A spoiler-light route through Playdead's INSIDE, tips for the puzzles and chase scenes that kill most players, and how to find the hidden orbs and reach the secret ending for 100% achievements.
Researched September 2026 — current as of the final Steam build (last patch 23 November 2016, which removed Denuvo; the Mac version followed in 2020). No further updates are expected.
You control an unnamed boy in a 2.5D side-scroller. He can walk, run, swim, climb and grab. There's no HUD, no text and no inventory. Everything is environmental: crates, ropes, doors, levers, water, and later mind-control helmets that let you steer the zombie-like drones of the facility to solve puzzles you can't solve alone.
| Action | What it's for |
|---|---|
| Move | Walk, run, swim |
| Jump | Gaps, ledges, climbing starts |
| Grab / interact | Push and pull crates, climb ropes, pull levers, put on or take off helmets, hold ledges |
| Grab while in a helmet | Steer the controlled bodies' actions (jump, pull, push) |
On PC, check the controls menu for your keyboard bindings. Rebinding grab to a comfortable key helps a lot in the timing-heavy sections.
This is an outline, not a step-by-step solution, so the puzzles still feel like yours.
Men with flashlights and dogs patrol. Stay in the shadows, wait for lights to pass, and don't try to outrun the dogs in the open. Look for fences, water or high ledges instead. When a vehicle's lights sweep, duck behind cover.
Crates, a barn, animals, and your first proper puzzles. Pay attention to the pigs and the chicks. Livestock is part of the solution more than once, and the farm buildings hide your first secret-area detours.
Rows of blank-faced people march in time. Copy their movement exactly when you walk among them. Stepping out of rhythm gets you caught. This teaches the "match the pattern" logic you'll need later.
Helmets let you control groups of bodies. Use them to reach levers, build human ladders, and pull heavy objects. Tip: you control everyone connected to the helmet at once, so line them up before acting.
Swimming, a small submarine, and dark water. Something lives down here. Keep moving in the water and head for lit areas. In the sub, use the headlight and the pull mechanic to solve puzzles.
A giant rhythmic shockwave blasts through the area. Count the beats and only move when you're behind solid cover. The rhythm is consistent, so learn it and move right after each blast.
Scientists, glass tanks, and the path deeper into the facility. Several of the hidden orbs are near here, so scan every room.
The last stretch changes how the game plays completely. Don't look up spoilers for this part. Just keep going right.
There are hidden orbs in secret areas throughout the game. Each is a glowing sphere with cables. Reach it and pull the cable/interact to switch it off, which unlocks an achievement. Switching off all of them unlocks access to the secret ending (see below). Secret areas are usually off the main path: behind a wall you can pull away, down a shaft that looks like scenery, or past a detour you'd normally ignore.
Steam achievements, ordered by how many players have them (roughly the order you'll reach them):
| Achievement | In-game hint | Global unlock rate |
|---|---|---|
| Left Behind | "Safe falling and hard landings" | 73.5% |
| Obscure Foundations | "Lies beneath the city" | 36.6% |
| Room for Reflection | "Hanging up" | 28.9% |
| Pack Mentality | "Pull together" | 25.4% |
| Friends in low places | "Dislodging derelict in the depths" | 23.6% |
| Unfathomable | "Take a deep breath" | 22.6% |
| Murky Waters | "Something's not right down here" | 21.9% |
| Field Research | "Unearthing secrets" | 21.1% |
| Office Space | "Do an elevator pitch" | 19.0% |
| Respite | "Dive back in" | 18.9% |
| A Tableau | "Skipping stones at the beach" | 18.8% |
| Wee Wee Wee | "They never made it to market" | 17.9% |
| Clockwork | "Shadows at noon" | 17.4% |
| The Last One | "It comes together" (secret ending) | 14.0% |
This ending is short, cryptic and heavily debated in the community. It's best seen with no spoilers.
When you're stuck, run through this list. Almost every INSIDE puzzle is one of these:
| Pattern | What to try |
|---|---|
| Ledge too high | Drag a crate, pull a cart, or have controlled bodies form a step |
| Door or gate won't open | Look for a lever or a weight plate elsewhere on the screen, often behind you |
| Enemy blocking the path | Wait for its patrol loop, distract it, or use another creature to get it out of the way |
| Heavy object won't move | You need more pullers. Find a helmet or a group of bodies |
| Water blocks the way | Look for a way to drain or raise the water level, or a vehicle |
| Rhythm hazard | Count the beats before moving and move right after the hazard |
| Screen looks empty | Something in the background can be grabbed or climbed. Walk slowly and try grab on everything |
Chase scenes: these are scripted to be tight but fair. If you're dying at the same spot, you're usually a hair late on the jump or grab. Commit earlier, not faster.
How long is INSIDE? About 3 to 4 hours for a first playthrough. Cleaning up all the orbs adds an hour or two with checkpoint select.
Is INSIDE a sequel to LIMBO? No. It's Playdead's next game after LIMBO, with a similar style, but a separate world and story.
Do I need to find all the orbs in one run? No. Orb progress carries across checkpoint loads.
What does the secret ending mean? Playdead never officially explained it. Most interpretations are about control and who's really doing the controlling.
Is there a demo? Yes. A free demo was released on the Steam store page in November 2016.
Does INSIDE support controllers on PC? Yes, with full gamepad support (including Xbox One vibration on Windows 10, added in 2016). Keyboard works too.