All Silent Hill 2 Remake Endings and How to Unlock

How do you unlock Silent Hill 2 endings? The survival horror sequel’s multiple endings are some of the most memorable in gaming, not least because there are so many to unlock. Each portrays a very different outcome for James and his search for Mary and several are left up to interpretation. Whether you’re looking for a good ending, a bad ending, or a joke, below we have the unlock requirements for all the Silent Hill 2 remake endings.

There are eight endings in the Silent Hill 2 remake. Six of these endings are from the original horror game, while two additional endings are new from Bloober Team. Some endings in Silent Hill 2 require a key item, while others have hidden parameters. With so many requirements, it’s easy to make mistakes and miss the ending you want to see. We’ve avoided excessive spoilers so you can discover the endings for yourself, but follow our step-by-step instructions if you don’t want to know what happens.

Silent Hill 2 remake endings

Here are all eight endings of the Silent Hill 2 remake:

• To leave
• Maria
• In the water
• Renaissance
• Puppy
• UFO
• Blessing
• Quietude

You can only unlock “Leave”, “Maria” and “In Water” during your first playthrough. All other endings are exclusive to the new plus game. In many cases, it is possible to experience multiple endings in a single playthrough, saving tactically before collecting, inspecting, or using specific items. You can then reload that save after unlocking the ending to try another one.

To leave

At the end of “Leave,” James remains devoted to Mary and has his goal of survival. It is widely considered to be the most ‘canonical’ ending and the easiest to unlock. We predict that most players will reach this ending on their first playthrough, although you may also see this in the new game plus.

Here’s how to get the “Exit” ending:

• Heal frequently and avoid being in low health for long periods.
• Inspect Mary’s photo and letter in your inventory once or twice.
• Do not inspect Angela’s knife.
• Don’t check on Maria in the hospital or the maze.
• Listen to the entire conversation at the sickbed in the hallway before the final boss.

Maria

True to her name, “Mary” causes James to lose sight of his intentions to find Mary in favor of Mary. It is the hardest of the three standard endings, as it requires you to be receptive to Maria as much as possible.

Here’s how to get the “Maria” ending:

• Do not inspect Mary’s photo and letter in your inventory.
• Do not inspect Angela’s knife.
• Stay close to Maria as much as possible.
• Participate in optional conversations with Maria when prompted.
• Protect Maria from threats, especially during the Silent Hill motel safe code puzzle.
• Check Maria in the hospital and the maze several times.
• Don’t stop to listen to the patient’s conversation in the hallway before the final boss.

In the water

The ending of “In Water” is historically considered the ‘bad’ ending of Silent Hill 2. Essentially, James is so absorbed by his grief that he doesn’t care what happens to himself or anyone else, leaving him reckless and prone to putting himself in extreme danger.

Here’s how to get the “In Water” ending:

• Do not inspect Mary’s photo and letter in your inventory.
• Inspect Angela’s knife several times.
• Avoid overhealing and maintain low or critical health as much as possible.
• Listen to the conversation at the sickbed in the hallway before the final boss.
• Avoid and ignore Maria as much as possible.

Renaissance

“Rebirth” is the new original game and ends in Silent Hill 2. It requires four secret items that reveal a cult ritual, giving James new hope of reuniting with Mary. With all four items in your inventory, you are guaranteed to achieve this ending in NG+, regardless of any parameters you have met for the others. We recommend saving right before getting the final item, so you can still achieve multiple endings in a single playthrough.

Here’s how to get the “Rebirth” ending:

• Start a new game plus.
• Collect the Crimson Ceremony book from the grave near the shore, in the same cemetery where you met Angela.
• Collect the White Chrism from the outdoor table to the right of the main entrance to the Baldwin Mansion, just past the Jacks Inn in West South Vale.
• Collect the Obsidian Chalice in the Silent Hill Historical Society lobby from the shelf placed on the wall opposite the Pyramid Head painting.
• Collect the Lost Memories book from the shelf inside the Lost & Found in Lakeview Hotel. You can reach this area by breaking a wall in Café Toluca.

After collecting these items, proceed to the end as normal. You’ll hear new dialogue in the sickbed conversation before the final boss, so don’t rush it if you want to experience everything the “Rebirth” ending has to offer.

Puppy

Mira returns as the canine mastermind behind Silent Hill, and we couldn’t be happier about it. This punchline is a staple of gaming culture, so it’s worth seeing in all its low-poly glory in the remake. The “Dog” ending has no special parameters. Instead, you must collect two NG+ exclusive items.

Here’s how to get the “Dog” ending:

• Start a new game plus.
• Collect the first broken key piece from the Big Jay’s supply closet on the corner of Neely St. and Katz St. in East South Vale.
• Collect the second part of the broken key from the kennel in the back garden of the house opposite Jacks Inn, located on Katz St.
• Combine the two parts of the broken key to create the dog key.
• Use the Dog Key to unlock the Observatory Room at the Lakeview Hotel.

As this is an optional ‘joke’ ending, you can load a previous save and skip the Observatory Room to get multiple endings in a single playthrough.

UFO

The “UFO” ending is another joke ending that returns for the remake, although this extraterrestrial conclusion is a little less well-known than its canine counterpart. The “UFO” ending does not require you to collect a specific item in NG+ and interact with it during the game. You can find the clue to this ending at Groovy Music in East South Vale if you prefer to try and work it out yourself.

Here’s how to get the “UFO” ending:

• Start a new game plus.
• Retrieve the Blue Gem from the jewelry box in the store window north of Big Jay’s on Neely St. in East South Vale.
• Go to the roof of the Saul Apartments on Saul St. after retrieving the Silent Hill 2 jukebox button and inspect the Blue Gem when you hear the audio signal.
• Inspect the Blue Gem immediately after meeting Maria in Rosewater Park.
• Inspect the Blue Gem shortly after crossing Toluca Lake.
• Retrieve the 3F hallway key from the Silent Hill 2 music box puzzle at the Lakeview Hotel.
• Inspect the blue gem in room 312 to trigger the “UFO” ending.

Again, like the “Dog” ending, you can load a previous save to reach a different ending after experiencing the “UFO” ending.

Blessing

The “Bliss” ending is one of two new endings exclusive to the Silent Hill 2 remake. James chooses to remain in Silent Hill, lost in memories of happier times with Mary. Again, the items needed to unlock this ending can only be found in NG+.

Here’s how to get the “Bliss” ending:

• Start a new game plus.
• Go to Pete’s Bowl-o-Rama as soon as you enter Western South Vale, before passing Jacks Inn.
• Retrieve the rusty key from the safe behind the counter – the safe code is 1887.
• Crawl through the opening to the gazebo in the northwest corner of the garden at Brookhaven Hospital and grab the Small Chest from the bench.
• Combine the Rusted Key and Small Chest to open it and retrieve White Claudia.
• Drink Claudia Branca in Room 312 and then watch the video.

Quietude

The “Stillness” ending is the second new ending to appear in the Silent Hill 2 remake and includes a shocking revelation about Mary’s true whereabouts. The prerequisite to unlocking this ending requires the chainsaw, which is only available in NG+, making it impossible to achieve during the first playthrough.

Here’s how to get the “Stillness” ending:

• Start a new game plus.
• After leaving the auto parts store, follow the path to South Vale until you reach a chain link fence.
• Break the windows of the car on the right side to recover the Sorrow Key from the back seat.
• Go to the wooden safe in the manager’s office on the 1st floor of the Lakeview Hotel.
• Insert the Sorrow Key into the lock and enter the following combination code: counterclockwise 3, clockwise 1, counterclockwise 4.
• Collect the Toluca Postcard from inside the safe and inspect it in your inventory.
• Continue until the end normally.

Once you retrieve the Toluca postcard, it will replace any other ending, so remember to save it before picking it up if you plan on trying out multiple endings in one NG+ playthrough.

Now that you know the endings of the Silent Hill 2 remake, it’s time to jump into the new game and unlock them all. To speed up your game, keep our guides for the safe code and Silent Hill 2 clock puzzle handy. We also have some tips on how to complete Silent Hill 2’s Abstract Daddy and Pyramid Head boss encounters without breaking a sweat. Finally, our Silent Hill 2 review gets into the nitty-gritty of Bloober’s dark remake.