How to get all endings in The Alters

The Alters is a story-driven survival game where your choices carry serious weight. You play as Jan Dolski, a worker stranded on a dangerous planet who must create alternate versions of himself, known as Alters, to survive and possibly make it back home. What makes The Alters unique isn’t just its psychological and sci-fi elements, but how every major decision changes Jan’s final fate.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through all the major branches that determine the game’s different endings.

Warning: Major spoilers ahead.

---

All endings in The Alters and how to get them

The Role of Rapidium and the Arks

The most important gameplay factor influencing your ending is how much Rapidium you store in Rapidium Arks. You can create up to five Arks — one by default, and one more with each Base Expansion upgrade. Don’t make the mistake of storing the Rapidium in regular storage; only what’s sealed inside the Arks will count when the rescue ship arrives. If you want to unlock the best possible outcomes for humanity, prioritize building these Arks consistently throughout your playthrough.

Gathering and storing Rapidium in Rapidium Arks is very crucial (Image via 11 bit studios)

Depending on your choices, most of the collected Rapidium ends up in the hands of Ally Corporation. However, if you gather a significant amount and have Lucas on your side during the final act, he’ll divert it to independent startups that immediately begin solving the global food crisis. For this to happen, ensure to build at least three Arks before activating the Neutralizer Towers and check in with Lucas each time to strengthen your bond.

---

Maxwell and Agatha

A major branch in the story depends on whether you side with Maxwell or Lena. Maxwell wants the Alters kept a secret and prefers using his own treatment to manage their declining mental states. If you follow his path and keep Lena in the dark, Maxwell remains your boss throughout the game’s final act.

On the flip side, if Lena learns about the Alters and develops neural implants, she reports Maxwell and replaces him with Agatha, the COO of Ally Corporation. Regardless of who you're working with, the structure of Act 3 is mostly the same, except for the fate of the Alters. Without Lena's implants, certain Alters, like the Technician, will never return after leaving the base.

Maxwell’s ending

If you let Maxwell take full control of the rescue mission, he hijacks all your gathered Rapidium for Project Elah — a dark neuroscience experiment. The global food crisis worsens, and the Alters are imprisoned as test subjects. Lucas turns his back on Maxwell and walks away, while Jan is given a new identity and a quiet life under Maxwell’s thumb. This is the most dystopian outcome, where your work helps no one except a corrupt corporate overlord.

Agatha’s ending

If Agatha takes charge and you don’t sabotage the rescue ship, Lena is promoted while Jan becomes the face of Ally Corporation's PR machine. The Alters vanish without explanation — possibly killed or hidden. Just before the credits roll, Jan receives a cryptic email, suggesting that some of the Alters might have survived.

---

Saving The Alters

Saving the Alters is one of good endings of the game (Image via 11 bit studios)

The most satisfying conclusion is one where you sabotage the rescue mission and help the Alters escape. Whether you're dealing with Maxwell or Agatha, this outcome involves a few key preparations:

• Build a fake Rapidium Ark.
• Choose between four Explosive Charges or a Sleeping Gas Canister with a Suit Mask Upgrade.
• Set up either an Autopilot System or, with Lucas’ help, a Remote Access Terminal.

You can prepare all the above, but you must commit to one plan during the final encounter. If you neutralize the soldiers and hijack the ship, Jan returns to Earth as a fugitive, but the Alters are free, offering a bittersweet but morally rewarding ending.

Explosives or Sleeping Gas?

Explosives are cheaper and easier to make, but come with a brutal outcome: four murder charges added to Jan’s record. However, the Sleeping Gas route is safer and cleaner, with no added penalties. If you're running out of time near the end of the game, you may not get to craft the gas in time, so plan ahead.

---

Trusting Lucas

Your choices will determine Jan's future on earth (Image via 11 bit studios)

If Lucas is on your side, he can remotely guide the rescue ship to safety and ensure the Rapidium is fairly distributed. Most importantly, he’ll take the blame for hijacking the ship, letting Jan escape harsher consequences. This drastically reduces Jan's sentence and leads to a more hopeful future. However, if you rely on the Autopilot System instead, Jan alone is responsible for the hijacking, leading to a more severe ending.

---

The Botanist Switch

This unique twist only happens if you’re working with Agatha and have completed the Botanist’s side story. Near the end, the Botanist proposes switching identities — he returns to Earth as Jan Dolski, while the real Jan escapes with the Alters. If you don’t shut him down, the switch becomes your final act, and you’ll play the endgame as the Botanist.

The trial sequence plays out mostly the same, though the Botanist lacks some of Jan Prime’s dialogue options. If you don’t stop the soldiers while playing as the Botanist, he takes Jan’s place in prison and cooperates with Agatha to secure a lenient sentence. Lena eventually confronts him, sensing something is off, and demands the truth before cutting the call.

Trading Places

In the aftermath of the identity swap, Agatha fires Lena for not toeing the line. The Botanist, now Jan, discusses a possible future with Lena before facing sentencing. Meanwhile, Jan Prime vanishes into the unknown with the crew of Alters, living free but off the grid. It’s a morally gray but emotionally rich ending.

---

The Alters rewards players who take time to plan, build relationships, and commit to difficult moral choices. Whether you play it safe, follow orders, or risk it all to protect your alternate selves, the game offers deep emotional payoffs and layered storytelling.