All Endings
Silent Hill 2 has eight endings. Six have trophies (Leave, Maria, In Water, Rebirth, Dog, UFO), and a gold covers the five classic ones. Endings save to your profile, so you can reload one late save for several of them.
All 8 endings at a glance
| Ending | When | How |
|---|---|---|
| Leave 🏆 | Any run | High health, inspect Mary's Photo & Letter often, not the knife, hear the full hallway talk, Rust-Coloured Egg. |
| Maria 🏆 | Any run | Stay with Maria, keep her safe, Ripe Apple, don't inspect Mary's items or the knife, skip the hallway talk, Scarlet Egg. |
| In Water 🏆 | Any run | Inspect Angela's Knife 5+ times, low health, Rotten Apple, full hallway talk, Rust-Coloured Egg. |
| Rebirth 🏆 | NG+ | Carry Crimson Ceremony, White Chrism, Obsidian Goblet and Lost Memories, then finish. |
| Dog 🏆 | NG+ | Two Broken Key Parts (Pet Center + Katz St. dog house), then the Dog Key on the Observation Room door. |
| UFO 🏆 | NG+ | Blue Gem (Jewelers window), used at the Saul St. roof, the Rosewater pier, after the lake crossing, and Room 312. |
| Bliss | NG+ | Bowl-O-Rama safe 1887 → Rusted Key → the chest in the Brookhaven gazebo → White Claudia. Use it in Room 312 before the tape. |
| Stillness | NG+ (after In Water) | Key of Sorrow from the green car on Wiltse Rd. (chainsaw the window), then the Manager's Office safe (code 314) → Toluca Postcard. Examine it and finish. |
Fastest route: Run 1: play for Maria, save at the last nine-square save point, then reload it for Leave and In Water. Run 2 (NG+): collect the special items and save before Room 312. Dog, UFO and Bliss can all be played from there, and Rebirth comes from finishing with all four items.
Making Peace
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Reach the "Leave" ending.
Making Peace
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Leave (the ‘good’ ending). Across the run: keep your health high, inspect Mary's Photo and Mary's Letter in your inventory several times (5–7), don't inspect Angela's Knife, and near the end listen to the whole conversation in the long hallway. Take the Rust-Coloured Egg door.
Tip
Make a manual save at the last nine-square save point. After any ending, reload it, adjust the final factors and go again.
Vicious Circle
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Reach the "Maria" ending.
Vicious Circle
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Maria. Stay close to her all game: talk to her at every optional prompt (the Historical Society door, the dress in the Jack's Inn upstairs room, Baldwin Mansion), check on her twice in Brookhaven (after the first bracelet and after the Rooftop Key), and check on her often in the Labyrinth. Don't let her take much damage. Put the Ripe Apple (not the Rotten one) on the mirror-puzzle plate in Lakeview Hotel, and don't inspect Mary's Photo, Mary's Letter or Angela's Knife. Skip the full hallway conversation and take the Scarlet Egg door.
Tip
You'll know it worked if the final boss is lying in a bed. Players report that Quality mode can make the hallway talk play in full, so use Performance mode.
Only Way Out
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Reach the "In Water" ending.
Only Way Out
SilverFull guideCollapseHow to earn it
In Water, the ending that's hardest to steer. Inspect Angela's Knife five or more times, stay on low or critical health for long stretches (especially the last 10+ minutes and into the final fight, so don't heal before it), put the Rotten Apple in the mirror puzzle, listen to the full hallway conversation and take the Rust-Coloured Egg door. Don't inspect Mary's items.
Tip
If you get Leave instead, reload the nine-square save, drop your health and look at the knife more. It can take a couple of tries, and NG+ is a second chance.
Defy Even Death
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Reach the "Rebirth" ending.
Defy Even Death
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Rebirth (New Game+ only). Have all four ritual items in your inventory, then finish the game: Book of Crimson Ceremony (graveyard by the lake near the start, by the lone grave under the tree), White Chrism (table outside the Baldwin Mansion entrance), Obsidian Goblet (a wall crevice on the right in the Historical Society main room) and Book of Lost Memories (the Lakeview Hotel Lost & Found, where it replaces the NG note).
Tip
The last item is in the hotel, so save before picking up Lost Memories if you want other endings from the same run.
The Goodest Boi
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Reach the "Dog" ending.
The Goodest Boi
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Dog (New Game+ only). Get Broken Key Part 1 from the back room of The Pet Center (Neely St., South Vale East) and Broken Key Part 2 from the dog house through the gate on Katz Street. Combine them into the Dog Key and open the Observation Room near Room 312 in Lakeview Hotel. The ending plays straight away.
Tip
Because it triggers instantly near Room 312, it takes about a minute to replay from a late save.
Tinfoil Hat
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Reach the "UFO" ending.
Tinfoil Hat
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UFO (New Game+ only). Smash the left window of the Jewelers next to the Pet Center for the Blue Gem, then use it at all four spots: 1) the Saul Street Apartments roof (the eye graffiti on the vent), 2) the Rosewater Park pier where you met Maria, 3) just after you cross Toluca Lake by boat, and 4) Room 312.
Tip
UFO is not needed for Party Like It's 2001, but it has its own silver.
Party Like It's 2001
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See all classic endings (Leave, Maria, In Water, Rebirth, Dog).
Party Like It's 2001
GoldFull guideCollapseHow to earn it
Pops when you've seen Leave, Maria, In Water, Rebirth and Dog. Endings are saved to your profile, not to a save slot, so reloading counts.
Tip
There are reports of the tracker sticking at 4/5. If that happens, replay whichever ending didn't register from your late save.
More Silent Hill 2 guides
Step-by-Step Walkthrough
Both playthroughs, area by area.
Story & Bosses
Every story milestone and all six boss fights, with real tactics for each.
Memos, Photos & Glimpses
68 memos, 26 Strange Photos and 26 Glimpses of the Past, area by area.
Missable Secrets
The seven one-off secrets: balloons, Room 106, the pizza, the lake, bread, the chainsaw and the very first trophy.
Combat & Kill Counts
Stomps, gun and melee kills, locked doors, windows and James of All Trades.
Challenge Runs
New Game+, no radio, under 10 hours and no gun kills.