How to easily obtain the secret ending in Dead Space remake

Dead Space (2023) is a faithful remake that's true to the original Dead Space title (2008) and was developed by Motive Studio under Electronic Arts. This single-player survival horror game follows engineer Isaac Clarke aboard the USG Ishimura as he and his crew investigate a distress signal emanating from the ship and uncover the sinister horrors lurking within. Isaac has to survive and escape the ship before figuring out why the ship is infested with mutated necromorphs while trying to find his missing girlfriend, Nicole.

Unlike recent transformative remakes such as Final Fantasy VII and Resident Evil 2, this one is more of a graphical and gameplay-focused update to the base game. That being said, Motive keeps the remake fresh with several new additions, including minor tweaks to storyline elements. One such addition is the new “secret ending,” which will be discussed in this article.

Note: Major spoilers for the game are included below. Reader discretion is highly advised.

---

Unlocking the secret ending in the Dead Space remake requires a New Game Plus save

Obtaining the secret ending in Dead Space (2023) requires some additional effort using the New Game Plus mode. Interested readers can follow these steps to ensure that you get the ending:

• Finish the game once on any difficulty to unlock the New Game Plus mode.
• Start a game on the New Game Plus mode, which will have you carry over all your weapons, suits, and upgrades from your previous save.
• In this New Game Plus save, collect all 12 Marker Fragments spread throughout the USG Ishimura in the various chapters laying out the story.
• After collecting all of the markers, head back to the third floor of the Crew Quarters and enter Captain Mathius’ room.
• Entering this room will reveal an ominous shrine, where you must place all 12 Markers in the circle.
• A sequence of strange whispers will follow, and the side quest will end.
• You can now complete the rest of the game as you normally would, right up to its climatic ending, which shows Isaac finally escaping the Ishimura.

---

What are the implications of the secret ending in Dead Space?

Interestingly, the secret ending of the remake is grim and short, and appears shortly after Isaac enters the ship to escape the collapsing planet of Aegis VII. As the planet's destroyed, the camera cuts to Isaac talking to the dead Nicole once again.

He's seen promising that they will head back home soon, but not before he builds “a little something first,” heavily implying that he's building another Marker. The camera finally cuts behind Isaac and onto the ship, showing it covered in symbols, presumably drawn by the now insane Isaac Clarke.

This ending ties particularly well into Dead Space 2's storyline and seems to imply that Isaac has finally succumbed to the Marker’s influence, along with visions of Nicole that made him create more Markers before finally being collected by EarthGov.

Considering that the sequel is set three years after the events of the first game, this secret ending provides some much-needed context to what follows, and potentially hints at a remake of Dead Space 2 as well.

Officially released on January 27, 2023 for the PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S platforms, the Dead Space remake has already received very positive reviews from both fans and critics alike.