There's more to Inside than puzzles. This guide will show you how to find the game's hidden items, earn its achievements and unlock the alternate, secret ending.
Inside doesn't name its areas, so we've organized this guide based on geographical locations. Just head to the table of contents below to jump in.
Wrestling with puzzles? We've got your back.
Like its predecessor Limbo, Inside is an atmospheric puzzle game that puts a child in a disturbing situation. Your job is to solve puzzles, and our walkthrough has the solution for every one — including videos for the toughest of the bunch that you can also watch on Polygon's YouTube channel.
For more on Inside, you can read Polygon's review and press play above to watch our video review.
Table of contents
Orb 1
Location: The Woods
The first Orb is located in the first swimming section the dogs chase you. Instead of swimming right, swim left and underwater. Just follow the yellow cable. This is true with all of Inside's secret orbs. Rock the pillar back and forth to create a bridge to the orb. Cross the bridge to destroy it.
Orb 2
Location: The Farm
Jump the gate and enter the cornfield. Keep pressing the interact button as you walk through it. Eventually, you'll interact with a hatch. Hold up to open the hatch. Climb down the ladder and walk left to find the secret orb.
Orb 3
Location: The Farm
While running across one of the rooftops in The Farm area, you'll see a yellow cable. That means you're on the right roof. Jump off the roof and into the cart of pigs. Instead of pushing it to the right to move forward, push it to the left. When you get to the leftmost wall, press the interact button and pull backward. That will grant you access to the building. Head inside, climb the rope and swing to the left. You'll see the orb there on one of the rafters.
Orb 4
Location: The Farm
After you push the safe off the platform that creates a hole in the ground, jump down the hole. Head left instead of right and pull the metal grate off the wall. The orb is behind the wall.
Orb 5
Location: The City
You can find this orb as soon as you start seeing the line of people march in the background. You'll be on a rooftop with a lot of debris on it. Slide down a long slanted roof, and jump the gap to a pipe on the other side. Instead of climbing the pipe, jump back to the left and climb down a ladder on that side. The orb can be found at the bottom of the ladder.
Orb 6
Location: Underground
This is located midway through the submarine section after you've successfully escaped the first long-haired creature. At the bottom of the water, there's a crate that you can push with the submarine boost. Push it out of the way to proceed to another orb. Jump out of the sub and climb the ladder on the left. Jump into the mind control device and lead the husk into the water. Line it up with the other mind control device that is too high to reach. Jump back into the submarine and use the sub boost to launch the husk into the other mind control device. Now head back up the ladder to the original mind control device to control the second husk in the background. Now you can destroy the orb.
Orb 7
Location: Underground
After you've just gotten out of the submarine, head to the checkpoint and onto the beach where there's a door in front of you. Head back down the beach and get back in the sub. Head all the way to the left of the water area. When you reach a wall, you'll see a pipe that is just outside of the water. Use the sub's speed boost to smash into it twice. That will drop a ladder. Get out of the sub and jump up to the ladder. Climb the wall to find the orb.
Orb 8
Location: The Platform Puzzle
There's really no easy way to get this orb if you've already completed the game. Head back to the area with the 20-man platform puzzle. You're going to have to do some of the puzzle again to find this orb.
Head to the checkpoint where you're about to jump off the platform and get the mind control device. Walk to the left and have them throw you to the ladder above. Keep walking left and lower the platform so the husks can get on with you. Keep running to the left, and pull the large freighter to the right so it lines up under the hole in the ceiling.
Have the husks throw you to the rope on the left. Climb the rope and drop safely through the hole in the ceiling onto the freighter. The husks will then push you to the left.
You'll see the yellow cable on the ground, but you can't quite get to it yet. Climb that wall and solve the next puzzle. Push the cinder block off of the launching box. Activate the box and push the cinder block underneath it. Then activate the launching block and jump off of it to release the husks from their enclosure.
Take them to the right where you saw the cable. Hug the wall with the cable coming out of it and hold the interact button. The husks will pull a plank off the wall. Head through the hole in the wall and walk down the ladder.
When you see a torch in the background, pick it up with the interact button. You'll need it for what lies ahead. Dogs will appear in front of and behind you. Aim the torch at them to keep them at bay. Keep making your way forward until you see the orb. Destroy it and the wolves will leave you alone.
Orb 9
Location: Underwater Lab
This orb is located in the section where there are two openings above the water and a long-haired creature below you.
Run all the way to the right hatch and jump in. Jump back out when the creature is just below you. Now run back over to the left side and swim as fast as you can to the left. You'll be chased, but you should be able to get where you're headed in time.
Swim up and to the left to get out of the water, find the orb and destroy it. Push the grate to the left to safely leave the area. Going back into the water where you came from will result in death.
Orb 10
Location: Shockwaves
Find this orb just after the point where you get unlimited breath underwater. From the checkpoint just before the underwater tunnel with the fans, swim left to find a door. Pull the lever and then open the door at its top to find another hidden orb.
Orb 11
Location: Back to the Surface
Head to the area with the spotlight of death and the hand crank underneath it. The crank controls the platform that blocks the spotlight, but it also controls another arm that stretches beneath you.
Turn the crank so that the platform above you is straight up, and the arm below you is pointing straight down. Once that happens, run to the left into the water and swim down through a doorway. Keep swimming right and head to the surface. You'll find the other arm has an orb on it. Destroy it to get the achievement.
Orb 12
Location: Back to the Surface
This is another orb where you'll have to complete much of the puzzle to find it.
Head to the room with the suspended husks in water above you. Run forward and off the platform into the opening below to fall into the water. There's nothing to see in the water, so climb out and head right.
You'll reach a large room with a bunch of wires heading upward. Head through the hole in the floor and run left. Jump in the water and open the underwater hatch on the left wall. This leads back into the water room that you just fell into.
Head back around and fall through the same hole that takes you below the large room. Head to the right. There's a launch box all the way to the right and a button right next to it. You need to launch the box and then hit the button when it's in midair. A platform will spring out, knocking the box off its track and ready to be moved around freely.
Drag the box near the ladder to the left. Position it on the righthand angled floor that will send it to the top of the ladder. Activate it to send it flying.
Once it's at the top, drag it into the opening in the ceiling and send it to the large room above. Be sure to hit the button when it's at its peak to keep it up there. Now head left and swim back around into the large room.
Now that the box is where it needs to be, instead of pushing it under the other launch box, push it all the way to the right wall.
Step on the launch box and ride it up to the button along the right wall. Activate the button to lower the wall in front of you.
Ride the launch box again to activate the button a second time and send the wall back up. This time, jump off the box and ride the wall back up. The orb is at the top.
Orb 13
Location: Back to the surface
Head to the section with the numerous husks and the elevator, just before the Observatory area. Run to the right, and they will all follow.
Have them throw you across when you reach the large gap in the floor. They will all fall into the gap, but they'll be OK. Jump into the gap once they've all fallen, so you can fall, too.
Have them toss you into what looks like a vent. Then head into the elevator and press the button. The people are on the roof of the elevator above you. Once the elevator is at the top, run left. The people will follow above you and will fall off the ledge down to your level.
Now get about half the husks to follow you back into the elevator with the other half trapped outside of the elevator. Interact with the elevator to shut half of them outside the elevator and half of them inside. (It doesn't have to be exactly half. You just need three or more in either area.)
Take the elevator low enough so the husks outside can climb on top of the elevator. Take it back up to that same floor. Walk just outside the elevator to the right and see the yellow cable above you. Have the husks throw you to it and climb it to the top. Walk to the left to meet the husks that were left outside the elevator and find the orb on the ceiling of that area. Have the husks throw you to it and interact with it to destroy it.
Orb 14
Location: The Observatory
You'll only be able to get this last orb if you found and destroyed all the previous 13.
From the section of the observatory just before you head down the ladder to find the device with the mechanical arm, you should see another yellow wire. Jump across to the ladder and climb up instead of climbing down.
Keep following the yellow wire until you find a sign in the background with 13 glowing orbs. Keep walking forward and enter the strange sphere. You can interact with something in it, even though you can't see it. Pull it to the left to shut it down.
You'll notice that one orb (the location of the second one) will still be lit. Head back to that location in The Farm to find out what's going on there.
When you climb down the hatch that leads to the second orb, you'll find a door to the right with a switch near it that can be flipped up, right and left. Turn the switch Up, Up, Right, Left, Right, Right, Right, Up, Up, Up, Right, Left, Left, Left to open the door. Keep running forward and pull the cables out of the wall at the end to activate a secret ending. That second light in the room with the final orb will now be dark.