REANIMAL Walkthrough: Complete Chapter-by-Chapter Guide (All 9 Chapters)
REANIMAL is the terrifying new horror adventure from Tarsier Studios – the team that brought you Little Nightmares. Released on February 13, 2026, the game follows two orphaned siblings fighting to survive and rescue their friends from grotesque monsters across a dark, post-war world. If you’re stuck, overwhelmed, or just want to make sure you don’t miss anything, this complete REANIMAL walkthrough covers all 9 chapters, key puzzle solutions, enemy encounters, and essential tips to get you through to the end.
A full playthrough takes 3 to 6 hours. Coffins and Hidden Statues are missable and must be collected in a single playthrough – they cannot be obtained via Chapter Select. Keep that in mind before you start.
Before You Start: Essential Controls and Tips
REANIMAL is best played with a controller, even on PC. The two controls you’ll use the most are crouch (LT on Xbox / L2 on PlayStation) and sprint (RT / R2). To interact with objects or pick up items, press Y (Xbox) or Triangle (PlayStation). In solo play, press LB / L1 to command your AI companion to interact with nearby levers and co-op objects.
The game has automatic checkpoints, so if an enemy catches you, you’ll respawn close to where you died. You can also manually load your last checkpoint from the pause menu at any time.
There are 110 total collectibles across the game – 47 secrets, 18 masks, 20 posters, 5 hidden statues, 5 critters, 5 coffins, 10 rest spots, and more. Explore every corner of each chapter before moving on.
Chapter 1: Dead in the Water
The game opens with you controlling the brother on a small wooden boat in the middle of a dark lake. Hold RT (or R2) to move forward and follow the red-glowing buoys. A short cutscene plays when you reach the buoy surrounded by seagulls – your sister is pulled from the water, and she’ll be your companion from this point forward.
Continue following the buoy path, steering around sea mines as you go. When you reach the beach, open the chest in the back-left corner to find a key and use it to unlock the door on the right. Head through the sewage tunnel until you hit a section with a fan blade and a switch. Use the switch to stop the fan, then sprint through before it starts again. If your partner doesn’t make it in time, use the switch on the other side to help them through.
Key Enemy – Sniffer
Sniffer is the first major enemy you’ll encounter in the train yard. This creature hunts primarily by sound, so crouch to stay quiet and move slowly around it. When it leaves the area, follow it outside and use stacked briefcases as cover. Proceed through the abandoned train carriages, pull the lever at the end, and sprint back out through the left door. Climb the ladder and keep running to reach the chapter’s end.
The chapter closes when the two orphans escape but are forced to watch a friend get taken. Push forward and don’t look back.
Chapter 2: The Cleaning House
After a bus ride, you arrive at a forest town. The moment you step in, the floor gives way. Lock the car trunk on your left, climb over it, and squeeze through. Open the shutter and work with your sibling to push it. Inside, go through the crack in the wall behind the counter.
This chapter involves a lot of environmental puzzle-solving and stealth. The town is full of mannequins – push them down and use one of their heads to smash through a glass window to create new paths. Move through the cinema and the cleaning house, always looking for alternate routes through cracks, vents, and crawl spaces.
Key Event: The Ice Cream Truck Chase
One of the game’s most intense sequences happens here. You find a saw in a tree stump – work with your partner to cut down a tree and use it as a bridge. When the ice cream truck starts chasing you, run down the path and make the jump to safety. Your third companion is captured by the monster inside the truck. Chapter 2 ends when the truck eventually falls off a cliff onto the beach below.
Chapter 3: After the Flood
You’re back on the familiar beach from Chapter 1, but things have changed. Now armed with a crowbar, you can pry open a fence door on the right that was previously locked. Follow the path, climb the ladder, and enter. Collect the wheel inside and attach it to the right side of a mechanism outside to open the gate.
You’ll need a second wheel – head into the building on the right through a gap in a bathroom wall. Collect a plunger from the dead monster inside, use it on the fourth toilet from the left to get a key, and use the key to access a locked door leading to the second wheel. Retrieve it quickly and avoid the enemies on your way back.
Once both wheels are attached, work with your partner to push the cart down the track. The chapter revisits early locations with new access routes unlocked by your crowbar.
Chapter 4: No Shelter
After the bus ride away from the pig farm, you arrive at a run-down clock tower. Before entering, grab the poster off the pylon on your left – it’s easy to miss. Climb the stairs, then hoist your partner up the ladder to check inside the front door. Your actual route is to the right.
Climb the ladder and approach the large broken clock outside. Push the minute hand all the way to the right. This moves the hour hand and opens a gap in the clock face on the right side. Boost your partner up and through the broken glass to access the clock tower.
The Spider Kids and the King
Inside the clock tower, you’ll find children turned to stone. Pull the crowbar from one of the petrified children and use it to pry open closet doors to progress. These spider kid enemies attack in groups – defeat them using your crowbar. The trickiest encounter is the King, who sits on a throne but quickly hides when you enter the room. Clear out his followers and watch the upper-right corner of the room behind the throne – the King tries to slip away quietly. Take him out fast before he escapes. Missing him means reloading the checkpoint.
After the throne room, head upstairs, cross the theater room with the pig hanging on a rope, and continue through the chapter. There are sleeping enemies in one corridor – crouch, don’t step on them, and pry the back door open with the crowbar without waking anyone up.
Coffin 4 is hidden behind a secret door in this chapter – hug the left wall after pushing a bookcase across a gap and look for the hidden entrance.
Chapter 5: Down in a Hole
The chapter starts with you hanging from a rope. Work your way down and through the underground section. This chapter leans heavily into dark, tight corridors where sound-sensitive enemies patrol.
Move slowly and crouch often. Use distractions – throwing objects past enemies is a great way to redirect their attention. The minecart sequence introduces a new traversal mechanic; use the flashlight to spot the hidden path on the left side after this section.
The flooded basement area contains a mask behind a broken wall near the boat dock – you need to solve the water valve puzzle to access it. This chapter also contains one of the five coffins, found in the dark tunnel section.
Chapter 6: Nobody Left Behind
Chapter 6 takes the action onto open water. You’re back on the boat, navigating through mines and hunting down a massive sea monster. Clear sea mines with throwable objects before driving through them. Use the cannon on shore to take down the large bird monster – load the cannon with a shell, then aim and pull both levers when the creature is in range. It takes two shots.
After sinking the sea monster, head to the shipwreck by following the buoys. Climb the anchor to board the ship. Inside, insert an eye you find into the whale’s eye socket – it moves and clears your path forward. Don’t forget to pick up the diving masks as they count as collectibles.
Before driving into the dark tunnel at the end of the chapter, turn right and explore the path between the cliffs to find a hidden statue. This chapter also has a distance-driving achievement – if you’re tracking it, drive around the open water longer before docking for the final time.
The chapter ends when you follow the sheep and climb over the wall.
Chapter 7: The Spoils
This is where REANIMAL’s story deepens significantly. The atmosphere gets heavier and the enemies more unpredictable. Move carefully and use cover consistently. This chapter contains the final hidden statue – but you can only find the last mask tied to it if you’ve lit all the candles on the previous statues in a single playthrough.
Keep tracking your collectibles before exiting each room. The chapter also introduces the corrupted farm animal enemies, which patrol in aggressive groups. Separate them from their herd using distractions before engaging.
Chapter 8: Into the Abyss
The second-to-last chapter ramps up the pressure. Enemy patrols are denser and the environments are more maze-like. One of the five coffins is hidden here – look carefully in side rooms before progressing forward.
The long-range enemies with laser sights appear more frequently in this chapter. Keep walls and cover between you and their line of sight. You’ll also encounter explosive soldier-type enemies – listen for a beeping audio cue before they charge, and trigger them from a safe distance using thrown objects.
This chapter is the last chance to grab any coffins or hidden statues you may have missed from earlier chapters. If you’ve collected all five coffins across Chapters 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8 – you’re on track for the secret ending.
Chapter 9: The End
The final chapter brings both endings into play. If you collected all five coffins in a single playthrough, the secret ending will unlock here, revealing the deeper truth behind the nightmare world and the siblings’ connection to it. If you didn’t collect all five coffins, you’ll get the standard ending – the siblings escape the nightmare together, but questions linger.
Take your time in this final chapter. There’s no rush, and making sure you’ve grabbed any remaining collectibles here will lock in your completion percentage. The true ending is emotionally striking and well worth the effort of the coffin hunt.
REANIMAL Tips to Remember Throughout the Game
Getting through REANIMAL is a lot easier if you keep a few key principles in mind from the start. Crouch early and crouch often – enemies in this game are highly reactive to noise and movement, and crouching breaks their line of sight faster than running ever will. Use tall grass and stacked objects strategically to stay hidden during patrol zones.
In co-op, stay close to your partner at all times. The shared camera means that if you drift too far apart, the game will force you back together or create problems with visibility. And before leaving any chapter, take one last pass through the area – many collectibles are tucked in side rooms or behind destructible walls, and several are chapter-exclusive.
Finally, always back up your save at the start of each chapter if you’re going for the secret ending. This gives you a recovery point if you miss a coffin.
REANIMAL Chapter List at a Glance
Here’s a quick reference for all 9 chapters and what to watch for in each:
- Chapter 1 – Dead in the Water: Boat intro, train yard, escape Sniffer
- Chapter 2 – The Cleaning House: Forest town, cinema, ice cream truck chase
- Chapter 3 – After the Flood: Beach revisited, two-wheel cart puzzle
- Chapter 4 – No Shelter: Clock tower, spider kids, the King boss
- Chapter 5 – Down in a Hole: Underground tunnels, minecarts, water valve puzzle
- Chapter 6 – Nobody Left Behind: Open water, sea monster, shipwreck
- Chapter 7 – The Spoils: Deep lore, farm animal enemies, final hidden statue
- Chapter 8 – Into the Abyss: Dense patrols, explosive enemies, final coffin
- Chapter 9 – The End: Both endings – standard and secret
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How many chapters does REANIMAL have? REANIMAL has 9 chapters in total. A full playthrough takes around 3 to 6 hours depending on how much you explore.
How do I get the secret ending in REANIMAL? You must find all 5 coffins in a single playthrough. The coffins are found in Chapters 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8. Collecting them via Chapter Select after the fact will not count toward the secret ending.
Can you play REANIMAL solo? Yes. REANIMAL supports solo play with an AI companion controlling the second character. You can also play online co-op or local split-screen co-op with two players.
Does REANIMAL have crossplay? Yes, REANIMAL supports crossplay across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
What are the missable collectibles in REANIMAL? The 5 coffins and 5 hidden statues are missable and must be found in a single playthrough. All other collectibles can be obtained via Chapter Select.
How long is REANIMAL? The main story takes roughly 3 to 5 hours. A 100% completionist run with all collectibles takes around 6 to 10 hours. Speedruns can be done in about 2 hours.
Is REANIMAL related to Little Nightmares? REANIMAL is made by Tarsier Studios, the same developer behind Little Nightmares 1 and 2. It shares similar mechanics and tone but is a separate game set in a different world.
Looking for more help? Check out our REANIMAL secret ending guide (coming tomorrow), all collectible locations, and our full enemy breakdown for everything you need to conquer this haunting adventure.
