Alan Wake 2: Where is the point of no return?

Alan Wake 2, Remedy Entertainment's latest horror experience, is a thrilling journey through madness and terror and a heavily story-driven experience with many unforgettable moments. It is not a particularly long game by modern standards, but its 15-20-hour runtime ensures the narrative doesn't overstay its welcome.

Eventually, players will arrive at a point of no return. Like many games out there, this is the point where the game will strap players in for a final romp, meaning they will not have the freedom to do much else.

Let's discuss when the point of no return occurs in Alan Wake 2 to prep players in advance for what's to come.

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When does the point of no return trigger in Alan Wake 2?

Alan Wake 2 is a story of two protagonists, Alan and Saga. So, obviously, there will be two points of no return for each of their storylines.

The new character, Saga Anderson, is an FBI agent tasked with solving murder mysteries around the town of Bright Falls.

The titular writer, Alan Wake, on the other hand, aims to escape the haunted Dark Place, an otherworldly realm brimming with evil supernatural forces.

After finishing Alan's debut segment, players can switch between the two characters. At that point, gamers will be far from the point of no return, but it will keep inching closer as they navigate both protagonists' storylines.

Here's what you need to watch out for during each section:

Note: Before reading further, note that massive endgame spoilers lie ahead.

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Saga Anderson

The point of no return for Saga occurs at the end of Return 6: Scratch in Alan Wake 2. This is after her first encounter with Mr. Scratch, the evil doppelganger of Alan Wake, who is also a major antagonist in both series entries.

This will take her to the Sheriff's Station in the town of Bright Falls. Advance through the paces until you are able to speak with Estevez, after which a warning screen will pop up, announcing the endgame.

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Alan Wake

This happens in Initiation: Chapter 8 after the player has wrapped up everything in the Poet’s Cinema. This will see him taking Alice's photos to place them in a shoe box in the Dark Place's main plaza area. Here, players will be warned about the point of no return.

In either case, once players reach the end of the line for one character, they can switch to another to be able to wrap it up as well. Finishing both will allow players to continue as Saga and head to Cauldron Lake to beat the final boss.

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Alan Wake 2 is a third-person survival horror game. It was released on October 27, 2023, for PC (via Epic Games Store), Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.

Those struggling to get stable performance on the technically demanding game should check out our optimized settings guide to squeeze the most out of their PC hardware.