All Silent Hill 2 endings and how to get them

There are 8 Silent Hill 2 endings in the Remake, dependant on how you play the game and what you choose to do throughout. Not only do certain actions and choices change the ending of SH2, but even subtle nuances in your gameplay and how you choose to interact with certain things in a much more subtle way, like your treatment of Maria.

Below we'll go through every ending in Silent Hill 2 Remake, what you have to do to unlock them, and explain which of those final results (if any) is the best one. Keep in mind that some of these endings can only be achieved on New Game Plus, meaning you'll need to complete the game at least twice.

All Silent Hill 2 Endings in the Remake

There are 8 possible Silent Hill 2 endings in the Remake, all of which I've listed below, as well as if you can unlock them on New Game Plus or a first playthrough:

The last two of these endings - "Bliss" and "Stillness" - are new, and specially made for the Remake. However, all the others are recreations of possible endings in the original 2001 version.

The first time around in Silent Hill 2 Remake, you'll be able to complete the game and get any of the first three endings – Leave, In Water, or Maria – while in subsequent playthroughs of New Game Plus, you'll have the option to unlock all eight of them, including the first three.

Below, I'll go through the requirements to unlock them all, without spoiling what the endings actually are.

How do the Silent Hill 2 endings work in the Remake?

The "Leave", "In Water" and "Maria" endings in Silent Hill 2 work on a behind-the-scenes points system. The Remake is constantly judging certain actions in-game, with the idea being that Silent Hill 2 is trying to work out how James is feeling about himself, his situation and others, based on the actions you make him take, both in and out of combat.

Some endings are based on him caring about the people he meets or not, so helping Mariah if she's attacked, for example. While how much he works to defend or heal himself, demonstrating a sense of self-preservation, can also have an impact.

It's a hard to read system, least of all becauses there's no visibility on what's tracked, but I'll lay out the basic steps that are being measured, and what they contribute to below.

How to get the Silent Hill 2 Leave ending in the Remake

The Silent Hill 2 Leave ending is achieved by completing the game normally under the following conditions.

• Heal frequently so James spends as little time as possible injured.
• Do not examine Angela's Knife, or Mary's Photo, Letter or Handkerchief in your inventory.
• Do not visit Maria at the Hospital 2F bed, or the Labyrinth prison cell.
• In the Silent Hill 2 Remake coin cabinet puzzle, pick the "Snake" coin at the end when asked to choose who's responsible.
• In the corridor at the end of the game where you can hear Mary speaking, make sure you listen to the whole thing before moving to the next area.
• Don't go out of your way to protect Maria from threats or stay close to her when she's following you.

The goal here is to meet two criteria: have James show a high level of self-preservation, while showing as little uninterest as possible in either Maria or Mary.

Healing frequently is the easiest way to ensure this - don't spend a lot of time in low health, and you should be fine, even if you break some of the other rules.

How to get the Silent Hill 2 In Water ending in the Remake

The "In Water" ending in Silent Hill 2 is achieved by completing the game normally, under these conditions:

• Heal yourself rarely so James spends as much time as possible at low health.
• Examine Angela's Knife, Mary's Photo, Letter and Handkerchief in your inventory multiple times across the course of the game.
• Do not visit Maria at the Hospital 2F bed, or the Labyrinth prison cell.
• At the Coin Cabinet, pick the "Man" coin at the end when asked to choose who's responsible.
• In the corridor at the end of the game where you can hear Mary speaking, make sure you listen to the whole thing before moving to the next area.
• Don't go out of your way to protect Maria from threats or stay close to her when she's following you.

This time around, you need to complete the game while showing James as somebody with low self-preservation, while also focusing on Mary - but NOT Maria.

How to get the Silent Hill 2 Maria ending in the Remake

The "Maria" ending in Silent Hill 2 is achieved by completing the game normally by doing the following:

• Heal frequently so James spends as little time as possible injured.
• Do not examine Angela's Knife, or Mary's Photo, Letter or Handkerchief in your inventory.
• You SHOULD visit Maria at the Hospital 2F bed, and the Labyrinth prison cell, multiple times each time. Make sure you visit her in the hospital after locating the Marked Bracelet, and in the Labyrinth even after something bad happens to her.
• At the Coin Cabinet, pick the "Woman" coin at the end when asked to choose who's responsible.
• In the corridor at the end of the game where you can hear Mary speaking, DO NOT listen to the whole thing before moving to the next area.
• Prevent Maria from taking damage wherever possible.
• Do not make Maria uncomfortable by physically bumping into her, breaking a lot of glass around her, or being separated from her for long periods of time.
• After meeting Maria in Rosewood Park, follow her obediently and DO NOT deviate from the pathways she suggests until you reach the hospital (this means not looking for the Silent Hill 2 Remake Garage Jack lever).

The goal here is to show high self-preservation for James while also making Maria a high priority, but not Mary.

This is probably the trickiest of the three "first playthrough" endings to achieve, as keeping Maria safe and happy is pretty fiddly, especially when something as minor as bumping into her can have a negative effect.

How to get the Silent Hill 2 Remake Rebirth ending

The Silent Hill 2 Rebirth ending can only be achieved on New Game Plus, and involves having to find four special items as you play.

1. The Crimson Ceremony is found in the cemetery where you first meet Angela, on a grave by the lakeside.

2. The White Chrism is on a table outside of Baldwin Mansion after you first solve the Silent Hill 2 Remake motel safe code puzzle with Maria.

3. The Obsidian Goblet is inside the Historical Society you enter after the hospital, inside an alcove on the wall.

4. The Lost Memories book is in the "Lost and Found" on 1F of LakeView Hotel. Breaking a wall in the cafe will allow you to access this.

Once you have all four items, completing the main story will automatically trigger the "Rebirth" ending, regardless of the choices or actions you've made along the way.

This can only be cancelled by triggering the specific conditions for the endings that are listed after this one.

How to get the Silent Hill 2 Remake Dog ending

The legendary Silent Hill 2 Dog ending in the Remake is specific to a New Game Plus playthrough, and is unlocked through this process:

1. Find the Broken Key Part 1 on top of a desk in the backroom of the Pet Center in the South Vale, which you can explore while fixing the Silent Hill 2 Remake jukebox.

2. The Broken Key Part 2. can be found after going through the locked gate in the Motel with Maria - turn right three times to find a doghouse in a dead-end path. The key part is there.

1. Combine both key parts to make the Dog Key, then use it to open the Observation Room on 3F of the Lakeview Hotel. This will trigger the Dog Ending.

How to get the Silent Hill 2 UFO ending in the Remake

The Silent Hill 2 UFO ending in the Remake is another specific to NG+ and achieved through the following method:

1. Get the Blue Gem from the window of a jewellery store North of Big Jay's when you're doing the Jukebox repair. Just crack the glass of the store to take the gem.
2. "Investigate" the Blue Gem in your inventory at these locations throughout the game (there'll be a symbol on an eye drawn somewhere nearby to mark you're in the right spot):
   1. The Rooftop of Saul Street Apartments (while fixing the Jukebox)
   2. The Pier to the Northwest of Rosewood Park after meeting Maria.
   3. The dock at the South of LakeView Gardens you moor at after rowing over the lake.
   4. Room 312 of LakeView Hotel, before you watch the Video tape.Empty list

Fulfil all these criteria and the last time you investigate the Blue Gem, in room 312, it should immediately trigger the UFO ending in Silent Hill 2.

How to get the Silent Hill 2 Bliss ending in the Remake

The Silent Hill 2 Bliss ending is a new option created especially for the Remake, and also specific to NG+. Here's how you get it:

1. In the Northwest corner of the 1F Hospital Garden, while solving the puzzle of the Silent Hill 2 Remake Director's Office hand, you'll find a Small Chest if you crawl through a hole.

2. In Pete's Bowl-O-Rama, just South of the Historical Society after the Hospital, there's a safe you can open with the code 1887 to get the Rusted Key.
3. Combine the Key and Chest in your inventory to get the White Claudia.
4. Progress through the game until you reach room 312 of the Hotel.
5. Select the White Claudia from your inventory to drink it.
6. Watch the video tape, and this time you'll get an alternate ending.

How to get the Silent Hill 2 Stillness ending in the Remake

The Silent Hill 2 Stillness endings is another new one made specifically for the Remake, and requires NG+. Here's how you get it.

1. Get the Chainsaw at the very beginning of NG+ (our guide to the Silent Hill 2 Remake weapons will show you how).

2. After leaving the Ranch, smash the window of the green car on Wiltse Road to get the Key of Sorrow.

3. Later in the game, after watching the video in Room 312, go to the Manager's Officer on 1F and use the key (and the code 314) to open the safe and get the Toluca Postcard.
4. Inspect the postcard in your inventory at least once.
5. Complete the rest of the game to get the Stillness ending.

What's the best ending in Silent Hill 2?

Warning: this section of the guide has spoilers for the plot of Silent Hill 2 Remake and its Endings.

The Silent Hill 2 Remake doesn't really have a best ending, as it's all a matter of opinion. It depends on what you think of James, his actions, and what he really deserves after what he did.

Some endings are undoubtedly darker than others. The "Maria" ending has James not only still ignoring the worst elements of what he did to Mary, it implies those awful events may repeat themselves. Given that it sees Maria coughing on the way back to the car, and James telling her to get that sorted in an ominous tone of voice, it's hard to think of that one as the best option.

Meanwhile, endings like "Leave" see him absolved and free to move on with his life, while "In Water" ends in suicide, with James consumed by what he did and unable to go on. Whether you think he deserves absolution at all is a matter of opinion.

From that point on the endings get more extreme or outlandish. "Rebirth" implies, but stops short of outright confirming James uses the old gods to bring Mary back, which would presumably have hideous consequences. Beyond that, the new endings in the Remake reach both ends of the spectrum: "Bliss" gives him the outright happy endings of living in the past, while "Stillness" is basically an enhanced version of "In Water".

So no - there just is no clear good or bad ending to a game as complex as Silent Hill 2, and there probably shouldn't be. What the 'best' ending is all depends on your interpretation and feelings about the terrible thing that James has done.

Whether you think he deserves to go free and live his life, to continue to punish himself, or to be abducted by aliens - what you think of as the best ending is up to you.

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