Action
Max Payne 3
The first 3 hours are a test
Gets good by 3h almost every game dips in hours 2–3
Fully opens up by 7h rated like by long-time players
Started playing 64% of owners
Steam reviews 87% positive of 64,833
What the data shows
- In the first 2 hours 1 in 2 reviews are negative (48%); after 10h it's 1 in 13 (7%).
- Fully opens up by hour 7.
- The opening is criticised more than in 75% of games we track.
- The biggest drop-off is between “Part I Complete” (Complete Part I Of The Story) and “Part II Complete” (Complete Part II Of The Story): from 100% to 81% of starters.
- Only 64% of owners have even the first achievement — the rest barely played.
When it gets good
Share of positive reviews by how many hours the reviewer had played when writing the review.
before it gets good opening up fully opened up
Based on all 65,169 Steam reviews in every language. Median playtime in a sample of 297 reviews: 8.5h for positive, 4.7h for negative. Almost every game is rated lower in the first 2–3 hours: that window includes refunds and quick first impressions. What matters is how deep the dip is and how fast the game recovers.
Where players quit
Share of players who started the game and reached each story milestone. 100% is the most common achievement (64% of owners), so people who bought the game and never launched it don't count.
- Started playing 100%
- Part I Complete Complete Part I Of The Story 100%
- Part II Complete Complete Part II Of The Story Most players quit here 81% −19
- Part III Complete Complete Part III Of The Story 69% −13
story milestone ending biggest drop-off
Story milestones were labeled by AI from achievement names and descriptions; mistakes are possible.
All achievements (67)
story milestone ending side
- Part I Complete Complete Part I Of The Story 100%
- One Bullet At A Time 300 Headshots 91%
- Part II Complete Complete Part II Of The Story 81%
- Past The Point Of No Return Take 100 Painkillers 76%
- Part III Complete Complete Part III Of The Story 69%
- Along For The Ride Trigger A Bullet Cam On The Zipline [FREE AIM] 59%
- That Old Familiar Feeling Clear The Hallway Of Lasers 58%
- With Practiced Bravado 100 Kills During Shootdodge 56%
- The Only Choice Given Get 8 Kills While Dangling From A Chain [FREE AIM] 54%
- Feel The Payne Story Complete [MEDIUM] 54%
- You Might Hurt Someone With That Shoot 10 Airborne Grenades 53%
- It Was Chaos And Luck Get 6 Kills While Riding The Push Cart [FREE AIM] 46%
- You Push A Man Too Far Don't Shoot The Dis-Armed Man 45%
- Sometimes You Get Lucky Get A Headshot During The Rooftop Tremors 40%
- The Fear Of Losing It Survive A Level Without Painkillers 40%
- Colder Than The Devil's Heart Kill 30 Enemies In 2 Minutes 32%
- Trouble Had Come To Me Clear Everyone On The Bus Ride 22%
- Out The Window Get 6 Kills While Diving Through The VIP Window [FREE AIM] 21%
- Serious Payne Story Complete [HARD] 18%
- Grave Robber Looted A Body 18%
- The Road-Kill Behind Me Total Everything On The Runway 15%
- So Much For Being Subtle Get 9 Kills While Being Pulled By A Chain [FREE AIM] 15%
- Sure Know How To Pick A Place Discover All Tourist Locations 12%
- Man Of Many Faces Unlock All Faction Characters 9.2%
- Something Wicked This Way Comes Get 7 Kills While Jumping From The Rickety Boat [FREE AIM] 8.6%
- A Few Hundred Bullets Back Use Every Weapon In The Game 8.1%
- Payne Bringer Kill 100 Other Players 7.8%
- Max Payne Invitational Invite someone to play through the in-game contact list 7.3%
- A License To Kill Collect All Golden Guns 7.0%
- An Echo Of The Past Find All Clues 6.7%
- The One Eyed Man Is King Cover Passos With Perfect Aim 6.2%
- Dearest Of All My Friends Kill Someone On Your Friends List 6.1%
- Amidst The Wreckage Destroy All The Models In The Boardroom 5.6%
- It's Fear That Gives Men Wings 10 Bullet Time® Kills In A Row 5.3%
- Deathmatch Challenge Winner In Any Public Deathmatch 4.8%
- You Play, You Pay, You Bastard 100 Kills With Melee 4.5%
- Breaking the 4th Earn a x4 multiplier in Challenge Mode 4.4%
- Maximum Payne Story Complete [OLD SCHOOL] 4.4%
- Payne In The Ass Story Complete [HARDCORE] 3.9%
- Sweep Flawless Team Gang Wars Victory 3.6%
- The Gambler Won A Wager 3.4%
- A New York Minute Finish In A New York Minute 3.1%
- Ouch My Head Headshot someone with a Hangover 3.0%
- Betty Confetti Kill a player with the Bouncing Betty 3.0%
- Full Monty Complete One Of Each Game Mode Including All Gang Wars 3.0%
- All Of The Above Finish All Single Player Grinds 2.8%
- Early Adopter In a single game, kill the same player with both the M24 and the IA2 AR 2.8%
- Bar Brawler Kill someone with a melee strike in the Bar area of Hoboken Bar 2.8%
- Drinker's Revenge Kill the sniper who broke your Hip Flask in the same life 2.8%
- Old School Moves Perform a 720 spin while prone in Nightclub 2.8%
- Breaking and Entering Open 15 Containers or Doors in a single game of Dead Men Walking 2.8%
- Resisting Arrest Stun 10 players with either the cattle prod or stun gun 2.8%
- Sweaty Betty Trigger and avoid a Bouncing Betty by Shootdodging 2.8%
- Man Of Many Weapons Unlock All Weapons 2.8%
- Training Complete Achieve Level Rank 50 2.8%
- 3 Blind Mice Blind 3 players simultaneously with the pepper spray 2.7%
- Air Ace Get 2 kills in a single Shootdodge in the Departure Lounge 2.7%
- Express Checkout Kill 4 players within 3 seconds in the Imperial Palace 2.7%
- Long Arm of the Law Win 20 Vendettas in the 55th Battalion HQ 2.7%
- M4 Murder Level up your M4 Assault all the way to level 10 2.7%
- Keep Your Nose Clean Get 100 Kills as a member of the SPP 2.7%
- 60 Seconds of Intimidation Grind 60 Seconds of Intimidation on enemy players 2.7%
- WMD Get 3 kills from a single use of the level 3 explosives burst 2.7%
- Long Arm of the Lawless Kill Max Payne in Panama as the De Marcos 2.7%
- Welcome Ashore Kill a player on the yacht from the observation platform of the Panama Canal 2.7%
- It Looked Easy Enough Complete the Challenge Mode 2.7%
- The Shadows Rushed Me Unlock And Complete New York Minute Hardcore 2.7%
Steam page Updated: 2026-10-18.