article will take a closer look at the title to see why it still holds up.

---

A unique story that still stands out

The narrative holds up well (Image via Remedy Entertainment)

The narrative follows Jesse Faden, the new director of the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC), who is searching for her missing brother, Dylan. She explores the ever-changing building herself while going through cryptic documents, message recordings, and unsettling locations that add to the mystery. The environmental storytelling that Remedy Entertainment is popular for is on full display here.

The game offers a narrative filled with psychological horror and mystery surrounding its locations, where the people have become mind-controlled by a parasitic entity called the Hiss. Jesse will be using the various abilities she obtains during the story to get to the bottom of the secrets hidden in the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC).

---

Control's gameplay is a supernatural power fantasy

Players can enhance their abilities through skill points (Image via Remedy Entertainment)

The game is a third-person shooter at heart but features plenty of supernatural abilities to spice up the combat. Jesse gains a variety of powers during her journey through the FBC, which she uses to fight against the Hiss. She can levitate for a short period of time to escape situations and for platforming, use telekinesis to throw objects at enemies, and use mind control to make them fight on her side.

These make each encounter feel different, which is made better thanks to the enemy variety. There are opponents that can levitate, explode when in proximity to Jesse, and regular ones that shoot at her. These abilities make the gameplay stand out, which is why it is still fun all these years later.

---

Performance and visuals

The game still looks amazing (Image via Remedy Entertainment)

Control was deemed one of the most visually impressive titles of the previous generation by many players. It ran at a locked 30 FPS at 1080p resolution but suffered from issues, such as assets taking time to load and very low anisotropic filtering because of aging hardware. However, the game was enhanced for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, which added some much-needed upgrades.

The title could now run at a locked 60 FPS with a higher resolution that made the gameplay feel smoother. The graphical issues were also taken care of, which made the game look even better on the newer generation of consoles.

---

Is it worth playing in 2025?

The game is still worth playing in 2025 (Image via Remedy Entertainment)

Absolutely! Control still manages to hold up, thanks to its mystery-filled narrative and environmental storytelling that keep the player on the edge of their seat. The gameplay design here is simplistic at heart but still keeps itself fresh with various supernatural abilities that never feel repetitive during enemy encounters.

The visuals hold up as well, especially because of the enhanced version that was released for the new generation of consoles. If players want to experience Control when it is at its best, they should pick up the new version, which has an increased frame rate and resolution.