Last Updated on 28 November, 2025
INSIDE offers players a dark, atmospheric journey filled with unsettling imagery and clever puzzles. Beyond the main narrative, the developers hid fourteen secret orbs throughout the game’s gloomy environments. Discovering these orbs unlocks specific achievements and serves as the primary requirement to reveal the game’s mysterious alternate ending.
We designed this guide to help you achieve 100% completion. You will find detailed instructions on how to locate every secret orb, unlock all fourteen achievements, and input the correct code for the secret ending. We have organized the walkthrough by the game’s internal checkpoint system, so you can easily backtrack and collect anything you missed during your initial run.
Table of Contents
Getting Started
You do not need to restart the entire game if you missed a specific collectible. The game features a robust checkpoint load system that allows you to jump directly to specific scenes. We have listed the corresponding checkpoint number for every orb below. Simply load that specific section, follow our instructions to find the secret, and the game will autosave your progress immediately after you deactivate the orb.
Secret Orbs and Achievements: Part 1
The first half of the game contains seven orbs. These are generally easier to find but require you to explore areas that the main path often encourages you to ignore.
1. Murky Waters
Location: Checkpoint 6
You can unlock the Murky Waters achievement very early in the game. Load the sixth checkpoint to begin this sequence. As soon as you gain control of the boy, dive straight down into the water. Most players instinctively swim right to progress the story. You must do the opposite.
Swim toward the left side of the screen. Continue swimming until you surface in a hidden cavern beneath the rock formations. Climb out of the water here. You will see a structure holding the first orb. Interact with it to disconnect the wiring and secure your first achievement.
2. Field Research
Location: Checkpoint 7
The Field Research achievement takes place in the vast cornfield. Load checkpoint seven. As you run through the tall corn stalks, pay close attention to the ground. You are looking for a hidden trap door that blends in with the dirt. It appears roughly halfway through the field.
Stop when you see the handle and pull it open. A ladder leads down into a dark underground bunker. Climb down the ladder and head to the left side of the room. You will find the second orb waiting for deactivation here. Make a mental note of this location because you will need to return here later to access the secret ending.
3. Wee Wee Wee
Location: Checkpoint 9
You will find the third orb inside the pig barn. Load checkpoint nine to start the sequence. Proceed through the level until you jump from the roof and land in a cart filled with dead pigs. Normally, you would push this cart to the right to climb the wall. Instead, grab the cart and drag it to the left.
Pull the cart until it stops, then climb on top of it. Reach up and rip the wooden planks off the side of the barn wall. This reveals an opening. Swing inside carefully. Within the rafters of the barn, you will spot the third orb. Deactivate it to earn the Wee Wee Wee achievement.
4. Left Behind
Location: Checkpoint 15
Load checkpoint fifteen (some console versions may list this as fourteen). This checkpoint places you in the area where you typically drop a large safe through a hole in the floor. Before you interact with the safe or the hole, examine the left side of the room.
You will see a metal grate covering a ventilation duct near the floor. Pull the grate open and crawl inside the vent. This path leads you behind the main wall to a secluded area. You will find the fourth orb hanging here. Disconnect it to unlock the Left Behind achievement.
5. Obscure Foundations
Location: Checkpoint 16
The Obscure Foundations achievement requires you to explore the depths beneath the city roofs. Load checkpoint sixteen. As you run across the rooftops, you will eventually slide down a long section of roof tiles towards a pipe. The standard path requires you to jump to the pipe and climb up.
For this secret, jump to the pipe but slide down immediately. As you descend toward the abyss, watch the left wall closely. You will see a ladder just within jumping distance. Leap from the pipe to the ladder. Climb down to the very bottom level to discover the fifth orb hidden in the shadows.
6. Friends In Low Places
Location: Checkpoint 30
This secret involves the yellow submarine. Load checkpoint thirty. You will find yourself underwater near a red door on the right side. Ignore the door for now. Pilot the submarine straight down toward the bottom of the cavern. Look for a square box that sits loosely in the mud.
Use the submarine’s charge ability to ram the box and push it aside. This action reveals a narrow tunnel. Navigate your vessel through this tunnel until you surface in a new chamber. Exit the submarine and climb up to find a mind-control helmet. Use the helmet to control a nearby husk and guide them to the orb in the background. Once they grab it, deactivate it to unlock Friends In Low Places.
7. A Tableau
Location: Checkpoint 32
You can find the seventh orb near the beach area. Load checkpoint thirty-two to begin. The game positions you in the submarine near a beach with a door on the right. Do not exit the submarine. Turn the vessel around and head back to the left.
Pilot the submarine past your entry point until you encounter a large industrial structure sticking out of the water. You will see a ladder on this structure that looks too high to reach. Use the submarine’s boost ability to launch yourself out of the water and ram the structure. Do this twice. The impact will knock the structure down slightly, which lowers the ladder. Climb out of the submarine, ascend the ladder, and deactivate the orb for the A Tableau achievement.
Secret Orbs and Achievements: Part 2
The second half of the collectibles often requires complex puzzle-solving and the assistance of the game’s AI followers.
8. Pack Mentality
Location: Checkpoint 34
Load checkpoint thirty-four. This section involves gathering a group of followers. Gather your group and head to the far left side of the area. You will see a wooden plank nailed to the wall near the ground. You cannot move this alone.
Wait for your followers to grab the plank, then pull it together to rip it open. This reveals a tunnel leading to a cave. Climb down the ladder into the darkness. Dogs guard this lower area. Grab a nearby torch and wave it aggressively to keep the dogs at bay while you move toward the orb. Deactivate it to secure the Pack Mentality achievement.
9. Respite
Location: Checkpoint 44
The ninth orb sits in a flooded section guarded by a hostile long-haired creature. Load checkpoint forty-four. You must bait the creature to reach this secret safely. Swim into the water and head right to attract the creature’s attention. As it chases you, swim toward the surface and grapple onto a chain or platform to stay safe.
Once the creature waits on the right side, dive back in and swim furiously to the left. You need to reach a submerged tunnel on the far left wall before the creature catches you. Swim up through this tunnel to find a safe pocket of air and the ninth orb. Deactivate it for the Respite achievement.
10. Unfathomable
Location: Checkpoint 47
Load checkpoint forty-seven. You begin this section underwater. You will see a rotor tunnel on the right, but you must ignore it. Dive deeper into the dark water. Look along the left wall for a massive vault door. It has a rotating handle mechanism in the center and two red handles on the perimeter.
Swim to the mechanism. You must grab the handles and rotate the center piece until the locking bars disengage. Once the heavy door opens, swim through the dark tunnel behind it. Surface at the end of the path to find the tenth orb. This unlocks the Unfathomable achievement.
11. Clockwork
Location: Checkpoint 48
The Clockwork achievement requires precise timing. Load checkpoint forty-eight. Walk to the right until you find a large crank wheel. Turning this wheel rotates a beam platform above you. This platform casts a shadow that shields you from a deadly searchlight.
Turn the wheel until the beam is perfectly vertical. Visually, the handle of the mechanism should point directly down to the 6 o’clock position. Leave the wheel and run back to the left. Dive into the water. If you positioned the beam correctly, a pathway underwater will now be open. Swim through it to reach the chamber containing the eleventh orb.
12. Room For Reflection
Location: Checkpoint 50
Load checkpoint fifty. Head right and drop into the hole. Continue right until you enter a room with a yellow box and a button-operated door. You must bring the yellow box back up to the previous room with the glass floor.
Push the yellow box to the far right wall of this upper room. You will see a red button high on the wall that activates a piston elevator. Push the button with the box to lower the elevator platform. As the platform rises back up, quickly push the box into the button again and jump onto the moving elevator. Ride it to the top to find the twelfth orb hanging in the rafters. This unlocks Room For Reflection.
13. Office Space
Location: Checkpoint 54
This puzzle requires you to manage your followers effectively. Load checkpoint fifty-four. You start with a large group of followers. Lead them to the elevator in the basement area. The goal is to reach the upper crawlspace, but you need help from two locations simultaneously.
Split your group. Take the elevator up, but leave some followers behind on the lower level. Position the upper group near the ceiling opening. Now, take the elevator back down and join the lower group. Head right into the office area. The followers here will help toss you up to grab a yellow cable. Climb the cable to the ceiling. The group you left upstairs will now pull you up through the floor. You can now reach the thirteenth orb and the Office Space achievement.
14. The Last One
Location: Checkpoint 57
The final orb is located just before the game’s climax. Load checkpoint fifty-seven. Run through the facility until you reach a long ladder. The main path requires you to climb down. Instead, climb up.
You will find a vent at the top of the ladder. Open it and follow the tunnel to the right. You will enter a massive spherical room containing the final giant orb. Note that the casing around this orb will only open if you have deactivated the previous thirteen orbs. If the lights on the board in the background are all unlit, you can pull the plug on this final sphere to earn The Last One achievement.
The Secret Ending
Deactivating all fourteen orbs activates the conditions for the game’s alternate ending. This ending provides a chilling recontextualization of the boy’s journey. Once you have the The Last One achievement, follow these steps to trigger the finale.
Step 1: Return to the Cornfield
Load checkpoint seven. Run right into the cornfield and locate the hidden trapdoor we used to find the second orb (Field Research). Open the hatch and climb down the ladder into the bunker.
Step 2: The Musical Code
Head to the right side of the bunker. You will find a lever that you can pull in different directions. The background audio hints at the solution, but you can simply input the following code. You must execute the directions in this exact order:
UP, UP, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT, UP, UP, UP, RIGHT, LEFT, LEFT, LEFT
Step 3: Pull the Plug
If you enter the code correctly, the vault door on the right will creek open. Walk through the newly opened path. You will find yourself in a room with several monitors and a power cable. Grab the cable and pull it out of the socket. The screen will fade to black, and you will witness the secret ending of INSIDE.
Conclusion
You have now uncovered every secret INSIDE has to offer. By following this guide, you successfully deactivated all fourteen orbs, unlocked every achievement, and experienced the unsettling alternate conclusion. The game’s narrative remains open to interpretation, but you now possess all the pieces of the puzzle needed to form your own theory about what really happened in this dystopian world.
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