How Long to Beat Mouse: P.I. For Hire?

Mouse: P.I. For Hire is a single-player FPS with a genuine campaign behind it, 24 main missions, a handful of side jobs, and enough collectibles to keep completionists busy for well over 20 hours. If you're trying to decide whether $29.99 is worth it before you pull the trigger, or you just want to know what you're walking into, this guide has everything you need.

How long does it take to beat Mouse: P.I. For Hire?

The short answer depends entirely on how you play. According to GameSpot's coverage of the game, a straight run through the main campaign without hunting collectibles or detouring into side content lands at roughly 7 to 9 hours. That's a focused playthrough where you move from objective to objective and don't linger.

Push past that and actually engage with the side jobs, secrets, and the Mouseburg hub area, and the number climbs fast. Insider Gaming's Andrew Highton clocked 14 hours on his first playthrough while playing for review, and he estimates a typical player will land somewhere between 10 and 20 hours depending on how thorough they are.

Mouseburg hub between missions

Here's a quick breakdown of the three main playtime brackets:

For a game priced at $29.99, that's a strong return. As Highton put it in his Insider Gaming review: "MOUSE: P.I. For Hire might be the best pound-for-pound game of 2026."

Is there a New Game Plus mode?

No. Finishing the campaign doesn't unlock any bonus modes or a second-run option. The only thing that changes based on your choices is which of the three difficulty modes you play on: Rookie (easy), Detective (standard), and Supersleuth (hard). That's the full scope of post-campaign options, according to GameSpot.

This makes the lack of area revisiting a real consideration. Mouse: P.I. For Hire is structured so that once you leave a crime scene, you're not going back. Plan your investigations accordingly.

All 24 Mouse: P.I. For Hire missions and side jobs

Below is the complete mission order, as documented by GameSpot. Side jobs are listed under the main mission where their unlock item or trigger appears, along with the conditions required to start them.

Main campaign missions with side jobs

• Big Mouse, Little Hope
• The Vanishing Act
• Gumshore in the Opera
• Bandel's Laboratory
  • B.A.N.G. (Found on a note at the P.I. Office after completing the previous mission)
• A Bit of a Scene
• Cheeseball Sub
• "Once Upon a Time..." By Tinsel Bros.
  • The Things We Keep (Given by Wanda before starting this mission)
• White Lies and Dark Secrets
• A Bit of Curd And Pepper
  • They Call It "Azurro Burgerro" (Given by John Brown before starting this mission)
• Saltwater Cambozo
  • Imported Goods (Given by Cornelius Stilton before starting A Bit of Curd and Pepper)
  • Fishy Business (Given by John Brown before starting Saltwater Cambozo)
• Damp Evidence
  • Perfect Bog Fondue (Given by John Brown before starting this mission)
• Shrewd Shrews
• It All Points Here, Right?
• To Catch A Mockingmouse
  • Between Alpha and Omega (Given by BMP during this mission) (Optional: ...or don't)
  • Mouseburg Confidential (Given by an undercover agent during this mission) (Optional: ...or don't)
• "The Bookkeeper" By Tinsel Bros.
• "Fatal Repulsion" By Tinsel Bros.
• Swamp Oddity
• One Flew
  • Behind The Nuts (Given by Tammy before starting this mission)
• ?lednaB evetS si lleH eht erehW
• Glugging From the Deep
  • Slugs in the Shell (Given by John Brown before starting this mission)
• Jack Squat
• The House of the Empty Mouse
  • (Optional: Find all four of Bandel's notes)
• Fair Enough
• Big Mouse, Little Hope

That final mission shares its name with the opener, which GameSpot notes will make more sense as you work through the campaign.

What's the best way to approach the campaign?

If you're going for a clean completionist run, the mission list above is your roadmap for knowing exactly when to grab side jobs. Most of them are handed out before the associated main mission begins, which means you need to talk to the right NPCs (John Brown, Wanda, Cornelius Stilton, Tammy) before triggering the next case.

John Brown shows up repeatedly across multiple side jobs, so he's worth checking in with at every opportunity. Missing his quests means missing content permanently, since the game won't let you backtrack.

For players who just want to see the story, sticking to the 24 main missions in order is straightforward. The campaign is linear enough that you won't get lost, and at 7-9 hours it moves at a solid pace.

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